The Ultimate BMW Headlight Lens Replacement Guide

[@bmw328iowner8]

Vehicular DIY has the soul of a teacher and communicator. Great vids showing BMWs can be taken apart and put back together in endless ways.

[@willhikearizona]

Always with the timely videos, I need to replace my lenses. Nice work!!

[@krisgriffin9090]

Quality. Don't need to do this yet but when I do I will be back to rewatch this a few times. Thanks 👊🏼

[@ooozturk9195]

I had front end my car and crack the damn headlight cover. Went to the shop, took them like 3 hours to remove the headlight. Later, they send it to a specialist and i kid you not, they put my headlight in the freaken owen, i was schocked. I thought the guy will cook everthing in it but luckyly it did not happen and and he removed these covers in couple minutes without cutting it. Great video as always, keep up the good work !

[@MrKobedagreat24]

I learned a trick doing this just use a cardboard box. Stick the heat gun in it or hair dryer an put the headlight in the box and close it for a few minutes. And then take it out and pry the lens off.

[@jeffreywebber4500]

NO CUTTING?

[@jimtheedcguy4313]

It's always good practice to spray a coat of uv protection on top of aftermarket headlights because most of the time it's just raw polycarbonate, and without the protection, they will yellow faster than the OEM headlight.

[@ohenry4834]

Best Additional Comment that everyone must consider, all those affordable replacement may not have UV protection and change its color after a couple of days...

[@AX5Z]

I used the Sylvania headlight restoration kit on my E92 and the end result was 95% as good as a brand new headlight. I took my sweet time sanding (40 min per side, with 3 different sandpapers) but it paid off.

[@tonykari5124]

I wish I could say the same. I messed mine up really bad

[@B_real_nz]

Fuck that doesn’t give me much hope lol but im a gambler ,so i gotta give it a go

[@YamiKage.]

Life saver! I was ready to look for new lci headlight bc I cracked mine. Sure saved me a ton of 💰

[@iamdevonl]

Despite having sold my BMW for a G8. Still come back to watch every video. Your videos make me miss the E90.

[@VehicularDIY]

Thanks for continuing to watch!

[@Czechbound]

The video editing and commentary is so efficient. Just the facts Ma'am. Perfect

[@KingdomAuto]

Nice to know that you can purchase jut the lenses as opposed to the entire headlamp assembly, that's great info! I am curious to see if the alternative technique would work for these lights as well. I've retrofitted a number of headlights over the years and what I have always done to remove the lens is simply pop the whole assembly into the oven for 7-9 mins at 250 degrees F (after removing the screws of course). That heats up the glue without damaging the lights at all, or the internals, and then you can literally just pry the lens right off; with most of the glue coming with it. The one thing to take note of when using this method is just to avoid getting the glue on the lenses or the internals of the light, as it's very hard to remove. But if you're careful it can be done quite easily. Then, to reassemble, simply do the same thing in reverse. Put the new glue in the lamp, press the lens against it, toss in the oven and then when it comes out, you can literally press it all together again nice and even. Sounds like a good amount of work but it's just an alternate method of achieving the same result, and also you don't have to cut anything which means less dust! Either way, great job, solid DIY and keep up the great work!

[@Maaaaaax-07]

On BMW, do you have to code anything when you retrofit to LED ?

[@KingdomAuto]

@@Maaaaaax-07 I'm not sure - I've never done a retrofit on a BMW but likely yes though.

[@Maaaaaax-07]

@@KingdomAuto Alright thanks, I took a chance since it was a bmw video.

[@paolonicastro]

Which glue do you use to reinstall the lenses? Thanks

[@charlesberry4958]

Very cool. Really enjoying seeing what you can do with a beater (we know it's not really a beater).

[@igotaction]

Awesome video!!! Of course the link is all sold out!!!! Looks like it pays for vendors to send you stuff😉

[@VehicularDIY]

Thanks!

[@gregoryrappaport9180]

Absolutely stellar work, just not sure if I have the skill and patience to do this! Very impressive nonetheless 🙌🏼

[@michaell.445]

It certainly pays to develop it though. Like when you can do the valve cover gasket including the cover plus the oil filter housing and a couple of new tools in your driveway for 1/4 (or even less) of garage price...

[@MSGtJimator]

Great workmanship, you have some very nice tools as well. Really enjoyed watching it. I’m considering restoring my headlights on my E91.

[@shanetowfigh2560]

I did this before. I’d rather buy new aftermarket headlights and not waste an entire day doing this again. It’s a much bigger pain than this video shows. And both of mine even though I did a great seal job ended up building condensation inside the housing.

[@jelavan]

ive been scared to do this job for months now on my F30. thank you so much for this video

[@chadriddle3517]

Great video again! You kill the details and perfection always !

[@irontrev1640]

Very nice work! I need to do this to my E90, happy you posted this project, thank you for this installment! Look forward to your videos each week!

[@chialor1945]

Look. I don't even need to watch the video and I know it's going to be an informative video so I automatically like it lol. Clean cut content.

[@VehicularDIY]

Thank you for the kind words.

[@omarjus2]

Hi there… Excellent job man..!!! I have the same exact car with the same issue. Do you do this kind of job only on your cars..? Just wondering, if I can send mine to you.

[@GeminiHammer]

you've got talent and patience mate great video

[@SamAbraham]

Was about to open up my permasealed late E39 headlights with a dremel but I think this method with that tool might be better. I’m going to try this today!

[@RedPillTruth2023]

Thanks. I wished I watched this before I tried to do this. BMW is ridiculous with how they put things together. Taking off the bumper just to replace these covers is insane

[@wettwett757]

Great video and sweet final product. Thank you. Do you know if there is a difference with the LED Adaptive lights?

[@tunerworld]

Damn, clean job brotha! Gonna have to try this out on the ol’ e90. Thanks for sharing!

[@osagyefoghanaba]

This is turning out to be a dope project…. always looking forward to your video posts👍

[@julianpark93]

So clean. Hope you can also get rid of those ugly amber reflectors for some smoked or clear ones!

[@damonstr]

I used to work on testing such headlights. I can tell you touching the chrome will be fine. While it will get dirty, it will survive.

[@alfyer5]

Not these ones. I touched the chrome from my e46 m3 lenses and it peeled off really easily. Luckily it was on a non visible part

[@mwdh]

I highly recommend for everybody to clean the xenon lenses and reflectors as well. You wouldn't believe how dirty it is after a few years and it will make a more than noticeable difference in light output.

[@maxwellkeeling3781]

I’ve been able to clean the lens from the backside but wasn’t easy. Saw later that there is some crud on the opposite side… I’m going to try to clean said side this weekend with a pipe cleaner with a microfibre piece at the end but cleaning the reflector bowl will be much harder. I may have to change out the covers as well JUST to remove the entire housing to clean it. Light output isn’t the greatest at the moment.

[@VehicularDIY]

Good tip, in hindsight it would have been a good time.

[@mwdh]

@@maxwellkeeling3781 Be aware of the surface of the reflector. The silver part is mostly done by an aluminium steam process and it's quite sensitive. If the reflector is blind you should find a service to "re-steam" it for ~20$/reflector (don't know the correct english translation). The e46 xenons have big trouble with this and all other as well after a long time. I just did the whole process for an old A4 B5 xenon headlight one year ago.

[@Jawst]

I'm halfway through doing a F20 BMW 1 Series and it seems like they changed to a bonding silicone and metal pins! To remove the adhesive I tried silicone sealer remover which did soften it slightly. A drill works quite well for clearing out the channel!

[@harrycordenlloyd]

Can I ask what items you used to reseal?

[@kennypham8585]

Excellent video. Very clear instructions and demonstration

[@xTheGamerHeart]

make sure to buy UV resistant headlight cover so the cover live longer before starting to yellow.

[@Alpejohn]

That tool looks perfect for this job, i will definetly have it in hand when im rebuilding a pair of AHL for my E87! Only thing i would have done different is to try and clean the projector lense as it seems a bit foggy, and maybe the reflector to. But its a very delicate job to disasemble the chrome parts without ruening the chrome. Looks a thousend times better now tho! NIce work!

[@nikolaxo]

heyy, just asking. did you manage to do this on your E87? I just crashed mine and am trying to see if it would be possible for me tu purchase a broken headlight and just change the glass which is good?

[@Alpejohn]

@@nikolaxoYes, I opened them up and swapped the projectors to Morimoto Mini D2s. Bought new lenses on eBay. Turned out great and the light output is very good!

[@nikolaxo]

@ greatt! what glue did you use for the glass?

[@Alpejohn]

@ I used butyl "glue", not really glue but it keeps the glas in place and with some heat it’s easy to separate if you would want to open them again later or change the glass again.

[@nikolaxo]

@ tysm

[@kevflynn]

Would be great to see video on how you aim them after replacement

[@joerodriguez8546]

Awesome video. Now I need to do my Ford Escape lens

[@1112ghaniha]

hi how i can buy that headlight lens cover ? can i order its my one is F30 320 I

[@tonykari5124]

Great video. So is there an option to buy just the lense cover on a 2005 BMW 750Li ? The entire new headlight assembly is 789$

[@Nick-cf9ig]

Yes. Search 2005 bmw 750Li headlight lens on eBay. You’ll find some.

[@username1956]

Hey could you show a video on how to code in the car to fold mirrors when locking and close windows/sunroof? Thanks

[@Mgaudino11]

Wow man awesome job and THANKS YOU, !!!! I'm really glad I saw this somebody backed into me just to three days ago and cracked my headlight and I have the adaptive full LEDs in my 440, and BMW wanted close to $5000 to replace the whole headlight but all that's damaged is the plastic lens. I didn't know replacing that blends was even a possibility you probably just save me thousands of dollars if I can't have the confidence to do it myself or try to find somebody that would be able to do what you did. I clicked the link you had listed in the description for the lens but it’s giving me an error code. Do you know where I could get one for my car at? It’s a 2018 440 Gran coupe with like I said, the adaptive full LED headlights. Again, thank you so much for posting this video and showing us what possible.

[@aggieE46]

Looks great! Great addition to your collection.

[@laworldde]

You did a great job! I have these exact same headlights. Can I send them over to you? 🙏🏻

[@VehicularDIY]

Thanks! I'll get back to you on that.

[@cap2c484]

Wow, what a result! Thanks for posting this!!

[@boarders5]

Awesome job. Solved an issue for me. Thanks for the breakdown.

[@Lup3r]

You should do custom headlights for the E90. Would be a very popular video I think!

[@VehicularDIY]

I did a video on the E90 headlights with blacked out housings in the past, it did pretty well. Thanks.

[@fazman6218]

Love your videos. Can you show the same DIY on how to do this for a Pre-LCI e90 bi-xenon? I have the popup washers and it seems impossible to remove the headlamp from the car (like some hidden bolt is holding it). Also the AE's have that light tube which could crack easily so I'd love to see how to safely do that job

[@richardpbogosian4799]

I don’t know why BMW stopped making the headlight lens that were held on by tabs. So much easier to change lens.

[@AngelPR515]

Excellent video. Gives me the courage to try

[@josebonito6013]

You’re a badass but after watching this I’ve definitely decided against doing this since I’ll probably mess it up along the way. You did awesome tho great job.

[@cristianlorefice8253]

Thanks for the video, I did the same in my E92 facelift I bought a couple of replacement covers on ebay from a Chinese seller, in 2 years they become yellow and opaque because of the lack of the UV additive in that plastic, did yours have the same problem? Where did you buy yours? Thank you very much

[@FreakkyJack]

Legend! :) have to do this, since mine are scratched a bit. Now i got the perfect instuction Video :)

[@alexinadon7999]

I bought some Angel lights LED rings to put inside of your headlights. So I'll have to perform surgery on my headlight just to have access? You can't just open it by unbolting couple screws?

[@Beemerboii]

Love all the vids man! Best diy channel by far.

[@VehicularDIY]

Thanks!

[@dodgehemi5045]

sliplo protector $99 Amazon for the CF front splitter for your M tech bumper. $300 Ebay rear 550i quad pipe bumper, $300 cf diffuser, modify the stock pipes to quad, muffler delete Doing this now to f10 2015 Msport 528i. Singapore grey 20s, BMS tuned, CAI N20

[@VehicularDIY]

Nice, should look slick.

[@dfqnexxus3710]

Please make something about N54 I'm hungry for new content , BTW I wish I can find lens that cheap for my 135i

[@VehicularDIY]

Yeah I have stuff coming still

[@philiplee7604]

Pretty much ‘ Major surgery’… but you did it with surgical precision!!

[@mariocmo1]

You could have bake the head light to make the glue playable and would have been easy to remove

[@byranforbes3666]

Dude, you are a wizard! Thanks for sharing.

[@plightn]

Great work! Really look forward to these videos!

[@idoesthis4805]

Thanks for the video. However I’m definitely just going to replace the whole headlight. $160 more expensive, but infinitely more easy and don’t require any cutting lol

[@Nico_335i_DCT]

Great Job! Thanks for sharing. Dutch regards, Nico

[@VehicularDIY]

Thanks!

[@jackdoe3889]

What a pain in the butt compared to E46 which just had a few clips you popped open. No need to remove the bumper either. Need to do this on a E91 soon.

[@abyakika26]

This is nice details exactly what I was looking for. My bmw has condensation in one light so they want to charge me $1300 to replace whole thing. Now I see it’s because they have to take off the whole front bumber:(

[@machy1877]

Nice bro 👍 what is the name of the cutting machine you have used

[@seanpaul3050]

How old were the headlights on this car ? My E92 headlights are 14 years old and still look good

[@VehicularDIY]

9 years old

[@don.timeless4993]

do an xpel film protection & if it turns foggy after many years just change the film. that will make it clear & shiny for ever

[@Davids42240]

Good job!! My light lens still looks decent but it will need to be done soon. Do you know of a headlight tinted cover you and take on and off for night time driving? I was considering making one but I’d rather purchase.

[@VehicularDIY]

Thanks! Not that I know of but a cover would definitely help with avoiding pitting.

[@Davids42240]

Do you think there’s a market? I would enjoy a removal cover for my car. My car blacked out is looks good to me. At night, no way. I need my headlights

[@lazarus8501]

I think I’m gonna give this a try. Maybe even try to get rid of the chrome

[@S1knaked]

awesome video! it was very satisfying seeing the new lense:)

[@nazeer3495]

i'd like to know does the replacement lenz fit perfectly?

[@bl300zxx]

Great detailed instructions as always. Looks great but a second option for those that don’t want to perform surgery on the front end. Sanding and polishing should do the trick however you did mention it all depends on the degree of weathering on the lens. Keep up the great work

[@freddybell8328]

Yeah if it's on the inside your Sol

[@RedPillTruth2023]

Sanding and polishing just does not work

[@vmprotrader7336]

This guy is BMW doctor 😄

[@washableaxe]

How have the replacement lenses held up over time? Any yellowing or hairline fracturing?

[@norbhansen]

Hey there: I have a 2017 X3 and followed your video, but I can't, for the life of me, get the lens off my car. It's like they're using some new adhesive or something. Can you advise how long you heated the adhesive to get it softened? I tried the heat gun and the oven, and it's not budging. Any thoughts you have are appreciated!

[@salut151]

I'm looking for E63 PRE-LCI lenses. Please let me know if they are still available somewhere...

[@davec5237]

Nice job. Thanks for posting 👍

[@mikimiki195]

Great video 👍🏻

[@V_channel_]

Dobar ti taj grb, Miki. 👍

[@MrCizy007]

Clean job, anyone has any idea where to get the replacement part (the one that screws to the lens)?

[@marvinzhang3734]

you could use a heat gun to soften the adhesive.

[@walterfredrickson3887]

That was a lot of work!

[@FQ1998]

do you know where I can get the non-adaptive full xenon headlight ( i just love the look of them)

[@lisawells4084]

Great video, but did not work on my 2007 Z4. Even with a heat gun at 800, melting the rubber just didn't work. At least I tried!

[@lucbourassa1544]

How does the lens sealant works? It is no longer available is there an equivalent? Thank you for your response

[@mcgyverb1664]

Brilliant work 👏👏👏👏👏👏

[@kanatm.9413]

What a great job!

[@aref6561]

Looks good man! Do you have any links for aftermarket lenses for E90? I have heard go only OEM. But I wish towards angel-like lights if possible, but then, I have heard horror stories about quality of aftermarket lenses.

[@VehicularDIY]

Does your car have xenons?

[@aref6561]

@@VehicularDIY Yes, Adaptive, 2009 CLI 335xi. Thank you so much for seeing my question! Aftermarket Angle-Like headlights would be the best for me. If not, I might just go OEM.

[@xxwestcoastkillaxx393]

Can you tell me what that metal circuit board is that clips into the trim that you install into the new lens? I broke it, and I want to know what it is

[@Nguyen2fold]

What do you think the stress cracks come from? I'd hate to replace the lens n just have it happen again. Do you think maybe the angel eyes are too hot? I know they have a brightness setting

[@kmlumd44]

What's sitting in the other spot in the garage? The black one. I'm doing my e63 lights now. I used a heat gun with a flathead to pry gently

[@VehicularDIY]

It's a G80 M3 Comp.

[@Dagasm]

Since these are aftermarket lenses I'm assuming they don't say BMW near the top? Or is that not on the lens itself but on another piece inside the headlight? I looked at mine but couldn't really tell.

[@5000RR]

About to buy new HELLA glass for my e93

[@mohamednaaserzakariamale5688]

I want to know something after sealing back headlights did you face any leakage afterwards??

[@vibingwithskeet]

I NEED this done right now on my 2014 528i smh

[@skhochay]

why you did not cooked the headlight , so glue will get soft and you just separate the lens?

[@cindysf2007]

I have a 2015 BMW X3 35i , 3.0. Can I replace the headlight lens instead of the entire housing?

[@earnukeep2343]

Do you offer the service? 15 550 MSport and I have the HELLA replacement lens handy

[@John90Constantin]

Have you thought of baking the headlight?

[@migdelta]

I did this job in December and now I have the inside of the headlights full of moisture. how can I remove this moisture?

[@charlesperez6740]

Hey, is there a bulb to change for the halo lights? I have a 2015 x3 and halo hex lights are turning yellow

[@zmanel]

Was trying to get the eBay link with no success , can you please help me with that ? How many meters for the glue ?