DIY Write-up: Cleaning E36 Bosch Ellipsoid Lenses

[Yuen]

Last weekend I decided to take apart my Bosch ellipsoid headlights (that came stock with my Euro car) as the lenses had gotten dusty throughout the years. Here is a short write-up on the it. I thought some of you might find it useful.

1. Firstly, you have to remove your corner lamps. Remove the indicator lamp bulb, then use a screwdriver to pry the clip that holds the indicator lamp free. Slide the indicator lamp out forwards.

2. You can now remove the headlights. To do so, you need to remove the 3 screws that are on the top, and two on the side. On my car, they were all Phillips screws. The screw below the indicator lamp area is quite hard to get to. It would probably be relatively easy if you have a short Phillips screwdriver.

Pull the headlamp out towards you, then disconnect the connectors. Set your precious headlamp down on a soft, gentle surface!



3. There will be 2 small metal clips on both the top and bottom of the ellipsoids. Unclip them by prying them off with a flathead screwdriver. Remember to pry from the plastic end because you might break/chip the glass if you apply too much force on it.

4. Unhook the 5 big plastic clips (3 on top and 2 on the bottom) with a flathead screwdriver.



5. You should now be able to separate the lens part from the reflector part of the headlight. Pull them in separate directions. They might be tight, so wiggle them free.

6. This is how your headlight will look like when it has been opened:



7. Notice that both lenses are held in by factory silicone. Using a blade, slice them off. Your lenses should now fall out quite easily. If they don't, you can use a flathead screwdriver to gently nudge it out. Be very, very careful!




8. Clean the insides of the headlight thoroughly. I sprayed window cleaner then used newspaper to wipe it clean. You may want to wipe the projector for the low beam as well. Remember to wipe underneath the projector lens! You will see a definite improvement in clarity.

9. Make sure you have gotten rid of most, if not all, of the factory silicone. Put the lenses back into their original positions. Double check by looking at the orientation of the other headlight. Now, apply new silicone (I used Selley's Marine Sealant silicone) to the rim of the lenses (where the factory silicone was before). Let the silicone dry, then make sure the lenses are secure.




10. Double check for any smudges on the glass, then reassemble in the reverse order of disassembly.

Now, let's make a comparison:

Dirty Left Ellipsoid



Clean Right Ellipsoid



At this point you'll say "That was worth it!"

[doodle]

Bump.. I just found this by accident, but props for the DIY. I also notice my headlight is pretty dirty like the picture of your left ellipsoid, but I had just guessed it was the Stonguard or something.

Since I'm going to be removing my inner lenses just to see how it looks, I'll give this a try :.

[Yuen]

Cheers. Are you running ZKWs? I'd be interested to see how different the inside of the ZKWs are. Let me know how it turns out!

[Daved]

This is great write-up. I should clean my Bosch's too, they look like your dirty headlight pic.

Do you think it's really necessary to apply the silicone?

[Yuen]

Thanks! Yeah you have to apply the silicone, because without it, the lenses will be loose and fall out. Plus I think it prevents the headlights from getting fogged up that easily. After I cleaned them, the left headlight had condensation on the inside one cold night when I parked it outside, but it went away by itself and never came back again. I'm not sure if that means that I should have applied more silicone. Since it never came back, I can't be bothered to check, but I might the next time I have to remove the headlights.

[e36]

looks great!

mike

[Yuen]

Thanks Mike

This is a bit of an old thread now!

[RhInO328i]

I did this today while I was installing my Angel Eyes - WOOH (pics coming soon)

[Yuen]

Originally Posted by RhInO328i

I did this today while I was installing my Angel Eyes - WOOH (pics coming soon)

Where the pics at?

[toolateseeya]

hey, some pics would be great!
i have these bosch headlights and i am stuck in the middle of installing angel eyes.
i cant seem to seperate the glass front from the black backing.
i have tried installing the angel eyes through the back by removing the inner glass rings as in the above pics, but cant put pressure on them to get them to glue to the inner glass since the front glass is still on!

does anyone know if the front glass can be removed off the bosch headlights?
i've tried heating for 15mins @ 100c but they wont budge
any help would be greatly appreciated
cheers

[kabal]

I also have bosch in my euro 328i.

any tips on cleaning the "rectange" glass cover?? mine are a bit pitted.

[Yuen]

Originally Posted by kabal

I also have bosch in my euro 328i.
any tips on cleaning the "rectange" glass cover?? mine are a bit pitted.

If you mean cleaning from the inside, you'll have to spray some glass cleaner in the 2 lens openings (after you've taken the lenses out of course ) and use a paper towel or newspaper to wipe it. That'll get rid of the filmy oily layer that has built up over time.

[Yuen]

Originally Posted by toolateseeya

hey, some pics would be great!
i have these bosch headlights and i am stuck in the middle of installing angel eyes.
i cant seem to seperate the glass front from the black backing.
i have tried installing the angel eyes through the back by removing the inner glass rings as in the above pics, but cant put pressure on them to get them to glue to the inner glass since the front glass is still on!
does anyone know if the front glass can be removed off the bosch headlights?
i've tried heating for 15mins @ 100c but they wont budge
any help would be greatly appreciated
cheers

Hmm, this reply is kinda late, better late than never

I have not tried removing the front glass from the black plastic. I have not done an angel eyes install before, but I think you can put the CCFLs onto the lenses, then put the lenses in. The wire can then be run from the top of the glass lenses, I suppose, as they do have some room around the lenses (which is why you need to use silicone to keep them from falling out).

[manuelku]

does it work on stock US specs headlight? the headlights are so yellow, making ultrawhite light blubs yellow too.. -__-

[Yuen]

Wow. THAT yellow? No it doesn't work on stock US headlights unfortunately. Yours are plastic. Ours is glass... I'd suggest you buy new headlights. They make a world of difference according to the US guys. Ellipsoids, ZKW, Bosch or Projector36.

[Kaiv]

Thanks for this DIY I'm definitly gonna do this

[kabal]

ok so no one know if it is possible to replace the front glass cover of the Bosche headlight?

Mine are a bit pitted, but I can get brand new glass covers (not Bosch) for about $55 for both at my local aftermarket store.

[Yuen]

Originally Posted by kabal

ok so no one know if it is possible to replace the front glass cover of the Bosche headlight?

Actually, I think Umnitza sells them, if they don't, I'm sure the dealer will, but probably at a higher price.

[RhInO328i]

Originally Posted by toolateseeya

hey, some pics would be great!
i have these bosch headlights and i am stuck in the middle of installing angel eyes.
i cant seem to seperate the glass front from the black backing.
i have tried installing the angel eyes through the back by removing the inner glass rings as in the above pics, but cant put pressure on them to get them to glue to the inner glass since the front glass is still on!

does anyone know if the front glass can be removed off the bosch headlights?
i've tried heating for 15mins @ 100c but they wont budge
any help would be greatly appreciated
cheers

Read my write up. It's for Chromiums but the basic steps are the same - you shouldn't try and separate the glass front from the front of the headlight.

Writeup - http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=479600

[S1Driver]

A big thanks from England! I want to install yellow transparent tint, but got stuck once I opened the headlight. Didn't want to install from the bulb side as if it gets too hot it will melt it. The part where explain that silicone is removable and easy to assemble helped me a lot. Is normal bathroom sealer ok to do them up afterwards? I might only have white and I'm worried it will show through!

[Yuen]

Does it say what temperatures the bathroom sealant can withstand? That would be my main concern. From memory, the sealant will not be visible from the front if you don't overapply it. Since you have the lights open, have a look at the areas where the sealant goes and see if you can see them from the front.

Btw, if I were to do these again I'd use a hair dryer to just blow dry the inside of the headlight and lenses before reinstalling. I read somewhere that this will get rid of excess moisture and prevent fogging later on, it's worth a try.

[S1Driver]

Ok, I've removed it and just used a heat gun to remove the old OEM glue/silicone stuff. I had a look from different angles and I don't think that part will be visible, maybe only if it's very bright rainbow colour and you look from the side of the glass. White won't be a problem, plus I already got a white BMW . As for the bathroom sealer I don't think temperatue would matter that much as it doesn't get extremely hot. It's only there to hold the glass anyhow.

[M3C]

I am mounting Bosch headlight on my US E36 M3.
Some questions that I am not clear, can someone please reply on the following:
1.Bosch E36 headlights have stamped on the rear "24V", what does this mean, is it some kind of additional part that is required in order to provide 24V or they can be plugged into car's standard 12V?

2.The front glass covers have 2 top and 2 bottom metal clips that looks they hold the glass to the headlight. If these clips are removed can the glass be removed or it is permanently glued to the headlght?
I am sking this for cleaning and/or adding angel eyes.

3.Is it safe to use silicone as some hig tem is there. Is it better to use hi temp RTV gasket material.

4.Some mounting tabs are broken. This is a major problem. What epoxy or bonding material would be good to use for tab repair. It is really small area to be glued so it has to be super strong material to hold the broken tab parts.

[krugerblue]

Does anybody know if I can just get rid of the lenses ?
Newer cars do not have those lenses anymore, but other than that the headlight looks just the same.

[krugerblue]

I got rid of the lenses themselves, and the improvement is even greater.