Opening headlights for angel eyes

mig1980 · #1 02-28-2007, 08:22 PM

Hi there everyone. I was looking into making the mod of removing the baffles on my headlights, and the amber corner reflector, and adding some angel eyes.

I was curious as to if anyone had used the write up on X5world about baking the headlights in the oven and how easy or difficult it was to perform the process of opening these headlights. Any input or opinions all of you may have would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

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mdrobc13 · #2 02-28-2007, 08:39 PM

Check the X5 forum; there are numerous articles on this but basically IF you have a pre 2003 model you can open and bake them is what I've heard. Otherwise you have to find a set to replace them with pre-2003 or buy a set with angel eyes already done and just retrofit them.

mig1980 · #3 02-28-2007, 08:44 PM

Mine is a 2002 4.4. I am just curious as to how hard it is to perform this and how much potential damage I can cause to my lights by baking them.

iop9000 · #4 02-28-2007, 08:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mig1980

Mine is a 2002 4.4. I am just curious as to how hard it is to perform this and how much potential damage I can cause to my lights by baking them.

which articles in the front page have you checked so far?

lezmtaylor · #5 03-01-2007, 08:10 AM

Hi there,
I have a 2002 4.4 and have done the mod, I didn't fancy baking the headlights (and her indoors was not too impressed either).
So I used a model aircraft covering heat gun ,which runs hotter than a hair drier, They came apart easily but do not forget the 5or6 tork screws that hold the chrome refectors in and are buried beneath the black sealer .
I left the waffles in, it made it much easier to mount the angel eyes with a minimum of advesive( if waffles are removed there is nothing to fix the AE,s too and it can look a real mess with the amount of adhesive required to fix them : my feelings anyway).
it is very easy to remove the orange indicator lens, but do put the chrome bulbs back in, it makes a better job.
I also converted mine to xenon on the main beam as well,(already had them on dip).
I put some photos on the site, see my posts

mig1980 · #6 03-01-2007, 02:03 PM

thanks a lot for the info guys. I have looked at all of the removal articles on the front page but I was trying to get a better idea on how hard this was to do. Any input on some good angel eye kits you guys would recommend. I am planning on removing the waffles since I like the look that kirkX5m has with everything clear. Keep the input coming if anyone has any more. Thanks.

JV · #7 03-01-2007, 02:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mig1980

thanks a lot for the info guys. I have looked at all of the removal articles on the front page but I was trying to get a better idea on how hard this was to do. Any input on some good angel eye kits you guys would recommend. I am planning on removing the waffles since I like the look that kirkX5m has with everything clear. Keep the input coming if anyone has any more. Thanks.

It's pretty simple. Follow the instructions for baking the headlights and have a flat and philips screwdriver handy and some heat-resistant gloves are helpful as well. You need to be careful about getting the sealant everywhere once you start to open the lights.

X5Dawg · #8 03-01-2007, 02:22 PM

This is a very easy mod and wil not harm the lights in any way. There is one screw on the back of the housing towards the blinker end that you will need to remove before baking them. I placed aluminum foil on a baking sheet and sat the headlamp on that. Turned the oven to 250F and once it came to temperature, placed the headlamp in there for 15-20 minutes. The headlamp will be warm when you pull it out, so I put on a pair of mechanics gloves and when the time was complete, pulled out the headlamp and cookie sheet and started pulling up the tabs around the edges. Once I got one side-worth of tabs done, I started pulling the housing apart and then continued on around the rest of the housing. As stated before, once you get it pulled apart, don't forget there are Torx screws under the adhesive that holds the reflective pieces in place. These screws get all gummed up when trying to remove them, so it is good to clear the adhesive from the top of them while it is still warm and then they will be easier to take out.

The main thing is to be careful not to get the headlamp adhesive on any of the reflective parts. I did this and when I tried to remove the adhesive with some alcohol, the silver reflective paint dissolved and came off. Therefore I ended up leaving my amber side markers in, which I really did not mind doing.

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