Exposed Headlight Wiring, should I be worried?

[335m]

So I had an issue with one of my halos going out (prematurely) and before I put in a replacement I want to know if this could possibly have caused it?



I know the headlight area can get fairly hot but I find it a bit ridiculous that BMW didn't consider a little extra protection on these wires, it is happening on both sides.

[MaximusB]

Looks like the wires have been damaged. You'll definitely need to wrap them up individually with electrical tape to prevent them from touching each other causing a short. Shorting electrical = heat, which can cause fire.

[jdamore]

Damn thats bad. Could that have caused the halo to go out..?.. yep!

I would assess all the damage before doing anything. Is the bulb still good, did you blow a fuse, is the wire burnt, ect..

From the looks, it seems like the wires were baked from a lot of heat in the housing and not burnt from the wire itself.. would you agree? Did you have HID or LED? What brand?

Electrical tape is fine for troubleshooting (ie:tape so you can turn it on to put a meter on it) but, it is definitely not a fix. I would replace those wires if possible. Maybe heat shrink tubing if its good quality.

[jdamore]

When the wire itself cooks the insulation it will look something like the attached.

Hard to see from your picture but is there any discoloration on the connector?

[askjeeves]

I suspect this is probably somewhat common with BMW headlights. My moms 335 headlights looked the same. I only realized it when I had to change a bulb. I used electrical tape as best as possible. Kind of hard reaching all the wires in the housing.

[kimiraikkonen]

Anyone know the replacement part number for the grey socket (the one that the H8 angel goes into)? Mine's fraying at near the connector joint...and want to replace.