BMW 1 Series Coupe Forum / 1 Series Convertible Forum (1M / tii / 135i / 128i / Coupe / Cabrio / Hatchback) (BMW E82 E88 128i 130i 135i)
 





 

Post Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
      10-28-2019, 03:38 PM   #1
JelenaA21
New Member
5
Rep
17
Posts

Drives: 2010 BMW 128i M
Join Date: Oct 2019
Location: CANADA

iTrader: (0)

*Urgent* Headlight lens swap

Hello everyone!

I just have a quick question it might be pretty dumb but I just need to make sure 100 percent before attempting. I have a 2010 128i with adaptive control headlights and unfortunately the other weekend my father backed into the car and smashed the passenger headlight lens, a new one is extremely expensive and a used one is still pretty pricey. I found a used headlight with Halogens, broken tabs and lens in good shape for cheap under $100 shipped.

Anyways the question is: ARE THE LENSES IDENTICAL FOR THE SWAP?
And also what adhesive would be best to use for sealing the lens after.

THANK YOU!!

My headlight
Name:  Screenshot_20191028-162719_1.jpg
Views: 807
Size:  81.7 KB

Halogen replacement lens
Name:  Screenshot_20191028-163030_1.png
Views: 639
Size:  517.1 KB

Last edited by JelenaA21; 10-29-2019 at 06:18 AM..
Appreciate 0
      10-29-2019, 08:17 AM   #2
ShocknAwe
1Addict
ShocknAwe's Avatar
3202
Rep
7,860
Posts

Drives: E82 Mutt, M57 Truck
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Charleston

iTrader: (22)

Pretty sure the lens is identical. They're not remotely easily removed however. Have you read up on how to do that?
__________________
2010 135i 6MT Jet Black
N54/3 FE82 Mutt | BUILD THREAD | GARAGE SALE
Appreciate 0
      10-29-2019, 10:48 AM   #3
tracer bullet
Brigadier General
tracer bullet's Avatar
United_States
2293
Rep
3,464
Posts

Drives: '11 135i , '15 X3 35i
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Saint Paul, MN

iTrader: (1)

Agreed, not an easy job. And, I hope this doesn't sound bad, but if you are asking about things like what adhesive to use, you might not be quite ready to dive into the job itself. I don't want to discourage you from trying, but I would say to have a backup plan in case it goes badly. As recommended above, read up on some how-to's people have written describing what they tried and get a feel for if you're ready for it, have the tools needed, and so on.
Appreciate 0
      10-29-2019, 11:36 AM   #4
JelenaA21
New Member
5
Rep
17
Posts

Drives: 2010 BMW 128i M
Join Date: Oct 2019
Location: CANADA

iTrader: (0)

Quote:
Originally Posted by ShocknAwe View Post
Pretty sure the lens is identical. They're not remotely easily removed however. Have you read up on how to do that?
Ok thank you! And yeah I read they're very difficult to remove but I've done lots of reading and watched a few videos so fingers crossed!
Appreciate 0
      10-29-2019, 11:44 AM   #5
JelenaA21
New Member
5
Rep
17
Posts

Drives: 2010 BMW 128i M
Join Date: Oct 2019
Location: CANADA

iTrader: (0)

Quote:
Originally Posted by tracer bullet View Post
Agreed, not an easy job. And, I hope this doesn't sound bad, but if you are asking about things like what adhesive to use, you might not be quite ready to dive into the job itself. I don't want to discourage you from trying, but I would say to have a backup plan in case it goes badly. As recommended above, read up on some how-to's people have written describing what they tried and get a feel for if you're ready for it, have the tools needed, and so on.
No worries! I've taken apart headlights before on my old car a while back, it wasn't a BMW but I understand the process a little, back then I used some glue I found at Canadian Tire which seemed to hold up for the life of the car but I plan to keep this vehicle for longer and was wondering if there was a specific adhesive I should be using for this, especially a BMW. I don't really have a back up plan but I'm going to start with taking apart the cheaper headlight ($100) first and see how that goes before I attempt removing the lens on my light.
Appreciate 1
      10-29-2019, 01:08 PM   #6
tracer bullet
Brigadier General
tracer bullet's Avatar
United_States
2293
Rep
3,464
Posts

Drives: '11 135i , '15 X3 35i
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Saint Paul, MN

iTrader: (1)

Yeah, good plan to play with a bad headlight first and get a feel for things. Good too to hear you've done this type stuff before.

I think the plastics are going to be polypropylene for the housing and polycarbonate for the clear lens, and an epoxy would be the best type of adhesive for this. The thicker the better so it stays in place. In case that helps decide what to seal it with.

Worst case you are back to where you started and have to buy a headlight anyhow!
Appreciate 0
      10-29-2019, 07:09 PM   #7
acoustix
Lieutenant
acoustix's Avatar
Canada
268
Rep
437
Posts

Drives: 135i/1M Conversion, MK7 GTI
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: Niagara/Markham

iTrader: (2)

The lenses are exactly the same, open the wrecked headlight first as tracer mentioned. It's really not that hard. it may seem intimidating but the trick is to use the proper tools. you also don't need to cut them open. I have a write up in the DIY section on what I found was the best way to open our headlights. its stickied at the top of the subforum. hope this helps!
__________________
Appreciate 1
Post Reply

Bookmarks

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off



All times are GMT -5. The time now is 11:59 PM.




1addicts
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
1Addicts.com, BIMMERPOST.com, E90Post.com, F30Post.com, M3Post.com, ZPost.com, 5Post.com, 6Post.com, 7Post.com, XBimmers.com logo and trademark are properties of BIMMERPOST