Hi twh,
The answer is yes these are the wires inside the headlight.
I completely disassembled the headlight after removing the front lens.
The wires insulation just flakes off to the touch!

I own a 1995 Chevy S-10 and after 19 years it does not have a wiring problem and no wires have insulation flaking off.
The kicker is that the S-10 and BMW have been parked side by side!
Go figure Huh!
That's why I laughed at the Lauderdale BMW "Specialist" when he told me it was the Florida Sun!
I also told him that if it was in fact the Florida Sun..there are going to be an awful lot of unhappy BMW owners!!!
Can you imagine just how many BMW's there are in the State of Florida let alone where I live in the Fort Lauderdale / Miami area!

Bud

 

Your Complaint Information has been successfully submitted.
Your Confirmation Number (ODI Number) is: 10639524.

I filed a complaint too. Thanks for posting, never thought of contacting NHTSA. I definitely encourage everyone who has experienced this to do the same.

 

https://5series.net/forums/e60-discu...mbling-127261/

 

Just filed mine too!

 

Planning to take a look at mine next week when I have time. If it's deteriorated I'll be filing my complaint as well & will try to fix with some liquid or shrink tubing.

 

Just pull the cover where your AE bulb goes and if you have the problem, you will clearly see the bare wires. If the wiring looks ok, be gentle with them because if you start to bend and flex ant of the wires the insulation will most likely begin to crumble and expose the bare wire inside.

 

Yikes.

Now, if these headlights are like most of the modern thermoplastic back/polycarbonate lens front design, they're put together with sealant. Taking them apart requires ~5 minutes in your home oven (set oven to 250F for 15 minutes first to let it stabilize) followed by prying gently to get them apart. You usually need to add sealant when putting them back together, then give them another ~5 minute bake to flow the sealant. I've done it on Subaru and Infiniti lamps.

 

Then are they sealed inside the cavity & protected from weather?

 

Absolutely not possible, you can't get it hot enough where it needs to be with out melting things you don't want. The same goes if using a heat gun. The sealant that is used is much stronger than what was used in the e39. Ok, you might be able to get them open with a heat gun but unless you are well experienced and a expert I seriously doubt it. The supporting structure will soften before the sealant does so any prying will cause serious damage.

 

On the back of your headlight is a cover that has to be open. On the LCI you simply turn to remove the cover. Inside is the bulb. You should see the wires from here. Further inside the housing which you can't see unless you open the housing somehow will most likely be more unprotected wires.