Refinishing Headlights/Installing Angel Eyes

[ashamans]

far left is before and the middle and right is after

[540IForMe]

Unless the haze is on the inside, I'm confident you can get them even clearer.

[ashamans]

me too...the fog is from water on the inside from wet sanding the outside

[CheungWah]

Sorry guys I'm a newbie. Had a few questions. I purchased some clear corner headlight lenses recently. They will fit fine but the round glass lenses inside do not match for my Xenons. Can I swap my old glass lenses and insert them into the new clear corners if I were to remove and clean them up?

Also are the Angel Eyes shown here able to be used with factory Xenon systems?

Tremendous write-up! I hope I'm able to at least add the Angel eyes to my Xenons...if I have to keep my factory corners then I will wet sand and get them close to new again possibly.

Thanks in advance for any help.

[00BMW540i6]

Sorry guys I'm a newbie. Had a few questions. I purchased some clear corner headlight lenses recently. They will fit fine but the round glass lenses inside do not match for my Xenons. Can I swap my old glass lenses and insert them into the new clear corners if I were to remove and clean them up?

Also are the Angel Eyes shown here able to be used with factory Xenon systems?

Tremendous write-up! I hope I'm able to at least add the Angel eyes to my Xenons...if I have to keep my factory corners then I will wet sand and get them close to new again possibly.

Thanks in advance for any help.

Yes, you can swap old glass bezels in. Yes they'll work with factory Xenons.

[ashamans]

just ordered me a set of ae's for 59.99 to my door...i'll have to post some before/after pics of my covers as well...their about as bad as the op's

[BlackSapphire]

I missed this thread the first time around. OP, you did an awesome job. As Gumbi so eloquently put it "this is MUST SEE TV!"

Anyone know where to get Laminix online? I want to get mine covered.

[ashamans]

i bought mine at advance auto...maybe your can have them ship it to your?

anyway mine ae's came in and they only sent me two rings and two inverters.....and while trying to test to see if the two rings would work i couldnt get them to turn on....whats the best way to test if the rings work?

[540IForMe]

i bought mine at advance auto...maybe your can have them ship it to your?

anyway mine ae's came in and they only sent me two rings and two inverters.....and while trying to test to see if the two rings would work i couldnt get them to turn on....whats the best way to test if the rings work?

Thanks Sapphire.

I tested mine by taking them out to the car. Running the ground wire to the chassis and the power wire to pos terminal under the hood(obviously while they were plugged into the inverter).

[wizardstsi]

Great write up. Just ordered a set as well. Will be the first "mod" to my BMW. Yay

[ashamans]

some posted that they wired them to the wipers power...i couldn't find the post but does anybody got any other info on this......

i went to town with my multimeter and couldnt figure it out

[zonasvt]

Hi,
First mod on my E39 was the headlight polish + ae install that I completed last Monday...
Next was the DICE ipod install-- easy install...
Last was the thrust arm bushings-- finished last night...
Next mod??

[CSM]

This wont cause any cracking to the lenses or defects, will it?

[540IForMe]

If hitting rocks at highway speeds leave no more than little pits, I think it's safe to say that this procedure is totally safe.

And theoretically makes your night drives safer as more light can get through the covers to the road where it needs to be.

[CSM]

Good deal! Thanks for the write up!

[FP5241]

By far my favorite mod.
Many thanks for the write up Mike.

[540IForMe]

Thanks guys!!

[jamesdc4]

I finally did the AE install after finding that resistance was futile. Many thanks to 540IForMe for this excellent thread and to my Bro (12cooldude) for perfecting the procedure (and his long distance help/guidance while I did the install).
I used RTV silicone adhesive/sealant to mount the AEs inside the lenses where they fit perfectly. I used the included plastic clips to hold the AE's top plastic bar in place while the adhesive set.

I put a small bead along the entire top of the plastic bar and two spots just below where the wire connects to the AE.

You can also see in this photo where I have elected to run the wires. I didn't want the resistors inside the headlight assembly and drilling a hole was the only option.

I used a blow dryer on the adhesive for 5-8 minutes to heat and speed up the curing process. I let them set for approx. one hour before removing the plastic clips. Here is a photo taken after I put the headlight housing back together.

These pics are the best I could do with my camera. I had to point the camera at a light, push the button down half way, back away to center the car, then snap the pic. You can see enough to get an idea of how it turned out.



Somehow, some moisture got into the passenger side housing between the clear outer plastic and the lenses, so I'm going to have to take them apart again, remove the lenses and clean the inside of the clear outer plastic.

Regardless, many thanks to the OP for the excellent DIY.

[jamesdc4]

Update: I got the moisture out of the passenger side housing by opening them up again and removing the lenses (The metal clips were a PITA). Then using a blow dryer, I heated them up and cooled them down. I hope that's the last I see of water in the housing.
One other thing I did while I was in there was to reroute the wiring behind the reflector instead of through the provided hole (Another suggestion from 12cooldude) and then repeated the wire reroute on the driver side.
I balked on getting the CCFLs initially since I read about cold start problems, but it has been really cold here and they fire right up. I'm pleased.

[540IForMe]

Looking good. Glad this thread helped!

[xpcgamer]

What are the cables you tie into? Parking lights? Domyou meter them or do you have a schmetic?

[M3People]

Just got done SANDING my lens...wow, what a difference. One more step I'll add to this procedure is after the 2000 grit...step up one more notch to 2500 grit. I also went to my local LOWES store and bought a polishing wheel (soft cotton material) meant for a grinder (i remember my grandfather polishing hunks of cut plastic that he made to look like diamonds). I attached this to my cordless Dewalt and on high speed, buffed with Plastic X 6-8 times. The lens look like they were never sanded. Amazing results. I'll post pics soon.

[Constructo003]

james, did you put the AE on the inside on outside of the glass?

[AlpinaWannaBe]

james, did you put the AE on the inside on outside of the glass?

they are behind the glass...so inside.

I did mine the same way.. I am very happy with how they are "less noticable" during the day, but I think they might be a little more "clean" at night...if i did it over again, i'd still choose behind.

[Philboski]

Just got done SANDING my lens...wow, what a difference. One more step I'll add to this procedure is after the 2000 grit...step up one more notch to 2500 grit. I also went to my local LOWES store and bought a polishing wheel (soft cotton material) meant for a grinder (i remember my grandfather polishing hunks of cut plastic that he made to look like diamonds). I attached this to my cordless Dewalt and on high speed, buffed with Plastic X 6-8 times. The lens look like they were never sanded. Amazing results. I'll post pics soon.

You mean an angle grinder or a die grinder?