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      01-24-2021, 04:22 AM   #1
hiki08
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Plastic piece wedged in tail lights

Hi all,

Wonder if anyone has come across/seen a piece of semi-clear white plastic stuck wedged in the G05 tail lights (and possibly snapped off)? I saw 2 vehicles with it on the right rear tail lights when shopping around used G05s earlier.

Initially thought it might be some plastic scraper used by someone to clear out wax in the grooves after a polish and wax, but to see it on 2 different cars in 2 different places... makes me wonder if it was something which factory had accidentally left it there.

Cheers!
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      01-24-2021, 10:14 AM   #2
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hiki08 View Post
Hi all,

Wonder if anyone has come across/seen a piece of semi-clear white plastic stuck wedged in the G05 tail lights (and possibly snapped off)? I saw 2 vehicles with it on the right rear tail lights when shopping around used G05s earlier.

Initially thought it might be some plastic scraper used by someone to clear out wax in the grooves after a polish and wax, but to see it on 2 different cars in 2 different places... makes me wonder if it was something which factory had accidentally left it there.

Cheers!
It's the factory protective film. Your dealer vehicle prep did a half arse job of removing the film and prepping the vehicle(s).

Here's an example of what the vehicle looks like when shipped from the factory:

https://g05.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh...17&postcount=7

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Last edited by Auricom; 01-24-2021 at 10:29 AM..
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      01-24-2021, 11:23 AM   #3
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I don't think so. It's a pretty solid piece of snapped off plastic, certainly not a thin plastic film. Around the typical thickness of a plastic food storage box for the fridge or a credit card.

I might be able to pull it out with pliers, but I don't dare to.
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      01-25-2021, 12:32 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hiki08 View Post
I don't think so. It's a pretty solid piece of snapped off plastic, certainly not a thin plastic film. Around the typical thickness of a plastic food storage box for the fridge or a credit card.

I might be able to pull it out with pliers, but I don't dare to.
Couldn't ascertain the thickness of the plastic from the photos and thanks for providing more visual context.

But concerning your query, no I picked up my G05 at BMW PDC and didn't notice any item similar to the one wedged in your photo in my vehicle's tail lamp.

If you're concerned they could/should remove the tail lamp to remove the item.
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      01-25-2021, 07:50 PM   #5
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I had the same plastic piece in my tail lights that I noticed after my PCD. I was able to pull it out with a plastic trim removal tool and some needle nose pliers.
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      01-26-2021, 12:28 AM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Auricom View Post
Couldn't ascertain the thickness of the plastic from the photos and thanks for providing more visual context.

But concerning your query, no I picked up my G05 at BMW PDC and didn't notice any item similar to the one wedged in your photo in my vehicle's tail lamp.

If you're concerned they could/should remove the tail lamp to remove the item.
Thanks, no worries. Photos aren’t particularly clear as I took them while inspecting. I’ll perhaps speak with the dealer next time the car is due in for a service. I had asked a Genius recently but he said he hasn’t been noticing them, but I guess it’s not something to be noticed unless you look closely.

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Originally Posted by VTENGR View Post
I had the same plastic piece in my tail lights that I noticed after my PCD. I was able to pull it out with a plastic trim removal tool and some needle nose pliers.
Thanks, good (well.. not really good but you get my point ) to hear there are others out there with this. Did you take any photos of what it was like wedged inside, or is it really just a piece of irregular plastic? Any clue what it was that left it there?
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      01-26-2021, 06:31 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hiki08 View Post
Hi all,

Wonder if anyone has come across/seen a piece of semi-clear white plastic stuck wedged in the G05 tail lights (and possibly snapped off)? I saw 2 vehicles with it on the right rear tail lights when shopping around used G05s earlier.

Initially thought it might be some plastic scraper used by someone to clear out wax in the grooves after a polish and wax, but to see it on 2 different cars in 2 different places... makes me wonder if it was something which factory had accidentally left it there.

Cheers!
Very interesting you spotted this piece on used G05s. I would have thought someone would have seen it and removed it on a previously owned car or on inspection and prep for resale.
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      02-02-2021, 08:52 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gqgambler View Post
Very interesting you spotted this piece on used G05s. I would have thought someone would have seen it and removed it on a previously owned car or on inspection and prep for resale.

Well what can I say... an eye for detail?

Car will be in for servicing end of Feb. Will see if they can do anything about it. Chances are they’ll dismiss it as I’m not the first owner...
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      02-03-2021, 06:03 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hiki08 View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by Auricom View Post
Couldn't ascertain the thickness of the plastic from the photos and thanks for providing more visual context.

But concerning your query, no I picked up my G05 at BMW PDC and didn't notice any item similar to the one wedged in your photo in my vehicle's tail lamp.

If you're concerned they could/should remove the tail lamp to remove the item.
Thanks, no worries. Photos aren’t particularly clear as I took them while inspecting. I’ll perhaps speak with the dealer next time the car is due in for a service. I had asked a Genius recently but he said he hasn’t been noticing them, but I guess it’s not something to be noticed unless you look closely.

Quote:
Originally Posted by VTENGR View Post
I had the same plastic piece in my tail lights that I noticed after my PCD. I was able to pull it out with a plastic trim removal tool and some needle nose pliers.
Thanks, good (well.. not really good but you get my point ) to hear there are others out there with this. Did you take any photos of what it was like wedged inside, or is it really just a piece of irregular plastic? Any clue what it was that left it there?
No I didn't take any pics. Noticed it while drying my car. At first I thought it was part of the assembly but I could move it back and forth with my finger. After pulling it out it just looked like a small piece of white plastic about 1/2" by 1/4"... Not very big. It was pretty flexible so I just chalked it up to some sort of protective housing for the taillights that probably broke off when they installed the lights at the plant.
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      02-04-2021, 10:51 AM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by VTENGR View Post
No I didn't take any pics. Noticed it while drying my car. At first I thought it was part of the assembly but I could move it back and forth with my finger. After pulling it out it just looked like a small piece of white plastic about 1/2" by 1/4"... Not very big. It was pretty flexible so I just chalked it up to some sort of protective housing for the taillights that probably broke off when they installed the lights at the plant.
I see... thanks. That's a lot of broken bits from the plant!
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      02-04-2021, 11:22 AM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hiki08 View Post
I see... thanks. That's a lot of broken bits from the plant!
It almost is like it's a spacer that they use when installing the lights and sometimes they break when they remove them. That was my original thought. Nothing was actually broken on the car.
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      02-16-2021, 01:18 AM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by VTENGR View Post
It almost is like it's a spacer that they use when installing the lights and sometimes they break when they remove them. That was my original thought. Nothing was actually broken on the car.
Thanks.

With a bit more effort and knowing that it’s possible to pull straight out, I went back to it with my fingers and tugged the plastic piece out. As you say, doesn’t look like anything broken on the car. The plastic piece was a tiny rectangle probably the size of 3mm x 5mm.
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      07-06-2021, 05:26 PM   #13
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I have had my X5 two years and just noticed the same thing! I've hand-washed it many times, it's been professionally detailed, ceramic coated, and unfortunately I even had body work done on tailgate! So, I don't believe it was visible previously.
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