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DIY Facelift Coupe Angel Eyes

314K views 376 replies 109 participants last post by  sillieidiot 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
LeontiyZHP's DIY For Facelift Angel Eyes

I'm not a professional installer and I'm not going to be held liable for anything that may go wrong with the install. I'm simply stating the instruction I followed when installing my CCFL Angel Eyes. Anything you do wrong is your own fault. I've never done anything like that before, but still was able to accomplish this on my own. So do this at your own risk! Some of these steps might sound just like the ones that are listed in the sources I've used, which are very helpful BTW.
MAKE SURE TO TEST THE ANGEL EYES PRIOR TO GOING THROUGH ALL THE TROUBLE OF INSTALLING THEM. MAKE SURE THEY WORK!



I would recommend to start with the wiring in order to make sure that you have proper connections and that angel eyes are in working condition.



I followed the instructions of "FastM," which are found in the e46fanatics DIY forum. http://www.fastm.com/m3/angeleyes.html

Begin with taking off the headlight.
• Remove trim, under the headlight.
• Remove 4 screws, 2 on top, and 2 on the bottom, can be seen between the headlight and the bumper. (I used an 8mm driver)
• Unplug all of the headlight connectors, should be 5.
• Take out the headlight, have to wiggle it around some and get the right angle for it. (My left came out a lot easier than the right, not sure why.)
• You can also use "Sillieidiot's" instructions on removing the headlight. http://www.socale46.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=1541#1541

Disassembling the Headlight.
• Torque wrench/screw driver needed
• Remove the connectors on the bottom of the headlight, 2 silver blocks with connectors, 3 screws each.
• Take off, 2 rubber tubes on each side of the headlight
• Remove the rubber trim on the side of the headlight
• Remove the turn signal bulb
• Remove 2 screws on the back
REMEMBER WHERE EVERYTHING NEEDS TO GO BECAUSE YOU WILL NEED TO PUT IT ALL BACK TOGETHER



Heating and Taking apart the Headlight (Followed instructions from http://www.jlevisw.com/Bake.pdf)
• Preheat the oven: 250' F
• Make sure to have: a flathead screwdriver, Mittens, and Heat Protective gloves.
• Place the headlight onto an aluminum sheet
• Set timer to 15 minutes
• Place the headlight into the oven
• Watch the progress, make sure the headlight doesn't start to melt for some reason, 250' is not hot enough to melt the headlight, and did nothing to mine.
• Once the timer runs out, take out the headlight with the mittens or something to protect you from the heat, IT WILL BE HOT!!
• Start to wiggle the screwdriver in between the clear and black parts of the headlight. Make sure to unclip the clips between the pieces. BE CAREFUL NOT TO BREAK THEM!
• Pull the headlight lens apart from the base
• There will be a couple of screws that you will need to unscrew to take the interior pieces of the headlight apart.




Installing the Angel Eyes• Once the headlight is apart, place the angel eyes in the desired location and make sure to use double sided take to secure them in place.
• Run the wire to the back. Once the headlight was assembled back, I ran mine through the cap of the xenon headlamp.



Assembling everything back together
• Assemble the interior of the headlight back.
• Assemble the headlight together. Basically undo everything that you needed to do to take it apart.

I decided to smoke my corners at the same time.




• DO NOT SCREW ANYTHING BACK YET.
• Once everything is placed together, place the Headlight back in the oven just like you did the first time. This will allow the glue to heat up again, and will enable you to ensure that the headlight is glued back together. Once you take out the headlight, IT WILL BE HOT!!! Make sure to push everything back into place, and make sure that the clips are in the desired position. Make sure not to break anything.
• After the headlight is together in one piece, you can safely screw everything back into place, and place the rubbers back on it.
• You can now place the headlight back in place and test it out.

Complete setup Pictures




Sources:
1. Wiring - http://www.fastm.com/m3/angeleyes.html
a. http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=570822&page=2
This contains a video of the second trigger wire that I had to connect
2. Baking the Headlight - http://www.jlevisw.com/Bake.pdf
3. Sillieidiot's Guide to taking the Headlights off http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showpost.php?p=9217044
4. There's might have been other sources that I've looked through, but cannot remember which ones, so I apologize for not quoting.
http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=551767 - Another thread I used.
http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=576910 - Questions I had.
 
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#2 · (Edited)
very nice, everything looks good. finally someone did a DIY lol, i was going to do one if you didn't.

one thing, i thought you should add is: when you start prying the headlight apart, start from the corner/side of your highbeams and work your way to the corner lights. then as you're getting them farther apart, start to pull the lense (headlight cover) up and diagonally away from the housing. you will see why when you do it.

also, if you don't mind. i'm going to put your DIY in my sig under the facelift coupe DIYs. i'll put your name next to it as well.
 
#7 ·
Thanks.. I hope so.. I mean I had difficulty searching on it when I decided to go through with it.

smoke look is sick

i think i'll do that when i do the LED angel eyes

:thumbsup:
I really like the look as well.. It looks really nice during the day/early evening since the corners aren't clear.. It would def look nice with your color :thumbsup:
 
#6 ·
I set it to Bake.. I think the most important part of it was that the oven is preheated to that degree and the glue will soften up which allows the headlight to be pulled apart. But I honestly, would have no idea if or what difference it would make.. :hmm:
 
#10 · (Edited)
Modbargains .. I dont know if anyone has come out with the LED for facelift coupes yet..

EDIT: But i know there are a lot of manufacturers that carry them, honestly don't know the difference in quality as I got mine as a gift and didn't do much research on my own..

They are the 6000K
 
#24 ·
But don't they already have the LEDs for the prefacelifts and M3s? or they rnt out yet? lol I just havent seen any yet..

good write up :thumbsup:
i've been holding out on buying angel eyes until the new 60 LED ones come out for the FL Coupes/Verts. but once they do come out, i'll def look at this DIY for guidance.
Thanks! It's a great addon IMO. :thumbsup:
 
#29 ·
I don't think so, I know that taking the headlight out is a little more complicated/hard, but all the components need get screwed off the light before you bake it.

What type of spraypaint did you use and where did you get it from? I'm thinking about doing the same.
I went to a local hobby shop, they had a small bottle of it. Not sure if they called it transparent paint, but I asked for spray tint and they knew what I was talking about. It's def different for the coupes, I haven't seen any with smoked corners thats why I decided to do something different. You can also try and photoshop it and see if you like it, thats what I did as well. :thumbsup:
 
#30 ·
^ I'm going to a shop and ask for spray tint. Looking at your picture I really like it so no need to photoshop thanks to you :). Do you do many coats? Use any clearcoat?

I also needed to re-glue the housing for one of my headlights because it gets fogged up. Do you happen to know what kind of sealant I should use and where to get it from? thanks.
 
#34 ·
I believe I did 2 coats of spray, and a couple w/ clear.. I also was told to wetsand it, but I have no idea how to do that, so i didn't bother.. Do it to your own taste and how dark you want it. If you can, do a couple of test sprays on something else to see how dark it gets.
Sorry but I won't be able to help you out with sealant, I have no idea bout which on is used in the headlights.

Alright I really hope this isn't a stupid question ... but is that the only way to get the headlights open? So every car that I see that has been modded has done something similar to this process? There is no easier way to install these things? I just get a little weary when I have to bake car parts other than paint haha. Thanks for the write-up though. It's really thorough and has great pics.
Only on 04-06 coupes and X5. Sedans are clip-in lenses and do not require baking.
+1.. Assuming you have an 05, if you have a coupe you'll need to bake it, a sedan then your life is a lot easier! :thumbsup:
 
#31 ·
Alright I really hope this isn't a stupid question ... but is that the only way to get the headlights open? So every car that I see that has been modded has done something similar to this process? There is no easier way to install these things? I just get a little weary when I have to bake car parts other than paint haha. Thanks for the write-up though. It's really thorough and has great pics.
 
#41 ·
TY! :thumbsup:
I got it from the hobby shop. it's the Testors Spray Lacquer: Transparent Black Window Tint. There were some other brands and styles there, like smoke, but I have no idea what it looks like. GL on doing yours! :thumbsup:
 
#45 ·
+1.. No need to retype the same stuff as on the other links..

will these angel eyes work with the facelift styles with the rotating headlights? also, what do they plug into?
Ya.. I believe all facelifts w/ xenons are adaptive or w/e. Nothing rotates but the bulb inside from what I know, maybe i'm wrong, but nothing in the headlight itself moves.
The wiring instructions are in one of the links on the first page.
 
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