Tail lights

[Ed.Straker]

Now the snow has melted, the front lights look problematic also.
Sytner’s first response was seals and corrosion are not covered under warranty (as expected). Started escalating it up the chain.

I see looking at a 2011 owners manual it says..


Headlamp glass
Condensation can form on the inside of the external
lamps in cool or humid weather. When the light is switched on, the condensation evaporates
after a short time. The headlamp glasses
do not need to be changed.
If there is a large amount of moisture, e.g., water
droplets form in the lamp, have the lamp checked by your service center.

Thanks Ed
Useful to know.
I imagine it will clear if it’s own accord.
Car hasn’t moved for a couple of weeks

If it’s any consolation I’m in the market for 2nd generation Zed and in the last 3 weeks driven 4 different ones and they all had a bit of condensation in their headlamps on arrival..most seemed to have lost most of the condensation after 2-3 hours of test driving..

 

[Deebs]

I'm interested in that first picture, looks like BMW also changed the design of the boot edge trim, the one that clips onto the little studs.
It has a much wider lip than on my car.
Must have been another attempt to reduce how much water flows over the tail lamps.
lip.jpg

I’ve actually bought new ones from bmw, with 10% discount for mentioning I belonged to this forum, Sopers did them for about £16 each.

The one pictured didn’t mate up to the car very well in places (letting yet more water in to the channel). I tried some gutter sealant (as I had it from sealing the front seal), but it looked shabby.

I can take new pictures in the day light tomorrow. It does seem to fill the gap better and definitely mates up to the car better.

 

[Deebs]

I see looking at a 2011 owners manual it says..


Headlamp glass
Condensation can form on the inside of the external
lamps in cool or humid weather. When the light is switched on, the condensation evaporates
after a short time. The headlamp glasses
do not need to be changed.
If there is a large amount of moisture, e.g., water
droplets form in the lamp, have the lamp checked by your service center.

Thanks Ed
Useful to know.
I imagine it will clear if it’s own accord.
Car hasn’t moved for a couple of weeks

If it’s any consolation I’m in the market for 2nd generation Zed and in the last 3 weeks driven 4 different ones and they all had a bit of condensation in their headlamps on arrival..most seemed to have lost most of the condensation after 2-3 hours of test driving..

What model you looking for Ed?
I went for a low mileage 3.0, which I really like, but sometimes I get a bit jealous of the folk talking about their turbos

 

[Ed.Straker]

Thanks Ed
Useful to know.
I imagine it will clear if it’s own accord.
Car hasn’t moved for a couple of weeks

If it’s any consolation I’m in the market for 2nd generation Zed and in the last 3 weeks driven 4 different ones and they all had a bit of condensation in their headlamps on arrival..most seemed to have lost most of the condensation after 2-3 hours of test driving..

What model you looking for Ed?
I went for a low mileage 3.0, which I really like, but sometimes I get a bit jealous of the folk talking about their turbos

Hi, a fellow medic is selling his 30 non turbo 6 auto which he let me drive for about half an hour..compared to my Audi A5 Quattro turbo it felt flat low down / mid range and the marriage with the auto box didn’t feel that good.

So since then I’ve driven dealer 35is auto for about 2 hours, a 20i auto, a 28 auto and a private 18 manual which had been re-mapped. A friend of mine who has a 2008 Boxster has been out with me and we swapped over so I’ve got a pretty good idea on there relative merits especially with driving my friends Boxster and his input too.

It’s amazing how big Hertfordshire is when you string together a few good roads to try out the different aspects.

My budget is flexible but my colour choice may turn out to be more limiting.

None of the cars were in a colour I wanted so my search continues ..I like the strong colours but most seem to be silver/black/white.

With the latest news I guess it’s all on hold now..

 

[Danglesberries]

So................... which of your test drives was best?????

 

[Ed.Straker]

So................... which of your test drives was best?????

Of the test drives for various reasons the 18 manual showed the way forward.

The re-map was impressive, the ride and handling related aspects of the non factory 18 inch wheels with Goodyear tyres was much better than the standard tyres on the dealer cars on their 18 and 19 inch wheels.

What was missing was the 8 speed auto box which the dealer 20 and 28 had which was much better matched to the car than the manual.

In reality they were all very similar as you would expect in terms of long nose, low rear seating position, interior trim etc.

All the 18,20,28 had better feel on the front end and felt better poised than the 30 and 35 trying to take tyres and wheels into consideration.

The 18 and 28 left the 30 auto way behind in terms of real world driving, the 28 auto was never short of the right gear at the right time.

The 35 was the undisputed traffic light grand prix winner but the 18 actually went faster around bendy roads and never felt that it was slower than the 35 especially on the cold and greasy roads. Suprised that the 35 doesn't have a limited slip diff as it kept losing traction when provoked.

Sound wise they all sounded OK if different. V6s and V8s sound and feel better but that's not an option.

Cabin wise suprised at how much road noise intruded and a fair degree of NVH from the tyres on the dealer cars, which was worse roof up.

Smoothness of engines wise we couldn't really tell the difference apart from the 35 which actually felt rougher for some reason.

Both my friend and I were pretty much agreed comparing them to each other and to the Boxster and A5 we both know.

We know that you can get more power from the 35 too but the car doesn't seem to cope with what its got already, comng from a Boxtser or A5 perspective. The 35 felt a bit like my old TVR..not sure which end was going to let go first.

So I think I'm looking for a yellow or orange 20 or 28 auto which I will then get re-mapped, maybe add a few other tuning parts and get some decent tyres and wheels if its not already fitted.

Its 'newness' and optional extras are the focus I think for now!

I know already that is not what some people would conclude but that's our view.

 

[Deebs]

Pics of new seals for Flybobbie.

 

[maxman]

Have you got the part no of the seals?T.I.A

 

[Deebs]

Have you got the part no of the seals?T.I.A

Cant remember which is right and which is left (one digit different at the end of the part number. Sorry.
(I’d guess the 747 is passenger side and 748 is drivers)

 

[Anonymous]

They've changed the internal design of the lights over time..

Well I've battled on with the RH rear light getting moisture in it. I sealed the rear access cover up with some sealant and thought job done.

After a through wash this week I saw obvious moisture in the RH lens and some condensation (at least) in the LH lens.

On taking the units out (never try to remove those plastic clips that hold the trim together at 0c, the trim removal tools were snapping under the strain) I took them inside to dry out.

On examination I couldn't see any obvious moisture coming through the access covers.

As I tipped the RH unit up water poured out the edge where the lens front and back mouldings meet at the outer edge of the unit when mounted on the car.

I decided that I would do a full re-furb on them, but since that may take some time and may not be ultimately successful, bit the bullet and bought two new ones. List around £256 from a third party parts supplier but with discounts got them for around £156.

Looking at the new units (stamped August 2017 as opposed to my orginals June 2012) you can see a number of design changes despite the same part number with no revisions. the obvious one is that the rear access covers as well as being clipped in positio are now held down with around 6 cross head screws as well as the clips.

The design around the parts where the lens and back meet is revised too..

We'll have to see how they perform..

 

[flybobbie]

Problem was or is they never solved the fundamental problem there is a gap sealed with a open cell foam, which like a bath sponge.
They tried to be clever by adding the screws to try and increase the clamping pressure, but that doesn't work.
Unless you glue up those seals it will leak again.

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Flybobbie

I took the seal to a bearing/seals company..they said its a closed cell foam seal designed for low clamping pressure..they offered a couple of expensive gasket type sealants to augment the seals..

I'll give my old units a good re-furb, test them, seal them up and then either ebay them or offer them on the forum (asuming they keep working)

 

[flybobbie]

I would say they are incorrect on the type of foam. We used a lot of foam on traffic light equipment that had to be closed cell, that would not absorb water. We had a batch of wrong foam and had refit a load of sensors where capillary action had drawn moisture into the units and corroded circuit boards.
The seals on these lamps you can wring the water out by twisting, in fact i would start to dry them by pressing them between tissues. When i fitted my seals with glue i actually squeezed the rubber and it would soak up the glue, good really.
Don't use silicone it doesn't seem to stay attached to the black plastic.

All i can say is my other "new" lamp which was glued up 4-5 years ago has never had any moisture in it.

 

[mcbutler]

Here you go...

https://www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/e89-z4-sdrive35i-roa/repair-manuals/63-lights/63-21-rear-light-cluster/8IMHWafz

newtis links dont work bud

 

[Ed.Straker]

Here you go...

https://www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/e89-z4-sdrive35i-roa/repair-manuals/63-lights/63-21-rear-light-cluster/8IMHWafz

newtis links dont work bud

mcbutler...you need to be registered as an authorised user to be able to see the TIS information now..works for me

 

[mcbutler]

Here you go...

https://www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/e89-z4-sdrive35i-roa/repair-manuals/63-lights/63-21-rear-light-cluster/8IMHWafz

newtis links dont work bud

mcbutler...you need to be registered as an authorised user to be able to see the TIS information now..works for me

yes, thats what I meant, most people are not registered paying customers of newtis

 

[Anonymous]

Registration is now required to address some BMW mandated requirement


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