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Thread: Headlight help needed newbie

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jun 2018
    Location
    oakboro, nc
    Posts
    23
    My Cars
    2001 525i wagon

    Headlight help needed newbie

    I have been loving my first BMW a 2001 Sport Wagon 525I Ok sounds crazy but drove it at night for first time and WTH! Headlights aimed at the ground right in front of car--almost undriveable in the country
    So I look on Youtube and around--do I need to pop the lights open and replace those little plastic adjusters or ?????
    need help determining what lights I have and how to fix
    Thanks

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Apr 2016
    Location
    Seattle
    Posts
    14
    My Cars
    2014 i8, 2002 540iT
    My internal headlight adjusters were broken and couldn't be replaced, so I ended up buying new Bosch headlights - just like OEM but half the price.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Oct 2016
    Location
    Shoreview MN
    Posts
    977
    My Cars
    Had a 1991 BMW 850

    Headlights

    Buy the little plastic adjusters and follow the instructions. 2001 you can bake the headlights to get them apart. Lots of online tutorials etc to follow. All of the plastic you run into is brittle and will break.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Aug 2016
    Location
    Virginia,USA
    Posts
    3,144
    My Cars
    528i, 525iT, M5
    Two fire flies in a jar is the way I describe my own wagon when I purchased her. Upgrade to new headlamp assemblies or try the "ship in the bottle" approach and replace the plastic adjusters. If you are lucky you will only need the Low beam adjusters. See http://www.odometergears.com/howto/E...ter_Repair.pdf

    I have done the ship in a bottle and the lights were hard but not impossible. The second one will take 35% less time.
    Last edited by StephenVA; 09-04-2018 at 03:44 PM.
    Current Garage Highlights
    2003 525iT TiSilver
    2002 M5 TiSilver
    1998 528i KASCHMIRBEIGE METALLIC (301) (Goldie)

    Former Garage Highlights
    2005 X5 4.8is
    2004 325iTs (2x)
    1973 Pantera L
    1971 Dodge Dart Swinger "Lite Package"
    1970 Dodge Challenger T/A 340 Six Pack Alpine White
    1970 Dodge Challenger T/A 340 Six Pack GoManGo Green
    1969 Road Runner 383
    1968 Barracuda Formula S 340 Sea Foam Green

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Feb 2014
    Location
    Alexandria, VA
    Posts
    9,049
    My Cars
    ‘01 540’00 528T’03 525T
    I don’t know how you guys do the ship in a bottle thing! I open them up.
    Set the controls for the heart of the sun

  6. #6
    Join Date
    May 2018
    Location
    Florida
    Posts
    262
    My Cars
    '99 E39 M5T
    Quote Originally Posted by StephenVA View Post
    Two fire flies in a jar is the way I describe my own wagon when I purchased her. Upgrade to new headlamp assemblies or try the "ship in the bottle" approach and replace the plastic adjusters. If you are lucky you will only need the Low beam adjusters. See http://www.odometergears.com/howto/E...ter_Repair.pdf

    I have done the ship in a bottle and the lights were hard but not impossible. The second one will take 35% less time.
    Same here.... Took close to 3 hours to do both headlights. The second one was faster after I figured it out.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jun 2018
    Location
    oakboro, nc
    Posts
    23
    My Cars
    2001 525i wagon
    OK well....I used a $14 heat gun from Harbor Freight--worked great just do not let it near the "clips" on the clear part
    First light was a PIA both adjusters were dust so no idea how they went back but after the first one second light took 30 minutes
    I don't see why or how you can do ship in bottle deal
    But then...
    The bottom leveler rod was just sticking out--no leveler motors etc just brittle plastic nut on them---wound up cutting a plastic disc with hole saw--RTV'd it over that rod to close the opening--use zip ties to pull down on back of bulb sockets and get correct level and now I can see at night--adjusted them up against brick wall and after two nights test driving and minor adjusting I have lights

    hard to spend $700 on headlights for a car I gave $3800 for Oh well I can see now on to the next BMW adventure

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