My crap lights!

[BM-BOY]

I have seen lots of talk on HID lights etc. I dont even know what HID is, all do know is, My lights are CRAP (When dipped)!! I have only noticed this recently since it has been getting dark at about 5 o'clock. But even with the foggies on, I still can't see **** when cars are coming toward me.

Is this a common problem, or just my stupid car? Also, could it be due to the fact that my LKM needs replacing?

[Alexlind123]

My high beams are great, but my low beams have always been nearly useless as well. Maybe they need reaiming.

[shogun]

You can clean the dip/low beams from inside. I have done that too. Light is much better. The reflectors and the inner side of the glass are 'coated' with some paint dust which comes from the rear of the reflectors.
Description with pics is on German E 34 board under Schrauberecke>Tips und Tricks, then scroll down and click DE Scheinwrfer reinigen.
No need to understand German, the pics are telling you enough
http://www.e34.de/frames.php

[grave77]

I have cleaned them since I got my car .. and every 3 - 6 monthes I do a new cleaning to the lense and the reflector. still since I work in outside the city and sometimes I need to drive in the dark in an offraod part I have removed the metal plate in the dipbeam lights to have them lighting wide up so I wont hit a camel passing in the dark. if u don't want to remove the metal plate u can bend it abit to have more lighting angle upwards ... hope this would help ...

Edit: you can unscrew the lense and clean the reflector too .. but make sure not to scratch it off as its so thin. use an old glasses cleaner cloth and fluid to clean it then screw it back to the lense. before you put the projector back clean the front glass too its going to be abit hard but u can find a way to manage it. you would get a huge difference. the same procedure can be used for fog lights as they have the same projector with lenses.

[632 Regal]

easy for you to say...cant find the damn link man!


You can clean the dip/low beams from inside. I have done that too. Light is much better. The reflectors and the inner side of the glass are 'coated' with some paint dust which comes from the rear of the reflectors.
Description with pics is on German E 34 board under Schrauberecke>Tips und Tricks, then scroll down and click DE Scheinwrfer reinigen.
No need to understand German, the pics are telling you enough
http://www.e34.de/frames.php

[shogun]

Man, study German :p

o.k., espeically for you a link from my website in English
http://bmwe32.student.utwente.nl/maxf_website/headlights.htm

Just found some old pics when I cleaned my headlights. Some before and after pics and removing also some rust on the inner side of the doors.
http://tridem.han-solo.net/auto/erich/halopics/halopics.htm

And the one pic shows the wire without the insulation, which melted away, after I used H1 100 W rally bulbs :)

[grave77]

here you go Jeff ... http://www.e34.de/tips_tricks/scheinwerfer/swreinigung.pdf

it was writen in reverese Reingung der DE-Scheinwerfer (http://www.e34.de/tips_tricks/scheinwerfer/swreinigung.pdf) <---- :)

[grave77]

man ... have u ever cleaned the High beam lights? .. I have a lot of dust inside it ... I dont think it's able to open up .. right?!

[romus]

you wont understand but DO NOT use cleaners of any kind, or you'll screw the thing up! Only a dry cloth.

[632 Regal]

Mine dont open, the only thing I can do aside of removing them (forsee many broken parts) id clean them through the bulb opening. Somewhere I read that if you are able to remove them you can pour in alcohol (non flavored non grain variety) shake, let dry and thats supposed to remove the Ozone. The Ozone is what causes the milky surface I guess.


man ... have u ever cleaned the High beam lights? .. I have a lot of dust inside it ... I dont think it's able to open up .. right?!

[grave77]

cleaners used for glasses r fine ..nothing else. I used it for mine especially that we have a very humid climate here, so the reflector was really messy and requires more than wipping it up with a dry cloth, alse using dry cloth on the reflector might scratch it more due to the dust " in UAE its sand dust " so this really scratchs it, therefore I used the fluid ran it in let all the dust out then dried it with the soft cloth soft and gentle then its clean as new.

[Paul in NZ]

somebody had a recipe using water detergent and kerosene,somebody else suggested the dishwasher