Eight problems related to wiring have been reported for the 2008 BMW 528. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
All of the internal headlight wiring insulation on both headlights is crumbling off which is exposing the copper wire, causing sparks and shorting out. I have performed much online research and apparently this is a known problem by BMW. Currently it's a huge safety issue because it's unpredictable when headlights will short out while driving, losing sight of the road and possibly increasing risk of accident.
Headlight wiring inside headlight assembly is deteriorating badly. The protective coating is cracking and flaking off leaving the exposed copper core which in turn shorts out the lights. Possible fire hazard as well.
Wiring inside headlight assemblies flaking off leaving bare wires.
2008 BMW 528i automatic sedan with 104k miles. . . Head light wiring harness (driver side and passenger side) insulation is degrading resulting in bulbs malfunctioning/burning out regularly/shorting out/blown fuses, and possibly an electrical fire. An employees at one BMW dealership, said BMW is aware of the issue and refuses to address the issue¿ until they are forced to by the government or a lawsuit.
The vehicle is made with inferior wire coating that can and I'm sure has resulted in fires. Not to mention the features of the lights can and will stop working unexpectedly. This also causes shorts in the wiring of the switch in the dash I believe and possible battery drain leaving people stranded or even having car die while in motion. BMW had my car for 3 weeks trying to figure out all their other faulty issues - they finally had their head foreman take the car home with him and go over it with a fine tooth comb. He fixed most of the issues. They had sent me home with my car 3 or 4 times telling me my issues were resolved only for the car to stall, smell like burning rubber or just not start. They were also aware of the faulty wiring but did not list it as an item of eminent concern - however after taking car to another mechanic for a blown bulb a month later they expressed to me the extreme fire hazard the vehicle wiring posed and that because of the nature (or problematic design rather) of BMW they were not at liberty to delve into such matters. BMW is the utmost morally reprehensible auto maker I have ever encountered from start to finish. My lights went out while driving and I was almost hit by a driver in a large escalade around dusk a week ago. What's worse is when I took vehicle to BMW I was also having them fix the tail light recall that is prone to cause fires. I have never met more incompetent people. You do not get what you pay for.
Insulation covering headlight wiring cracks off leaving large amounts of bare areas. This resulted in electrical shorts, draining battery, erratic electrical system behavior, blown headlight bulbs, and an intermittent burning smell in my car.
Wiring of front headlights flaking off and exposing bare wire. The short of the wires caused the plastic of holding headlamp to bubble and melt as a consequence.
Rear exterior lights(brake, tail, & turn signal) - melted wire assembly is causing malfunction. While driving I noticed a "burning" smell. Shortly thereafter, all at once my dash indicated that my passenger side tail light, brake light, and turn signal had simultaneously malfunctioned. The wiring harness that attaches to the light assembly is melted. BMW did a recall of over 2,500 3-series vehicles for the exact same issue but has not recalled the 5-series (????) this is a safety issue that needs to be addressed.