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Headlamp Surgery - complete with gruesome pics

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34K views 36 replies 17 participants last post by  M55555  
R
#1 ·
Ok well guys here it is:

The headlamp adjusters in my '03 M5 have been broken for some time. First I found this great post on how to fab your own adjusters. Then last week I delved in. After a few attempts at baking the 2003 model year headlamps, I checked here and learned that the late production 2003 has a different adhesive. Regardless of what anyone tells you, this adhesive can not be melted. I tore a piece of the adhesive out and tried to melt it over a nice hot blue flame. The adhesive went from solid state to flash point without melting.

So after much deliberation and staring I decided I could reach the adjusters by cutting holes in the headlamps from the top. First I used a Dremel multimax. This left too much debris inside the headlamp. I removed it as best I could by taping all exits/holes except for one and blew the debris out with compressed air. After seeing the mess I made, I decided to use a soldering gun to make debris free cuts.

Image
 

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R
#5 ·
Look at the mess on that left side headlamp. Trust me when I tell you that you would rather cut through with a soldering iron.

Ok. So I've now fabbed my adjusters using just about every shop tool I have. You'll note the cream colored tops. You actually have to grind the hex caps down to make them fit. I placed a little rustoleum paint on them to minimize corrosion. What a waste. I ended up having to grind even more. Why didn't I repaint? It kept rubbing off with trial fits. Truth is, I had limited access and I didn't want to jam my adjuster in so tight that I couldn't remove it.

Basically, If you fabricate the adjusters to normal length you will not be able to get them into the hole. So you need to make them shorter.
 

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R
#6 ·
I didn't take a photo, but after I shortened the adjuster, I made sure the adjustment screw would be able to pass completely through the plastic. In other words, the hole for the adjustment screw passed the complete length of the plastic. This was done to prevent binding/bottoming out of the adjustment screws.

As you can see, I made one too short. (fortunately only one) I was worried I might completely unscrew the adjustment screw from the adjuster so I used the piece I cut off to as a spacer and attempted to melt the material back together.
 

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R
#8 ·
Ok. At this point I have the adjusters in and I placed the headlamps in the car to insure proper operation prior to closing everything up. Everything worked great!

So out come the headlamps and back to the table for final fitment.

You'll notice the covers don't want to go back on. I trimmed the underside of the covers so they would allow free movement of the adjusters.

I've also put in an image of the adjusters in place prior to buttoning up.
 

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R
#9 ·
The last image perhaps doesn't convey what I'm saying. Essentially there are fins on the underside of the "covers" you removed. You must make sure the plastic adjusters which were fabricated can move through their full range without lifting or binding on the cover. If they bind, adjust the the fins on the covers as necessary.
 
R
#13 ·
Honestly, this was a fun project and I feel like I saved some bucks. The biggest trouble spots I ran into were:
1 Shortening the adjusters to fit through my small access and having to deal with the limited range of movement of the lamp housing.
2. Shortening/shaping the hex cap to fit.
 

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M
#14 ·
Thanks !

This is a great thread especially for '03 owners !!
 
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M
#17 ·
Great post!

I may need to do this as my Hella Euros are bouncing like crazy =(
 
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H
#19 · (Edited)
How did you know where to cut your "doors"? Also, what color is your OEM epoxy thats holding the housings together? Reason I ask is I know I need to fix my adjusters and I want to see if I can tell what year my lights are.


Oh and damn dude AWESOME write up. This should be a sticky or at least put in the FAQ sticky.
 
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R
#26 ·
Thanks for the recognition. Sorry it's taken me so long to reply. We were out of town for a week.

The OEM epoxy holding the housing together is black in color. If I recall correctly it's black for each year. You can see me holding it over the stove with a pair of needle nose pliers. You might consider baking the housing for 10min at 210 degrees Farhenheit first. If it's pre 2003 it will separate. Or you might be able to pull a little piece of the epoxy off and see if it melts under a hair dryer.

As for where to cut, I looked at the photos from other posts and I peered through the back with a flashlight after removing the bulb assemblies. If you measure from the left and right edge of the housing cut you will come inwards about 5cm or 1.5". The rear cut was about 1cm or 3/8" ahead of the plastic adjuster located on the rear of the housing. As for the length of the fore/aft cut I went as far forward toward the lens as I could comfortably work. (The upper screw clamp thing gets in the way.)

One thing I forgot to mention it that when cutting just in front of the adjuster you will need to cut deeper. there is a fin which extends down to hold the adjuster in place. In my later photo you where I've taken it down some. You should be able to feel your soldering iron cut through easily. This area just in front of the adjuster will not "give" or go through readily. Just be patient and make your cuts.

Good luck with your repair!
 
C
#20 ·
Nice job! I do have one additional thought (especially for those detail-oriented owners). Perhaps instead of regluing the old plastic cut-outs I'd just fabricate some rectangular metal plates, possibly out of nickel and epoxy those on. It would give it more of a professional look. Anyhow, this is much better than dremelling around the whole lens...
 
#22 ·
Raf,
Great write up. Why not just use replacement adjusters? Why make your own in this situation? Are OEM ones impossible to fit in this type of surgery?
TM
 
H
#23 · (Edited)
They dont make replacements AFAIK, and if they did, they would probably be the same POS brittle plastic so one would end up doing this again in a few years anyway.
 
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R
#28 ·
I guess I should mention that the problem is with the adjuster screw. It seems to be held in by a grommet. It looks like it would pop out to the back with some prying. I was not brave enough to test my theory. If you could get the adjuster screw completely backed out, then it would be very easy to use the aluminum replacement pieces. On the other hand if you can't back the screw out, you will not have enough room to work the aluminum piece into place.
 
G
#30 · (Edited)
You might be lucky and have the black gummy glue holding the lens in place. Find some exposed glue and try to mark it with your nail. If it marks then it's the soft, seperateable stuff and you can remove the whole lens. If it's solid (and dark grey) then you have the cement and will have to cut out the holes in the housing as per the op.
 
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