Gp Thunder DIY please?

[amsfoto]

I have big hands, and I got them in my 135 with no issues. Just had to remember exactly how to maneuver them in and out and it wasn't that hard. Patience is key I guess. I can see getting frustrated would make it harder.

[stunn2night]

pop the side clips, then slide the cover up, plug in bulbs, slide the covers down make sure the two tabs go in the hole then pop clips back on

[ad78]

installed mine just now.. its dead simple, so dark and flashlight on mouth that came with bmw.
anyway, the trick part is putting back the black plastic and not the clip actually. the black plastic has a 2 teeth. allign those to the hole and from there you can easily click the clip.

for me its not the "bitch clip" it was the "bitch cover"
but if you figure out both, the next time you replace the bulb it will be easy.

[InsaneSkippy]

Originally Posted by ad78

installed mine just now.. its dead simple, so dark and flashlight on mouth that came with bmw.
anyway, the trick part is putting back the black plastic and not the clip actually. the black plastic has a 2 teeth. allign those to the hole and from there you can easily click the clip.

for me its not the "bitch clip" it was the "bitch cover"
but if you figure out both, the next time you replace the bulb it will be easy.

x2 the clips are nothing compared to trying to get the cover back on.

[larryn]

The bottom of the cover has a rectangular tab on it, that goes into a slot. Make sure that the bitch clips are swung all the way to the left and right (out of the way), and tilt the top of the cover out, then pull up to take the rectangular tab out of the slot it is in.

[ad78]

be careful shaking the cover, you might damage that round electrical stuff inside.

[E92-Lighting]

if you have smaller hands, it might be easier than with bigger hands

just wear gloves just in case you touch the bulb, which means less life for your bulb

[Noize]

This is pure, unadulterated hell.

I removed and installed the driver one in a total of two minutes. Ha ha, I thought. Those guys on 1addicts must be mechanical morons.

Yeah, right. The reason this happened is because I didn't pull the ears out of the bottom of the driver side. When I popped the passenger side, the ears came out. I removed the whole cover since they were already out for easier access, and I have sliced my hands up pretty good trying to hit the angle to get the ears back in again and again and again on the passenger side.

I've given up. I'm going to take it by one of my friends to let him try. I just won't drive it in the rain the next couple of days and wait till its dry. FRAKKING COVER!! I feel like such a moron.

Any easy trick? I've done way bigger mechanical things than this, but can't believe how hard this is.

[E92-Lighting]

dont lose your "b**ch* clip

[rcracer_tx]

Originally Posted by E92-Lighting

dont lose your "b**ch* clip

LOL, that clip is the biggest pain in the ass I have ever seen...It took forever to get that POS back in place

[E92-Lighting]

LMAO just dont lose it its hard to get back into place

[Noize]

OK, there's a remedy for the passenger side. The reason the cover is hard to put back in place is that there's no room to work.

The easy way to do it is to take a 10mm socket and remove those canisers, they're on a bracket. You can route the hoses out of their carriers and rotate the whole thing up and out of your way. This will take you about 5 minutes max.

Now, you can get to the passenger cover, and come at an angle to place the ears back in their bottom slots. This will take no time at all now that you have room to work. There is a larger metal bracket that houses two large black hoses. You can just push that back. With the canister bracket out of the way, there's plenty of room.

And that's it. Its cake this way.

[BlackjackMulligan]

I got mine in tonight, it took me about 20 minutes or so....no issues. I didn't pull the entire cover off, I just undid the bitch clips and pushed the cover back and the clips on the bottom stayed in their slots apparently. This gave enough room to get inside, barely. I used an adjustable wrench on the back of the bulb (carefully!) to twist it in order to get it out. Once it's disengaged, the wire is thankfully long enough to pull it beyond the big black cover so you can replace the bulb. Once I got the bulb lined back up and started again I used the wrench to twist it back into place. Folded the cover back up and snapped the clips back into place. I did remove 2 bolts for the bracket holding the canisters on the passenger side for more room as suggested above and I think that gave me more room to work, although again I didn't completely need to remove the black cover.

One question: I believe that the passenger side cover is sealed up, the bitch clips are back in place as they were, but how do you KNOW that the cover is sealed? Obviously you can't see or feel below it to tell. Should I assume that since the clips went back into place that the cover is all set and sealed?

[BSM 135i]

Originally Posted by BlackjackMulligan

One question: I believe that the passenger side cover is sealed up, the bitch clips are back in place as they were, but how do you KNOW that the cover is sealed? Obviously you can't see or feel below it to tell. Should I assume that since the clips went back into place that the cover is all set and sealed?

SOMEONE PLEASE ANSWER THIS!!! when i got my GP's in i was going to install them and unclipped the bitch clips and took off the covers half way and decided i didn't want to do it afterall and put everything back, ever since i've been wondering the same question!

[shadowiix]

This was the worst install i have ever done. started off thinking okay this should be easy. it wasnt, the driver side came right off and back on just like it was suppose to. I tried the left side but you cant even fully remove the cover, to much crap in the way. so i tried to remove the head light house altogether only to find that you cant unless you remove the front bumper? so after about 15min i get frustrated and change the bulb with the cover half off. took another 30min to try to get the cover back on. lost one screw while trying to screw the head unit back in bah. i wonder how im going to change out my xenon lights.

[Monaco35Dream]

Originally Posted by shadowiix

This was the worst install i have ever done. started off thinking okay this should be easy. it wasnt, the driver side came right off and back on just like it was suppose to. I tried the left side but you cant even fully remove the cover, to much crap in the way. so i tried to remove the head light house altogether only to find that you cant unless you remove the front bumper? so after about 15min i get frustrated and change the bulb with the cover half off. took another 30min to try to get the cover back on. lost one screw while trying to screw the head unit back in bah. i wonder how im going to change out my xenon lights.

here is your answer...makes it a ton easier!!

Originally Posted by Noize

OK, there's a remedy for the passenger side. The reason the cover is hard to put back in place is that there's no room to work.

The easy way to do it is to take a 10mm socket and remove those canisers, they're on a bracket. You can route the hoses out of their carriers and rotate the whole thing up and out of your way. This will take you about 5 minutes max.

Now, you can get to the passenger cover, and come at an angle to place the ears back in their bottom slots. This will take no time at all now that you have room to work. There is a larger metal bracket that houses two large black hoses. You can just push that back. With the canister bracket out of the way, there's plenty of room.

And that's it. Its cake this way.

[shadowiix]

So i took your tip and its not the canister thats in the way it is some random pipe that goes to the radiator that prevents me from pulling the cap off easily. so i unscrewed the screws to the headlight and pushed it forward a bit to give me more space but taking off the other junk next to it help too. is it just me or do the gp thunders 8500k look a bit yellow and they are not nearly as bright as stock ones. Has anyone tried the ion yellows?

[adrean8j]

So I just changed mine as well (GP Thunder 7500). The passenger side was not really HARD persay but more time consuming. You do not need small hands.

1. Remove the bracket with the two reservoirs.
a. Loosen top left bolt
b. Loosen lower forward bolt on bracket.
c. Remove nut for the forward reservoir, then set reservoir on plastic engine cover.
d. Remove lower rearward bolt on bracket.
e. Take out bracket.

2. This should leave plenty of room to work and take out lamp. Lamp rotates counter-clockwise for removal.

Remember the the plastic cover ROTATES in counter clockwise from left to right. This will insure both clips on the bottom slide into position. You may have to tuck wire wrap going to your Xenon ballast in a bit so it does not catch on the cover. The rest is exactly the same as the driver side! Good to go!

[kingnonis]

this is horrible. I have never EVER done something that has brought me closer to a heart attack than this. The damned passenger cover keeps knocking out my bitchclip and I have given up. My hands look like they were put in a pool of barbed wire. I'd rather take it to a shop and pay...I got so frustrated I threw the cover across the parking garage (bad move).

[TT1351]

Originally Posted by TT1351

If you break the cornering light covers, guess what you can't buy new ones as BMW doesn't list them. Don't ask me how I know, and someone prove me wrong, Please!!
Fran

Anyone know of replacement cover availability, I was told by dealer parts guy, and by Dan @ united there is no part number, have to buy a new headlight, has this changed? TIA
Fran

[SlickShift]

If it makes you guy feel any better, I screamed out of fustration while doing this a few weeks ago.

[rodi]

son of a bitch passenger side. i ended up just replacing the bulb with the cover still on, very carefully. could not for the life of me wiggle the cover off completely with the oil cooler parts in the way.

my H8 bulb went out and i replaced it with stock. dealer wanted $150 to do this, told them to screw themselves and just give me the bulb. still worth the effort though.