Headlight mind F***

[300kplus]

WHAT????! The ****????!! is going on with these headlights???!!!
They DON’T ADJUST and are just “floating” as if not attached to anything (grounded not in the electrical sense)
The “chrome” reflecting “ring” is “blacked” on the passenger side
(see attached pics)

Somebody please shed some insight on this.
Thanks in advance![emoji30][emoji37][emoji2959][emoji2959][emoji2959]


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[300kplus]

WHAT????! The ****????!! is going on with these headlights???!!!
They DON’T ADJUST and are just “floating” as if not attached to anything (grounded not in the electrical sense)
The “chrome” reflecting “ring” is “blacked” on the passenger side
(see attached pics)

Somebody please shed some insight on this.
Thanks in advance![emoji30][emoji37][emoji2959][emoji2959][emoji2959]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20231117/f9019c4e04c90a0df7a0fb881da5085e.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20231117/7cded59613cfb7aa2b2eb1d7d6833c64.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20231117/f1388e55f0dc0ffb6d52d52761540f3e.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20231117/ef74fac160a1eac7675fbb4cf917fc7b.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20231117/34ce07ad17cd41f0ba89cca685b3cb6b.jpg


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[ExGermanica]

Have those lights been opened up before? What are those boxes mounted to the backs of the ballasts? I'd think your adjuster is either broken or stripped.

[TiesTorN]

What are those boxes mounted to the backs of the ballasts?
some ballasts have those extensions. mine has too.

I also think OP's adjusters are broken.

[ExGermanica]

That's...odd. Never saw that before. Looks janky to me. Learn something new, I guess.

[JimLev]

They look just like the boxes that I added to power the aftermarket angel eyes.

[TiesTorN]

they usually exist in slim profile ballasts. regular thick ballasts don't have those. probably integrated within it.

[crdiscoverer]

They DON’T ADJUST and are just “floating” as if not attached to anything (grounded not in the electrical sense)

Probably adjusters are all broken inside?


The “chrome” reflecting “ring” is “blacked” on the passenger side

Someone took them apart and tried to paint the cosmetic part of the reflector. I've seen plenty of E39s with the projector shroud and that high beam ring painted black (even the whole high beam reflector painted when they had a bi-xenon retrofit done).

[300kplus]

Urgh
So does anybody rebuild these things?

What are my options? Besides bending over with a bucket of Vaseline given the prices I’ve seen
if, IF you can even find something?

Thanks in advance


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[CPHES]

There are lots of e39 adjuster threads - not much fun. Do a google search, and get back to us. If these are bakeable, you might have a way. Even the non bakeable has a way - if you are a ship in a bottle enthusiast.

[300kplus]

There are lots of e39 adjuster threads - not much fun. Do a google search, and get back to us. If these are bakeable, you might have a way. Even the non bakeable has a way - if you are a ship in a bottle enthusiast.

LOL
“Bakeable?”


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[crdiscoverer]

Yup. Stick them in an oven for 5-7 minutes at medium heat. That softens up the butyl holding both the clear lens and the housing together so you can pry them apart. Alternatively you can use a heat gun on low but you need to be fully focused or you will melt stuff (don't ask me how I know).

Almost surely yours are bakeable because it's obvious someone was in there in the past. Most facelift lights come perma-sealed so count yourself as lucky.

Replacing the adjusters is not hard at all provided you can remove the clear lens. Just search for DIYs, just make sure you're following one intended for facelift assemblies. If you want to do it once and never again, you need to find/3D print aluminum adjusters instead of the brittle plastic crap that BMW used.

As for the painted reflector, just paint the other side and also paint the projector shrouds black. It will look like this: https://i.pinimg.com/736x/91/c5/45/91c54509bab1ae1035ba1b41e4c094b4.jpg or this M5 (he also painted the high beam reflector bowl black): https://www.instagram.com/e39_m5_royalrot/

It doesn't look half bad if you do it properly.

[CPHES]

The M5 Board is a good read - not just for this, but there is a lot of e39 content.

https://www.m5board.com/threads/replacing-headlight-adjusters-without-opening-the-light.334457/

- - - Updated - - -

The M5 Board is a good read - not just for this, but there is a lot of e39 content.

https://www.m5board.com/threads/replacing-headlight-adjusters-without-opening-the-light.334457/

[300kplus]

Thanks everyone! Great stuff on this topic. Had no idea on this as I’ve never had this problem before.
Thanks for sharing! I’m sure I’m not the only one!


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[300kplus]

Yup. Stick them in an oven for 5-7 minutes at medium heat. That softens up the butyl holding both the clear lens and the housing together so you can pry them apart. Alternatively you can use a heat gun on low but you need to be fully focused or you will melt stuff (don't ask me how I know).

Almost surely yours are bakeable because it's obvious someone was in there in the past. Most facelift lights come perma-sealed so count yourself as lucky.

Replacing the adjusters is not hard at all provided you can remove the clear lens. Just search for DIYs, just make sure you're following one intended for facelift assemblies. If you want to do it once and never again, you need to find/3D print aluminum adjusters instead of the brittle plastic crap that BMW used.

As for the painted reflector, just paint the other side and also paint the projector shrouds black. It will look like this: https://i.pinimg.com/736x/91/c5/45/91c54509bab1ae1035ba1b41e4c094b4.jpg or this M5 (he also painted the high beam reflector bowl black): https://www.instagram.com/e39_m5_royalrot/

It doesn't look half bad if you do it properly.

Love this look![emoji102]


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