The wiring harness beaneath my right fron headlight has melted.

Car is a 2004 MCS.

Does anyone else have this? Im guessing yes.

Will dealer fix this? Is there a TSB or anything issued for it?

ANy help is appreciated.

 

Have you used higher wattage bulbs?

 

Matt,

Are you talking about a headlight related wire harness, or possibly a wire that runs in the vacinity of the right headlight that isn't attached to the clamshell hood (I believe there is a 1/4" thick ground wire in that vacinity).

 

I have Xenon headlights, have not changed any bulbs.

DiD: I believe it is the headlight wiring harness, contains a few wires and is directly beneath the right fron headlight, when you lift up the bonnet.

And on the plastic piece that the headlight rests on, BELOW the bonnet, i.e. Where people usually the the "eyes", it has melted there also, from the hot wiring.

I have seen this problem on 2 other MINIs by the way.

 

Interesting. Are the headlights no longer functioning, or do they still work? Is it the high or low beam that has failed, if it's not functioning?

 

I've got this too. I noticed it about 6 months after I got the car. The 'fabric' sleeve over the wiring had worn. Fortunately, I caught it before it got through the insulation on the wires themselves. I just wrapped the wire bundle in a bit of electrical tape and check it every once in a while to replace the tape when it's worn through.

[edit] Oh, I showed it to my dealer, and he 'adjusted' the bonnet a bit. it still didn't fix it, so I live with the tape.[\edit]

 

I haven't seen melting there before.

This one I did have. It is the result of vibration of the harness against the unibody as I recall. There is also a TSB out on it IIRC.

 

The lights still function great.


DiD: I dont think it's due to vibration, because the plastic is definitely melted, not scratched. I'll try and take some pictures this weekend.

 

I have the same thing on mine. Noticed it a couple months after I got the car, and just wrapped it in some electrical tape. Problem solved.

 

Since it would take quite a bit of current to melt the wiring and this would also cause the lights to no longer function, this is probably a case of chemical reactions happening between the plastics. Anyone who has put a laser-printed or 'xeroxed' copied page in a vinyl binder and found the print stuck to the vinyl has encountered this. The only real cure is to keep the two items separated or encase the harness in another type of insulation.

 

Greatbear has spoken.

Thanks man.

 

Jerry Jinky gave me a good website that has list of all the crappy and shoddy BMW jobs. Here it is: http://www.alldata.com/tsb/BMW/index-issue.html

Steve Jinky found what I was looking for:

 

I have the same problem. I just thought it was the "glue" on the back of the electrical tape that melted and dripped.

 

If you guys are willing to mod your Minis, I have a suggestion. Take a drill and punch a hole somewhere in your engine bay near where this is happening. Go pick up a plastic clip that has a small 'pin' on it that can pop into this hole, and that has a clip that can retain the wire. It's hard to describe, but they are common on cars in areas where wiring may rub or bounce around to hold them in one area. Make sure that when you do this, you prime the drilled area if it was not a pre-existing hole.

 

That's not a bad idea. It rubs agains the plastic fender shroud. A dremel could punch a small hole there, then perhaps some tape or something from the underside to keep water and crap from flinging up off the tires onto the wiring.

I may just give this a try....