[Nyc_BK_335I]

Hey, guys, just a question about the damage on my x5 that happened today. Everybody's okay, but unfortunately, a 19-year-old kid ran the red light in a busy intersection and smashed my driver-side fender, light, and bumper up. I'm planning to get it fixed at the body shop, but covid, the whole police report/claims takes forever now. To prevent future water /electrical damage from going in, are there any suggestions on covering it up to avoid any electrical damage? Thanks in advance guys!


Best regards,
Steve

[Busa Dave]

Depending on your insurance company. I would go ahead and report it to my insurance company to help get it in work faster. They will find out about it anyway. Be sure and file a claim for diminished value if your state allows for it..

[Auricom]

Ugh, always rough to see G05s in accidents and good that it isn't worse.

Might use a heavy clear plastic sheet with painters tape to not damage the paintwork. Only section that needs protective covering is the adaptive LED headlight with Laser light. LED fogs still look to be intact and the lower bumper can be driven as is.

[luckylingy]

You’ll likely be amazed at the headlamp replacement cost (never mind the other damage), so file the police report and insurance claim. Covering the headlamp with clear plastic is a good idea, if it’s legal in your jurisdiction.

[MystroX5]

That’s a $10k+ fix.

[iconoclast]

Take this opportunity to replace both headlights with EU/ROW headlights.

[Paladin1]

Originally Posted by MystroX5

That’s a $10k+ fix.

++

[Nyc_BK_335I]

Thank you all for the advice and kind words. I will go through insurance for sure as I know the headlight itself is extensive in price. I was just afraid that the random April showers would damage any electrical circuits, thus leading to a giant headache in the future. I went ahead to Home Depot and got flex seal with the excellent advice I've gotten from you guys, and I guess it's a work in progress, lol.

[apw2607]

Originally Posted by Nyc_BK_335I

Thank you all for the advice and kind words. I will go through insurance for sure as I know the headlight itself is extensive in price. I was just afraid that the random April showers would damage any electrical circuits, thus leading to a giant headache in the future. I went ahead to Home Depot and got flex seal with the excellent advice I've gotten from you guys, and I guess it's a work in progress, lol.

Yea that headlight assembly is around $6000

[maher]

Originally Posted by Nyc_BK_335I

Hey, guys, just a question about the damage on my x5 that happened today. Everybody's okay, but unfortunately, a 19-year-old kid ran the red light in a busy intersection and smashed my driver-side fender, light, and bumper up. I'm planning to get it fixed at the body shop, but covid, the whole police report/claims takes forever now. To prevent future water /electrical damage from going in, are there any suggestions on covering it up to avoid any electrical damage? Thanks in advance guys!


Best regards,
Steve

Sorry to hear that. On the bright side, that looks like it's just the bumper and headlight, no damage to the metal fender. I had a similar incident where a large truck dropped some suspension part on the highway and hit my bumper. They had to replace the bumper which was about $3500 canadian. Took about 2-3 weeks to get the bumper and a day to paint and install. The headlight is about $6k. So $10K sounds about right, but you should be able to get away with insurance if you have a police report. In my case I had to pay deductible and taxes on the $3500. Good luck!

[Fennario]

Unfair that you had to pay taxes on an insurance payout... In the US it is not considered income/not taxable since you are only getting back to where you were prior to the claim. If payouts are considered income then you should be able to deduct the loss itself and/or all of the premiums paid as an expense against it.

[thereef510]

Why is it $6,000 for a headlight??? It doesn't cost nearly that much when you opt for the laser lights option when building your vehicle

[phillydilles]

Originally Posted by thereef510

Why is it $6,000 for a headlight??? It doesn't cost nearly that much when you opt for the laser lights option when building your vehicle

Beats me, but seems to be in the ballpark. https://www.bmwminipartssource.com/v...amp-components

Maybe they subsidize the price during a purchase?

[thereef510]

Wasn't that the whole point of the laser headlights? That they were incredibly bright and very efficient because of the combination of lasers and leds making the entire assembly cheaper than traditional light assemblies.

This is like how they charge $8,000 for carbon ceramic brakes but it costs $30,000 to replace

[spike5150]

Originally Posted by thereef510

Why is it $6,000 for a headlight??? It doesn't cost nearly that much when you opt for the laser lights option when building your vehicle

To be fair, that is the incremental cost over the base headlights when you are building a vehicle.

I am sure the cost to make a laserlight is less than half what they charge us aftermarket.

[iconoclast]

Originally Posted by thereef510

This is like how they charge $8,000 for carbon ceramic brakes but it costs $30,000 to replace

When purchasing my E63 wagon I spoke with service department to see how much it would cost to replace when needed and I was quoted just over $18k for all four corners plus tax for when the time comes. Thankfully never had to do them because of ultra low mileage.

[Fennario]

Originally Posted by iconoclast

When purchasing my E63 wagon I spoke with service department to see how much it would cost to replace when needed and I was quoted just over $18k for all four corners plus tax for when the time comes. Thankfully never had to do them because of ultra low mileage.

One thing to bear in mind is the 4-5x lifespan of carbon ceramic rotors compared to iron. Brake jobs on my E55 were around $2500 and needed to be done every 20-30k miles. As such, total cost of brake jobs over the life of the car will break even with ceramic.

That car was murder on tires, rotors, and pads.

[thereef510]

Originally Posted by Fennario

One thing to bear in mind is the 4-5x lifespan of carbon ceramic rotors compared to iron. Brake jobs on my E55 were around $2500 and needed to be done every 20-30k miles. As such, total cost of brake jobs over the life of the car will break even with ceramic.

That car was murder on tires, rotors, and pads.

I really thought it was for people who actually track their cars. Even then I was told its so much cheaper to get the regular brakes and rotors and do a brake job after tracking the car and still come out better than getting the ceramics and then having to replace them.

[luckylingy]

Originally Posted by thereef510

Why is it $6,000 for a headlight??? It doesn't cost nearly that much when you opt for the laser lights option when building your vehicle

Welcome to the world of aftermarket car parts. It doesn't matter if it's a headlamp assembly from BMW, a bumper cover from Buick, or a front strut from Subaru; the aftermarket part is several times the cost to the OEM.

[nZtiZia]

Originally Posted by luckylingy

Welcome to the world of aftermarket car parts. It doesn't matter if it's a headlamp assembly from BMW, a bumper cover from Buick, or a front strut from Subaru; the aftermarket part is several times the cost to the OEM.

the laser lights aren't aftermarket. they're OEM. did you mean "after sales" parts?

[Fennario]

Originally Posted by thereef510

I really thought it was for people who actually track their cars. Even then I was told its so much cheaper to get the regular brakes and rotors and do a brake job after tracking the car and still come out better than getting the ceramics and then having to replace them.

That is their optimal application due to lack of fade and reduced unsprung weight. Overkill for the street - noisy/squeaky at low speeds and need to come up to temp for optimal performance.

[stockli81]

Originally Posted by iconoclast

Take this opportunity to replace both headlights with EU/ROW headlights.

And what is the difference between the EU/ROW and US Spec lasers?