1999 523se headlamp change
Printed From: Bavarian-Board.co.uk - BMW Owners Discussion Forum
Category: Technical & Model Specific Forums
Forum Name: BMW 5 Series
Forum Discription: This forum will deal with any issues on the BMW 5 Series (E12, E28, E34, E39, E60 & E61)
URL: http://www.bavarian-board.co.uk/forum_posts.asp?TID=25500
Printed Date: 26-June-2024 at 11:14
Topic: 1999 523se headlamp change
Posted By: GWilmot
Subject: 1999 523se headlamp change
Date Posted: 30-December-2005 at 10:43
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Could anyone tell me how straight forward it is to replace my standard headlamps with original Hella angel eyes components. I allready have the headlamp units, but no instructions and no further cables were supplied, Are any required? is there a place to get step by step instructions? |
Replies:
Posted By: 523 iAN
Date Posted: 30-December-2005 at 10:48
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are they made for a 96-2000 model or are they from a 2000-on model? ------------- 2003-530i SE 
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Posted By: GWilmot
Date Posted: 30-December-2005 at 10:51
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Big Ian, I beleive they are for a 1996 to 2000. Any easy way to determine? your car looks A1 mate, congrats. |
Posted By: dutch
Date Posted: 30-December-2005 at 11:18
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takes about 20mins aside,but there should be two small wiring harness's to convert them over,you may also have to gently move the aircon recharge pipe to one side behind the offside headlamp. well worth doing completely updates the look of your bm ------------- e39,1200 bandit cooper S, Z3 topazbleu |
Posted By: 523 iAN
Date Posted: 30-December-2005 at 11:27
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2: bolt's on top, 2: screw's at the rear of the unit and un clip the plug's and your light's should come off, be carefull how you take them away from the car as the small strip below the light is attached to the light (if i remember right?) sorry can't help with any wiring... maybe someone who has changed their's can post up what's needed and what to fit the wire's to (if needed) ------------- 2003-530i SE
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Posted By: Stone-IslandV8
Date Posted: 30-December-2005 at 11:55
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As above-2 bolts ontop of old units take off and 2 behind and low down. Drop all 4 off.
With strip under headlight push in at grill-end and lever out and off.Headlamp comes straight out. As Haynes says refit is reverse of removal BUT you have couple of issues: 1- there are 2 extra wiring pieces needed each side. 2-watch the aircon pipe on the driver's side as it may need to be slightly bent out of the way to get the unit in. 3-you'll need to align the headlamps once fitted. If you can hang on til the morning I'll pop the bonnet and photo the wiring for you. Also will have a look see if the instructions from mine are still knocking around somewhere- know I kept the celis rear instructions but that was cos they were a bit trickier to fit. ------------- Gentlemen I may not have a brain but I do have an idea Past; E39 540T/E46 328CI/ E39 535/ E39 520/ E36 M3/ E36 318iS jet black Mtech/ E46 320d/ E36 318iS diamond black/ E36 318iS blue Mtech kit |
Posted By: GWilmot
Date Posted: 30-December-2005 at 13:16
| thanks very much for your help, I will of course wait until the morning. any details that you have will be very appreciated |
Posted By: Stone-IslandV8
Date Posted: 31-December-2005 at 05:14
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Right these are the best shots I could get as its lashing down with rain............a nice big thank you to the white van man as well who drove thru the puddle by the car soaking me!!!
These angel eyes were added to my 1999 520iSE (now sport spec!!  ). Theres an extra wiring section attached to the headlights and another tucked away at the side for indicators.
Drivers side; 
Drivers side with extra headlamp wiring pulled into view: 
Close-up of indicator extra wiring pulled into view; 
Passenger side; 
Might be worth going to www.hella.com IIRC and getting in touch with one of their stockists to see if you can buy the wiring separately. HTH,John ------------- Gentlemen I may not have a brain but I do have an idea Past; E39 540T/E46 328CI/ E39 535/ E39 520/ E36 M3/ E36 318iS jet black Mtech/ E46 320d/ E36 318iS diamond black/ E36 318iS blue Mtech kit |
Posted By: GWilmot
Date Posted: 31-December-2005 at 08:23
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John, I'm sorry about your early morning shower, van drivers eh!! Thank you for the level of help you have given me, I can see for myself the differance it has had on your BMW. Best Regards & happy new year, Graham. |
Posted By: evoliution
Date Posted: 31-December-2005 at 08:47
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you can buy extra wiring on ebay as i did, http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/E39-BMW-5-series-angel-eye-adaptor-wires-Looms-OEM_W0QQitemZ8002963709QQcategoryZ23009QQcmdZViewItem - http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/E39-BMW-5-series-angel-eye-adaptor-wir es-Looms-OEM_W0QQitemZ8002963709QQcategoryZ23009QQcmdZViewIt em ------------- e39 |
Posted By: Stone-IslandV8
Date Posted: 31-December-2005 at 13:30
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That's Simon-great guy,got my angel eyes and celis rears off him,good price all considered.
Without a doubt the lights have made the biggest impact-did angels at front, clear sides & celis rears. Celis rears were tricky but taking your time gets it right. Wheels also had big impact-surprising as only went from 16s to 17s but did highlight the need for lowering sports springs. John ------------- Gentlemen I may not have a brain but I do have an idea Past; E39 540T/E46 328CI/ E39 535/ E39 520/ E36 M3/ E36 318iS jet black Mtech/ E46 320d/ E36 318iS diamond black/ E36 318iS blue Mtech kit |
Posted By: ahmurray
Date Posted: 01-February-2006 at 09:12
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Hi folks, been reading this thread as I am about to go down this route myself and buy a set of Hella's off ebay: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ANGEL-EYES-KIT-HELLA-FOR-BMW-E39-5-SERIES-BRAND-NEW_W0QQitemZ8033511443QQcategoryZ23009QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem - http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ANGEL-EYES-KIT-HELLA-FOR-BMW-E39-5-SER IES-BRAND-NEW_W0QQitemZ8033511443QQcategoryZ23009QQrdZ1QQcmd ZViewItem Just wanted to confirm - is there any difference between the hella kits for pre or post 2000 cars? mine is a 98 535. Listings says that the lights are for any E39. Also, am i right that the Hella OEMs are the same as the genuine BMW part - my car is 100% genuine and don't want to compromise with any cheap tat. Price of £325 inc vat - dealers quoting best price of £445, so quite a difference, but let me know if I can get them anywhere else cheaper! My n/s headlight is all misted up, so as well as the angel eyes effect, i should get a big improvement in the overall appearance. Cheers, Ali ------------- 
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Posted By: kbannon
Date Posted: 01-February-2006 at 09:29
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The Hella upgrade kit should contain instructions (of limited use), the headlamps themselves and also electrical connectors. It is an easy swop except for the aformentioned aircon pipe which needs to be gently prised backwards to allow the drivers side light in. AFAIK Hella made all E39 headlamps and these should fit no problem ------------- Current: 2009 E60 520d "Sport" tractor Previous: 1989 E30 320i SE 1997 E39 523i 2003 E39 525i Sport Individual |
Posted By: Fey!
Date Posted: 01-February-2006 at 11:18
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I think the Hella e39 upgrade is the same for all e39s. This is how I did mine - http://www.bmwcarclubforum.co.uk/forum_posts.asp?TID=19411&KW=fey+angel+eye - the little things to watch to make life easier! I got mine from OTTO, and they gave me the wiring thingys with them - they only cost a few euros each. Also, as Killian said, there should be a mini book of destruction with the wiring - can't remember if there was one with the lights. Stone - I got Eibach springs from Richie in the Irish forum for €250 (only want to go down 15-20mm). Will post pics when they're fitted if you want. ------------- "http://www.tempoantiques.com""> 
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Posted By: Fey!
Date Posted: 01-February-2006 at 11:32
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Came across these http://cgi.ebay.ie/BMW-E39-Chrome-projector-angel-eye-headlights_W0QQitemZ8032449324QQcategoryZ23009QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem - lights and these http://cgi.ebay.ie/BMW-E39-Black-projector-angel-eye-headlights_W0QQitemZ8032449325QQcategoryZ23009QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem - black ones on ebay. Not sure of make. These are the http://cgi.ebay.ie/BMW-E39-5SERIES-DIAMONT-CUT-CLEAR-TAILLIGHTS_W0QQitemZ8032415621QQcategoryZ72242QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem - back lights . And http://cgi.ebay.ie/BMW-E39-4DR-SALOON-95-00-REAR-LIGHTS-RED-WHITE_W0QQitemZ8032469104QQcategoryZ72242QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem - no-diamond cut . And post '00 http://cgi.ebay.ie/M-Tech-M3-M5-Fog-Lights-for-BMW-E46-E39-3-5-Series_W0QQitemZ8033306329QQcategoryZ28645QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem - foglights . And then there are the http://cgi.ebay.ie/20-Alpina-original-wheels-tyres-for-BMW-E39-E38-E65_W0QQitemZ8033248132QQcategoryZ9888QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem - 20" Alpina Alloys to upgrade to, or maybe http://cgi.ebay.ie/BMW-ORIGINAL18-BBS-RS-Split-E39-32-36-34-24-ALPINA-AC_W0QQitemZ8032643891QQcategoryZ28648QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem - BBS 18" Split Rims !!! How much more of your money can we help spend??? ------------- "http://www.tempoantiques.com"">
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Posted By: ahmurray
Date Posted: 02-February-2006 at 05:20
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Fey, stop it! - my willpower is is in short enough supply as it is without you tempting me!! Hellas are on order, plus the car is in at Chips Away tomorrow to have a couple of scratches removed - should be pretty much mint after that - not bad for 7.5 years old and 100k!! But £500 spent in one week is quite enough. One last question, is it easy to adjust the headlamps correctly - what do you have to do, and are instructions included? Cheers, Ali -------------
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Posted By: ahmurray
Date Posted: 04-February-2006 at 12:43
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Hi people, Just made a new post with this to reach a wider audience, but hoping some of you might be able to help too having done it before: I ordered a pair of Hella Angel Eyes which I tried to fit today - looked on here and found plenty of people saying it was straightforward, but I got well and truly stuck and have given up for today. Here's what I did, Removed all the wiring plugs Undid the four bolts holding the old light in and slid it out. transferred the old trim panel on the bottom of the old light onto the new light removed the mounting bracket for the old light Removed the mounting bracket from the new light and fitted it to the car Here's where I got stuck - no matter how many times i tried, i couldn't get the new light to engage with the mounting plate - there are four sliding brackets underneath that should click home (according to the instructions, but these didn't seem to be lining up correctly - couldn't get my hand round to feel whether i was too high low, left or right - used as much force as I dared but didn't want to break anything. Tried to push the indicator side home first then pivot the rest round as per the instructions , but didn't seem to help. Gave up and put the old ones back with no problem - not sure what the difference is!!! Any advice welcome, as the dealers want £70 + vat to fit! Cheers, Ali -------------
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Posted By: Stone-IslandV8
Date Posted: 05-February-2006 at 03:59
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Ali
Just posted on the other thread but try doing a search on this US site. Theres loads of info on the tips n tricks page-go down to the lights section and angel eyes installation is there; http://www.bmwtips.com/ - http://www.bmwtips.com/ ------------- Gentlemen I may not have a brain but I do have an idea Past; E39 540T/E46 328CI/ E39 535/ E39 520/ E36 M3/ E36 318iS jet black Mtech/ E46 320d/ E36 318iS diamond black/ E36 318iS blue Mtech kit |
Posted By: GWilmot
Date Posted: 16-February-2006 at 13:21
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Ali, Had a similar prob with drivers side. I had to slacken bolts securing new lamp bracket and reposition towards the direction i felt it had to go, I had no further issues and assembly was very simple from there on. Hope this helps! Best Regards Graham |