'Popped' Headlight - Repair or Replace with HID?

[fego]

Hi. My first post so please be gentle...

I've had my GS from new and have now changed the main beam bulb about 5 times in 20k miles. This week's adventure in replacing the bulb involved me tightening the screw that holds the clippy holdy on thingy that holds the bulb in place too tight. In my eagerness to get too good a connection with the screwdriver, I pushed what I now know to be too hard and 'pop!' - the silver innards went all floppy resulting in a Batman like beam of light up into the stars. I temporarliy hooked up an elastic band to pull the silver bit back as far as it could go but the beam still won't touch tarmac.

Other than drill holes, I've tried all of the tips I could find on here to get the thing back on its balls and have only managed to scrape skin so far. I have removed the headlight unit and can see inside that there is a white ball shaped bit in the middle with what looks like an oblong knob on its top. Then there is the black thing that it bangs into which I presume it should either sit on top of or under but whatever I tried it just stayed the same. The only progress I seemed to make was when the main beam side fell off its holder on the left side. I seem to have got that back on by using my thumbs inside the eye holes so that is where I gave up.

A couple of questions if I may:

1. Is this a repair that BMW (Battersea) will carry out under warranty?
2. If the answer to number 1 is 'no', how much might this cost to repair?
3. Am I better off converting to HID's and trying to get it fixed at the same time (I haven't got enough skin left to try and fit them myself) and
4. Any recommendations for someone to fit the HID kit AND repair the mess I created? (I live in North Kent).

Many thanks.

 

[RickG]

Unless you can get the balls back in their sockets, the only 'repair' will be a new headlight as it's a sealed unit. I think they are over 200 quid. When I did the same as you've done, drilling a small hole in the base and poking a nail up against the black socket bit to gently bend it up and allow the white ball to be wiggled back in worked very well and only took 5min. Need to get the other (side) ball and socket together first though which can be done by wiggling alone, as you've discovered.

I've no idea how a dealer will react to it as a warrenty claim but it's such a common problem due to the crap design they must have seen many an owner in the same predicament. Worth giving them a call maybe?

A HID conversion replaces the normal bulb with a new one but you still need a mechanically functioning headlamp unit. It's easier to do this with the headlamp out so, yes, it would be convenient to do the conversion and headlamp repair at the same time. A HID conversion from Les is a doddle to fit and so if you got the skill to take the headlamp out you can probably easily manage the rest yourself, it's just a case of plugging wires together and mounting the electronic box which can be done with super sticky Velcro.

 

[Wapping]

1. Very probably not as you bust it - but you can always ask.

2. No idea.

3. Yes. Worth every penny.

4. He's not in Kent but Les Wassell (site member) is your man for all things HID.

Pay £12 to sponsor the site (less than four pints of beer) for a year and you can PM him for advice / HID kits / fitting etc.

 

[Dietmar]

A disconnected reflector is normally a warranty issue if you just wanted to change the headlamp (and don't tell the rest of the story).

If you can't get a new headlamp for free you can manage to reconnect the reflector ball joint again without drilling:
1. remove the headlamp from your bike
2. remove all caps and bulbs
3. wear gloves (e.g. white cotton type) that no grease from you fingers may come on the reflecting side of your reflector
4. depending on how much balls are disconnected:
try to fix the upper balls first and leave the lower one disconnected.
You might even disconnect the lower one to fix an upper one.
5. take a band or a wire and place it that way that by pulling it through the two holes for the bulbs the ball joint will be reconnected.
The challenge doing so is to place the wire that you can pull the reflectors joint over the ball again. (sorry that i can't express it better in english)

And it takes more force to connect again it compared to disconnect it.

So I managed it for a colleague of mine.

Best regards

Dietmar

 

[bmwrover]

Dietmar is right, if it wont be replaced under warranty, why not try to fix it, if successful, great, if more things break off, well no more harm done than now.

In case of an unsuccessful repair attempt, have a look in the for sale section and buy the headlight unit that I am selling at the mo.

 

[jeff garnett]

Hi
Take out the bulb & put your finger in and pull the fitting
on to the ball mount & it will be like new
Be careful when putting the bulb back in not to push it out again.

 

[Pukmeister]

Welcome aboard Fego.

Having seen the HID conversion for myself yesterday on Easysushis bike (Les Wassal supplied kit) I am very impressed and will be buying a kit myself when funds allow.

 

[sherpatensing]

Having seen the HID conversion for myself yesterday on Easysushis bike (Les Wassal supplied kit) I am very impressed and will be buying a kit myself when funds allow.

I thought there were legal issues regarding retro fit HID lamps, particularly the ones that use the existing lamp unit.

 

[Wapping]

I thought there were legal issues regarding retro fit HID lamps, particularly the ones that use the existing lamp unit.

No doubt there are, just as much as there are 'legal issues' regarding speed, dark visors, exhausts, indicators, number plates, parking, display of tax discs and sounding your tooter in a built up area on Sunday when there's an r in the moth......

 

[Deleted Member I]

SOMEONE SELLING A GS HEADLIGHT UNIT ON HERE FOR £170 AT THE MOMENT.

Maybe that is your best bet!!

 

[fego]

Many thank you's for your replies.

I'll be calling the ones who have deprived me of so many readies so far in the morning to beg for mercy and hopefully they will be kind...

But, if they aren't, then I will have another go at fixing the b*stard thing meself. The biggest problem I've got is not my lack of ability (although that is a massive inhibitence I assure you) but rather my ignorance over exactly what it is I am trying to fix. So far I've just been pulling and squeezing and generally hoping that whatever popped out will go back in again. However, the truth is that the more I stare at the inside of that silver shell, the more I get confused about what bit is supposed to be where. Is it white into black or white under black? or alongside? I wouldn't mind if I had been a tit and brought this on myself. However, I was only trying to unbreak what is unquestionably a really shoddy pice of flimsy plastic which should withstand ordinary wear and tear, especially for a part prone to failure by design.

Pending my fix, please watch out for a blinding if you hapen to be on the A2 tomorrow...

 

[sherpatensing]

No doubt there are, just as much as there are 'legal issues' regarding speed, dark visors, exhausts, indicators, number plates, parking, display of tax discs and sounding your tooter in a built up area on Sunday when there's an r in the moth......

Unfortunately, these 'legal issues' are often looked at by insurance companies when a payout is required.

What about moths anyway?

 

[Wapping]

Unfortunately, these 'legal issues' are often looked at by insurance companies when a payout is required.

What about moths anyway?

Ah, the old insurance thing....

There must be an awful lot of uninsured vehicles driving about....

 

[boatman]

light

hi i also did this if you can get enough puchase on it by puting your finger in it will pop back in
best of luck
welcome tae the siteonyack

 

[Bear]

1. Very probably not as you bust it - but you can always ask.

2. No idea.

3. Yes. Worth every penny.

4. He's not in Kent but Les Wassell (site member) is your man for all things HID.

Pay £12 to sponsor the site (less than four pints of beer) for a year and you can PM him for advice / HID kits / fitting etc.

Round here (walking distance of the excellent Mr. Wassell) we don't pay £3 per pint.

 

[Wapping]

Round here (walking distance of the excellent Mr. Wassell) we don't pay £3 per pint.

London Pride.... Worth every penny

PS The OP appeared to be in SE England, so I gave him something to compare it with. But he's probably a lager drinker, so I'll say 3 pints

 

[Pukmeister]

Ah, the old insurance thing....

There must be an awful lot of uninsured vehicles driving about....

From someone who knows about insurance, surely Wapping of all people can tell us where we stand ??

Surely the insurers (either 'yours' or 'theirs' in the event of a claim) would have to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the HID's were a contributing factor to the accident.

If you have a current valid MOT having passed the MOT test with the HID's fitted, surely they must be 'fit for purpose' as tested by the vehicle examiner?

 

[nedflanders]

If you go down the EBAY route be careful, I bought a UK headlight after bringing my bike back from Germany and the ball was out of the socket, no doubt the previous owner did it and tried to recoup some of the money he had to pay for a new unit. The good news was it takes about 5mins of fiddling to fix and no need to drill any holes. Thread some lockwire around the socket on the reflector and pull like a bugger and it'll just pop back on

 

[harry]

Clippy holdy thing...

In Fego's original post he talks about tightening the screw which holds the 'clippy holdy thing'. Why? I've changed lots of GS bulbs and never touched this screw or screws ever.

Am I missing something?

 

[fego]

In Fego's original post he talks about tightening the screw which holds the 'clippy holdy thing'. Why? I've changed lots of GS bulbs and never touched this screw or screws ever.

Am I missing something?

The bulb holder originally had the clip holding the bulb from right to left, but the grooves snapped/wore off on the right side. The only way I could get the clip to work therefore was to switch the clip around so that it sat under the screw on the left. This was the screw I was tightening when it went pop. I might add that I didn't actually need to tighten the screw because I did the switch about three bulbs ago so I'm less than chuffed with my pointless tampering...

I've spoken to BMW who will not commit to a warranty repair until they have seen the problem themselves so I will be taking it in tomorrow.

Fego

ps - I mostly drink London Pride (or any similar ales) which costs
£2.50 a pint in the pub near my EC3 office btw...