Last Updated: June 26, 2024
5-series BMW F10 cars are notoriously known for their headlight seals leaking. Usually, it's the driver's side headlight that starts showing condensation inside of it. Next, your daylight running lights no longer work (rings). This is where the fun begins with your car showing error codes. If you have adaptive BMW F10 headlights, you will see up to 4 headlight malfunction codes; if not, then 2 or so.
The next natural step would be either Googling your car's symptoms or going to Forums and Facebook groups to try to find an answer. I had to do this whole process myself. The sad part is that a lot of times, people will just tell you to put a silica packet inside the headlight to soak up the water. However, that's just a temporary fix. This fix also doesn't work if your TMS module is already damaged.
To demonstrate further that I understand your frustration, here is my F10 535i xDrive before the headlight replacement and after. While going through this process, please keep in mind that a lot of the owners of these F10 BMWs will be looking for a headlight replacement themselves. So if you buy a new headlight, you should not throw your old one away and have it repaired instead. Then you can sell it on eBay or on forums / FB groups and recoup some of that painfully spent money.
The Cheapest Way To Fix F10 BMW Leaky Headlight
I have received quite a few emails from various folks whose budgets didn't allow the $2k replacement. Therefore I did more digging and figured out the cheapest way to repair a leaky headlight. However, this route isn't a super pretty one and in some cases might just be a temporary solution.
Method #1: Repairing the headlight itself (cheaper route than buying a new one):
- Take out the headlight
- Heat up the glue where the headlight is currently sealed
- Unseal the glass from body of a headlight
- Remove all of the adhesive from the glass and headlight body, and clean the area
- Re-apply the glue
- Seal it back together.
That's a lot of work, plus there is a risk that you will break plastic or glass. Therefore let's go over another possible route below.
Method #2: Easier way but not as proper (Top Seal):
- Take out the headlight
- Spray the headlight down with soapy water
- Use a pressure testing device to see where the leak is coming from (might need to go to a mechanic for this)
- Clean the headlight off
- Top seal the area that's leaking while using any black adhesive sealant (I think it's called Permatex, and can purchase at Autozone or a similar store, if you have a mechanic, they should know exactly which one you would need). I have also seen other F10 owners top seal the whole headlight “just in case” which is probably what I would do. Usually, these headlights leak in corners.
- Let it dry and pressure test again to see if it leaks
All in this method would consume the labor that it would take to take out the headlight and put it back in as well as the cost of the sealer. Price will go up significantly if your TMS module is damaged.
F10 BMW Headlight Replacement Options
Since my original posting of this article, BMW F10 Headlight replacement costs have gone up. What used to cost $1150 for a headlight is not around $1600 for a Hella headlight and still over $2000 for Genuine BMW headlight (still Hella but with BMW logo).
Difference between Genuine BMW and Hella OEM headlights:
- Hella brand manufactures headlight for BMW
- Genuine BMW is a Hella headlight with BMW logo in the corner
- Hella headlight is also a Hella headlight, however the logo in the corner of the headlight states “Hella”
I'm listing the choices below for driver's side headlights, since that's the most common one to go out:
F10 Xenon Headlight (Hella – OEM) – Pre-Facelift (2011-2013)
Price: $1,550 – $1,700
Brand: Hella OEM
For Year: 2011-2013
F10 Xenon Headlight (Genuince BMW) – Pre-Facelift (2011-2013)
Price: $2,000 – $2,200
Brand: Genuine BMW
For Year: 2011-2013
F10 Bi-Xenon Assembly Adaptive (Hella OEM) – Facelift (2014-2016)
Price: $1,800 – $2,000
Brand: Hella OEM
For Year: 2014-2016
F10 Bi-Xenon Assembly Adaptive (Genuine BMW) – Facelift (2014-2016)
Price: $2,000 – $2,200
Brand: Genuine BMW
For Year: 2014-2016
How Does The Headlight Get Damaged?
Many F10 5-Series BMW owners first time notice seeing moisture inside of the headlight either after a car wash or humid/rainy day outside. The most common reason for a F10 BMW 5-Series headlight to start letting water or condensation in, is one of the following:
- Poorly sealed headlight (due to manufacturer's fault)
- Physically damaged headlight that's cracked somewhere on the glass or other area on headlight assembly
- Hardened seals that crack and starting to let the moisture in
- Cracked, missing or lose headlight caps (like the one pictured in the section below)
If you look at the picture shown above, you can see the white marks inside of the headlight that seems like dried up soapy water. In this case my headlight was not sealed properly which started showing when I went through a few carwashes. As a matter of fact it was actually worse when I washed the car myself vs going through the wash (I know that I should not be taking the car through washes due to micro scratches).
For some reason, it seems like most of the F10 BMW headlight condensation issues happen on the driver's side headlights. Here is a random BMW F10 that I spotted at a gym in Seattle, note that it also has the same side's headlight damaged, just like mine.
Once the water gets inside of the headlight, it can damage the electronic components. If you get on solving this problem immediately after seeing first signs of water inside of the headlight (actual water or just condensation), you have a good chance preventing the further damage to your headlight which might cost you a pretty penny. Unfortunately for me, the previous car owner already ignore the damage before me, so here we are now.
This is the module that was pulled out of my headlight during the time of the repair. You can clearly see water damage all over the circuit board and connections. I have seen a few comments on BMW F10 Facebook groups or BMW forums saying that you can clean it off, however, I am pretty sure that in my case this was not possible. During the process of the repair I found out that even the headlight fuse was burned out as well due to a short that occurred.
On the backside of the module you can clearly see water dried out. I think that it's safe to say that this module is toast, and I made the right call by purchasing the OEM one from the dealer. The one that I ordered from Amazon was not the right fit, although I did double check the part number and fitment to the car. More on that towards the end of this writing.
Most Common BMW F10 Headlight Condensation Quick Fixes
Here are the most common quick fixes for your headlight if this issue just started happening to you:
- Unscrew the top cap off the headlight and let the water air out (no need to disassemble anything)
- Use a blow dryer to head up the headlight and help the water evaporate out quicker (while having the cap off)
- Attach silica packets inside of the headlight (usually taped to the cap
What You Need To Know Before You Continue With The F10 BMW Headlight Fix
Pre-Facelift of Post-Facelift Headlights?
Is your BMW F10 5-Series a pre or post facelift? Pre-facelift BMW F10s were being built up until the end of 2013. So if you have a BMW 5-series that's younger than 2013, it should be post-facelift. Above is a picture of the headlights for both so that you can identify which ones you have much easier. Price to fix either one of these is usually around the same.
How To Tell if Your Headlights Are LED or Bi-Xenon?
It is fairly a rare occurrence to see LED headlights needing repair from this same issue as the Bi-Xenon ones. Different materials might have been used in making those, or they are not very common to come by, therefore the number of them with defects is low overall while ratio might stay the same. We do not know the real reason, but that's our observation.
How To Tell if Your Headlights Are Adaptive?
Most of the larger sellers that you are looking to get headlights from can tell if your headlights are adaptive or not by looking up your VIN number. The ones that cannot might require you to figure this out on your own. You could run a VIN number check online to see if you have adaptive headlights by going through one of the free BMW VIN Number Decoders. In our case the code that is showing is the S524 code under “Driver Assistance And Lightning” section.
Permanent Fixes For Your F10 Headlight
The following are a few ways that you can take to go about this issue. They will cost you anywhere from $60 to $2600. Yes, it is a very broad range and the options range from DIY to buy the whole assembly from the dealership. Now let's go over the possible options for you to go through and what they might cost:
- DIY
- Take out the headlight and send it to a shop that specializes in headlight repair
- Buy a custom headlight set
- Buy a headlight without the modules and bulbs
- Buy a full on headlight assembly
If you decide to purchase the headlight from either of the sources mentioned below, please make sure that you double check the fitment. It would be better if you contact the seller directly and give them your VIN number to double check.
Do-it-Yourself BMW F10 Headlight Repair
While being the cheapest option, this one is by far the most time consuming and you should be fairly skilled to get it done. To get the headlight out comfortably, you will need a decent amount of tools because the bumper will have to come off. Ideally you would be doing this “operation” inside of your own garage where you can take breaks if frustration kicks in and you want to walk away from your car for some time.
Cost of repairing the F10 BMW Headlight Yourself
If you have the tools and sealant already, then free, unless your headlight module is out, then you will need a new one. OEM will cost over $500, and the non-OEM but still ok reputation having ones from Amazon are around $60.
Time required to repair the headlight yourself:
- Pulling it out of the car – Up to 2 hours
- Unsealing, cleaning, resealing – Depends on skill and experience level as well as tools, could take 2 hours, could take a full day
Below is a great video explaining the whole process of the BMW Headlight Condensation repair for your F10 Bimmer. M. Ovidiu walks you through the whole process:
- Take off the bumper
- Remove the headlight
- Unseal the headlight
- Clean the headlight from residue of old glue
- Put new layer of sealant onto the headlight
- Put the cover back on and apply pressure to the headlight
- Put the headlight back in your vehicle
According to BMW forums and Facebook groups dedicated to F10 BMW vehicles, quickest way to unseal the headlight is by placing it inside of the oven. We haven't tried this method (YET), so we cannot advise you for how long and at what temperature. Ovi seems to be using a heat gun in his videos.
Ship Out The Headlight To a Repair Specialist
If this doesn't tell us that the problem with F10 BMW Headlights is a real thing, then I don't know what will. The screenshot above is a company that offers services of resealing your existing water damaged headlight for $295. You will still need to take the headlight out of your car yourself (or have a shop do it for you), and send it to them. So your car will need to sit around for a while until you get it back.
This particular seller in the screenshot that I posted above, has received 100% positive feedback so far. The price itself isn't bad compared to what an OEM headlight might cost you. At the same time, you will still need to make sure that the module of the headlight is not damaged, and if it is, get a new one.
Cost of sending your headlights to a repair specialist: $295 plus Shipping ($25)
Time required to get your headlight repaired if taken this route:
- Pulling it out of the car – Up to 2 hours
- Waiting for the headlight to come back: around 2 weeks
F10 BMW Headlight Replacement
Your other option is to replace both of your headlights with custom headlights. Amazon and eBay has quite a few of them as well as Ali Express and Ali Baba. Other reputable car part websites also have them. These headlights usually run for around $950 to $2000 for a pair. However, most of them are around $1000 range. This does mean that two custom headlights are much less than one OEM headlight.
2011-13 F10 5-Series Headlight Bi-Xenon
2014-16 F10 5-Series Headlight – HID
2010-13 BMW LED Halo Projector Aftermarket
Pros and Cons of Buying Custom F10 BMW Headlights
Pros
- Price is the main pro here, it's going to be cheaper to buy a pair of custom headlights vs one headlight that's either OEM or a match
- Some of the custom headlights look very cool, so your car would stand out from other F10 BMWs
- Can rock them until you get your OEMs resealed and either sell or swap them back in (good filler)
Cons
- Most of these custom lights are made in China and are of lower quality (some may even call them cheap looking)
- You will need to replace them back to original equipment if you decide to sell your vehicle (dealers and many people don't like mods)
- If your car has adaptive headlights, that function will no longer work and will need to be coded out
Purchase OEM Headlights Without The Modules
If you are going to go with replacing your headlight with an OEM version (that's what I did), you should save yourself some money and look for Hella headlights. Hella is a well known OEM manufacturer for BMW and will definitely have what you need. You should check out sites like Autohaus AZ, FCP Euro, or similar to find a good deal.
It is necessary to keep in mind that some of the sellers sell the headlights without any of the rubber seals. For instance, the headlight that I received from FCP Euro, did not have any rubber seals in the box. Not to stress too much, but you can get those seals from a dealer for around $30 per set.
I went with FCP Euro due to their lifetime warranty. So if you are planning to keep your F10 BMW for a long time, this site should be your go-to. They are a little bit more expensive, but that warranty might come in handy if the headlight cracks again. Other sites will end up being around $140-$150 cheaper but will offer a warranty of up to 36 months. So it will be up to you and your plans for the car to figure out which one you want to go with.
Buy a Full Headlight Assembly
This one will be expensive. We are talking about quite a bit expensive. As you see from the screenshot above, CariD has the OEM headlight listed for $3,122.66 before taxes and shipping. It also shows that this headlight is Out of Stock. On another hand, this headlight doesn't even come with the control modules, which are listed below at another $600+ each.
There are non BMW brand options that will run you around $1600 per headlight (with module). However, most will still sell without modules or bulbs. What I did was go with the option before this one. I bought the Hella Headlights from FCP Euro because they have Lifetime Warranty vs others that don't offer it. Meanwhile, when I will get the headlight replaced, I'm putting in the Amazon's $60 non original module which seem to work for quite a few people.
Afterwards, I'll ship my old headlight to the repair service OR I will fix it myself via DIY method and list it on eBay to get my money back. Since it is a BMW original headlight, I would make back the money that I will spend on the Hella headlight as well as the repair service if I use it.
Things to Know When Repairing a BMW Headlight
If your headlight had extensive water damage for a prolonged period of time, you will surely need a new Control TMS Module Unit. My F10 535 has adaptive headlights, so the part number is 63117440877. It is very important that you get the right headlight module, especially if your car is sitting in the shop.
When I ordered mine on Amazon, I received the wrong module because I went by their “Filter results by your vehicle:” option. As you can see from the image above, I didn't receive the right part. As a matter of fact, I received the part for BMW X3 with a part number 63117316217. Since I found out about it being the wrong part when the car was already at the shop, I ended up purchasing the original TMS Control Module from BMW Dealer here in Michigan. That part was a little over $600.
BMW F10 5 Series Headlight Repair / Replacement Conclusion
As you see there are quite a few options to get your headlight fixed. Which route you take will depend on your handy skill level, how many tools you have and the budget. The best way and the cheapest way would be for you to fix them on your own, however it comes with higher risk of breaking something, overheating the headlight, etc. I have covered the typical maintenance cost of BMW cars in another article.
