Installing angel eye, problem with headlight

604x5 · #1 03-02-2008, 07:59 PM

I tried to open my headlights to install some angel eyes, i got 1 headlight to open very easy but the other side wouldnt open. Should i heat it up more? or will the plastic melt? Is there someone local in Vancouver BC that can help me with this?

Thanks in advance.

primetime · #2 03-02-2008, 09:15 PM

Your headlights need to be pre 02. If not they won't open.

Bimmer360 · #3 03-02-2008, 09:38 PM

your headlight that won't open might have been a replacement? if it's made after 10/02 then there is no way you can open it without ruining the housing, sorry to say.

Quote:

Originally Posted by 604x5

I tried to open my headlights to install some angel eyes, i got 1 headlight to open very easy but the other side wouldnt open. Should i heat it up more? or will the plastic melt? Is there someone local in Vancouver BC that can help me with this?

Thanks in advance.

zerochief · #4 03-02-2008, 09:43 PM

Check the date code on the back of the housing. Here is a sample reading 08/2001:

Like Bimmer360 mentioned, you cannot open headlights mfr'd after 10/2002. Its quite possible you have different mfr dates for each. If you need a headlight in the date range, search ebay and ask the seller to verify the date code.

Ivan22 · #5 03-10-2008, 01:08 PM

This forum is amazing.

I have a 2001 X5, and the first (Driver side) headlight was a breeze after 15 min in the oven at 250 degrees.

BUT the second was absolutely impossibe. I heated it Four times and completely ruined the housing. I had to apply black silicone sealant, and when I r-installed it back in the car, the healight beam is up in the trees.

After 8 hours of struggle, wounded fingers, one dropped headlight, and multiple close calls of stabbing myself, I deeply regret attempting this project. If there is an easy way to check if a headlight housing was ever replaced or that is was made after a certain date that makes it impossible to open, I recommend this to all.

Also, if you eliminate the diffuser lenses for high beams and turn signals (so it looks clear), it is more difficult to mount angel eyes. Keep that in mind.

Best of Luck,
Ivan.