Headlight restoration.
 

A replacement set for my X5. The OEM ones have a clear coat on them. The coat is cracking. It's impossible to remove the coat and save the headlights. Instead, this set will be cleaned up and installed. Looks like one side has more sun damage than the other one. I've used CERAKOTE ceramic successfully on a few sets. I want to restore these as best as possible.

What do y'all suggest? What's a good product to use? What order of grit paper to sand down the top layer?

Headlight restoration vs hitch installation are both up for next upgrades. Which one should I do first? :stickpoke:

I used a kit from ebay by Holts only a few weeks ago. It has the drill pad and all the fine grit discs with polish that's required. It was around £15 here in UK.
Did a good job but the more time spent with the 3000 grit before polishing the better.

Themoog, thanks for posting information about the 3k grit paper. I'll look up the kit.

Did you take any before and after pictures?

I use the Sylvania restore kit, about $20.

Why don't you buy new lenses and do the job properly? Lights this age are surely going to have issues inside the lens as well as out.

You can buy a pair for about US $70 - $100 off Ebay

I used sylvania and ceratek, both with outstanding results.
I have 3 bmws, so on one I purchased new TYC lenses, and on the other two I used the kit. If I had just 1 bmw, I would get new lenses. But on 3 bmws lol, completely rebuilding them, money becomes the limiting factor if time doesn't.
Biggest and best upgrade I did though, were new projectors

3M Ultra Headlight Restoration Kit
 

I used the 3M Heavy Duty Headlight Restoration Kit with Quick Clear Coat, 39175 to restore my headlights in June 2021, and they're still clear today, over four years later. And that's in full exposure to the sun and weather, all the time. Texas Sun !!

I think the "Heavy Duty" kit was superceded and replaced with the "Ultra" kit, but it contains the same components as the "Heavy-Duty" kit. Amazon has the "Ultra" for $16 https://a.co/d/8CcwmKi

Baking or cutting a set open is probably not in my skill set. I would probably destroy a set. I could try it later on with the OEM set. Or another set, I have available. One set has both left and right sides with damaged components. The picture set is my best one to try and save. The other set may be used for parts. The currently in use set will be inspected after removal.

Thanks for all the available options. I'll look over the kits and order one.

I've used plastic polish (PlastiX) with a dual-action buffer, followed by a spray-on UV headlight coating. Works well enough for me.

True. Also true that you'll probably destroy the entire thing tryng to get the lenses off, and even if you manage to get it off, clean out all the old sealing mastic and use new butyl mastic, it will still leak water inside.

Been there, did that, destroyed one unit, the other leaked badly no matter how much I tried re-sealing it with RTV, and I ended up replacing both xenon units with decent ones from ebay. You can find the entire headlight there for about $US75–100.

I do have a 5" orbital cordless sander. I'll buy a kit. Knowing paper grit is nice. I can buy 5" round paper to use. I'll go longer polish time for 3000 grit sanding. Due to time constraints, this will likely like a winter project.

using a cordless drill/sander head vs. real sanders, my experiences
 

I tried restoring/polishing the headlights on my '04 Chevy 2500HD, using a orbital sander, at first, but found that I was like a young child, unable to draw inside the lines. I switched over to using a straight-line palm sander, but used too harsh a grit, and probably kept it in one place too long, and ended up scoring the plastic.

I did much the same on my wife's '98 GMC, later, and that's why I've used 3M kits and a cordless drill to do restoration work (on her Cobalt, my HHR Panel, and the X5). I ended up just replacing the headlights on both the big trucks, because they were cheap ($55-60 a set, bulbs included, from Amazon). I wish you could get new replacement E53 headlights as cheap!

I was able to control the cordless drill/sanding head much easier and more precisely than using sanders.

I use the multi-step 3M kit mounted in a drill followed by two coats of spray-on headlight coating from Meguire's

https://a.co/d/aDxQQCL

And I would do both the headlight and the trailer hitch installation. They take about the same amount of time.

Factory (Westfalia) tow hitch?

Not a bad idea. Might as well get both of them done. Hitch is a Curt S019 found locally off an X5. The only item pending is where to mount the round wiring bracket. I plan to modify the hitch area cover so only the tube sticks out. :thumbup:

Yeah I just went thru this. Mine had a Reese hitch installed but no plug, and no location for the plug. Still trying to figure out what to do because I don't want to cut into the hitch or the rear bumper.

YMMV, but on multiple previous vehicles I've found that aftermarket housings are inferior to the OE ones, even when they look the same. The beam patterns suck.

but they're sure better than originals in bad shape
 

I've used aftermarket headlights, ordered from Amazon, on four vehicles so far, two of them mine, two of them for relatives. It seems that most of our vehicles sit outside all the time, and get the glazed plastic syndrome, early in their lives.

Even at my advanced age, being the eldest male in my wife's family group, I have been the go-to installer of most auto parts (including trailer hitches, brake controllers), mini-blinds, ceiling fans, faucets, outdoor security lights (you name it, I've done most of it), for the past 32 years. Therefore, I buy and install replacement headlights.

I have to do quick fixes often, whenever I go to the family "ranch", so I often take my X5 full of tools, and parts that I bought following the last trip down there, in preparation for my next visit.

Father-in-law (now passed) wasn't very mechanically adept, and the sister-in-law, her son-in-laws, and now their kids (Generations: Silent, X, Millenials, Z, and lastly Alpha), just don't seem as work-oriented as us Boomer Ones (early Boomers), IMHO. Not willing to learn, either. At least in my experience.

Rant over, back to the headlights. I replaced the headlights on my '04 Chevy 2500HD in June '17, on my wife's '98 GMC in December '19, on my FIL's '03 Chevy 2500 in November '21, and on MIL's ?year Chevy Avalanche in January '22. All are still clear, aimed OK, water and condensate-free even today. I prefer the "Eagle Eye" brand, which I used on the first three trucks.

I tell everyone who will listen there is ONE answer here.

Xpel PPF.

I did my lights 7 years ago and immediately had them covered with xpel ppf. one and done. look as good as they did the day i polished them

i bought the assortment of 3m wetsanding paper.

you do need a lot of grits.

i would probably start at 320 or 400, then 600/800/1200/1500. something like that. it's not that much work to do it by hand. just keep all your sandpaper nice and wet in a dishpan with some soapy water. after the sanding, polish with a dual action buffer. cutting compound then polishing compound. I won't mess with anything else again. PPF all the way.

I've yet to see an aftermarket headlight that looks as good as OEM which is another reason to avoid.

I'm not even sure you can even buy an aftermarket Xenon unit for the LCI update.

There are plenty of good OE headlights on ebay, both xenon and not-xenon, pre-LCI and post-LCI. I replaced both sides with used ones that had been polished, then treated them with the CeraKote kit. One side still looks great but the other rougher side didn't seem to "take" the ceramic coating too well so I guess I need to do it again.

Don't bother with aftermarket crap.

There are plenty of good OE headlights on ebay, both xenon and not-xenon, pre-LCI and post-LCI. I replaced both sides with used ones that had been polished, then treated them with the CeraKote kit. One side still looks great but the other rougher side didn't seem to "take" the ceramic coating too well so I guess I need to do it again.

Don't bother with aftermarket crap.

I'm trying to find parts F530002WW and F530003WW. I wonder if they would fit the Curt hitch for more strength.

I plan to hide the plug. A short wiring adapter would make mounting easier and hidden. I'll have look for a spot after removing the rear bumper.

Had the headlight lenses replaced, and the left tail light board repaired because the lower tailight bulb socket kept losing contact with the board and triggering a bulb out warning.

Nice headlights really cleans up the look of these older BMW's!

https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjCvE2q

Sweet look! Faded lights is why mine sticks out as old. A restoration will bring it up to date. The side fender LED lights really glow at night.

Thanks! Funny, I know they will look better after restoring but I'm always surprised how much better when they're done lol.

I'm thinking of doing blackout side fender lights myself on the 4.6. I did it on the 3.0 and it's a clean look too IMO because it matches up with the black door trim.