Factory LED auxiliary headlights

[reg26]

Just got back from a trip on my 2015 R1200RT and noticed my right aux light is out. Can't believe it's the led bulb as the bike only has 5200 miles on it. Any ideas on how to check? I looked at the connections as best i could without really knowing how they are hooked up.

[strataj]

Strange, I'd disconnect and connect at the light then I'd remove the plastic, while following the wire I look for any breaks. If it's the bulb I believe it's sold as a unit, should be covered under warranty. Please keep us posted.

 

Jay

 

PS. if you haven't taken them apart before you need to remove the light and use a probe to release the clip.

[reg26]

Checked all the visible wiring and connection at the light. All seems fine. I'm not going to remove any plastic as I've heard to many bad stories of the plastic tabs breaking off, If it wasn't covered under warranty I would. I'll take a trip to the dealer Wednesday and let you know what they said

[A-Red Bill]

I have a pair of them on my 2014 RT. Had one fail on a weekend ride last week. We went through some pretty significant rain and you can now see moisture on the inside of the lens.

 

Called my local dealer about warranty coverage, thought it would be a slam dunk. They were not sure and have not gotten back to me yet. The warranty coverage for the bike has a 6-month limit on "LED bulbs". I would maintain that the failure is in the assembly and not the bulb. However if they are going to hide behind that it might be a good time to cut losses and get something else.

[reg26]

Thats not good to hear. We rode thru about an hour of rain on our trip and of course i washed the bike when we got home. I know there are much better lights out there but I like these. I hope they cover them. I dont see any moisture inside of lens. We shall see what they say

[Ralphie]

I'm not going to remove any plastic as I've heard to many bad stories of the plastic tabs breaking off.

 

Once you know where the tabs are it is easy to remove the body panels. This RT is the most simple body panel system I've experienced in quite some time. Take a peek at this video from Ilium to see how to remove the body panels. When you get to the point he notes those tabs proceed accordingly and you will be in great shape.

 

http://www.iliumworks.com/BMW_Motorcycle_Accessories.cfm?pn=30-200BL&pID=98

 

The video is embedded in the page above.

[reg26]

Thanks Ralphie. I am going to run to Max BMW Thursday and let them have at it. Some day I'll get to taking those panels off. :-)

[Alfred02]

I have a pair of them on my 2014 RT. Had one fail on a weekend ride last week. We went through some pretty significant rain and you can now see moisture on the inside of the lens.

 

Called my local dealer about warranty coverage, thought it would be a slam dunk. They were not sure and have not gotten back to me yet. The warranty coverage for the bike has a 6-month limit on "LED bulbs". I would maintain that the failure is in the assembly and not the bulb. However if they are going to hide behind that it might be a good time to cut losses and get something else.

Can you contact BMW USA and ask them about AUX LED's not being covered longer under warranty then 6 months?

Maybe it's just your local dealer?

 

[A-Red Bill]

Protocol is to first work through the dealer then appeal to BMW. If however they are not going to back it that tells me that is designed to last about 2 years and 18,000 miles. At $160.00 a pop for a headlight unit, times 2, it may be time to cut and run.

[reg26]

Protocol is to first work through the dealer then appeal to BMW. If however they are not going to back it that tells me that is designed to last about 2 years and 18,000 miles. At $160.00 a pop for a headlight unit, times 2, it may be time to cut and run.

 

It's not the headlight bulb its the BMW LED aux driving lights

 

LED auxiliary headlights

• Powerful LED auxiliary headlights with die-cast aluminum housing

• Better vision and better visibility

• LEDs are so long-lasting as to be virtually wear-free, so operation is fault-free and maintenance-free as well

• White LEDs emit light of a color very close to that of daylight for differentiated illumination of the road ahead

• Diameter approx. 3 inches, length approx. 4 inches

• Installation and enabling by authorized BMW Motorrad dealers only

[JWMcDonald]

Just took delivery of 2016 R1200RS, and at first ordered it with the auxiliary LED lights from BMW - dealer strongly suggested Clearwater Darlas in place of the BMW lights.

 

From this discussion, as well as accolades for Clearwater on other forum threads, I'm glad I did...

[reg26]

Strange thing happened this morning. Started the bike this morning to go to work and the dam light came on! Jeeze I almost wished it had stayed off till I got to dealer tomorrow. Rode about 65mi today and stopped and started bout 5 times and it's working perfectly??????????????????????

[A-Red Bill]

I talked to my dealer today and the light will be replaced under warranty. There is a two year warranty on these units. Somewhat of an irony here as the bike was delivered in April of 2014. At the time of delivery the lights for this new model were not yet available. By the time the lights arrived the "do not ride" order had been issued. So the lights sat on the dealer’s shelf all summer while the bike sat in my garage. They were installed when the recall work was performed and that got me under the warranty period.

[A-Red Bill]

So one possible scenario is that you did get some water in the housing when you rode through the rainstorm. That caused internal short and light quit working. Now the light has dried out enough to clear the short.

 

These lights run cool but there is enough heat to suck moisture into the housing if there is a breach in the seal.

[Alfred02]

I talked to my dealer today and the light will be replaced under warranty. There is a two year warranty on these units. Somewhat of an irony here as the bike was delivered in April of 2014. At the time of delivery the lights for this new model were not yet available. By the time the lights arrived the "do not ride" order had been issued. So the lights sat on the dealer’s shelf all summer while the bike sat in my garage. They were installed when the recall work was performed and that got me under the warranty period.

Same as mine, lights not available when I got it and arrived during the re-call.

Lucky for me, mine are fine anyway.

[reg26]

Stopped by Max BMW in Brookfield CT today and they were great. They said the dealer that installed the lights when I bought the bike new did not route the wiring properly and there was a slight break in the wiring. They completely re- wired the both lights, showed me the old wiring and sent me on my way FREE of Charge. I love that place. Everyone there is always polite and happy. Wish I could have bought my bike there originally but they didnt have what I wanted in stock and I wasnt willing to wait. I can assure you my next one will be from them.