I had this problem after changing bulbs on a humid day. Take off the black cover, it’s really easy... just unclip the door on the wheel arch with a 2p. Pull down the silver metal holder. Pull off the black cover. Put two 25g silica pouch (get em off eBay) and duct tape them to the back of the black cover. Put it back on, and should be gone in 24-48 hours :) ...replace the pouches after a few days can help a bit more. Also I put Vaseline around the seal of the black cover to make it a bit more air tight as they were looking a bit old and crusty in places.
This was exactly what I was going to suggest, however,add to that by when the cover is off go at it with the hair dryer or heat gun a few times. Some of the condensation will evaporate out of the open unit. I did one of mine the other day.
I was about to suggest the same as above. Cover off, vasalene on rubber seal (or replace the cover if the seal is damaged/split). I did this on my previous Z4 as pre sale prep after replacing bulbs like you, as I had some nasty condensation on one headlight. Hair dryer is definitely the tool for the job. But a tip, remove the bulbs and back covers so the moisture can escape when it heats up and evaporates. Otherwise it will only come back again. HTH 🤘🤘I didn’t stick silica pouches inside, but that is a clever idea!
I held the gun at the back for a bit, found it worked better from the front though. Don't hold it in one spot for too long. Keep it moving so the whole front is hot without melting anything.
This can be fixed I’ve done it before remove the rear cover blow hot air with a hair dryer into the light from the back takes a bit of time but you dry it out from the back as I said it takes time but dry it from the back .jack the car up remove the wheel axle stand remove wheel arch cover then the cover on the back of the light .when you take the cover of the back of the light you’ll see a gasket in there take this out and put back in the opposite way round before you refit it apply a small amount of grease to it .THE PROBLEM with your light is this seal letting water in very common on the z4 and an easy but time consuming job.ps don’t leave it like this long or you will damage the internal workings of the unit .regards Glenn
Don’t forget the drying process takes time so don’t rush it and make sure it’s completely dry before you reassemble take care not to get it to hot hair dryer only .when I’ve done this I used some paper towel attached to a long screwdriver with masking tape to soak up the worst of it at the start of the process this saved time 😉
Take back cover off, wedge a hair drier inside leave it on so the water completely evaporates. Run silicone sealant around the back cover job done mine still good after four years!
Backfiring, while sounding good to you, it is not a good thing. Five causes: 5 Causes of Backfires in Car 1. Running Rich. 2. Incorrect Engine Timing. 3. A Cracked Distributor Cap. 4. Carbon on Spark Plug Wires. 5. Damaged or Malfunctioning Air Gulp Valve. (Also poor quality fuel), which might also be a reason for the failure of exhaust certifications.
I had this problem, When you remove the black cover examine it for moisture, mine was leaking at the dip on top near the center that looks like a U, I removed the bulbs and used a hair dryer blowing into the holes the bulbs go in to. It takes about 10 minutes to dry it out, I reinstalled the bulbs, and put some silicone on the seal where the moisture was present on the black cover. Since then I have had no moisture. When driving water comes in over the top of the headlight and if you do not have a good seal moisture will get inside and cannot escape.
My Z4 had the same headlight issue. They are actually vented at the front, top and bottom of the lens. My issue turned out to be the back access panel seal, bought a new panel and seal from bmw (they come together) for fairly cheap (was a few years ago now but I have £25 in my head) and that was it. Perfect ever since.
Check your headlight harness for surface rust on the pins. I purchased a 3.0 e85 this year and it suffers from rust on the pins, the previous owner had same issues of bulbs blowing regularly. Clean the connectors if you can
I had the same with my headlights as well. Got myself a pair of non original angel eyes for €400. Looks great. Sadly couldn't put the xenon kit in those.
The rubber seal wears out on the back cover. Get it off, dry it out with a hairdryer from the inside and check the condition of the seal. A new cover/seal is around £16 from BMW so cheap enough to not arse around with silicone that makes a mess if you ever need to get it off again
This'll be an easy fix - first get the headlight dry with heat gun/silica gel then check for cracks in the housing and seal them up with sealant. A bit of silicone (dielectric) grease on the back covers can help stop ingress of water too :)
Hi mate, Mine z4 has suffering by similar issues, there is some condensation in the headlights, might not serious as in your case, but its so annoying... Fortunatelly my MOT will be in august, but before it comes I'll fix them with silicone sealant, I going to completely dry them out first and then apply silicone sealant on the edges and the rear door... DIY rulz!
you can buy after market headlights for about 300quid on ebay or better still, drill the rear of the light so to allow the moisture to drain and evaporate.
joel nothing major, mine had as well, once dry (leave the rear access door oper for a few sunny hrs) seale the edge of the rear panel with sealing foam strip, if u do it properly u get 100% result
It's Joel I must admit you handled it well your face was a picture hope the Z4 hasn’t cost you the earth to get it through the mot 👍 good tip by the way on the head light I’ll be doing that I think lol cheers buddy great vid as usual 👍
If it helps my E85 has been the most unreliable car I have ever owned. ABS sensor keeps breaking (causing issues) and this cold weather has killed my battery :/ Great video though Joel!
@@Explocify Have you had issues too?? I tried charging it for 24 hours and it started up and died 2 minutes later :/ I think I might get a new battery ??
BMW Reviewer my battery during the winter is super weak it only lasts while I use it but overnight it dies and I keep having to charge it every time I use and its annoying
Same here, I replaced mine with Sonar units and my standard ones are just lying about atm. Very good condition, nice and clear. You're welcome to have them 👍🏼
5 лет назад
Hey mate, did you sorted out this headlight thing? ...
Hi Joel great channel followed you since buying my Z4 back in March. As your talking about head lights have you any thoughts on putting Xenon bulbs in. Now that we have dark winter nights I have found the Z4 lights to be less than adequate. Would much appreciate an thoughts from you or your subscribers. Cheers Chris
Hey Chris, thanks for watching the channel! I would love xenon bulbs, but wouldn’t be able to see them through my dirty headlight! But would be interested to find out how much proper ones are.
Please keep your recklessness to track days. I've watched a few of your videos and you're taking far too many risks. For all intents and purposes you're a dangerous and inconsiderate driver. Slow down before you kill someone.
I had this problem after changing bulbs on a humid day. Take off the black cover, it’s really easy... just unclip the door on the wheel arch with a 2p. Pull down the silver metal holder. Pull off the black cover. Put two 25g silica pouch (get em off eBay) and duct tape them to the back of the black cover. Put it back on, and should be gone in 24-48 hours :) ...replace the pouches after a few days can help a bit more. Also I put Vaseline around the seal of the black cover to make it a bit more air tight as they were looking a bit old and crusty in places.
Thanks Mike, that sounds like a sort of fix I’ll be able to do!
This was exactly what I was going to suggest, however,add to that by when the cover is off go at it with the hair dryer or heat gun a few times. Some of the condensation will evaporate out of the open unit. I did one of mine the other day.
I was about to suggest the same as above. Cover off, vasalene on rubber seal (or replace the cover if the seal is damaged/split). I did this on my previous Z4 as pre sale prep after replacing bulbs like you, as I had some nasty condensation on one headlight. Hair dryer is definitely the tool for the job. But a tip, remove the bulbs and back covers so the moisture can escape when it heats up and evaporates. Otherwise it will only come back again. HTH 🤘🤘I didn’t stick silica pouches inside, but that is a clever idea!
Thanks for the tips. Do you hold the heat gun or hairdryer at the back with the bulb out?
I held the gun at the back for a bit, found it worked better from the front though. Don't hold it in one spot for too long. Keep it moving so the whole front is hot without melting anything.
Almost lost the back end 😳 great to see the Zed back on the channel 👍🏼
Haha yep! Thank you matey 👍🏻
E85 is the highlight tbh
This can be fixed I’ve done it before remove the rear cover blow hot air with a hair dryer into the light from the back takes a bit of time but you dry it out from the back as I said it takes time but dry it from the back .jack the car up remove the wheel axle stand remove wheel arch cover then the cover on the back of the light .when you take the cover of the back of the light you’ll see a gasket in there take this out and put back in the opposite way round before you refit it apply a small amount of grease to it .THE PROBLEM with your light is this seal letting water in very common on the z4 and an easy but time consuming job.ps don’t leave it like this long or you will damage the internal workings of the unit .regards Glenn
Thanks Glenn, will see what I can do
Don’t forget the drying process takes time so don’t rush it and make sure it’s completely dry before you reassemble take care not to get it to hot hair dryer only .when I’ve done this I used some paper towel attached to a long screwdriver with masking tape to soak up the worst of it at the start of the process this saved time 😉
Amazing, thank you so much
Take back cover off, wedge a hair drier inside leave it on so the water completely evaporates. Run silicone sealant around the back cover job done mine still good after four years!
Thanks Darren!
Backfiring, while sounding good to you, it is not a good thing. Five causes: 5 Causes of Backfires in Car 1. Running Rich. 2. Incorrect Engine Timing. 3. A Cracked Distributor Cap. 4. Carbon on Spark Plug Wires. 5. Damaged or Malfunctioning Air Gulp Valve. (Also poor quality fuel), which might also be a reason for the failure of exhaust certifications.
I had this problem, When you remove the black cover examine it for moisture, mine was leaking at the dip on top near the center that looks like a U, I removed the bulbs and used a hair dryer blowing into the holes the bulbs go in to. It takes about 10 minutes to dry it out, I reinstalled the bulbs, and put some silicone on the seal where the moisture was present on the black cover. Since then I have had no moisture. When driving water comes in over the top of the headlight and if you do not have a good seal moisture will get inside and cannot escape.
I had the same issue. All you need to do is put a drain tube in the back bottom of the light fixture. There is a RUclips video on how to do it.
My Z4 had the same headlight issue. They are actually vented at the front, top and bottom of the lens. My issue turned out to be the back access panel seal, bought a new panel and seal from bmw (they come together) for fairly cheap (was a few years ago now but I have £25 in my head) and that was it. Perfect ever since.
I had this too and I bought the new back panel with the new seal, dry it out completely then refit
Check your headlight harness for surface rust on the pins. I purchased a 3.0 e85 this year and it suffers from rust on the pins, the previous owner had same issues of bulbs blowing regularly. Clean the connectors if you can
I had the same with my headlights as well. Got myself a pair of non original angel eyes for €400. Looks great. Sadly couldn't put the xenon kit in those.
take the bulbs out post some kitchen roll in, use a thin stick to move it about get most of wet out, then do what the others have said with gel
The rubber seal wears out on the back cover. Get it off, dry it out with a hairdryer from the inside and check the condition of the seal. A new cover/seal is around £16 from BMW so cheap enough to not arse around with silicone that makes a mess if you ever need to get it off again
Sounds good! As long as I can.get the back cover off.. its rather stiff!
This'll be an easy fix - first get the headlight dry with heat gun/silica gel then check for cracks in the housing and seal them up with sealant. A bit of silicone (dielectric) grease on the back covers can help stop ingress of water too :)
Thanks buddy
Hi mate, Mine z4 has suffering by similar issues, there is some condensation in the headlights, might not serious as in your case, but its so annoying... Fortunatelly my MOT will be in august, but before it comes I'll fix them with silicone sealant, I going to completely dry them out first and then apply silicone sealant on the edges and the rear door... DIY rulz!
you can buy after market headlights for about 300quid on ebay or better still, drill the rear of the light so to allow the moisture to drain and evaporate.
Thanks for the comment mate, I’ll look into that fix.
joel nothing major, mine had as well, once dry (leave the rear access door oper for a few sunny hrs) seale the edge of the rear panel with sealing foam strip, if u do it properly u get 100% result
Joel that was funny you nearly lost it there my friend 😂😂😂🙈 hope your ok 👍
Haha it was hilarious 😂
It's Joel I must admit you handled it well your face was a picture hope the Z4 hasn’t cost you the earth to get it through the mot 👍 good tip by the way on the head light I’ll be doing that I think lol cheers buddy great vid as usual 👍
Thanks Andy!
If it helps my E85 has been the most unreliable car I have ever owned. ABS sensor keeps breaking (causing issues) and this cold weather has killed my battery :/
Great video though Joel!
Ahh man sorry to hear that! Mine hasn’t been too bad, but it’s slowly getting worse ...
yes it seems that cold weather is the z4s worst enemy
@@Explocify Have you had issues too?? I tried charging it for 24 hours and it started up and died 2 minutes later :/ I think I might get a new battery ??
@@itsjoel Aww man sorry to hear! Think you will replace it soon??
BMW Reviewer my battery during the winter is super weak it only lasts while I use it but overnight it dies and I keep having to charge it every time I use and its annoying
Just to be clear by wheel arch cover meaning small square cover in the wheel arch 😉
Gotcha 👍🏻😉
Ideas for future video? replace rear discs to get through next years MOT maybe?
Picked up my Z4M last Friday. My god fun cars to have! Glad you got yours sorted!
That’s awesome!
I solved this on mine (it was less than yours) by opening it in the back and holding a hairdryer on the bulb hole for a bit.
I think I’m going to try this
recently my 2003 330ci passed its mot with flying colours!!! didn't help much when my pistons ate my exhaust valves like a month later!!!
Ahh man that sucks!
I got a set of E85 headlights I can send you, if you want them. I upgraded mine to the aftermarket LED type. Was going to throw them away...
Erik Alan you serious dude? That would be amazing! Drop me an email: hello@itsjoel.co.uk | good man
Same here, I replaced mine with Sonar units and my standard ones are just lying about atm. Very good condition, nice and clear. You're welcome to have them 👍🏼
Hey mate, did you sorted out this headlight thing? ...
Hi nice car
Thanks man
Hi Joel great channel followed you since buying my Z4 back in March. As your talking about head lights have you any thoughts on putting Xenon bulbs in. Now that we have dark winter nights I have found the Z4 lights to be less than adequate.
Would much appreciate an thoughts from you or your subscribers.
Cheers
Chris
Hey Chris, thanks for watching the channel! I would love xenon bulbs, but wouldn’t be able to see them through my dirty headlight! But would be interested to find out how much proper ones are.
Joel, two questions: did you get a short shift knob? What exhaust tips did you get for the back box delete?
Hey, I did, I got an M sport knob. Not sure if it’s shorter, but it’s weightier and feels good
And the tips were just ones that the garage had
@@itsjoel thanks on both. Too bad I have to wait until spring. 😐
No problem, it’ll be worth the wait!
i have the 2009 sdrive 23 model but im dying to get the older model as well
you have drove both versions will it be worth it ?
The e85 will give you a much more raw driving experience
Are you stock exhaust at the moment?
It’s the stock exhaust, however I had the backbox removed!
So it’s legal without a back box, I’m thinking about doing a back box deflate but not sure if it will pass inspaection because of noise or emissions
@@liamgarvey4060 Inspection has nothing to do with noise, only emissions and the muffler doesn't affect emissions, the cats affect that.
Gary Chen thanks for the response that clears it up for me👍🏽
Do you get to any Z4 meets or know of any?
I’ve only been to one at the Ace Cafe, would love to go to more. Think there’s a Facebook group which shares these events!
I will pull the headlights off my own car and sell them to you for 300 quid! A used one in town is only $50 😂
😂😂😂
Please keep your recklessness to track days. I've watched a few of your videos and you're taking far too many risks. For all intents and purposes you're a dangerous and inconsiderate driver.
Slow down before you kill someone.
Workaround: buy a Fiat - I can get a pair of brand new headlights for about £45 😁👍🏻
😂😂😂
You said you replaced bulbs a couple of times. What happened there?
Since I’ve had the car, I’ve replaced the bulbs a couple of times - they’re just cheap bulbs I guess!
There may be a water ingress, affecting their performance. It should not be couple of times normally.
Yeah most probably, I’ve only had the car 18 months.
What type of bulbs do you buy Joel? Have you ever thought about an HID kit?
I always just buy the cheapest ones haha!
Sell it and buy an audi 😂
😂😂😂 not a TT! Quite fancy an S5 tho ...