How do you remove all 4 headlight plugs??? (before assembly removal)

[OnTheFence]

Exactly HOW do you undo all 4 headlight plugs?

Does anyone know how to actually unplug the 4 headlight connectors before trying to remove the headlight housing?

De rigueur, the existing headlight DIY's are terrible for a beginner, b/c they skip right over major stumbling blocks.

Every single headlight DIY I've seen is like this:
Step #1 of 20: Undo the 4 bolts. Oh, and unplug everything.
Step #2 of 20: Now, that you have your headlight housing on your work table....

1 hour down, and the lights are still in the car. Gotta love DIY.

#1. This is the plug on the ballast. Can anyone actually put into words what you're supposed to do?
I see a very convoluted clip design and have no idea how to operate it (or if I am even supposed to)
Exactly what do I press? When do I turn? Do I turn and press together? Exactly which direction?


#2. This is the turn signal. As you can see it's got another weird clip design on the side of the plug. Do you turn this thing? Do you unclip something?


#3. This is the Angel Eye bulb. As you can see, my housing is cracked (Looks like some professional Indy had no idea how to remove this either. Vindication)
There is a clip. Do you remove it at the orange or blue arrow?
Exactly what do I press? When do I turn? Do I turn and press together? Exactly which direction?


#4. Some random wire harness. You can see a clip. Do you just pull this backwards with the clip pressed down? Is there a clip on both sides?

[rf900rkw]

! - see the tab? Squeeze it down and pull

2 - see the tab? Squeeze it down and pull

3 - see the tab? Squeeze it down and pull, or twist the entire socket.

4 - isn't loading.

Sometimes you have to push in on the connector and or wiggle a bit to get the lock tab to squeeze in. Teh are rubber weather seals inside that tend to stick over time. It's really not that hard or obscure that detailed connector removal instructions should be required.

[OnTheFence]

Randy, thanks for trying to help.

No, I don't see a tab in any of the photos except #4..
And I don't know where to squeeze, either.
This is exactly why so many internet DIYs are useless to the average person.
Do you know how to use a photo editor to add an arrow and reupload the image?

If not...

#1. Do I press up near the top (near the 2 wires). Or near the base/bottom of the grey plug?

#2. Do I press up near the top (near the wires). Or near the base/bottom ?

#3. How can there be 2 ways? Do I press a tab or do I twist?
Let me pose the same question again, since you were unable to answer it:
There is a clip. Do you remove it at the orange or blue arrow?
Exactly what do I press? When do I turn? Do I turn and press together? Exactly which direction?

#4. Press F5 to reload?

It's really not that hard or obscure that detailed connector removal instructions should be required.

If someone's asking, then yes, by definition it is indeed that hard and non-trivial that it should be laid out explicitly.
There are dozens of threads on Google asking how to do this.

[rf900rkw]

I'm heading off to a family function, so don't have time to edit things up.

#1 is the hardest to tell. You push on the side of the plug that is up as the picture sits, back towards the wires. That rectangular piece is a rocker. You push down/in, and the front rocks up and releases from the hook. There's enough grit and such in there that it may not go easy the first time.

[OnTheFence]

#1 I was able to press the clip. As usual, there is always a trick, b/c simply pressing the clip is not enough. Just pressing doesn't clear the notch. So, use a screwdriver to pry clearance that last bit over the notch.

#2 I was able to press the clip with a screwdriver. I don't know if there's a latch on the other side. This looks tricky to actually get your hand in there to pull while you've got a screwdriver on the clip. This might involve a 2nd screwdriver to actually push it off.

#3 I was able to turn this and get it off.

#4 Didn't try. Ran out of time, as I have work to do now.

Well, about 2.5 hours, including forum time, and I almost have the headlights disconnected.
My initial estimate of EIGHT hours (after various sources said 1-3 hours) to replace a headlight adjuster is right on track!

Hey, for the high beam, should I just twist and remove the entire boot, like the low heam,
or do I unclip something?

[rf900rkw]

Quick phone shots from my car.

[jamesdc4]

Edit: Randy got his up first, but I leave mine up too.

Pre-facelift Hellas:

High Beam connector...Press side of rocker clip closest to the wires. You may need to push the harness towards the plug to get the clip to clear the nub.


Low Beam connector...I don't think this one applies to your headlights, but for others who have prefacelift housings, there are two clips holding the harness on. Release both clips and pull the harness off the plug.

[OnTheFence]

Nice grip! I ended up taking the entire high beam bulb out (by turning CCW).
The clip wouldn't budge, and I didn't want to crack it.
If I had a grip like yours or a "pick tool", maybe it would have given.

Disconnected high and low beam by turning CCW.
I disconnected the others by pressing the clips.

Note: I left the turn signal connected, and slid out the entire assembly part way.
This gave me plenty of room to press the clip and pull this last connection.

OnTheFence's Law of Diminishing DIY
First time = 2-3 hours.
Next time = 15 mins.
10th time = 5 mins.


I have the assembly out, and verified the adjusters are broken.
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aG2BXafFNfc&feature=g-upl&context=G2c8a0b1AUAAAAAAACAA[/ame]

[jamesdc4]

I think you're probably talking to Randy about the grip, but it really only takes a little giggling back and forth to work it off the plug. Pushing the harness down farther on the plug is the single most helpful thing you can do. It helps the little latch mechanism clear the nub that it clips onto.
I was going to mention pulling the entire bulb, but it looked like you'd already done that in one of your pics.


Btw, nice vid.

[fullthrottle540]

any luck removing that triangular motor?

[Qsilver7]

FYI...after removing a few of the electrical harness around the car...you should begin to get an understanding of how they ALL work. BMW uses the same design concept across a lot of things...and electrical harness are in this catagory. There are several harness designs...that all work about the same...and may only differ by how many wires run to to/thru the connector...but the locking mechanism will be the same or very similar.

I've found myself amazed after I figured out how some of the connectors operate after first being stumped. I would stand back and look at how the 2 pieces come together...then look for similar designs/tabs/levers/etc that I've worked with before...then looked for any "lines/cracks/openings/overlaps" that indicate where the harness should separate...then VOILA!...with a simple pull/squeeze/press/turn...the connector comes apart. Then you have the really odd ones where the harness comes apart in a totally different direction from the release lever or tab...like the ones on the back of the radio...or the large seat switch....back of the instrument cluster or MID...you pull the lever or raise the tab in one direction...and the harness is levered out in a totally different direction...German over-engineering at its best.

[OnTheFence]

Holy crap. Neck deep in the adjuster repair. Feels awesome to be in the thick of it, after reading about it for 4 months. Both adjusters are broken. I think this will exceed my 8 hour estimate.

Had to rebake three times b/c it kept cooling off.

Took at least 30 mins to get the joystick out of the slot. I have no idea how I'm gonna get it back in! (Big thanks to fullthrottle for giving me his cell yesterday, b/c I called him to ask about this step)

Now, I am stuck getting the damn broken ball out. Been stuck on this for an easy 30 mins now. You need 3 hands! One to press the tab. One to hold the part. One to push it out.
I asked a neighbor to help, but they couldn't push it out. I might drill it and smash the ball to bits, so it falls out.

[fullthrottle540]

I used two screwdrivers to get the ball out... one small flathead to press the lever down and another screwdriver to push the ball out from the back.

You'll get the joystick back in.... when it's all put back together, you just pull the reflector assy towards the rear of the headlight and just pop it in by feeling it. The holder isn't all that snug so it pops right in... it's just tricky to do blind

[OnTheFence]

Jesus, this step has brought this project to a dead standstill. Stuck for maybe 1.5 hours now on this.
Just like every DIY ever, there's always ONE step that you get stuck on for over an hour
that the DIY just glosses right over. (Oh, and just take out the little ball from the socket)
Meanwhile, 2 hours later, f***ing ball still aint coming out.

EDIT: Drilled the M'F***er out. There no way it was coming out any other way.
The tab was NOT holding it in. The 4 tapered walls of the socket are also keeping it in.
I just realized I need to do the other ball socket. FML.

EDIT: Drilled both of them out. This step was a 2 hour roadblock.
Glad I allocated the entire day for this ("experience")

[Steve530]

Getting tha ball out of the socket is the hardest part of the process.

[OnTheFence]

These are the adjusters I used. $12. Perfect fit.
Huge win spending $25 a pair (vs. $200 other places charge)

http://www.ebay.com/itm/270894106377...ht_1283wt_1396

[aspensilver540]

As someone that also takes 4x longer than others, I admire how you keep ticking. Definitely have felt how you have at post #14

Thread will probably help a few people too!

[Rallim]

I'm glad I don't have the facelift lights... took me 30 minutes to change my adjusters, 20 of it just getting the reflectors apart from the housing and cleaning the pieces of old adjusters out haha. Good luck!

[fullthrottle540]

I'm glad I don't have the facelift lights... took me 30 minutes to change my adjusters, 20 of it just getting the reflectors apart from the housing and cleaning the pieces of old adjusters out haha. Good luck!

thanks for throwing that in there, buddy, salt on the wounds

lol just kiddin,

but seriously, even with the headlights leveled out, i am kinda disappointed with the BMW's HID output... I have JDM HID lights on my old Nissan Pathfinder and it's like 5x better than the BMW lights....

I think i'm going to try a different color temp of bulb.

[modkiller]

What next? DIY how to plug them back in? Lol


For some reason i suspect OnTheFence and the guy in this car video are the same person.


[ame]http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=EF8GhC-T_Mo[/ame]

[OnTheFence]

Ok, I put back my headlights after replacing the adjusters, and have a new set of issues now.

1) I hear some sort of grinding sound when I turn on the lights. It's like the sound effect in a cartoon when someone gets electrocuted by a wall socket. BZZZZ! I know that both sets of adjusters were broken since I bought the car, so is this a normal sound that should always have been there, and has only now returned since one set of adjusters are fixed? Here is the video with audio. Turn up the volume.
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2Z6_c_GXzo[/ame]


2) The angel eyes no longer work. I pulled out the angel eye bulb, turned on the lights, and confirmed it bulb does not light anymore.
Maybe I damaged it while trying to remove it....

[rf900rkw]

My car isn't here for inspection right now... is it possible you cross-wired the adjuster motor and the angeleyes?

[Steve530]

turn the angel eye bulb where you have the yellow arrow.

Are you hearing that noise without the headlights turned on?

[OnTheFence]

Are you hearing that noise without the headlights turned on?

No, the noise only happens when I turn on the lights.

My car isn't here for inspection right now... is it possible you cross-wired the adjuster motor and the angeleyes?

No, I don't think I cross wired anything.
The grey plug was into the ballast.
The 4 bubs sockets can't be miswired either.
The only thing left was the square clip near the bottom.

This grinding sound is unnerving, however.

[daveycrocket]

Holy crap. Neck deep in the adjuster repair. Feels awesome to be in the thick of it, after reading about it for 4 months. Both adjusters are broken. I think this will exceed my 8 hour estimate.

Had to rebake three times b/c it kept cooling off.

Took at least 30 mins to get the joystick out of the slot. I have no idea how I'm gonna get it back in! (Big thanks to fullthrottle for giving me his cell yesterday, b/c I called him to ask about this step)

Now, I am stuck getting the damn broken ball out. Been stuck on this for an easy 30 mins now. You need 3 hands! One to press the tab. One to hold the part. One to push it out.
I asked a neighbor to help, but they couldn't push it out. I might drill it and smash the ball to bits, so it falls out.

I used a small screwdriver to hold the clip back and then used a puncture tool to push the ball out.