cleaning the inside of the headlights

[calvinc]

i own a 92' 318 is. the inside of the headlight lamps or whatever are pretty dirty and need to be cleaned. however, from inspection it didn't seem like they could just pop off. do i need to remove the bulbs to get in there to clean them, or is there any other way? thanks in advance

[BeemerMan]

Answer: Upgrade to Ellipsoids.

[CiscoKid]

you cant open the lights.... try waxing the headlights (this gets rid of some of the fog) and if they doesnt work, but new fixtures

[El Presidente]

In order to wash the inside of the lights, you would need to remove the headlights and pour a serious cleaning solution inside it, and used a wine decanter cleaning brush to dry it. However, it is very hard for the plastic to get dirty inside.

Rather, do this: Wet sand the lenses with 200+ grit sand paper. After they are good and sanded, I believe you wipe them off with either metal polish or scratch-x. The product is listed in the FAQ. You can also try a convertable window cleaner first, but it won't do the job nearly as well.

[calvinc]

thanks very much el presidente! im going to try out what you said today.


and as far as the ellipsoid conversion, how much does the set run, and how is installation? thanks very much for the help.

[bigred318]

Originally posted by calvinc@Jul 11 2004, 02:58 PM
thanks very much el presidente! im going to try out what you said today.


and as far as the ellipsoid conversion, how much does the set run, and how is installation? thanks very much for the help.

i drive a 94 318is, and i have the same problem as you, they look foggy and barely produce light due to this, the solution im taking is buying new european elliposoids the ones im looking at on ebay are 250$ with angel eyes which are just badass so think about it if you have the money! i would rather pay money to be able to see, becuase when it rains i cant see anything!

David

[calvinc]

awesome, i think i'm going to do that. ive got a 92 318is, just got it yesterdaym and so far i'm in love! besides the a/c not working, of course SO SO SO much better than my 95 mustang gt i used to own, even though it has half the hp and all. im never going back to a crappy american car that weighs 20000 lbs!

[El Presidente]

Just warning about the $250 ellipsoids you see:

They are cheap for a reason. Compared to OE ZKWs, the light output is less and the lights run a much higher risk of fogging.

That said, I have the cheap(er) version and they work great, but not nearly as well as the ZKWs.

[calvinc]

i want the ones that blind the living crap out of everyone

[PhunkDJti]

cheap ellipsoids (like the ones on ebay) obviously arent as good or as high quality as the OE ones, but theyre still hot. just remember to get glass ones instead of plastic and you should be fine and wont have to worry about them fogging up

[Bear]

Try www.aloofhosting.com (Max Fretter's site) he has a bit on cleaning the inside of low beams on a 735, might work for you.

[El Presidente]

Originally posted by PhunkDJti@Jul 12 2004, 10:10 AM
cheap ellipsoids (like the ones on ebay) obviously arent as good or as high quality as the OE ones, but theyre still hot. just remember to get glass ones instead of plastic and you should be fine and wont have to worry about them fogging up

not true. Almost all non ZKW and Hella ellipsoids fog at some point. Depos are glass, and are generally ranked 3rd in the quality scale, and they still fog.