[coolchu001]

I don't know what has happened to my car. I first noticed that the interior foot well and the passenger side headlight had moisture (footwell was wet) after I washed my car a few weeks ago. Now that it rained most of today, I noticed that the whole passenger headlight was almost full of moisture and that the foot well became wet again... The headlight's adaptive feature was also not working (yellow warning on dash) so the lights were aimed towards the ground.

Anyhow, I'm not sure if it had anything to do with my driver side door shell being replaced a month ago. They did have to remove/loosen the fender and the front bumper for paint blending, but I don't see how that can affect the headlights since they should be sealed or the foot well area... The water seems to be coming from the wheel well area for the foot well, but I wasn't able to locate the opening and the water seems to be coming from under the headlights since it was dry up top when I opened the hood... Hopefully this is something the dealer can fix, and hopefully it wasn't due of the door replacement...

passenger side
After car wash (few weeks ago):

Today after work:





I also noticed there was a bit of moisture on the driver side as well:


Foot well:

[Seminole]

Headlight has a sealant problem, bring to dealer get new headlight for freeeeeeee.

As far as the wet spot on the carpet, did you walk on wet ground to get in the car? If so, it most likely is the water that was on the bottom of your shoe that dripped down the dead pedal and onto the floor. If you look towards the bottom of your dead pedal you see those grooves? Whenever it rains and I get in the car I always notice water in those grooves from the bottom of my shoe.

[jopa489]

Both of my fogs do this on humid days. Never been opened or modified either.

[coolchu001]

the water in the foot well are not from my shoes as it got wet when I washed the car a few weeks ago too...

[Deltari09]

WTF?!!
That's a first

[sottenad]

I have the same exact thing on my car now too. Mine is Pre-LCI, but looks exactly the same, after I washed it, it filled up. Did you end up having a blown seal on the light? Im out of warranty and not looking forward to $1k for a new adaptive xenon.

[Zebra99]

Originally Posted by sottenad

I have the same exact thing on my car now too. Mine is Pre-LCI, but looks exactly the same, after I washed it, it filled up. Did you end up having a blown seal on the light? Im out of warranty and not looking forward to $1k for a new adaptive xenon.

Here's a stupid question...what's LCI? And btw, I'm new lol, if you'd not already tell...

[mike3000fl]

heres the deal, you have two seperate issues that seem related but realistically are not.

issue one, headlights are no longer sealed. no idea how water is getting to the headlights but regardless, they are supposed to be sealed and yours are not. the covers on the back may not be on correctly. the seal on the cover may be messed up. no idea, but water is getting in obviously. the adaptive headlights have quit working because there is a module for the stepper motors under each headlight and it is probably full of water.

issue 2, the water could be from the door replacement, i have heard of this happening. it can also be from the sunroof drain lines clogging or damage to the line itself. open your sunroof and look for the drain holes in the area where the sunroof is recessed into the roof. if you carefully pour water in that area you can figure out if this is related to the water by the footwell because you will see wetness on the carpet. another popular place for water to enter is between the windshield and the plastic cowling beneath the wipers. if there is a gap there, chances are that's the culprit. the water will run into the area underneath the microfilter and sneak its way into the vehicle. easiest way to figure out if this is causing it, is to run a hose on the windshield for a few minutes, let it run down the cowling. then remove the microfilter (find the diy on here) and look inside that area with a flashlight for wetness.

[N0OS3]

if you're out of warranty, what you can do is preheat your oven to 180°F and bake 10 minutes at a time (take it out until cooled off) and do it over and over until the moisture is completely gone or until your satisfied. After this, use some automotive sealant from AutoZone and seal up all around any crevices you're unsure of may or may not leak. That's all i can say that can keep you from spending $1k or more.

I had similar issues with some aftermarket tail lights and a sidemarker too and this is what i did... i ended up getting rid of the tail lights but it was definitely a permanent fix for the sidemarker.

If this doesn't work, and you want to sell your headlights, let me know, i'll probably buy them from you. ^__^

[ceb]

Originally Posted by lync9763

if you're out of warranty, what you can do is preheat your oven to 180°F and bake 10 minutes at a time (take it out until cooled off) and do it over and over until the moisture is completely gone or until your satisfied. After this, use some automotive sealant from AutoZone and seal up all around any crevices you're unsure of may or may not leak. That's all i can say that can keep you from spending $1k or more.

I had similar issues with some aftermarket tail lights and a sidemarker too and this is what i did... i ended up getting rid of the tail lights but it was definitely a permanent fix for the sidemarker.

If this doesn't work, and you want to sell your headlights, let me know, i'll probably buy them from you. ^__^

That is absolutely absurd - and yet another reason never to buy a used BMW.

Some moisture in headlights is normal and if it goes away once the headlights are on for a 10 or 15 minutes then it is OK. There is even a TSB out there describing this "problem" as normal. Your driver's side appears normal.

Your passenger side light, OTOH, has a problem. Have you changed bulbs or something like that? Did the bodyshop have reason to touch that area? I suspect the rubber cap that is intended to keep moisture out is not on right, defective or missing. That one needs work.

Fix it right or sell it and buy a Civic.

It bugs the hell out of me when posters propose jerry-rigged solutions to simple problems. Especially when the jerry-rigged solution will most likely cause more problems than the problem itself.

[mike3000fl]

Originally Posted by ceb

That is absolutely absurd - and yet another reason never to buy a used BMW.

Some moisture in headlights is normal and if it goes away once the headlights are on for a 10 or 15 minutes then it is OK. There is even a TSB out there describing this "problem" as normal. Your driver's side appears normal.

Your passenger side light, OTOH, has a problem. Have you changed bulbs or something like that? Did the bodyshop have reason to touch that area? I suspect the rubber cap that is intended to keep moisture out is not on right, defective or missing. That one needs work.

Fix it right or sell it and buy a Civic.

It bugs the hell out of me when posters propose jerry-rigged solutions to simple problems. Especially when the jerry-rigged solution will most likely cause more problems than the problem itself.

Uhhh, pretty sure he was trying to save the guy $1000. Even if he just has a improperly closed cover, you have to get the moisture out, before snapping it shut. If you just close it up now, you are trapping the moisture inside, it will come back every time it is cold out.

So I suppose if i get a nail in my tire, I'm jerry rigging it by patching it? Buy a new tire right? Bulb burns out, buy new headlight. Dent in fender, screw repairing it, buy new fender. Scratched rim, buy new rim? Riiiight.

[ceb]

Originally Posted by mike3000fl

Uhhh, pretty sure he was trying to save the guy $1000. Even if he just has a improperly closed cover, you have to get the moisture out, before snapping it shut. If you just close it up now, you are trapping the moisture inside, it will come back every time it is cold out.

So I suppose if i get a nail in my tire, I'm jerry rigging it by patching it? Buy a new tire right? Bulb burns out, buy new headlight. Dent in fender, screw repairing it, buy new fender. Scratched rim, buy new rim? Riiiight.

Of course you have to get the moisture (and water apparently) out of the pax light, but removing the assembly and baking it in an oven like a rotisserie chicken if foolish. What is even more foolish is squiring silicone glue all over the assembly in hopes of sealing it.

Since the adaptive lighting doesn't work and the headlight it pointed straight down, it is unlikely that merely drying it out will fix it.

Step 1 - where did the water come in?
Step 2 - drain water
Step 3 - fix light
Step 4 - dry out remaining moisture - this can be done by merely turning the light on
Step 5 - properly put the cap back on

[gunnerxq]

I smacked my headlights a couple of times haven't given me a problem since. Always used to get water

[fdriller9]

Originally Posted by mike3000fl

heres the deal, you have two seperate issues that seem related but realistically are not.
a
issue one, headlights are no longer sealed. no idea how water is getting to the headlights but regardless, they are supposed to be sealed and yours are not. the covers on the back may not be on correctly. the seal on the cover may be messed up. no idea, but water is getting in obviously. the adaptive headlights have quit working because there is a module for the stepper motors under each headlight and it is probably full of wat-er.

issue 2, the water could be from the door replacement, i have heard of this happening. it can also be from the sunroof drain lines clogging or damage to the line itself. open your sunroof and look for the drain holes in the area where the sunroof is recessed into the roof. if you carefully pour wAater in that area you can figure out if this is related to the water by the footwell because you will see wetness on the carpet. another popular place for water to enter is between the windshield and the plastic cowling beneath the wipers. if there is a gap there, chances are that's the culprit. the water will run into the area underneath the microfilter and sneak its way into the vehicle. easiest way to figure out if this is causing it, is to run a hose on the windshield for a few minutes, let it run down the cowling. then remove the microfilter (find the diy on here) and look inside that area with a flashlight for wetness.

This is great info. In addition, there was a service bulletin out for the cowl leak.

Just some info on replacing the AHL module. It's about $150 new, unprogrammed and uncoded. Programming and coding from my dealer is $290, excluding the $150 for the part.

I got a used module off a member here and it was a direct swap. Saved $300. So if you not under warranty, I would look for a used one.

Btw there are multiple seals on the oem xenon adaptive housings. There is one on the door for changing the d1s bulb, another on the ahl module, one on the ballast, and one for the angel eyes. I think that's all of them. And you also need to check for cracks.

Op, why was your door replaced? Accident? Could be that the housing cracked during the accident. Or even during the repair if the shop wasn't careful.

[mike3000fl]

Originally Posted by ceb

but removing the assembly and baking it in an oven like a rotisserie chicken if foolish.

His idea does sound crazy at first, but people have been baking headlights for years. It softens up the glue so that you can pull the unit apart and then people mod stuff inside, like removing orange plastic and all that.

[idrift4wd]

baking headlights is normal, well for any person looking into modifying their headlamp.

for painting, adding halos, taking out amber, all involve baking the headlight. Its totally safe but of course not to hot and not to long.

[fdriller9]

You cant bake e90 housings open though. I dremeled mine open.

You can also use a vacuum to suck all the moisture out. I just put the hose in the angel eye slot and then quickly replace the cover.

[MacR6]

I read a story on here once where someone had water in their footwell. It came from a bad seal around the door. You said you had the door shell replaced. Well they probably took the old rubber seal off the other door and installed it on the new door. Most likely they didn't install it properly. This happened to me on my explorer when I had the rear hatch replaced after an accident. Water kept getting in. It was the gasket. Take it back and show them the problem they should fix it.

[NjPrince]

A leakage in your housing cover...use a vaccume to suck the air out then close the opening.

[ceb]

Originally Posted by mike3000fl

His idea does sound crazy at first, but people have been baking headlights for years. It softens up the glue so that you can pull the unit apart and then people mod stuff inside, like removing orange plastic and all that.

I am well aware of the baking of headlights to take them apart, but this guy has water in them that needs to be mechanically removed - either by sucking it out or by turning the housing over and letting the water drain out.

[ceb]

Originally Posted by Njprince0226

A leakage in your housing cover...use a vaccume to suck the air out then close the opening.

This is an example of why all the car manufacturers had to come out with TSBs explaining moisture in headlamps.

These lights are not sealed units and air will always circulate through them. If the air is damp and the conditions are right, then moisture will form on the inside of the lenses. As the lamp heats the air, the housing will dry out.

The condensation on the OPs driver side headlamp in normal, but the big cap on his pax side headlight is damaged or missing. That cap is there to keep water, bugs and debris out but is not intended to keep air out. It is not a sealed beam headlight.

I am consistently amazed by the 1960's mentality in this forum - usually it is the 3k oil changes and in this thread it is sealed beam headlights.

Sheesh, my old Audi had little holes in the head and tallights to allow moisture to escape once the lamps heated the air. I haven't looked at our housings yet but I am sure that they are the same.