E30 Interior Light Bracket Broken

**Snider1** · 02-10-2013, 09:06 PM

Well I'm the proud new owner of an 87 325e here in Charleston SC. I'll upload some pics later. Right now I'm trying to fix the small things. The drivers side plastic interior light bracket is broken, without pulling down the headliner, is this something that can be replaced? Thanks

**alxalix** · 02-13-2013, 01:14 PM

yes easy to fix they call it dome light frame.

**lotusing** · 02-13-2013, 02:55 PM

I have the same problem with my es and I looked for this bracket in realoem and I could not find it.

**323i E30** · 02-13-2013, 03:14 PM

I think that's part# 63311363234 or 63311367353 // $20.46
It's part 1 on the diagram in the link.
Link realOEM:

http://realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?...53&hg=63&fg=30

**lotusing** · 02-13-2013, 03:29 PM

I dont know if it the same but my plastic dome is ok, the problem is that its just hanging to the headliner.

**Alpinweiss E30** · 02-13-2013, 03:45 PM

The bracket is No. 8 here:
http://realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?...42&hg=54&fg=05

P/N 54121884483

I suggest pulling down a portion of the headliner for better access. Remove the door seal where it fits around the headliner at the top of the door. If the headliner is still glued to the door frame, carefully peel it back until you can access the bracket. You may also have to remove the pillar trim. Otherwise you risk tearing the headliner around the opening for the light.

**lotusing** · 02-13-2013, 04:05 PM

Thats the one!

**Snider1** · 02-14-2013, 06:32 AM

Thank you

I ordered the part, we'll see how it goes.

I finally jacked the car up today to change the oil and inspect the undercarriage. It looked pretty good under there. I did find the power steering hose between the reservoir and pump almost worn through where it had been rubbing on the frame for 26 years. It was leaking, so I replaced it, what a pain to get those factory hose clamps off. There had to be a tool for that right? As usual I broke something trying to work on the car, the MAP sensor on the air box. Looks like that'll be a expensive replacement part. It was just the mount so I zip tied it for now.

The car is fairly lowered, I'm not sure If I have too much camber/toe. I guess I'll replace the tires, have it checked, and and keep an eye on them, the easiest solution seems to just raise her up a little, I'm not ready to drop the subframe just yet. the tires are pretty unevenly worn, however the PO had just lowered the car, so it seems the tires were bought used with the uneven wear???

Otherwise I can't post pics yet for some reason, I searched around for the 'new member thread' without any luck. Maybe I just need a few more posts.

The 'inspection' light is on, I was told it was from where the previous owner removed the cats. I have an OBDII CAN reader, doesn't look like its compatible. What would I need to read the codes?

I jacked up the rear end and spun the rear tires, at first the opposite tire would turn in the opposite direction, then it stopped and the the tire I was spinning just turned, guess that means I have an open diff?

The fun begins, this is my first BMW, it sure is fun to drive. I almost got a ticket the other day for 'reckless endagerment' which I was nicely informed is 4 points and $400, so for now I'm trying to hypermile and see what sort of mileage I can get, sounds silly, but it keeps my foot out of the floor :-)

**Snider1** · 02-15-2013, 04:06 PM

Hopefully I'm getting closer to posting a pic!

**jjc034** · 05-20-2019, 08:44 PM

Just did this, and it's SUPER EASY! Here are the steps:
1.) Sit in either your driver or passenger seat
2.) Use something narrow like a screw driver to GENTLY pry the light out of the bracket. There's a metal push tab to release the fixture. Be careful not to cut the headliner material.
3.) Gently pull off the trim at the top between the A and B pillars. You only need to remove as much as necessary to stick your hand through and remove the broken bracket material. I would suggest starting from the B pillar corner. The headliner will come loose with the trim.
- The trim pinches the headliner fabric in place and tightens it
- Be slow here. Your headliner will likely be sticky with adhesive material, so make sure you carefully separate the trim from the headliner without ripping
4.) Reach your hand up through the headliner to pull out the broken light bracket
- You will need to pull the wires out of the bracket before removing, and route back through when you replace the new bracket
5.) Prepare your new bracket but BEFORE clicking into place, ensure your wires are routed through the opening and the yellow sound deadening is above the bracket against the roof. I made the mistake of installing and having the piece caught below, so I had to carefully bend the bracket to reset the material. I was worried that the new bracket was going to break...... BUT IT DIDN'T! Haha lucky me
6.) After clicking into place, tighten the headliner and replace your trim
7.) Wire up the light again, and carefully press it into place, ensuring the headliner is tight
8.) Enjoy your work!

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