Headlight melted

Air0ne · May 17, 2013

Hi there,

It seems that my headlight has melted due to overheating. The problem is: I only used normal bulbs (No HID or anything else that strong)

Could someone tell me if it's a common issue?

jengel451 · May 17, 2013

You were using a 55W bulb? Seems odd

Air0ne · May 17, 2013

jengel451 said: ↑

You were using a 55W bulb? Seems odd
Click to expand...

Yes... but not a BMW one, a Sylvania

Motorfiets · May 17, 2013

huh :huh new one on me

sarathmenon · May 17, 2013

You are the first person to note something like this. To me it looks as though your bulb fused, and the damage is only to the bulb. So, I guess you got a lemon from Sylvania?

jengel451 · May 17, 2013

if you can look through the bug guts and the glare and gaurd, you can see that the reflector bubbled.

Air0ne · May 17, 2013

smenon said: ↑

You are the first person to note something like this. To me it looks as though your bulb fused, and the damage is only to the bulb. So, I guess you got a lemon from Sylvania?
Click to expand...

Really? Cause I already read on ADV that others had similar issues but I wasn't able to find that back...

dpm · May 17, 2013

Air0ne said: ↑

Really? Cause I already read on ADV that others had similar issues but I wasn't able to find that back...
Click to expand...

My recently-purchased 658 has the silvering "eroded" above the bulb, and a couple of blobs in the underlying black plastic. I've put a 35W HID kit in since, to ensure it doesn't get any worse; I'll probably add a small piece of aluminium tape over the darkened area at some stage too, to take the bad look off it...

Air0ne · May 17, 2013

dpm said: ↑

My recently-purchased 658 has the silvering "eroded" above the bulb, and a couple of blobs in the underlying black plastic. I've put a 35W HID kit in since, to ensure it doesn't get any worse; I'll probably add a small piece of aluminium tape over the darkened area at some stage too, to take the bad look off it...
Click to expand...

Thx to give us your feedback. I'm feeling better now as I'm not completely alone

JRWooden · May 18, 2013

AirOne ...
naw you are not alone ... there is a thread or two here somwhere of others with same issue more common on the hi-beam since the enclosure is smaller. I've got the problem as well, but not to the same "extent" ... :huh

At one point there was talk of reporting it to the vehicle safety folks see if a recall might be in order but I don't think it ever took off.

BMW does not sell replacement reflectors, so unless you do a homebrew repair they will want to sell you a new HL assembly for some $400+ bucks.

On getting oils on the bulb, what my dad told me was that if you got oil "fingerprints" on the bulb that caused uneven heating of the bulb its self which would shorten bulb life - he always handled them with gloves on or a paper towel then wiped down with alcohol.

But even if you did this, I can't see how that would increase the amount of heat passed to the reflector by any significant amount ...
I'd guess the issue is that once the reflector starts erroding it absorbs more heat and the problem feeds on its self...

Disappointing to be sure

On repairing it, this is one comment I collected:

 Headlight reflector repair

[FONT=&quot]I used whatever kind of (chrome) paint was nearest or easiest to find at the store. I suppose bar b q or exhaust paint might hold up longer and perhaps plastic paint would stick better, never had a problem with any paint I used holding up but perhaps I just got lucky.

P.S. you need to use a patch saturated with rubbing alcohol to get the carbon and oil off where you are going to paint. only use a little and only where the oe paint is gone.[/FONT]

gs_lad · May 18, 2013

My front light also got a little burned, by using an ordinary bulb.

The explanation from the dealer was that the bulb wasnt clicked into place completely (by me) and touched the surface of the reflector, thus burning it.

You re definitely not alone, this is quite a common issue.

ebrabaek · May 18, 2013

That said, I read a few weeks back that a vendor on fleabay now sells the housing, or at least the front part, way cheaper than the oem unit.

JRWooden · May 18, 2013

ebrabaek said: ↑

That said, I read a few weeks back that a vendor on fleabay now sells the housing, or at least the front part, way cheaper than the oem unit.
Click to expand...

I can't find one on fleabay

I found this ... It's a nice pair, but not quite what I had in mind....

http://www.ebay.com/itm/BMW-Motorcy...1994-US-Street-Legal-Cafe-Racer-/111000368551

Air0ne · May 18, 2013

JRWooden said: ↑

AirOne ...
naw you are not alone ... there is a thread or two here somwhere of others with same issue more common on the hi-beam since the enclosure is smaller. I've got the problem as well, but not to the same "extent" ... :huh

At one point there was talk of reporting it to the vehicle safety folks see if a recall might be in order but I don't think it ever took off.

BMW does not sell replacement reflectors, so unless you do a homebrew repair they will want to sell you a new HL assembly for some $400+ bucks.

On getting oils on the bulb, what my dad told me was that if you got oil "fingerprints" on the bulb that caused uneven heating of the bulb its self which would shorten bulb life - he always handled them with gloves on or a paper towel then wiped down with alcohol.

But even if you did this, I can't see how that would increase the amount of heat passed to the reflector by any significant amount ...
I'd guess the issue is that once the reflector starts erroding it absorbs more heat and the problem feeds on its self...

Disappointing to be sure

On repairing it, this is one comment I collected:

 Headlight reflector repair

[FONT=&quot]I used whatever kind of (chrome) paint was nearest or easiest to find at the store. I suppose bar b q or exhaust paint might hold up longer and perhaps plastic paint would stick better, never had a problem with any paint I used holding up but perhaps I just got lucky.

P.S. you need to use a patch saturated with rubbing alcohol to get the carbon and oil off where you are going to paint. only use a little and only where the oe paint is gone.[/FONT]

Click to expand...

That means we have to remove the glass... is it easy to do?

Air0ne · May 18, 2013

JRWooden said: ↑

I can't find one on fleabay

I found this ... It's a nice pair, but not quite what I had in mind....

http://www.ebay.com/itm/BMW-Motorcy...1994-US-Street-Legal-Cafe-Racer-/111000368551
Click to expand...

JRWooden · May 18, 2013

Air0ne said: ↑

That means we have to remove the glass... is it easy to do?
Click to expand...

I have not done it, but hear that it is not very easy ... the glass is apparently "glued" in to the frame ..........

Snarky · May 18, 2013

Air0ne said: ↑

(No HID or anything else that strong)
Click to expand...

HID would've saved it. They run cooler than Halogens. Sorry about your loss, that's an expensive part, hence your rock guard. Almost a shame a rock didn't get it, but that it was an internal meltdown instead. I would thoroughly check your wiring after/during repair, if it got that hot there, who knows where else it was hot.

I would say, like someone else mentioned, that the culprit is likely that the two arms that hold the filament apart, connected together somehow and turned your lightbulb into a heater. I'm not sure how this can happen, perhaps a manufacturing flaw combined with some sort of jolt from a pothole or offroading; somehow viberating them together and they fused.

Any other bike probably would have probably popped a fuse first, it's odd that the CANBUS system didn't switch it off and save it. Like I said, a damn shame.

madefrtv · May 18, 2013

on an 05 12gs melt a headlight. The bulb was just slightly unseated

Reaver · May 19, 2013

Having worked at a Dealer for 3 yrs, I never seen any issues like that. I usually keep tabs on used parts from various sources and have only seen one on the Flea Market here and one on Kijiji but not recent. I have my broken glass original here I wanted to repair one day with this: http://stores.ebay.com/Dawn-Knights...38352519&_sid=681676359&_trksid=p4634.c0.m322

If you do get a new one, maybe I could buy your old one and do a repair on mine and post the results here. See if I can get the glass out by heat without breaking it. You're not too far from me. That's about the only consolation I can think of.

Tor · May 19, 2013

I had the unit replaced under warranty on my 2010 F8GS a year or so back (high beam side). Sylvania 55W. It discolored the reflective surface black above the bulb. When I got the bike back, they had put a stock bulb back in .

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