Any fix for headlight inside lens yellowing - "burn in"?

[t-tony]

Hi Paul it is @ZEDonist UK who does these lights mate.

Tony.

 

[Mus Musculus]

I cleaned mine.but they still have condensation on the inside.i remember seeing there was a guy who converted the existing units to angel eye.it was a good price. BUT. I can't find him now on here' or bmw club site.let me know if anyone knows the chap please.

The member is @ZEDonist UK , and the site is ZEDonist

Non-OEM lights from 2Excite here BMW Z3 1996-2002 Chrome Angel Eye Headlights, if you don't care for keeping it standard.

 

[Paul&Di]

Thanks .I prefer to look original and at age of 24 it's edging the limits of 90's tech.ya for the info .

 

[ZEDonist UK]

Thanks for referencing me guys.
I really like the OEM look too with a few knobs on.
Eg a Bluetooth old school looking radio, coilovers to exactly match the oem sports suspension setup or Halos hidden as below…


I’ve done a few for people now. “You” take the headlights out and post them to me. I’ll fit the angel eyes behind the lenses (so they’re practically invisible when off) and post them back with a wiring harness which is close to being plug and play.
What I’ve done recently is send a little video of my Z3 showing how to wire it in just to keep life simple.

It’s all a diy job if you’re handy and can’t fit a headlight in your oven but it’s a few hours work on each one.

 

[elky]

@elky are there any people breaking Z3’s in Denmark so you can get a replacement? It won’t matter the condition as long as the inner lens isn’t yellowed.

If you heat the headlight in the oven you can remove the front exterior cover which you have polished. This gives you access to the degraded inner lens to remove and replace it.

Yes I see a few scrap Z3s popping up at Schmiedmann (a dedicated shop for BMWs), but if I don't feel comfortable opening the headlight seal, because I've heard a lot of stories with water coming in. Since the yellow is not that dramatic, I will wait a bit and see how if any used headlight appear in the market

 

[Mus Musculus]

@Paul&Di I understand your point but, whilst I prefer to keep my cars standard, I've changed the headlight of my 50 years old Triumph Spitfire for the sake of better visibility. Even though I avoid using the car when it's dark, sometimes it's unavoidable. I've been caught on many trips down to Goodwood...

Mind, I've jut kept the old unit around, so if I ever sell the car I can swap/provide the old headlight.

 

[Mike Fishwick]

By 'Lens' I meant the prismatic bit next to the bulb - not the outer cover! Is the facelift headlamp really fitted with a plastic lens? I had to buy new LHD headlamps when we moved to France in 2004, and I would say that they are glass . . .

 

[ZEDonist UK]

Hi Mike

Yes. Any facelift headlight with the chrome trim has a plastic internal lens.
They yellow with heat and age.

I did make some replacements but I couldn’t get the chrome to match. Life gets in the way of the hobby. Perhaps I need to pick it up again.

 

[elky]

Another question, if I find pre-facelift headlights used but in good condition, do they fit my face-lift Z3?

 

[smarkhauser]

In my opinion it must be the heat from the bulb. On the original assembly I had the plastic lens was actually melted so had to replace the assemblies. Now 15 years later the new assemblies are doing the same thing. I tried splitting the old ones with some success however I could not source any glass lens. My have to go for aftermarket but am concerned about compatibility as there is a bulb sensor of some kind.

 

[Stevo7682]

Glass lenses are fitted to pre face-lift headlights only face-lift model all plastic
Stephen.