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      02-28-2012, 07:45 PM   #1
COEHSP85
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A Frustrating Situation...Need advice and help

Ok so sunday i discovered that my drivers side headlight started developing condensation and moisture. No big deal right...?? WRONG....well to top it off the headlight itself stopped working as well. The Halo lights work, but the HID light doesn't. So monday evening i dropped off my car to the BMW service for it to be looked at today. Well they did everything and said that the light assembly needs to be replaced, along with the bulb, and the ballast unit. Repairs are about $2270. Now i bought this car with 49000 miles on it, and right now i have about 51600. The factory warranty is over with. I did purchase an extended protection plan with the dealer where i bought the 135 and it is a platinum coverage. Now my SA at the service called them today and they clarified with him, that they do not cover headlamp assembly especially due to moisture damage. GREAT....However, their stupid brochure said it has to cover headlamp motor. Meaning that the headlamp itself has to be replaced due to a fault in the Adaptive Headlight piece itself which threw the code. So this is a frustrating matter, because i paid 3K for a extended coverage and they don't wanna help me out with my situation.
So i sat down with the BMW Finance manager and went over their own extended protective plan, and guess what, they cover a headlamp assembly as long as there is not corrosion or exterior physical damage. So now im really wanting to call my current company and cancel their BS plan and sign a new one with the BMW guys.

Well here are my few questions...

If i was to take matter into my own hands, remove the bumper cover, take the headlight off and look for a crack in the housing, would i be able to seal it up with some waterproof silicone or not? Also i found a HID Ballast unit on Ebay for $120, would i have to get i programmed for the bulb to work again or is it a simple plug and play?

Any info would be greatly appreciated and sorry for the rant, i needed to vent lol....
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      02-28-2012, 08:20 PM   #2
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I wouldn't consider going eBay especially HIDs with the OEM setup. Try to get BMW to fix it under your "warranty" hopefully. Seems like you will have to fight tooth and nail for this.. Most of these extended plans are 3rd party plans...
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      02-28-2012, 08:31 PM   #3
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So did you buy a non-BMW plan the dealer offered or is the BMW warranty refusing the repair?
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      02-28-2012, 09:03 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Satalite View Post
I wouldn't consider going eBay especially HIDs with the OEM setup. Try to get BMW to fix it under your "warranty" hopefully. Seems like you will have to fight tooth and nail for this.. Most of these extended plans are 3rd party plans...
I found an OEM part on Ebay for cheaper than the dealer is selling, same exact part.
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      02-28-2012, 09:04 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Derek8819 View Post
So did you buy a non-BMW plan the dealer offered or is the BMW warranty refusing the repair?
WEll i bought the beamer at a non bmw dealership, and went with the best plan they had for the warranty. But by the looks of it, i will have to refund that, and purchase the newer warranty through BMW instead, since the coverage is much better...
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      02-28-2012, 09:20 PM   #6
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Lets hope they will let you do that, being that you are over 50,000 miles! Good luck man!
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      02-28-2012, 09:53 PM   #7
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claim the broken headlight under your comp insurance. Zero deduct in most states and can not go against your driving record!
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      02-28-2012, 10:10 PM   #8
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+1. I would claim this on Comprehensive. On another note the dealer quote is outrageous. I picked up a set of xenons from Germany with bulb and ballast for under $900 (granted they are static and not adaptive). Managed the install myself thanks to the insight of this forum. Was a PITA but...
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      02-29-2012, 07:13 AM   #9
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I was thinking to claim it on my insurance since thats my last option pretty much...i can also cancel my current warranty plan and sign up for the new one with BMW and have the repairs covered as well...worst comes to worse just gotta call my insurance...

However does the ballast need to be programmed??? They told me it does but i find it BS just so they can rip me off...they are asking $241 for a HID bulb and a ballast for $520...outrageous...i can get all these parts online for $200 tops...
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      02-29-2012, 11:27 AM   #10
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The ballast should not need coding. I bought a spare of ebay and tested it, no errors popped up and it worked fine. Parts for these cars are extremely overpriced.
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      02-29-2012, 09:01 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CentralPA E82 View Post
The ballast should not need coding. I bought a spare of ebay and tested it, no errors popped up and it worked fine. Parts for these cars are extremely overpriced.
so by just replacing the ballast unit, everything should work fine, including the adaptive headlight part???
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      02-29-2012, 09:16 PM   #12
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My drivers side went out due to a faulty gasket, but luckily I am still under warranty. BMW replaced the entire headlight assembly (yes, very expensive) and the SA said they had to recode. FYI...if all else fails you can purchase a set of new lights from Stealth Auto for about $500 (w/Angel eyes but not adaptive and no orange reflector). Good luck.
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      03-01-2012, 08:38 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ken1137
My drivers side went out due to a faulty gasket, but luckily I am still under warranty. BMW replaced the entire headlight assembly (yes, very expensive) and the SA said they had to recode. FYI...if all else fails you can purchase a set of new lights from Stealth Auto for about $500 (w/Angel eyes but not adaptive and no orange reflector). Good luck.
Did he say why they had to recode it???? I found out no recoding was necessary maybe im wrong...i thought it was just a way to rip people off
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      03-01-2012, 09:27 PM   #14
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That's odd, my spare ballasts worked fine without coding. Guess it is possible they were coded beforehand.
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      03-01-2012, 10:53 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CentralPA E82
That's odd, my spare ballasts worked fine without coding. Guess it is possible they were coded beforehand.
Hmmmm never thought of that...does the ballast comtrol the adaptive light???
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      03-01-2012, 11:17 PM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by COEHSP85 View Post
Did he say why they had to recode it???? I found out no recoding was necessary maybe im wrong...i thought it was just a way to rip people off
The SA just said they had to recode for the new headlight assembly. I did not ask for specifics...just gave the ok since I am under warranty.
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      03-02-2012, 12:09 PM   #17
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I found a drivers side replacement on Ebay for $450. There's often headlights for sale here on this forum, and also on Craigslist. It's worth an hour or 2 to look around.

A new complete headlight assembly is North of $1200.

The one I found had the same model numbers, and plugged right in with no issues, codes went away immediately (Mine had also gotten water inside and threw codes).

I still have the old drivers side headlight asse4mbly, if you need any parts let me know.
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      03-02-2012, 07:28 PM   #18
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Ok so get this now. Yesterday it was like 72F outside and sunny all day. So i popped open the back cover and let the water dry out. Today was pretty crappy out all day, rained most of the day, and no moisture inside the light what so ever. I leave the gym tonight and BAM the light started to work again..WTF...this is getting really irritating right now. So currently the light works, and has slight moisture around the bottom edge of the headlight assembly.

I went ahead today and ordered some Silica Gel packs to prevent from moisture. So i figured i can stuff a few inside the light and it should keep it away. Also i ordered a set of headlight back covers for pretty cheap on getbmwparts.com $46 shipped to my door. Not bad. I'm gonna try a few of those things and see if it prevents from creating moisture again. Hopefully not.
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      03-02-2012, 07:29 PM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mike the snake View Post
I found a drivers side replacement on Ebay for $450. There's often headlights for sale here on this forum, and also on Craigslist. It's worth an hour or 2 to look around.

A new complete headlight assembly is North of $1200.

The one I found had the same model numbers, and plugged right in with no issues, codes went away immediately (Mine had also gotten water inside and threw codes).

I still have the old drivers side headlight asse4mbly, if you need any parts let me know.
What parts do you exactly have available?? i will keep you updated once i try my small fix first if it doesnt go away.
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      03-02-2012, 07:47 PM   #20
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The silica packs are a cost effective measure, especially if the lights are functioning as normal again. I bought some euro xenons for under $900/pair. Love the clear sidemarkers. The adaptives are considerably more expensive though.
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