2008 BMW 335I

WENT TO REPLACE AN OBVIOUSLY BURNED OUT BRAND NEW XENON HID BALLAST. CONFUSED ABOUT WHY IT BURNED UP(FAILURE RATE OF 1 PER 1,000 QUOTED BY THE MANUFACTURER) I TOOK OFF THE BACK COVER FOR THE HOUSING. TO MY SURPRISE, THE POWER CABLE'S THAT PLUGS INTO THE HID BALLAST INSULATION WAS COMPLETELY GONE. BARE. WIRES. THIS IS OBVIOUSLY AN EXTREME FIRE AND SAFETY HAZARD. CURIOUS IF MY OTHER HEADLIGHT WIRING WAS THE SAME WAY, I POPPED THE BACK HOUSING OF IT TO INSPECT FOR ANOTHER HAZARD. LORD AND BEHOLD, IT WAS EXACTLY THE SAME WAY. NOT JUST THE POWER SUPPLY INSULATION ON THE WIRES FOR THE BALLAST WAS CHIPPING, ALL OF IT WAS CHIPPING. THE DRL, ANGEL EYE AND TURN MAKER WIRING INSULATION WAS ALL..GONE. SOMEONE HAD RECENTLY DISCOVERED THIS ISSUE BEFOREHAND AS THERE WAS ELECTRICAL TAPE & SOLDER ON SOME OF THE WIRES KEEPING THEM TOGETHER. ---------------------------- THIS IS A FIRE HAZARD! ----------------------------

AFTER DRIVING UP TO 75MPH AT HWY, I PARKED MY CAR AT PARKING LOT AND 15 MINUTES LATER , SOMEONE NOTIFIED ME THAT THERE'S SMOKE COMING OUT FROM MY ENGINE BAY. I IMMEDIATELY OPENED THE HOOD AND THE RIGHT HEADLIGHT WAS ON FIRE ALSO SPREAD TO THE HEAT SHIELD (ATTACHED TO THE HOOD). I WAS ABLE TO EXTINGUISED THE FIRE BUT THE TOP PART OF THE HEADLIGHT MELTED THRU THE WIRES. I READ THAT THERE ARE SEVERAL ISSUES WITH THIS HEADLIGHT AND WANT TO KNOW IF BMW HAS RECALLED THIS LIGHT. I LOOKED IT UP AND THE PART ITSELF COST AROUND $1,100 PLUS LABOR. IF THIS IS A DEFECT, BMW SHOULD REPLACED THIS PART AT NO COST TO THE CUSTOMER.

I HAVE HAD ISSUES WITH THE INSULATION SLEEVES ON THE HEADLIGHT WIRING FLAKING OFF. I WITNESSED SHORT CIRCUITS AND SPARKS WHILE SIGNALING AND DRIVING AT NIGHT. ALL THE WIRES ARE ALREADY CLOSE TO EACHOTHER AND NOW THE INSULATION IS COMPLETELY OFF CAUSING A FIRE HAZARD AND FIXING THIS MYSELF IS IMPOSSIBLE AS WELL AS COSTING OVER 1200 DOLLARS JUST TO BUY NEW HEADLIGHTS.

I HAVE A 2008 BMW 335I, AND RECENTLY I NOTICED SOMETHING THAT IS A HUGE SAFETY ISSUE, AND IS A MAJOR FIRE HAZARD AS WELL. INSIDE OF THE SEALED HEADLIGHT HOUSING, IS A WIRE HARNESS THAT'S USED TO POWER THE HEADLIGHTS. THAT HARNESS HAS SEVERAL WIRES COMING OUT OF IT, AND EACH ONE OF THOSE WIRES HAS A PROTECTIVE COLORED INSULATED COATING THAT DISTINGUISHES THE WIRES FROM ONE ANOTHER, SUCH AS POWER, GROUND, ETC. WELL, EVERY SINGLE WIRE THAT COMES OUT OF THAT HARNESS IS CRACKED AND MISSING SECTIONS OF INSULATION ALL TOGETHER, WHICH EXPOSES THE COPPER WIRES UNDERNEATH. THIS IS A HUGE FIRE SAFETY ISSUE, AND UPON RESEARCHING IT I NOTICED DOZENS OF PEOPLE EXPERIENCING THIS SAME EXACT ISSUE. I HAVE GONE THROUGH TWO SETS OF HEADLIGHTS AND NOW IT IS VERY APPARENT AS TO WHY THIS IS HAPPENING. THE WIRES INSIDE THERE ARE TOUCHING AND KEEP SHORTING OUT MY HEADLIGHTS. I'VE ATTACHED A PICTURE SHOWING THAT I'VE EVEN HAD TO STICK A PIECE OF ELECTRICAL TAPE IN THERE AS AN EFFORT TO TRY AND AVOID A CATASTROPHIC EVENT. HOPEFULLY THIS IS TAKEN A BIT MORE SERIOUSLY BY BMW AND THEY ARE MOTIVATED TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE BEFORE ANYTHING TRAGIC OCCURS.

I HAD NOTICED A MELTING PLASTIC SMELL FOR A FEW WEEKS BUT COULDN'T IDENTIFY THE SOURCE AND SHORTLY AFTER THIS MY HEADLIGHT BURNT OUT SO I WENT TO REPLACE THE BULB. BY THIS TIME, I NOTICED SMOKE COMING OUT OF MY HEADLIGHT MOUNT. UPON OPENING THE HEADLIGHT I NOTICED ALL OF THE WIRE SHIELDING HAD FALLEN OFF OF THE WIRES INSIDE THE HEADLIGHT MOUNT, CAUSING THE WIRES TO ARK AND MELT. UPON COMPARING AGAINST THE OTHER HEADLIGHT, I FOUND THE SAME THING- ALL OF THE WIRE SHIELDING HAD FALLEN OFF. I WENT TO THE DEALER AND WAS TOLD THAT THIS HAPPENS ALL THE TIME, SIMPLY DUE TO HOW HOT AND DRY THIS MODEL GETS UNDER THE HOOD AND THE HEADLIGHTS BEING SEALED. THEY SAID IT'S USUALLY COVERED BY THE EXTENDED WARRANTY, HOWEVER NOT IN THE CASE OF MY VEHICLE'S MILEAGE. SINCE THE HEADLIGHT IS A SEALED UNIT, YOU CANNOT ACCESS THE WIRES TO REPLACE THEM AND CANNOT PURCHASE A HARNESS, THE WHOLE UNIT MUST BE REPLACED AT A COST OF $800 EACH. I GOOGLED AND FOUND SEVERAL COMPLAINTS OF THE SAME ISSUE. UPON CONTACTING BMW HQ DIRECTLY, THEY SAID IT IS A KNOWN ISSUE, BUT NOT COVERED, AND GOT BACK TO ME SEVERAL WEEKS LATER OFFERING TO PAY $200 TOWARD THE COST OF THE $1600 REPAIR IF I HAD IT DONE AT THE DEALER, OR $2000 TOWARD THE PURCHASE OF A NEW BMW. *TR

I WAS WARMING UP THE CAR IN THE MORNING FOR WORK, IT WAS ON FOR ABOUT TEN MINUTES; AS I SAT DOWN PUT THE CAR IN REVERSE I HEARD A NOISE AND MY CAR SHUT DOWN. I TURNED MY CAR BACK ON AND DROVE FOR A SHORT PERIOD BEFORE NOTICING THAT THERE WAS NOT ANY AIR BLOWING.... I TOOK IT THE MECHANIC A DAY LATER TO REPLACE THE BLOWER MOTOR.... THE PROBLEM WAS NOT THE BLOWER MOTOR, THE PROBLEM WAS A RECTANGLE SHAPED CABLE FOR FOUR PRONGS BUT ONLY THREE WHERE CONNECTED TO THE BLOWER MOTOR MELTED AND BURNED OUT THE CABLE. THE MECHANIC FOLLOWED THE CABLE AND CUT THE AFFECTED BURNED CORRODED RUSTED !!! PART OF THE CABLE, AND REPLACED IT..... IF I WASN'T LOOKING HE WOULD HAVE CHARGED ME FOR A BLOWER....AND MAYBE MORE !!! I HONESTLY DO THINK BMW SHOULD FIX THIS PROBLEM... TWO DAYS LATER MY DRIVER SIDE WINDOW SWITCH WHEN OUT- I PURCHASED ONE AT ORIELYS AUTO PARTS; THE WATER PUMP ALSO FAILED THE SAME DAY AND MY CAR OVER HEATED THAT MADE THE TOTAL OVER 2 GRAND IN LESS THAN A WEEK!!! , BUT MY BLOWER WORKS PERFECT WTF !!! EVERYTHING BEGAN THAT MORNING.... BECAUSE OF THE CABLE THAT SHORTED !!! OH AND ON TOP OF THAT THE TURBO IS MAKING NOISES AND I THINK ITS FAILING NOW!!! *TR

ADAPTIVE HEAD LIGHT SYSTEM FAILURE WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE INTERSTATE. THIS IS THE THIRD TIME THE UNIT HAD BEEN REPLACED WITHIN 4 YEARS AND UNDER 65K MILES. EVERY TIME THIS WAS A NON AGGRAVATED ISSUE AND NOT COVERED BY THE DEALER. FURTHERMORE, WHILE DRIVING THE CAR AROUND A CORNER AT A MODERATE RATE OF SPEED I NOTICED THE CAR MAKING AN ABNORMAL NOISE. UPON PULLING OVER AND INSPECTING FURTHER, IT WAS FOUND TO BE A SHREDDED BELT WHICH HAD THROWN ITSELF EVERYWHERE INSIDE THE ENGINE BAY. ONCE IT WAS TOWED TO BE REPAIRED, IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT THE POWER STEERING PULLEY CONTACTED THE FRONT BAR AND, BREAKING THE PULLEY IN HALF, CAUSING IT TO HAVE SHARP EDGES WHICH DIRECTLY CUT THE BELT IN HALF AND RESULTED IN THE BELT BEING WRAPPED AROUND THE PULLEY AND VARIOUS ENGINE COMPONENTS. THERE IS NOT ENOUGH CLEARANCE AS A RESULT OF A FACTORY/MANUFACTURER DEFECT AND NOW I AM OUT ON THE BILL. *TR