Replacing headlight covers/adjusters on E39

[540iman]

Sure James, thank you very much. Makes sense.

[jamesdc4]

Sure James, thank you very much. Makes sense.

Link to your thread in the main e39 forum.
Xenons- Don't have the plastic adjusters?

[StevE39]

I just ordered some adjusters. After shopping around, they seem to be the cheapest at AutohausAZ. 26 bucks shipped.

[StevE39]

So I just did this today, two things I've learned that could help in this DIY

instead of pulling up from the servo adjuster, you can put a 5mm socket over the white piece in the corner of that picture and turn it 90 degrees

also, when putting back the adjusters, push the piece (in the middle of the picture) out by putting deep socket over it so that you can put the adjuster in easier.

[gtxragtop]

Those covers sure look like they would also work on an 03 530I with Xeons. Mine are a bit sand blasted and I'd love to replace them. Anybody care to comment.

[dave99]

DEPO covers with the European-style clear turn signals

Cannot dfind these anywhere, ebay, Google etc.

Can soemone point me in the right direction?

[douwd20]

DEPO covers with the European-style clear turn signals

Cannot dfind these anywhere, ebay, Google etc.

Can soemone point me in the right direction?

Do a search on ebay for 'BMW E39 Crystal Chrome Clear Head Light Frame'

[E36 Phantom]

It would be great if a mod could move/copy post #29 by StevE39 to the first page. Perhaps just add it to the bottom of wquiles' EXCELLENT write up. I just did the mod, and the writeup was great, but it would have saved a lot of time and frustation (and kept me from almost destroying the damn things) if I had seen that post about just turning the bottom holder 90*. It releases when you do that. I think it would be a good addition.

Other than that, wquiles, that was a great writeup, thanks! VERY helpful!

[johnbarton]

yes you can just go to the usautolighting dot com

[dave99]

Juts added the Depo covers to a 1999 540i.

One difference between is the ‘lens’ closest to the turn indicator on the 1999 models does not have a ‘clear’ centre circle.

I took the lens out of the old assembly and swapped it for the Depo one.

Great write up, make sit nice and easy to do.

[98 528i]

I'm on the last step, what a freaking nightmare getting everything to pop back in

[wquiles]

I'm on the last step, what a freaking nightmare getting everything to pop back in

Yes, the last step is tought!

I am glad this writeup has been helpful to many

[98 528i]

Yes, the last step is tought!

I am glad this writeup has been helpful to many

I got them in at about 2am! The suggestion of using a deep socket really does help a ton. Thanks again for taking the time to do a write-up, it's tedious enough without having to document every step!

[KevKaos]

DEPO covers with the European-style clear turn signals

Cannot dfind these anywhere, ebay, Google etc.

Can soemone point me in the right direction?

Just got mine from Stealthauto.com I had some coupons, so I got a good deal. Now I have to put them on. I hope to only replace the lens covers and change the corner light bulb to a stealth bulb. I really hope to NOT have to do every step in this DIY. If I do not need to do anything to the adjusters, is it likely that I would need to re-aim my lights? My driveway is sloped, and I don't have a wall to shoot the lights onto.

[jamesdc4]

It would be great if a mod could move/copy post #29 by StevE39 to the first page. Perhaps just add it to the bottom of wquiles' EXCELLENT write up. I just did the mod, and the writeup was great, but it would have saved a lot of time and frustation (and kept me from almost destroying the damn things) if I had seen that post about just turning the bottom holder 90*. It releases when you do that. I think it would be a good addition.

I added the info from post #29 into post #5 at the end of the adjuster replacement procedure.

[weasel like]

Great write-up! I bought a used set of MY2000 M5 Hella Xenons a while back and only now had the time to replace the adjusters in them and clean 'em before installing. I have a few notes to add, that may help other users...



Quick and easy way to get broken adjuster balls out:

Corner ball (left to right adjustment): rest the corner of the metal frame on the edge of a table and simple press the ball out from the hole on the back with a small Phillips head screwdriver. It'll likely break into pieces, but that's OK. I did this twice and it worked like a charm both times. Then you don't have to mess around with drilling them or prying too hard against the socket and risking breakage.

Center ball (up and down adjustment): remove the carrier piece as described in the write up. Instead of drilling a hole in the back of the carrier, drill in the adjuster BALL. This way, you won't damage the integrity of the carrier. I used two small drill bits in my Dremel tool on a very slow speed and just ate away the brittle adjuster ball. At points, you can push on it with a slim flat head screw driver and break it up further the shake out the bits. The plastic truly is brittle, and will fall right apart. Keeping the Dremel on slow speed will give you more accuracy and keep you from causing damage if you slip.

Pic: Carrier with servo cup on top, small white adjuster ball on bottom. Dremel and 2 drill bit sizes used and Dremel chuck wrench.

I'm on the last step, what a freaking nightmare getting everything to pop back in

Before pushing this all together, be sure your ground wire from your Xenon controller case is screwed in on the back of the projector lens mount! Not all lighting systems will have this, but mine did and I forgot to re-attach it before popping the adjusters back in the assembly. I had to fish around with tweezers and micro-pliers for 15 minutes to get the threads to line up, or I could pull it back apart and risk breakage. Not recommended!

I found that using Teflon grease on the new adjusters really helps to thread them onto the adjuster screws. Once you get them fully tightened, lightly grease the 3 balls of the adjusters and the servo - it'll help when you're popping them back on. Be careful what kind of grease you use - some kinds will degrade plastic and cause it to fail over time, so read the usage instructions on the grease you choose. I think Teflon and Synthetic are OK.

When popping the 3 balls back in, start with the big servo, then the center adjuster, and then as stated before use a large deep socket to press around the extrusion that holds the corner (left/right) adjuster. Its extremely difficult to jam a single finger down there and get enough pressure on it to pop the ball in! Using firm pressure directly over the adjusters will ensure that they don't break off from shear pressure.

Pic: 2 adjusters reinstalled and greased, servo ball (bottom) and Xenon harness ground end termination.


Before final assembly of plastic+metal frame (with lenses) to headlight cover: Take the time to pop out the glass lenses that are held in the plastic cover and wash them with soap and water. Also, wipe out the inside of the lens cover and get all the debris and dust out. This'll be your last chance to get things REALLY squeaky clean. If its your first time taking these apart, you'll find that there really is a lot of dust and grime in there, and it'll be much clearer when you wipe it all down.

Pic: Cleaned projector lens and high-beam reflector on top, dirty glass lenses on bottom still in light cover. Pop these out and wash them well!


How to remove glass lenses: Gently (remember, these old plastics are brittle), but firmly, pull opposing sides of the case away and pop out the lens. When reinstalling, pull the plastic sides apart again and pop it back in. You may need to readjust the metal holding clips after the lenses are back in, but that shouldn't be too tricky. You can do this by pulling apart the sides and using a long thin screwdriver to pry the clips back up into place.



Reinstall as per DIY!

I hope these little tips are helpful to others. The first light I did took a few hours, but the second one took less than one hour to complete... not bad at all!

[Besso]

Just an FYI when removing and installing the servo socket. Instead of popping the ball out of the housing and possibly breaking it.
Turn the white tab that is sticking out to either the left of right. It doesn't matter which way you turn and the servo socket gets released from the housing.

[540 Rick]

You are very welcome. Glad I was able to help out

Will

Thanks so much for making this project so achievable. Your photos were great, especially the ones of the parts. The parts guys at BMW dealers were able to find them right away with the numbers you provided. They admitted that they would have had a difficult time locating the numbers without your help. Thanks again.

[siny528i]

Cool DIY! A lot of nice pics. Thanks!

Those Depo lenses are really a relief! I am not sure though if I am gonna give up my yellow corners. Maybe I dont understand something. My lenses are way worse than your old ones. Thats why I am planning to restore them.

[jfboy]

You can do this by pulling apart the sides and using a long thin screwdriver to pry the clips back up into place.



Reinstall as per DIY!

I hope these little tips are helpful to others. The first light I did took a few hours, but the second one took less than one hour to complete... not bad at all!

¸Is that a new lens? If so Let me know where you got them I need a pair for my MY00 M5

[Therealet23]

Would this mod be possible for the preface-lift lights? Has anyone done this to an e39?

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum...d.php?t=783971

I was thinking of doing this along with Angel Eyes....

[cpatstone]

couple of tips for anyone who reads this far down the thread -
* 8mm socket for the screws which hold the headlight ass'y to the car. four per side.
* I also broke one of the corner light connectors. with that in mind, I was super-careful with the other, and managed not to break it.
* I ordered the depo lenses from ebay. $130 delivered. Since I have HID xenons, I had to swap one of the glass lenses inside the headlight cover ass'y (per side). not a big deal, just work out/off two metal clips per side. Need to clean them of course.
* as stated above, just rotate the clip 90 deg to release it from the servo.
* I used a cordless drill and a 6mm hex bit in the end of the adjuster knob to make things quicker. just keep the drill speed slow, and be careful.

OP - thanks for the fantastic write-up!

[repandpresent]

I just did this the other night. It took me no time at all. I would like to add in a few tips to an already excellent write-up.

The old adjusters are so brittle you can use a needle nose plier to break the remaining pieces off.

I found it to be a little easier to remove the broken off adjuster balls with a small sharp screw driver. I didn't want to bring out the drill. I just broke broke off as much as I could from the old adjusters. Use the small screwdriver or pick and center it on the ball. Give it a couple of hard pushes with a little big of wiggling. They should break apart.

One more thing. I thought this was very important in terms of re-aiming the headlights. Before you snap your headlight inners to the adjusters you should thread all the way through the new adjusters to break up any resistance the new plastic might have on the screw. It makes it so much easier to turn the knob.

Now on to installing my thinlines!

Would this mod be possible for the preface-lift lights? Has anyone done this to an e39?

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum...d.php?t=783971

I was thinking of doing this along with Angel Eyes....

You mean blacking out the chrome? I don't see why it would not be possible. there isn't much chrome on the preface headlights to begin with. But I would definitely stay away from black electrical tape. You ever try to fix something that had electrical tape on it? It leaves the nastiest residue if it encountered heat before. I would just use a high temp paint or even better use some smoked headlight vinyl. That way it will still have a little bit of shine.

[Therealet23]

DONT DO IT!!!

ask me how I know....

I just did this the other night. It took me no time at all. I would like to add in a few tips to an already excellent write-up.

The old adjusters are so brittle you can use a needle nose plier to break the remaining pieces off.

I found it to be a little easier to remove the broken off adjuster balls with a small sharp screw driver. I didn't want to bring out the drill. I just broke broke off as much as I could from the old adjusters. Use the small screwdriver or pick and center it on the ball. Give it a couple of hard pushes with a little big of wiggling. They should break apart.

One more thing. I thought this was very important in terms of re-aiming the headlights. Before you snap your headlight inners to the adjusters you should thread all the way through the new adjusters to break up any resistance the new plastic might have on the screw. It makes it so much easier to turn the knob.

Now on to installing my thinlines!



You mean blacking out the chrome? I don't see why it would not be possible. there isn't much chrome on the preface headlights to begin with. But I would definitely stay away from black electrical tape. You ever try to fix something that had electrical tape on it? It leaves the nastiest residue if it encountered heat before. I would just use a high temp paint or even better use some smoked headlight vinyl. That way it will still have a little bit of shine.

[ganzibye]

nice man.i wish i have time to do mine and also install the angel eye rims which i have them ready to be installed