Callum Shepherd

Today i gave the car a snowfoam and quick wash, nothing out of the ordinary.

However when i left my friends to drive home it came up with an error message for cornering lights failure! Though both headlights were on, i pulled over and went for the good old switch it off and on. After this the same message appeared but then followed by dipped beam failure and the rhs light was off.

When i got home i found that the light was completely fogged up, i removed it and found that there was water inside the headlight unit! It's now sat infront of a radiator drying out! I quickly tried it again earlier to no avail.

What do you reckon? It's back in the house overnight but i'm not holding my breath, if it's no good will that mean a full new light? A quick look on eBay shows that it isn't cheap! Hopefully the warranty will cover any repairs?

Mark Alvarez

If car is still under warranty.. I'm sure it covers it.

BostonJon

unlikely he has an 04-10 E60 still under warranty unless he has some sort of extended warranty plan.

OP: did you open the hood and look at the back of the headlight to make sure the big round cover for bulb access is seated properly?

DavidF

My thoughts:
1. Fog in headlight is not uncommon and usually does not cause a malfunction. Use of headlights usually evaporates the moisture adequately. The headlights are open to atmosphere to allow heated air to escape, etc. Ensure the rubber boot is still on the vent and pointed down.
2. I suppose cornering lights mean "adaptive headlights" or the function that turns the beam into a turn. Should have nothing to do with the headlight actually not illuminating.
3. Headlamp failure can mean several things: The lamp has failed, the LCM is faulty, or the wiring in the headlight has shorted out.

LCM: I have heard, but cannot confirm that the LCM will lock-out power to a shorted light circuit. Which, takes me to the wiring in the headlight: It is VERY common and probable that the wire insulation has become brittle and flacking off all or most of the wiring inside the headlight assembly. This can cause a shorted circuit that can cause lamp issues or the LCM issue as mentioned above.

I have no experience with the LCM shutting down circuit or how to reactivate. I have just read this is possible and, if so, I am certain there is a (coding) procedure to get the circuit re-activated.

Good luck.

rice_rocket88

But that much water in a headlight after a normal "wash" means it got in there somehow in a big way.... could have certainly shorted out a lot of things.. or the reason why there is so much water could be a factor..