How to Replace Facelift USA Style Orange Headlight Lens w/ Euro Clear Lenses?

[1823alex]

Hey all I plan to replace the lenses on my facelift E39 530i's headlights, they're fairly pitted and fogged up and I already wanted to do the euro lenses so might as well just replace them.

I'm planning to buy these lenses: https://www.ebay.com/itm/01-03-BMW-E...euro+lens.TRS0

It looks like all I really need to do is just remove the old lenses and put the new ones on, right? I saw a few clips on the stock headlights that hold them in but is there anything else? (Glue, hidden tabs, etc).

Also is there anything I should do while I would have the lenses off the headlights?

[BimmrMeUpSnotty]

C’mon man, there are about a million and a half threads about this.

Heres a free feeding. You need to check your date stamps on your headlight housings. After July 2002, you have to cut the old lenses out without ruining the channel in the housings. BMW used urethane to seal them in. You will use butyl rubber to reseal them. If they are earlier headlights, you can use a heat gun to heat up the butyl rubber that BMW used in the earlier days, and split the lenses off the housings. Order some new adjusters, the old ones get brittle. Wiggle the bulbs at the rear of the housings, they are probably loose, if not, replace them anyway, now is the time to do them. Do not clean the chrome reflectors with anything but a fine soft rag, warm water with a little bit of dish soap. They scratch easy, and some cleaners will wipe the chrome right off.
When you are ready to reseal them, warm up the new butyl rubber with a heat gun, this softens it up and when you slap the new lenses on, it will seal up better.
It’s not rocket science, it’s all there, posted up a million times, google it and find the good threads. Common sense is all you really need, but if you’re not so sure of yourself, find the threads, read a few so that you hammer it into your head.