How to get rid of orange reflectors in headlights

[whitetiger402]

I just bought a 2010 135i and i'm looking to get black kidney grills, and I thought that'd look sick without the orange reflectors in the headlights. What's the best way to get rid of those, either replacing them or smoking em?

Thanks

[IDBMW]

Replacement with European headlight is very expensive but they don’t have the reflectors. The Xeon’s make it a more expensive replacement.

One of my other vehicles is a Toyota Tacoma and some people put their headlights in the oven to get the glue to melt, take them apart to remove the yellow reflectors and glue them back together but that is a little extreme for me and to much to go wrong like sealing it properly.

Something else to consider is if the law enforcement in your area knows about the reflector law. I had a 2000 3 series I replace all the light with clear since it was non Xeon and could get them on e-bay fairly cheap but my local law enforcement does not care or has no clue about the law so I had no issues of getting pulled over.

[SV Concepts III]

Your best option right now is a replacement set of Euro headlights. We are going to test and aftermarket option soon though.

[SV Concepts III]

Your best option right now is a replacement set of Euro headlights. We are going to test and aftermarket option soon though.

[Xyloft]

Originally Posted by IDBMW

Replacement with European headlight is very expensive but they don’t have the reflectors. The Xeon’s make it a more expensive replacement.

One of my other vehicles is a Toyota Tacoma and some people put their headlights in the oven to get the glue to melt, take them apart to remove the yellow reflectors and glue them back together but that is a little extreme for me and to much to go wrong like sealing it properly.

Something else to consider is if the law enforcement in your area knows about the reflector law. I had a 2000 3 series I replace all the light with clear since it was non Xeon and could get them on e-bay fairly cheap but my local law enforcement does not care or has no clue about the law so I had no issues of getting pulled over.

I did the oven trick on my Tiburon back in the day, except instead of using the oven i put them on top of a hotel style wall heater. I put some amber bulbs in so that they still blinked amber.

I know some people put their headlights in the sun in the warmer states to melt that sealant. i never had any problems with it, and I was even able to take them back apart and put the reflectors back in when i sold it.

but.. i haven't looked at these head lights and if they are easy to pull apart or not. you could always put some dark tint over them or something too.

[whitetiger402]

Originally Posted by Nick@Jlevi SW

Your best option right now is a replacement set of Euro headlights. We are going to test and aftermarket option soon though.

ok cool i'll look into those, thanks.

[guydude]

i actually really liek the orange on my E82 135is....i hated it on my e46's, and its was okay on the e90, but i wouldnt change it on the 1....

[Project1]

Ready to see the aftermarket options...because paying for the euro conversion is NOT happening...

[Lester]

This topic comes up about every three months. I still have not heard of anybody having the balls to stick their $1,250 (each) headlights into an oven to see if the amber reflectors will turn clear, or attempted to take them apart.

FYI - part of the DOC quality spec is that the plastic has to withstand high temperatures for several hours without losing it's color, so I think the heat test is going to fail.

[HondaGoneRogue]

Putting it in the oven doesn't change the color. I think that's what your suggesting. "Baking" them just melts the adhesive that holds the housing together so that you can pull it apart and remove the reflector manually. That's how it has always been done on other cars.

[thez99]

Wait, arent there overlays you can buy in darker tinted colors to set over the orange reflectors on the outside of the light? Light permanent vinyl adhesive?

[HondaGoneRogue]

Yes, but depending on the color of your car, it can look tacky. It doesn't flow well with white, sadona, or other light colors. The greys and blacks look great however. I can't remember who sells them though.

[Stuck]

Originally Posted by HondaGoneRogue

Putting it in the oven doesn't change the color. I think that's what your suggesting. "Baking" them just melts the adhesive that holds the housing together so that you can pull it apart and remove the reflector manually. That's how it has always been done on other cars.

This was the exact process I used when clearing the lights on my STi. It's not that difficult, but it is a little time consuming and leaves little margin for error. Since you remove the lighting from the assembly (i.e. ballast, etc) there is little chance for harm in the oven - most problems occur during the resealing process. If the lights aren't resealed properly, water will flood the ballast and you'll need to have it replaced, which costs $$.

Here's the DIY I used for my old car http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/show...ear+headlights - the light removal is obviously different for ours but the heating/re-bonding procedure should be the same. To be honest, it's more intimidating than it is difficult because of the small margin for error.

[HondaGoneRogue]

The problem is ours aren't made with the same "Glue". So we can't bake them anyway.

[Makkasteez]

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y55...-6-2010031.jpg
I had a local body shop(Harbor Motorsports) cover them up for me with paint. It is rembovable and coast me only $40. I like them IMO

[Makkasteez]

Sorry picture link got messed up..
Check em out on my thread : http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=370695

[rsjean]

Originally Posted by Makkasteez

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y55...-6-2010031.jpg
I had a local body shop(Harbor Motorsports) cover them up for me with paint. It is rembovable and coast me only $40. I like them IMO

So what kind of ticket is driving a vehicle with no turn signals in OC? Fixit or moving violation?

[Lester]

The amber portion is on the reflector only. If you cover it up, the turn signal will still work. The Euro headlights have a white reflector, instead of Amber.

In the USA, amber refletors are required by NHTSA and DOT regulations. In theory, your car could get ticketed or even impounded for not complying, however most agancies have no active enforcement. You could make the car legal by placing alternate amber reflectors somewhere else on the front, similar to what BMW has done on the new X6. The 1 series has the reflector integrated into the light assembly.

Euro spec headlights are allowed in Canada under a special exemption.