Opening Post-10/02 Headlights

[cj10jeeper]

Guys

As a part of my AE and Xenon conversion (see my thread Halogen to Xenon Conversion - 2001) from standard halogen I had to sacrifice a post 10/02 headlight to get the Xenon internals. I took it to pieces with a reciprocating saw and rebuilt into the pre 10/02 unit.

Having finished my conversion job I had a play with the old case on the bench to see what it's like.

Firstly no way will this ever come open the same as a pre 10/02. As you know one is a type of soft mastic that melts easily, while this later adhesive is stronger than the black case and more akin to silicon sealer. It's stronger than the black case and resisted all the solvents I subjected it to including 24 hours with silicone eater.

I believe dissolving the adhesive due to the type and depth it's in the channel is a slim chance and if they have been opened it's due to force and probably damage

One suggestion is to try to get some old pre 10/02 NON xenon's from ebay and work from those. You can get them in the UK for around £30 a go so am sure they are available elsewhere (Here's an example on ebay.co.uk today currently at $2 with 24 hours to go under item 250137407879)

An alternative would be to cut the face off one unit as I did and you could then cut the adhesive out. Again you only need a scrap light to work from and there are plenty of theose with broken tabs around.

Not ideal solutions as they involve in effect using 2 units for each converted light, but an laternative to think about

If anyone wants me to experiment with anything on the sealant let me know. I'll keep it a few weeks.

[Blue Mountain Raider]

wow whatever glue bmw uses is kinda cool i love to get my hands on those for my glueing needs. i read that there's one glue that actually melts the plastic hans making the bond super strong, so in this case no amount of solvants nor baking is gonna work.

[mdrobc13]

Okay guys...just got my lights done this weekend in No Va...well actually last weekend but I had to find a set of 2002 lights on ebay to do my AE's. Look nice though. Anyway to the topic at hand. I asked my installer who is an authorized AE installed with Unmitza how could I have done my 2003 lights and he said it CAN be done but it takes a long...long time as far as the process goes. He said basically you have to cut them loose instead of baking them for the glue to loosen. Then you have to epoxy them together again. He suggested a silicone based product to re-seal them and prevent moisture. Basically it sounded like you'd have to cut them open and then remove all the OEM sealer from the groove on the lights and then RESEAL them. I think he said it would take like 3-4 hrs to do EACH light but it wouldn't be totally impossible. However finding a set of pre-2003 light he did mention like I did was easiest for ALL parties. Good luck.

[tbal69]

cutting, ouch! damn, gonna have to dish out, 75 100bux and try shitload of different silicon softners? hmmm, wonder if autobody shops would know anything as for melting silicon etc...

[cj10jeeper]

Sounds like mdrobc13 got a similar line from an installer to that of my personal opinion that cutting the sealer is the only way.

BTW - tested the heatgun as this is easy on the pre 10/02 as we all know. On the post 02's it melts the black housing while the adhesive just laughs at you....bench tested to prove it

I'm happy to do a 'how to' to convert a set of halogens into Xenon (from which you can remove the amber, go AE, whatever you desire) if it's needed. If you have your later Xenons that won't open and a pair of old halogens you have all the bits you need to convert.

Incedentally the ebay lights I referenced went for around $55 each in the UK so you guys must be able to pick them up just as easily. Here's another set of 2001 ready for the taking in a UK breakers - I look at this photo and wonder 'what the hell happened there?'

[mdrobc13]

Yeah the cutting wasn't the problem...my installer said it can be done but it would be so painful that why would you want to do it versus finding an olde set of lights? But if it's your only option and you're dying to have AE's then hey...

Also theres a guy in NY/MASS that runs installs on AE's. He charges an alot...I checked and a set of for my 03 would have been almost $1300-1400 since he would basically procure a set of Xenon lights open them and install AE's then ship them to me for final install in my X5. Don't know where he has his source of pre2003 lights from but must have something as he's in business and has a website and gives delivery estimates (reasonable) and will do local installs. websites www.customangeleyes.com

[tbal69]

Originally Posted by toohotdoc

okay guys, to make everything clear, i have not posted due to being hella busy. For the guy who did my lights, I called him up this mornin and he being a ass and is not tellin me nothin. He is basically Arguing with me on the phone about how difficult it was to do the lights and would not do them again.

I kept asking him the name of the spray and he not givin a clue, he knows it might be a lil secret, damn, i dunno! The guys ignorent and wont tell nothin, and refused to cooperate at all. So i dunno what to tell you guys other than the fact that even with the silicon softening spray, you still have to pry of the casing. The one headlight that was post '02 has markings everywhere from a tool prying off the casing, looks molested when you pull the rubber moulding back.

Sorry again, didnt want to hype everyone up, but i know it can be done so there is hope. Someone just got to find out wat spray softens that bmw glue, and even with the spray, you will still have to rip it apart and ruin esthetics.

Hey, Im from Van too, how about you give me the doods number or shop name, ill swing by there you didnt respond to my pm.

[steelgray]

I have a suggestion if someone wants/dares to try it:
If you really, really, really want to do a post 10/02 headlight, i wold try to smear nmp (N-methylpyrrolidone) several times on the edge of the seal. That would soak the seal and dissolve the glue, IF it is an epoxy glue (which it sound like).
We use it at our company, where we use one of the toughest epoxies available (Ablebond) and it swells the epoxy and makes it loose its adhesion.
I don't know how long it would take for a headlight, since we are using wery small thin glue layers for our products.
It might take a day, days or week(s).
Raised temp also helps, we use it for soaking one night at 80 deg C (175 F) and then we can just lift off the glue with a tweezer.
concerns:
1. If the lense is of the wrong plastic, it might also swell slightly, if it's glass it's OK.
2. The sealing strip will most probably be destroyed, baking it afterwards might save it, ( evaporates the NMP from the material) some rubber product have shown that in our lab.

Some pro's, some con's......

NMP can be bought from most vendors dealing lab chemicals by anyone.

Last of all, I give no guarantees, you're doing this on your own risk.
BUT, if it is an epoxy, it will most certainly loosen with DMP.
So it is up to who have enough drive to dare it.

Link:
http://clean.rti.org/alt.cfm?id=nmp&cat=ov

just google for NMP or N-methylpyrrolidone

A bit scary maybe, anyone dares to try ??

[Sudesh]

I would also like to do this mod! But dont fancy trying to cut anything and would also like a clear indication if anyone done it and how it was done. There just doesnt seem to be a clear and decisive answer.

[tbal69]

there is no clear and decisive answer because it has prety much nvr been done.