Changing a headlight bulb on drivers side noticed flaking insulation on wiring harness. in the process of removing headlamp, insulation on all the wiring almost completely disintegrated. i can only assume that this same condition exists on the passenger side. this would seem to present a fire hazard at worst and a loss of lighting at the least. i understand from reading various forums that this is a problem across many bmw models. further, it appears that bmw used a soy based insulation product on these wires. isn't soy biodegradable? why would this be used in a wiring harness.
On my 2006 bmw z4 3.0i, while replacing a blown headlight bulb i discovered that the insulation on the low beam headlight wiring was crumbling off and in parts had bare copper wire showing. as this is the main headlight wiring and both the + and - wires were showing bare copper a short circuit and or fire could be possible. this wiring is within the headlight housing it's self. upon doing research online i am not the only person affected. i reported this issue to my local bmw dealer who said there were no recalls at this time and i could call bmw na. i called bmw na who repeated that there was no recall and said they would make a note of it but offered no other help. *js