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      02-22-2021, 09:29 AM   #1
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Headlight lens replacement

I need to replace my headlight lens as they have little chips in them (previous owner must have done highway commuting).

How would I begin to search for a local shop to replace the lens? I know it's a process with oven heating and stuff, but you guys got any ideas of what I can google?

Thank you!
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      02-22-2021, 09:43 AM   #2
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I don't think they are replaceable. It tends to be a full unit.
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      02-22-2021, 10:08 AM   #3
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Agree. I too believe they are a single unit.

These days I believe most headlights are a complete unit and you can't replace certain pieces of them. It has been like this for a while in not just BMW's. I know my daughter's 2010 Mazda is that way as is the wife's 2013 Toyota.

I've heard of people opening them up and customizing things inside the unit, but they are not designed to be disassembled and pieces of the assembly are not sold individually.
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      02-22-2021, 10:23 AM   #4
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Did you considered using headlights lens restorers or renewal kits? I believe there are opportunities to improve before the high cost of replacing headlights.
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      02-22-2021, 01:42 PM   #5
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Whether you restore or replace, I highly recommend getting protection film for the new lenses. Asked my tint guy to put XPEL paint protection film on my headlights and it works like a charm. Protects the lenses, self-healing from rock hits, non-yellowing, and keeps headlights looking new.

The headlights on my 2008 Ody look brand new after 140k miles. And when I sold my E90 with 160k+ miles, the headlights looked pristine, so much so that prospective buyers specifically mentioned what good shape they were in. $150 investment saves thousands and keeps them looking great. See pic taken just before I sold it.
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      02-22-2021, 04:24 PM   #6
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Lenses are available, but getting the old one off is a major job.
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      02-22-2021, 07:09 PM   #7
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I think if you translate what Billfitz said, you get this:

1) Grab a couple beers.
2) Drink while looking and contemplating the idea of tearing the lights apart.
3) Wait for ambition to do this disappear, if it does not, grab a couple more beers.
4) Repeat as necessary.


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      02-22-2021, 07:50 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Wires View Post
I think if you translate what Billfitz said, you get this:

1) Grab a couple beers.
2) Drink while looking and contemplating the idea of tearing the lights apart.
3) Wait for ambition to do this disappear, if it does not, grab a couple more beers.
4) Repeat as necessary.


Couldn't agree more. I hardly believe we will not get foggy or water in the headlights after messing with seal and heat deformation to pop that open.
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      02-23-2021, 08:46 AM   #9
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I did this with one of my older cars. And trust me when I say that it is a pain in the ass... very time consuming. Once u get the lense off you have to clean out all the old sealant. Which is sticky af and really hard to remove. Once everything is gone you have to be really sure you make it properly sealed or else you risk getting moisture inside.

As long as the chips aren't to deep I would recommend sanding them down and polish them. It's possible to make them look brand new again.
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      02-23-2021, 09:01 AM   #10
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I've opened up lots of headlights over the years, to the point where I got pretty good at it. If the f30 had one of those amber reflectors inside like e90 I would have opened them up by now. I've already opened up the led fog lights on the f30 to paint them yellow. My point? Where there is a will there is a way. Headlight lenses are available for the f30, and opening and resealing them is not exactly rocket science. If you're gonna spend $$ on new lights anyway, might as well try, right?
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      02-23-2021, 09:53 AM   #11
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I'm in the camp of avoiding to bake open/dremel headlights if I absolutely don't have to.

If it is only the surface that is pitted or yellowed, I've taken headlights out, wet sanded, polished, resprayed with new plastic clearcoat, and then put film over it.

I've also cleaned the haze/film on the underside using magnets. I found a magnet small enough to fit inside an opening/orifice in the headlight. Then cut a small piece of microfiber cloth and tightly wrapped and sewed it around the magnet, and soaked it in rubbing alcohol. Then fished it through the opening and took another strong magnet from the outside and wiped it back and forth via magnetism. Worked pretty well for what I needed to accomplish without ripping the whole assembly apart.
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      02-23-2021, 09:58 AM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Psi5 View Post
Whether you restore or replace, I highly recommend getting protection film for the new lenses. Asked my tint guy to put XPEL paint protection film on my headlights and it works like a charm. Protects the lenses, self-healing from rock hits, non-yellowing, and keeps headlights looking new.

The headlights on my 2008 Ody look brand new after 140k miles. And when I sold my E90 with 160k+ miles, the headlights looked pristine, so much so that prospective buyers specifically mentioned what good shape they were in. $150 investment saves thousands and keeps them looking great. See pic taken just before I sold it.
Agreed, do this to every car I get.

Yellowing and rock chipped lights bring down the entire car, even with a front end full of rock chips, if your headlights are clear it makes the car looks new.
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      02-23-2021, 11:54 AM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 328iX View Post
Agreed, do this to every car I get.

Yellowing and rock chipped lights bring down the entire car, even with a front end full of rock chips, if your headlights are clear it makes the car looks new.
Footnote: the film in that picture was on the car for 9.5 years. The stuff works and it lasts.
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      09-07-2023, 04:50 AM   #14
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Angry F30 Front Headlamp Lower Retaining Mount Captive Nut Spinning

Hi All, was hoping for some help with removing the last remaining screw holding in the base of an F30 2014 318d front headlamp. The screw is held by a captive nut in a cage and the nut is spinning and not being secured by the cage so no straightforward way to dismantle. Any tricks?
So far I have tried:-
  1. Adding WD-40
  2. Jamming a screw driver under the head of the screw head washer to create more friction on the nut
  3. Tried using a screwdriver and pliers to lock the nut however the cage and the access makes this difficult to lock onto the nut and so far no good.

Thanks a lot! A frustrated home mechanic stuck on the home straight!
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      09-07-2023, 05:13 AM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MikeyDy View Post
Hi All, was hoping for some help with removing the last remaining screw holding in the base of an F30 2014 318d front headlamp. The screw is held by a captive nut in a cage and the nut is spinning and not being secured by the cage so no straightforward way to dismantle. Any tricks?
So far I have tried:-
  1. Adding WD-40
  2. Jamming a screw driver under the head of the screw head washer to create more friction on the nut
  3. Tried using a screwdriver and pliers to lock the nut however the cage and the access makes this difficult to lock onto the nut and so far no good.

Thanks a lot! A frustrated home mechanic stuck on the home straight!
Needle nose pliers should work?
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      09-07-2023, 07:05 AM   #16
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Thanks a lot! Unfortunately, because of the channel the lock nut is in, there is no perpendicular access to wedge some needle pliers to grasp the nut under the cage. So far, I have just tried to clamp regular pliers as hard as possible onto the cage /nut but still can`t manage to secure the nut so it doesn`t spin.
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      09-16-2023, 02:44 PM   #17
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Solved! Bent Neeedle Nosed Pliers

I wanted to close the loop on this thread. I was finally able to secure the nut and undo the torx screw by using bent needle nosed pliers that I purchased as I didn`t have this type. The benefit was that the grip on the bent needles nose was orientated to "grip" the cage/nut more effectively. The alternative strategy, in case this didn`t work was to use a junior hacksaw blade to remove the head of the torx screw as there was a slight gap.
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