[Restyle]

..Not the Witty reply to shut up your Sex Therapist, more a problem with the Auxilliary Chrome Driving Light Fittings.

I`ve only had the car 4 months & already these parts look like they were fitted to a 70`s Leyland Mini.
Its not as if they`re cheap ....I mean, £350 for a couple of Spots ... What was I Thinking !!



So I called in at the Dealers Today to have the replacments Fitted, & while there, had a look around at all their other Cars with these Lights Fitted...
...Every Single One on the Lot also had Rust in exactly the same place

Just who are BMW buying them off ??
Whatever happened to Quality Control ??
Where does the Money go ??

I`ve got nothing but praise for the Dealers, (Godfrey Hall -Shrewsbury), who always try & do their utmost to rectify any problems, (& do a rather nice cup of coffee), but how many times am I going to have to keep returning to them with more Rusty Nuts

Heres the new Ones ...Start the Clock


Has anyone with the Spots NOT suffered these Problems ??

[Hmmmm]

When you get them replaced do you think they just chuck them away?

It's just that keeping the glass lenses would be sensible (although not as lucrative to the dealers) as otherwise it is £140 for a set of replacements if just 1 of the lenses gets cracked

Oh and sorry another quick off topic comment - Hexagon MINI (North London) quoted me £235 inc VAT fitted.

[obehave]

I was told it was "normal wear and tear" and they will not replace them.
Obviously my dealer blows chunks on occasion.

[mikeythemini]

Seen lots like this, not seen the problem with Hella lights

[pecks1981]

I am on my 4th set of driving lights - I have 4 on the front of mine and they all keep going rusty. The last pair lasted only 3 weeks!!!!! - My BMW dealer have taken photos and have sent them to BMW UK. God knows what difference that will do - they need to getlights and fixings either in stainless steal or a better quality chrome.
I have an appointment next week so fingers crossed these will last a bit longer.
Has anyone else noticed that when you indicate right and try and flash there seems to be a wireing problem. My dealer tested all the cars with spots and they were all the same!!! They flicker!

[Restyle]

Quote: Originally Posted by pecks1981

I am on my 4th set of driving lights - I have 4 on the front of mine and they all keep going rusty.

HI Pecks, You Sure Have been having some bad luck with your lights.
Good to know you`ve got a dealer that keeps changing them without saying .."Its just Normal wear & tear", UnLike Obehave`s (What did they charge for replacement Obehave??)

What exactly is the Fault you experience when turning right & Flashing ..& does it also do it when the car is stationary ??

Quote: Originally Posted by MikeytheMini

Seen lots like this, not seen the problem with Hella lights

How much are the Hella ones, & is it a simple matter of unbolting the Original Rusty ones & a straightforward Bolt on Job using the existing New Loom cable & Bracketry ??

[jwardell]

Funny you should post this today. I noticed rust on mine pretty early on as well, but just on the lower nut. Now that it's winter and my car spends much of its time coated in salt it is certainly worse, but still not as bad as yours look (mine is 7 months old). But I did point them out to another MINI owner today, and his also have rust altho not nearly as bad. I bet it has something to do with cleaning practices.

Anyway as I had been meaning to for the past few weeks I finally picked up a can of chrome cleaner/polish gauze and plan to use it regular just for my driving lights and tailpipes. If it removes the rust and keeps it away I'll let you know.

[jwardell]

The Eagle One Nevr-Dull took my rust right off.

[stealth haggis]

theres a simple awnser have the nuts and lower fittings annodised its a paint coating (any colour) its used on the riggers on rowing boats the boat i used had annodised riggers as did my mates and they have constant contact with suspect canal water and are totaly rust free still afetr 3 years of use

[Restyle]

Quote: Originally Posted by charlie croaker

theres a simple awnser have the nuts and lower fittings annodised ...

...Which is what BMW should ensure is being done by their Suppliers before the product reaches the Customer !!

[Hmmmm]

Does anyone know who the suppliers are or where they are manufactured? Insiders??

[JoeDentist]

I installed my own lights and was very careful to use only aluminum or stainless steel fittings, but I am still getting a little rust underneath the bracket around a stainless steel allen-head bolt. I think it is the brackets that start the rust, and it spreads to the light mount. Anyone make a stainless bracket?

[ncdave]

The chromium plating done nowadays is nowhere near as good as it used to be. Clearly a manufacturing defect and it should be covered. Another solution though is to shoot the parts with a good quality clear lacquer spray. I've done that in the past with those crummy '70's Leyland parts referred to earlier and it worked wonders. You do need to be sure that you hit the chrome with Prep-Sol or such other cleaner otherwise the lacquer will simply peel off and look even worse.

Good Luck!

[RICO UK]

Just a quick question, today when I had the bonnet raised I noticed that there is rust on the bolt and around the underside of the spotlights .I have only had the car 6 months is this a common occurrence or is it just mine?

[JoeDentist]

I put some classic Wipac lamps on my MCs, and was afraid of rust, so I used only aluminum ans stainless steel hardware - but you guessed it, I getting some rust on the bracket part that sticks out of the grill, on the underside. I think the aftermarket brackets I have are powder coated, but that large mounting hole seems to get scraped up and starts to rust. When it gets a little warmer, I am going to rustproof that joint. Luckily, nothing else is rusting - I have seen some pretty bad rust in photos on the grommet at the base of the lamps. Hey, cheap is cheap!

[Rakey]

the BMW lights are known to have a rusting problem, take your car back to the dealer and get him to replace them, then the new ones make sure you clean them on a regular basis with a good metal cleaner

[Goonery]

What seems to be happening is the age old problem of different metals that are joined in some way having a tendancy to chemically react with one another, in this case we have steel, stainless steel and possibly chromium plating all coming together in a very exposed area of the car, it gets a hammering from moisture, all sorts of road gunk like salt, grease, oil and so on, plus there are temperature issues, cold when the car is moving, heat from the radiator when its stopped.
All these factors are combining together to create a very hostile environment for the lamps and fixings.
How to fix it?, well gaskets between the components to seperate the different metals would be good, but add to the cost, a light coating of silicone grease on the fixings before they are assembled, and regular cleaning will all help to keep things tidy.
If you put something which is effectively bare metal on the front of a car, its almost inevitable that some cosmetic damage will occur, steps could be taken to manufacture these lamps in such a way that they were ordinarily immune from these problems, but at what cost ?


Heres a link to a good article which explains better what I've said above, its maritime related, but you can see the connection and similarity
http://www.diveweb.com/maritech/features/uw-su99.01.htm

[craigsyboo]

Quote: Originally Posted by goonery

steps could be taken to manufacture these lamps in such a way that they were ordinarily immune from these problems, but at what cost ?

I got a pair of driving lamps fitted to my new car, which are starting to rust after 3 months, and for the £325 that they cost I certainly didn't expect them to rust!!

Surely rome gaskets or whatever is needed could be factored into the price - 2 lamps surely can't really cost over £300 to manufacture and fit?!

[Goonery]

Quote: Originally Posted by craigsyboo

I got a pair of driving lamps fitted to my new car, which are starting to rust after 3 months, and for the £325 that they cost I certainly didn't expect them to rust!!

Surely rome gaskets or whatever is needed could be factored into the price - 2 lamps surely can't really cost over £300 to manufacture and fit?!

Well , no of course they don't cost that much, but take into account that the manufacturer, stockist, seller and fitting supplier all take a cut and want a profit too you have your answer. Of course ther is also the issue of how much will the punter pay , or more cynically how much can we get away with charging.

IMO , they are over priced, but they are warranted and origiinal equipment so you pays your money and makes your choice.If they are not of "merchantable quality" or "fit for purpose" you have rights under Sale of Goods Act take em back and demand a refund or replacement.
Halfords do a nice range of driving lamps for all sorts of cars, a set will set you back less than £100 and they will even fit them for you.

[Rakey]

I would just keep getting them replaced, eventually MINI will change the lamps or just drop them from the options list if everyone does this that has brought them