Lighting Strip - Misted Over

91bmw08

Group 63
Lights


Bulletin Number
63 03 91 (3288)


Woodcliff Lake, NJ
June 1991
Service Engineering


SUBJECT: Lighting Strip (Combination Front Lights)

MODELS: 8 Series (E31)





Complaint: 1) Lenses misted over.
2) Lighting strip not tight.

Situation: 1) Lenses misted over.

Separation of temperature zones may lead to condensation and resultant misting over the lenses, especially in the area of the side lights. For this reason a ventilation system for the lighting strip has been developed. The reflectors and the shell will not corrode, as these parts are made of plastic material.

The following improvements have been incorporated:

Angled rubber grommets (A) have been attached to the modified ventilation slot (arrows) of the side light shell and turn signal lamp. At the same time the adhesive tape (B) on the ventilation slots of the side light shell has been deleted (see illustration).

Note: For reasons of tooling development, interim versions between the original and final versions may be encountered for a short production period.

Important: The opening of the angled grommet must point downward.

This modification has been introduced into production as of week 42/90.





Correction: Lighting strips with misted over lenses do not justify replacement, as there are no leaks involved. The ventilation System ensures that the lenses will be clear after a few miles of driving. This clearing is accelerated if the lights are switched on.

Situation: 2) Lighting strip not tight

On some vehicles the cover for the high beam shell may not be completely tight. Effective week 1/91, the thickness of the sealing inside the cover (arrow) has been increased from 5 to 6 mm, and it is attached with a different adhesive. See illustration.


Correction: If a lighting strip is replaced on a vehicle produced prior to January 1991, the cover for the high beam shell must also be replaced. The new cover is furnished with a set of cables which guarantees water tightness.

Important Note: Only lighting strips with a visible amount of water accumulated inside (approximately 1-2 mm in depth) must be replaced. The complaint of "lenses misting over" is not sufficient reason for replacement.

Parts
Information: The covers for the high beam shell are available as follows:

Part Number Description

63 11 8 354 383 Left side
63 11 8 354 384 Right side

Warranty
Information: Parts and labor reimbursable under the terms of the BMW New Car Limited Warranty of 4 Years/50,000 Miles.

Defect code: 63 13 00 48 00
Labor operation: 63 11 120 -replacing leaking (not misted over) left or right lighting strip

Labor allowance: 5 FRU