[supersebbo]

Is this normal?

On both fronts and one rear. It would be odd to get 3 faulty light clusters on one vehicle!

[MechX3M40i]

I would not consider that normal. How was the weather? And how did the other cars in the vicinity fare? Did they have the same problem?

[fw_fw]

I'm having that issue with my passenger side headlight after I wash my car. Definitely not normal, and I'll be bringing it up with my Service Advisor next oil change.

[bmtespar]

I learned this a few years ago that BMW no longer seals their headlights. So it is very possible that you could get some condensation inside the headlights particularly with an extreme weather change. I found this out by seeing the same thing on my previous bmw and taking it to the dealer. If I’m not mistaken, I believe it mentions this in the owners manual as well. I am not certain, but I don’t think your tailight should have condensation as those are sealed.

[supersebbo]

Yeah I did wonder if it was due to being taken out of very cold conditions in shipping/storage to relatively warm conditions inside the garage.

I'll give it a week and see what happens.

[weez]

I've had condensation in my headlights as well that I would attribute to weather fluctuations.

[nyalpine90]

definitely not normal, should be easy replacement under warranty.
weather fluctuates here in NY, one day its mid 50s, next day its mid 30s.
back when i had F25, twice lights were replaced due to condensation.

[LostX]

Originally Posted by nyalpine90

definitely not normal, should be easy replacement under warranty.
weather fluctuates here in NY, one day its mid 50s, next day its mid 30s.
back when i had F25, twice lights were replaced due to condensation.

I had this on my ride home from the dealer the day I got the car. Took overnight for it to go away. Hasn't happened since. I'm waiting for it to happen again.

Apparently bunch of folks experience this.

[MechX3M40i]

If the headlight assembly is not sealed off (to let heat vents out?), then where is the vent located? There got to be a way for the moisture to get in to cause condensation, right?

i'm also wondering if exposing the car to sunlight would help the condensed water to 'evaporate' faster so it can escape the assembly as gas vapor, via the same pathway as it came inside. I can't see a way for liquid water to drain away from the top of the assembly as shown in the pics...

[nyalpine90]

not sealed properly or hair line crack will allow moisture to build up inside the light.

[skier219]

Most modern lights are either sealed, or have a gore-tex vent that lets vapor out but won't let water in. You'd see a little white dot if it's a gore-tex vent. Even my peasant-class GMC truck has these vents on the headlight assemblies.

[MechX3M40i]

Originally Posted by MechX3M40i

If the headlight assembly is not sealed off (to let heat vents out?), then where is the vent located? There got to be a way for the moisture to get in to cause condensation, right?

i'm also wondering if exposing the car to sunlight would help the condensed water to 'evaporate' faster so it can escape the assembly as gas vapor, via the same pathway as it came inside. I can't see a way for liquid water to drain away from the top of the assembly as shown in the pics...

I looked up the light section in the manual, and it did mention that condensation can occur.

They suggest turning on the headlight and drive and the condensation should go away (I assume the heat from the lights will evaporate the water and let it escape as vapor).

[Rhidium]

I was about to suggest to turn on the headlights to evaporate it..

Nevertheless.. it wouldn't hurt to bring it up to the BMW dealership.

[titomi]

any news? supersebbo ? I was at the dealer with another issue and he pointed out that there is a condensed water in the headlight unit (one, front). He took pictures to send to BMW to investigate and mentioned that it doesnt look normal to him and possible replacement under warranty. That was just 2 days ago, no word yet.

[pritchd]

Press hard to get this replaced under warranty. Headlights are very expensive by themselves and there are other electronics nearby that condensation can leak onto. Replacing a headlight is the single most expensive repair I had to do on my retiring 2011 528i!

[Rhidium]

Mine had condensation as well due to weather. I read others had this issue..

[titomi]

The guy said that condensation can occur, but according to BMW standards (whatever that means), when the water drops are too big, it can be an indicator that something is wrong. Don't know, whether that is true or not. After 4 days it's still there - weather was quite good, just a little rain today, I also turned on the headlights. Here are mine for comparison.

[nyalpine90]

this week we had snow/sleet storm, following day it reach 50 deg. i checked the headlights for any condensation. Nothing.
inspect the headlight something isnt right.

[MechX3M40i]

Originally Posted by titomi

The guy said that condensation can occur, but according to BMW standards (whatever that means), when the water drops are too big, it can be an indicator that something is wrong. Don't know, whether that is true or not. After 4 days it's still there - weather was quite good, just a little rain today, I also turned on the headlights. Here are mine for comparison.

It does look excessive! Have you tried driving around with the headlights on to heat up the inside of the light assembly and evaporate the condensed water? Parking under the Sun may help too but it's Winter time...

[AndroidRobot]

had that issue on a tail light form the factory. turns out it had a hairline stress crack so it was replaced under warranty

[darrylo]

Just the other day, I was stopped at a stoplight when I noticed that the (non-BMW) SUV in front of me had rear brake light housings with around 2" of water in them. We'd just stopped, and the water was still sloshing around a bit.

[Climate Changer]

All you need is a little bit of this.