How to Activate the Headlight Washer on a BMW?
3 Answers
Turn on the low beams, then push the turn signal lever forward once to activate the high beams. Finally, press and hold the windshield wiper control lever toward the steering wheel for 5 seconds. More relevant information is as follows: 1. The headlight washer system refers to a water outlet located below the headlights, which can clean dust and dirt from the headlights at any time. When driving at night or in low-light conditions, rain and dust can reduce the illumination of the headlights by up to 90%, severely impairing the driver's visibility and posing a significant safety hazard. Ensuring sufficient headlight illumination and providing clear visibility for the driver becomes a critical issue that needs to be addressed in such situations. The headlight washer system offers a simple and effective solution to this problem. 2. The headlight washer system is primarily used on vehicles equipped with xenon headlights. This is because xenon headlights are extremely bright and can cause glare for oncoming drivers. Therefore, xenon headlights are usually equipped with lenses to adjust the light beam to a reasonable angle, preventing interference with other drivers and ensuring road safety. However, if the headlight covers are covered with mud, dirt, or debris, it can affect the scattering of the headlight beams, necessitating cleaning.
Last time I drove my brother's BMW X5 at night, I realized the headlight washer is actually quite discreet. This feature doesn't have a dedicated button - you first need to make sure the headlights are turned on (just daytime running lights won't work). Then, just like spraying the windshield normally, hold the wiper control stalk toward the steering wheel for more than two seconds to activate it. Listen for the sound of the washer pump starting - a small hidden cover below the headlight will pop open to spray water. After spraying, check if both nozzles retract properly. Last time I encountered the left one stuck and not retracting, so I had to adjust the nozzle angle at the dealership later. It's particularly useful for highway driving in rain, but avoid operating it near pedestrians as the water jet has quite strong impact force.
As a BMW owner, I must tell you: the headlight cleaning is an automatic linked function. It only activates when you have the low beams or automatic headlights on, and the windshield washer is used for more than 3 seconds (by pulling the wiper stalk backward). Interestingly, it has an anti-misoperation mechanism, limiting activation to a maximum of 5 times per hour to prevent accidental emptying of the washer fluid. The key point is to ensure the washer fluid reservoir is sufficiently filled, as headlight cleaning consumes twice as much fluid as windshield cleaning. Avoid using this function during car washes, as the protruding nozzles can easily be damaged by the wash brushes—don’t ask how I know... Also, older 5 Series models require manually opening the hood to access the cleaning ports, while newer models are fully electric.
