How to remove/install side markers

[Gop-Dogg]

Hey guys,
What is the best way to remove/install the side marker lights? Search results indicate that I should push forward on the rear of the light until it slides forward and then twist the front upward to release. However, the posts say that people have been having trouble getting this method to work. Is there a better way?

Thanks.

[gerry_miranda]

push forward on the rear of the light until it slides forward and then pull the back out

[TiAg ///M3/4]

You'll also need to rotate it 90 degrees and ease it out. Just takes a little fiddling.

[wordplay]

SideMarkerOpen.jpg

To remove the left side marker, push parallel to the body in the direction of the arrow until the lip of the unit that is hooked under the edge of the body slides clear of the body, at which point you can just pull the right side out and away from the body and the left side will come along.

SideMarkerProfile.jpg

On the right side of this profile of the unit you can see the lip that holds the right side attached to the body. So you don't need to push the unit very far until the lip clears the body. When you are pushing the unit you are pushing it against the spring which holds the left side of the unit against the body because of the notch in the spring and the spring itself is pushing toward the lip to keep it in place under the edge of the hole in the body. Once the right side is clear, the left side clears.

Note that I added a ziptie around the belly of the unit. The clip there seemed to be loose.

Ignore the slight tear in the gasket. Most of the gasket is intact.

Once the unit is removed from the hole in the body, the unit will be dangling by the wires. Hold it by the black part firmly.
Now turn the white part (either direction) until you can easily pull it off the black stem (which is the bulb socket). There are two bumps on the black stem inside the white tube and once you've turned the white part enough to line them up with the keyway, the white part will come off the black stem easily, separating at the boundary between the black and white.

SideMarkerBulbExposed.jpg

Here you can see the bump on the black stem (bulb socket) that travels the keyway in the white tube.

Be sure to use gloves when handling the new bulb. Replace the bulb with Sylvania 2825 12v, 5w bulb or equivalent. Bulb pulls straight out. New bulb is just pushed straight in.

Reattach the white part by lining the bumps up with the keyways and push until it seats against the gasket. Turn to lock.

Push the unit back into the body, left side first and push in while sliding left against the spring until the unit drops completely into the hole and the black rim is flush with the body; now slide it to the right while pushing against the body to engage the right-side lip under the edge of the hole. The black rim is flexible gasket rubber, so make sure that you haven't rolled it off the edge of the unit or the unit won't seat properly... if you have, gently ease it back onto the edge. When unit is properly seated there should be no gaps between the rim and the body.

[Mless5]

Note that early e36s had a screw that held the assembly in place and they were different in style. I believe 95 M3s had this earlier design.

[boarder2k7]

Be sure to use gloves when handling the new bulb. Replace the bulb with Sylvania 2825 12v, 5w bulb or equivalent. Bulb pulls straight out. New bulb is just pushed straight in.

This isn't a projector lamp or high temp halogen. No precautions past home light bulb are needed here.