[vitalius1]

Hello everyone, please assist me with the problem: the right headlight on my e64 got some humidity, the glass was fogged up from the inside.

Both bi-xenon and the "eye" parking light doesn't work. The turn signal works fine. Headlight fuses are OK.

My questions are:
- Can the headlight be dried by opening the plastic cover from the inside of the headlight? Or do I need to remove and disassemble the entire headlight to dry it?
- how to determine the fault? It is generally advised to check / change the headlight ignition unit, but i'm also confused by the parking light which is off.

Thanks in advance.

[Chihuahua]

It's probably not due to condensation, there's a good chance your wiring harness inside of the headlight has degraded insulation and you're having bare wires contacting one another causing bulb failures/shorts. I had this happen to me on my E60, it is a well known issue with BMWs of that vintage. I replaced mine, some people have had luck using a spray on 'electrical tape in a can' product, I've seen other people cut the lenses off and repair the wiring. I'd start by removing the bulb access cover on the back of the headlight and taking a peek.

[pbonsalb]

I had an 08 E61 535xi for 10 years and still maintain it for the friend we gave it to. I patched some wires inside one headlight with liquid electrical tape. The insulation had either fallen off or disintegrated as I touched wires. My wife had an accident on the other side so that light is newer. They aren’t cheap. Open up the cover and look inside. I would not buy a used one — same problem. Not sure if they are available in the aftermarket. New from BMW they are expensive.

[Chihuahua]

Originally Posted by pbonsalb

I had an 08 E61 535xi for 10 years and still maintain it for the friend we gave it to. I patched some wires inside come headlight with liquid electrical tape. The insulation had either fallen off or disintegrated as I touched wires. My wife had an accident on the other side so that light is newer. They aren’t cheap. Open up the cover and look inside. I would not buy a used one — same problem. Not sure if they are available in the aftermarket. New from BMW they are expensive.

They are, you can get OEM Hella from Amazon for about half of what OE costs at the dealer. The only difference is you won't get the 'BMW' lettering on the headlight bezel. I was doing both at the same time, so I didn't care.

[pbonsalb]

thanks! Good to know …. At some point I will have to buy a replacement for the one I repaired to put on the wagon we gave to the friend.