To clear or not to clear

[TerminatorX5]

Here is the OE part number for the front turn signal on the E53 - 63217160897.

The part is called SILVER BULB, when in hands, looks yellowish/silverish, once installed, the corner looks bluish... I've had it on my E39 for years - back then you could not buy it from US dealer, so I got it in France, cost me like 50-60 Euros for 4 of them... Now you can get them from a local dealer...

The BMW of Fairfax has them for $11 apiece...

I will snap a pic of my tails later today and post here...

[TerminatorX5]

Here are the pictures of those french bulbs on my E39... you can see the egg yolk on one and the bluish tint on the other one... And naturally, the clear euro corners...

link to original location - www.midnightstar.com/bmw

[Ricky Bobby]

I'd say it's not really a "to clear or not to clear" question as much as a "do you have $2400 bones to drop on new headlights just to have clear corners".

The euro lights are not cheap by any means and stealth bulbs at 20 bucks will give you a heck of a refresh for the money.


But if you have the coin then by all means go for it. Prop I love your E39 btw

[X5SND]

^^ Rockauto actually had them at one point for $900 a side..not sure if they still do but IIRC ECS lists the pair for $2400ish. Look, they're a bargain now!

[MINIz guy]

I'm loving my clears with amber bulbs for the egg yolk effect. Keeps some amber around but doesn't pop out that much like amber corners would.

On a facelift X5, they look modern enough that they could pull off clear corners just fine. On something older, like a prefacelift car, some amber would be welcomed with the fluted lenses.

[Ricky Bobby]

Originally Posted by X5SND

^^ Rockauto actually had them at one point for $900 a side..not sure if they still do but IIRC ECS lists the pair for $2400ish. Look, they're a bargain now!

Let me get my Amex out on that one! At the same time I might as well just buy a facelifted front end to do the full conversion lol

[bcredliner]

I always look at the latest trends in high end vehicles and especially the X series. OE headlights don't look dated or in need of an expensive cosmetic upgrade until a new trend is established.

That said, I don't always go the new trend route because in the end it is all about personal preference. I just finished updating my headlights. I reduced and reshaped the amber portion but I did not eliminate it because I like the way the amber defines the front end (as previously mentioned) and I don't think there is a clear new trend other than to reduce the size of any amber styling highlights.

[PropellerHead]

Originally Posted by TerminatorX5

@ SND - I know about ambers for the front quarters of the car, but in my situation, it would have to be a stick on or something to that effect - and since the car is traveling for a month or two and is in who-knows whose hands all that time, I am risking a chance that the stick on would fall off the car before the custoomes get to see it...

A thought:

How ab using the early non-sport amber turn signal on the front quarter? They would just snap in place temporarily of the clear ones, have the right stamping, and then you could just swap them back to clear when you are reunited. Trying to get you to spend money.

[TerminatorX5]

Originally Posted by PropellerHead

A thought:

How ab using the early non-sport amber turn signal on the front quarter? They would just snap in place temporarily of the clear ones, have the right stamping, and then you could just swap them back to clear when you are reunited. Trying to get you to spend money.

[PropellerHead]

Originally Posted by bcredliner

I always look at the latest trends in high end vehicles and especially the X series. OE headlights don't look dated or in need of an expensive cosmetic upgrade until a new trend is established.

Yeah, Euro clears on the E53- or any BMW def can't be considered a new trend. The Euro look has been desired by those who prefer it since BMW started complying with DOT-mandated 5mph 'baby buggy' bumpers and amber lenses in the 70's. Since then, euro ellipsoid lights became the rage through the 80's, the 90's brought HID retrofits, and in 1996, the euro clear debuted as an option there on the E39.

I *really* like the clears on my (any) silver E39. The more and more I look at the photoshop above, I am growing more and more into it. I'll let the tail light errors pass and then revisit the mod. Stay tuned.