BMW 1 Series Headlight Condensation and DRL Repair
BMW 1 Series headlight condensation is put right by opening the unit and resealing it, which is the only way to stop water collecting behind the lens on an F20 or an E87. While the headlight is open, a tired or failed running light can be dealt with in the same job.
Mist, droplets or standing water
Not every misty lens is a fault. A light film on a cold, damp morning that fades once the lights have been on for a while is the vent doing its job.
Drops that cling to the inside all day, a tide mark on the lens, or water you can see moving when you brake are different. They mean the seal around the lens has opened up and rain is being drawn in.
The checks you can do yourself are covered by How to Remove Condensation From a Headlight.
How an F20 unit is resealed
Lens off
The headlight is warmed and the lens separated from the housing.
Joint cleaned
Every trace of the old, perished sealant is removed from the channel.
Inside dried and checked
Reflectors and trims are inspected; any chrome lifted by the damp can be re-coated.
Closed and cured
Fresh sealant goes in, the lens is pressed home and the unit is left to set before it is returned.
BMW 1 Series housings are moulded in thin plastic, so a slight line can occasionally remain where the lens was parted. The repair is judged on staying dry and working, not on a factory-new seam.
F20 and E87 running lights
On F20 headlights with LED running lights, when one side goes dim, flickers or dies, the fault is in its board or the light guide, and either is renewed inside your unit.
On the earlier E87, whether the running light uses LEDs or a bulb depends on the version, which your photo settles. Lamps with LEDs are covered under LED Headlight Repair.
- Generations covered
- E87 and F20 (including the three-door F21)
- Headlight types
- Halogen, xenon, LED
- Common faults
- Water inside the lens, running light faded or out
1 Series condensation and DRL questions
Does a 1 Series headlight with water in it fail the MOT?
Condensation itself has no entry in the MOT inspection manual. What the tester looks at is whether the lamp works, the state of the lens and reflector, and where the beam is aimed.
Will drilling a hole in the housing let the water out?
It may let some moisture escape, but it also opens a new way in. The seal is what failed, so the seal is what has to be renewed.
All BMW pages: BMW Headlight Repair. The repair time on a 1 Series headlight is confirmed in your quote.
Stop the water in your 1 Series headlight
A photo of the droplets and one with the lights on will show what needs doing.
Send the details, get a price back
Say which car it is and what the headlight is doing, add a couple of photos, and your quote arrives by email. Nothing has to come off the car until you have agreed to it.