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Headlight Removal and Disassembly

It is recommended that you do one side at a time when removing the headlights from the car so you can use the other side as a reference, if needed. Reinstallation will be the reverse of these instructions.

Step 1: Release the corner lamp by inserting a #2 Phillips Screwdriver in the hole in the fender lip (indicated by the yellow circle). Loosen the screw by turning counter clockwise for several turns. Note: Do Not loosen all the way or remove. The item you are unscrewing is part of the headlight housing, which you will see when you remove the corner lamp. Then, tap the rear of the corner lamp to loosen from the body and pull toward the front to release. Store the corner lamp in a safe place until you are ready to reinstall the headlight.

Step 2: Unplug the headlight from the wiring harness by lifting up and out on the sliding retainer clip attached to the wiring harness plug (location indicated by the red arrow). Additional steps may be required for Xenon headlights. Remove the rubber weather-strip gasket that goes across the top and inside (toward the center of the car) edges of the headlight. A flathead screwdriver probably works best for this step. Store the rubber gasket in a safe place until you are ready to reinstall the headlight.

Step 3: Carefully lift up on the front trim piece retainer tab. This is a small piece of black plastic located just behind the corner of the trim piece, so lift gently.

Step 4: Simultaneously while lifting the retainer tab in the previous photo, slide the painted metal trim toward the center of the car and remove. Store the painted metal trim piece in a safe place until you are ready to reinstall the headlight.

Step 5: The headlight housing has a small insertion clip that is inserted into the front fender at this location which has a pin that slides in a track to lock the headlight housing to the fender. When engaged (locked home), the pin spreads the small fingers that are inserted into the fender. Pull this pin toward the center of the car to release the headlight from the fender using a small flathead screwdriver.

Step 6: Unscrew the two screws under the headlight housing that secure the headlight to the body using a #20 Torx bit screwdriver.

Step 7: Loosen the two nuts indicated by the yellow circles using a 10mm socket. Note: You Do Not need to remove the nuts. FYI: These nuts are used for adjusting the vertical alignment of your headlights (reference the Headlight Alignment Discussion below). Next, remove the two Phillips head screws indicated by the red circles and put in a safe place until you are ready to reinstall them.

Step 8: Gently pull the front fender as indicated to clear the insertion clip with one hand and pull the headlight housing out of the car with the other hand. If you are uncomfortable pulling on a body panel, then wiggle the headlight assembly toward the center of the car until you can clear the insertion clip, then pull straight out.

Step 9: After removing the headlight housing from the car, turn it upside down on a workbench. Identify the three screws indicated by the yellow circles. Mark the position of these screws on the piece to which they are attached (bracket). Changing the position of these screws could adversely affect the alignment of your headlight upon reinstallation (reference the Headlight Alignment Discussion below). Marking the position of the screws will provide assurance that the alignment will not be altered. Loosen (Do Not remove) these screws using a #20 Torx bit screwdriver and remove the bracket, indicated by the red arrows. Place the bracket in a safe location until you are ready to reinstall the headlight.

Step 10: Remove the six metal clips (three on top and three on the bottom) that attach the outer glass lens to the headlight housing (locations circled in yellow). Use a flathead screwdriver to pry under the edge of each clip and lift up to remove.
Other steps can simply be reversed from these instructions when putting the headlight assembly back together. However, to reinstall these clips, ensure the glass lens fits firmly in the rubber gasket. Then install each clip (alternate between top and bottom) by placing the leading edge of the clip on the glass lip and, pressing firmly toward the back of the housing, press the trailing edge of the clip over the headlight housing tabs.

Step 11: Remove the rubber gasket that surrounds the headlight housing where the glass outer lens fits (indicated by red arrow). Then, remove the three screws indicated by the yellow circles and arrows on the inner lens frame using a #20 Torx bit screwdriver.

Step 12: All the major components to the headlight housing are now disassembled.

Headlight Alignment Discussion and Other Notes: I have had my headlights in and out numerous times now. This is not a risky operation, in terms of messing up what the factory installed, but there are a few things to be aware of. There are two axes to alignment: vertical (up and down) and horizontal (side to side).

The horizontal is controlled by two rotary dials with gear-type ridges at the upper back of each headlight housing; one for each lens (high-beam and low-beam). These should not be adjusted except by an alignment specialty shop, and are not affected when you remove the headlight (we don't touch those in the removal process).

After reinstalling the headlight, pop off the high-beam bulb cover in the back. There is a small bubble level in there for the vertical alignment. The bottom of the headlight is held stationary to the body by the two #20 Torx head screws at the bottom (the ones you took out in Step 6). The vertical alignment is adjusted by the two 10mm nuts where the headlight is attached to the body at the top front of the headlight. Loosen these and adjust the vertical alignment by pushing or pulling the top of the headlight forward or back until that bubble is as near the center of the bubble level as possible (between the two larger lines). The farther back (toward the car) the bubble goes, the lower the lights are aimed and vice versa. When you have the vertical alignment set, retighten the 10mm nuts. Theoretically, you should have 150 lbs. in the driver's seat, a full tank of gas, and have the car sitting on a LEVEL area (garage floor being optimal). Of these, having the car sitting on a level floor is by far the most important. Since the car is so heavy anyway, the other two are less critical. This is the detailed instruction. However, it is really a very simple process, once you've done it.

One area where attention must be paid is in the disassembly of the bracket at the bottom of the headlight, which is removed with the headlight from the car but must be taken off before disassembling the headlight housing (reference Step 9). There are three #20 Torx screws that connect this bracket to the headlight housing. If this bracket is not installed in the original position when reattaching, it CAN slightly affect the horizontal alignment if it is reinstalled slightly cockeyed from the original position - not preferable. That's why I recommend marking it in some way to be sure it is reinstalled in exactly the same position as when it was removed. That way, you can be assured that you have not adversely affected the horizontal alignment. Notice that the slots on the bracket that the #20 Torx head screws slide on are at slightly different locations on the slot relative to the end of the slot.

Also, when reinstalling the bracket, make sure that the two plastic tabs on the front leading edge of the headlight housing slide into the tab holes on the leading edge of the bracket (identified by the blue arrows). When reinstalling the bracket, the leading edge should end up nearly flush with the bottom of the outer glass lens. If you don't reinstall the tabs in the right location, the tab slots will ride on top of the headlight housing tabs and you'll end up with about a quarter inch to three eighths inch gap. You probably wouldn't notice this until you put the headlight back in the car and try to reattach the metal trim piece to the bottom of the headlight. Guess what, it won't go on.

Page 1: Cool Pic and E38 General Info (for all 1995 E38 models)
Page 2: The "Ultimate Driving Machine" (new interior pics - 22-Jun-2002)
Page 3: The "Ultimate Driving Machine" (Continued)
Page 4: The "Angel Eye" Chronicles Phase I: OmniTec Gen I Demon Eyes (LED)
Page 5: The "Angel Eye" Chronicles Phase II: Schott OEM Fiber Optics
Page 6: The "Angel Eye" Chronicles Phase III: OmniTec Gen II Demon Eyes - FINAL CHAPTER
Page 7: Headlight Removal and Disassembly
Page 8: Curry’s Meet on 13-Jul-2002 and Simeon’s Dyno Run

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