ARG! E39 Headlight Adjusters

[OVERKILL]

Had a highbeam bulb go out yesterday on the M5 so I picked up a new pair of bulbs to install today. Installed them and the old bulbs were pretty difficult to remove and I obviously was not careful enough with keeping the "floating" centre section of the housing secure as I appear to have broken the horizontal and vertical adjuster on the passenger side and the horizontal on the drivers side

Luckly, Bavauto has a repair kit, $44/side but the procedure for repair is involved. Certainly preferred to spending $2400 for new headlight assemblies however.

For those interested in the process:

http://blog.bavauto.com/1835/bmw-e39-5-series-floppy-headlights-replace-adjusters/

I'm adding them to my order for an EVAP solenoid and a few other items that I've been holding off on getting.

 

[JHZR2]

Wow, quite a job! Post pics when you do it!

 

[HTSS_TR]

Looks like more than 1 hour job per side to me. Why did they use plastic parts inside headlight assembly ? The flimsy plastic adjuster inside hot housing would brake easily after few years.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Thanks for the link. My headlight adjusters have been broken for years.

 

[Vern_in_IL]

Originally Posted By: HTSS_TR
Looks like more than 1 hour job per side to me. Why did they use plastic parts inside headlight assembly ? The flimsy plastic adjuster inside hot housing would brake easily after few years.


Several reasons. Weight savings, cost of manufacturing, and they are designed to last only so long.

Also it is a German company, using a German supplier. They are needlessly over complex, designed to save even one ounce of material. Other headlamp suppliers use METAL adjusters. That broken adjuster should have been caught in vibration testing, in the lab, not on the road, IMO. Seems like a quality problem.

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: Vern_in_IL
Originally Posted By: HTSS_TR
Looks like more than 1 hour job per side to me. Why did they use plastic parts inside headlight assembly ? The flimsy plastic adjuster inside hot housing would brake easily after few years.


Several reasons. Weight savings, cost of manufacturing, and they are designed to last only so long.

Also it is a German company, using a German supplier. They are needlessly over complex, designed to save even one ounce of material. Other headlamp suppliers use METAL adjusters. That broken adjuster should have been caught in vibration testing, in the lab, not on the road, IMO. Seems like a quality problem.


Well, they lasted 14 years

In my case they only broke when I was wiggling the floating centre section around too much trying to get the bulb out. But yes, I believe they should have perhaps used something like aluminum rather than plastic.

 

[HTSS_TR]

Originally Posted By: OVERKILL
Well, they lasted 14 years

In my case they only broke when I was wiggling the floating centre section around too much trying to get the bulb out. But yes, I believe they should have perhaps used something like aluminum rather than plastic.

They lasted that long probably because the PO and you didn't touch it for 14 years. Now you touch it and found that it is broken.

The adjuster in my LS400 broke more than 10-12 years ago, it is plastic too. The adjusters in my E430 are metal and working well after many many adjustments.

 

[Denwad]

i replaced them in my wife's 97 528i, they were 12$ for both sides from ebay.

They were crumbly , and i felt lucky that i didn't have to unglue my housings, the pre 2000 housings just unsnap.