Just picked this car up and it has lights marked zkw/bmw with an HID kit installed in 2006, at the time cost was $495..looks like they were bought from ECS doing a part # check.
I need to replace the glass as they are dull/pitted. Best place to buy replacement glass? Besides the glass is there anything else I should do? Better options out there now vs this? Haven't driven it at night yet but the high beams/city light? and fogs look so yellow. Might need to update those bulbs at a minimum to something whiter if possible.
Also this car has a rear fog light switch in the dash but nothing changes, is it just an extra bulb in the taillights?
thanks,
Sam
I don't believe it's easy to replace the glass lens for the headlight housing. My advice would be try to do a clay and buffing with a polisher. Possibly a headlight restore kit for glass.
If those don't produce the results you desire, it would be easier to replace the entire headlight than just the glass itself. Add some laminex to the glass if you're concerned about future damage/weathering.
Fogs are fortunately an easy replacement. If the brackets that hold the fog light housing are in good shape, you can just pop out the fog light without taking off the bumper.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igj3FrzPjNA
If the bracket is in bad shape, a tab that retains the housing may break when attempting to release the housing using a screwdriver like in the video above.
Replacing the brackets are not hard (screws into the back side of the bumper) but do require a removal of the bumper.
Fog bulbs are not hard to come by and can be replaced by popping out the housing. You can get HID fogs if you want bright white ones.
I personally almost never use fogs so I didn't really bother with upgrading them from halogen bulbs. But I did change the factory fog housing to nice new smoked glass on my E36.
Rear fogs I'm not really sure. They may only come on when reversing?
I'd check the Bentley manual.
This came up on Google - Not sure they are in business:
http://www.parts4euro.com/helix-e36-...es-p-1408.html
eBay Option:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/92-99-BMW-E3...-/121153292414
Last edited by M3Alpine99; 08-03-2014 at 05:08 PM.
thanks! I bought the glass lenses off ebay.
The lens is extremely easy to replace.....remove the 2 x large clips on top and bottom of the housing, the on the sides you have tabs that you need to push off the headlight housing.....there is a rubber seal, so the lens shouldn't just pop off, put run a screw driver to pry it off....
1997 Arctic Silver/Black M3
CES Stage IV (651rwhp/615rwtq @ 24 psi)
1999 Techno Violet/Dove M3
Auto/Convertible and staying stock!
^ Like he said, easy. The lenses are marked DJauto. Look fine to me and fitment was great. The seal comes long and must be cut to size, I put some silicone in where the seal meets in the channel.
It's actually an extra filament in the outer tail light, and it's already there. On a stock U.S. 1997 car, you still need:
- two fuse contacts and a fuse
- two relay contacts and two substitute relays
- an instrument cluster contact and a rear fog light dash indicator that isn't blacked out
- two rear fog light switch contacts and a different fog light switch
- a rear light cluster PCB pin and a mating connector contact
- and all the intermediate wiring.
Last edited by johnf; 08-01-2014 at 05:13 PM.
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