BMW E36 Blog

Hi Guys,

First of all, let me start today’s post by welcoming our new friend Mortuis Gratis. As you may know, I added the post Welcome BMW E36 blog readers! and I asked the members of this blog to fill in their information in order to get to know each other. The goal is to create a community of BMW E36 enthusiasts. So, if you love BMW E36 cars, and didn’t read that post yet, please do and remember to post your information. I really like hearing from you guys. Until this moment, I received responses from 6 guys and girls + me :-), but of course I’m looking for more E36 lovers.

Now for today’s post: In the last couple days, I noticed that my right headlight is getting very dirty and it even started screaming at me to clean it. Every time I see that light, I feel a little guilty for leaving it like this and try to pretend like I didn’t see it. Yesterday, I decided to look up for some information on how to clean BMW E36 headlights and fortunately, I found this DIY (Do It Yourself!) on how this can be done. From the description of the process, it seems quite easy and I’m intending to do it for my car very soon. But, I hope that my headlights can be cleaned in the same way. My car has a totally different headlights, and I’m not sure if this procedure will work on it. But I don’t have anything to lose, so I will try it.

You too, if your headlights are dirty or started looking ugly, maybe it’s time for you to do some cleaning. Please read the DIY below and if you have any notes or questions , please let me know.

Disclaimer: Use this info at your own risk!! I’m not responsible if this didn’t work for you.

1. First, you have to remove your corner lamps. Remove the indicator lamp bulb, then use a screwdriver to pry the clip that holds the indicator lamp free. Slide the indicator lamp out forwards.

 

2. You can now remove the headlights. To do so, you need to remove the 3 screws that are on the top, and two on the side. On my car, they were all Phillips screws. The screw below the indicator lamp area is quite hard to get to. It would probably be relatively easy if you have a short Phillips screwdriver.

 

Pull the headlamp out towards you, then disconnect the connectors. Set your precious headlamp down on a soft, gentle surface!

 

 

3. There will be 2 small metal clips on both the top and bottom of the ellipsoids. Unclip them by prying them off with a flathead screwdriver. Remember to pry from the plastic end because you might break/chip the glass if you apply too much force on it.

 

4. Unhook the 5 big plastic clips (3 on top and 2 on the bottom) with a flathead screwdriver.

 

 

5. You should now be able to separate the lens part from the reflector part of the headlight. Pull them in separate directions. They might be tight, so wiggle them free.

 

6. This is how your headlight will look like when it has been opened:

 

 

7. Notice that both lenses are held in by factory silicone. Using a blade, slice them off. Your lenses should now fall out quite easily. If they don’t, you can use a flathead screwdriver to gently nudge it out. Be very, very careful!

 

 

8. Clean the insides of the headlight thoroughly. I sprayed window cleaner then used newspaper to wipe it clean. You may want to wipe the projector for the low beam as well. Remember to wipe underneath the projector lens! You will see a definite improvement in clarity.

 

9. Make sure you have gotten rid of most, if not all, of the factory silicone. Put the lenses back into their original positions. Double check by looking at the orientation of the other headlight. Now, apply new silicone (I used Selley’s Marine Sealant silicone) to the rim of the lenses (where the factory silicone was before). Let the silicone dry, then make sure the lenses are secure.

 

 

10. Double check for any smudges on the glass, then reassemble in the reverse order of disassembly.

 

Now, let’s make a comparison:

 

Dirty Left Ellipsoid

 

 

Clean Right Ellipsoid

 

 

 

At this point you’ll say “That was worth it!”

 

Are you looking for more do it yourself procedures (DIY) ? I recommend the Bentley BMW 3 series service manual for you. I got it and I think it’s a gold mine for us -BMW E36 Owners-. If you didn’t grab your copy yet, get it right now! I’m sure you’ll find this book worth every penny you’ve paid for. Get the Bentley BMW 3 series service manual

BMW E36 Blog: The ultimate source of information about BMW E36 cars.

Best regards,

Tony Sticks.

Today, we have two new friends who filled their information in our BMW E36 enthusiasts community. Please welcome Steve and Tomas. Thank you guys for filling your info. I’m really glad to see this list grow day by day since I made the post. For those of you who like BMW E36 cars, and they didn’t read my post Welcome BMW E36 blog readers! yet, please do and let’s hear from you. I’m expecting this list to grow bigger in the coming few days. What are you waiting for? Come on, join us!

CSL: I recall, if I’m not mistaken, that I heard about this car two or three years ago, but I’m not 100% sure if it was the same one that we will watch it today. The one thing that stayed in my mind about this car is the CSL. It was the first time I hear that BMW has a CSL type. Of course I was (hmmm…and still) amazed by the power and style of this super M3. The only thing that shocked me today is to learn that this car doesn’t come with A/C, heated seats and even radio LOOOL. Can you believe a BMW M3 with no radio? I don’t. The car has thin glass to minimize weight and it has a carbon fiber top.

OK, enough of me, I will leave you to enjoy the sight and the sound of the BMW M3 CSL.

Enjoy…

For those of you who liked this car. I meant all of you because I’m almost sure no one can hate such a car, you can find some more details about it and some wallpapers for your desktop here.

I hope you liked the video . . . if not, come on let’s see your videos 😉

Wait for more from BMW E36 Blog.

Best regards,

Tony Sticks.

I’ve found an article that is talking about a service called SameLane. Now this service seems to be promising and I really like the idea behind it. Imagine that you’re driving on a highway alone and you’re feeling really bored because of the endless road. Of course, having a friend or a wife sitting in the passenger seat will solve that problem. But I can recall many times when I was driving by myself and the road looked really long. Anyway, the service will simply allow you to call other drivers that you can see their cars plates. When you see the Samelane sticker on that car, you pick your phone and dial the SameLane mobile phone number and enter the license plate of the car in front of you. This will allow you to call the driver in the other car…cool huh. I would love to try the service.

The idea of this service is very simple and that’s what I like about it. Did you guys try it before? If yes, how was it?

Wait for more from BMW E36 Blog.

Best regards,

Tony Sticks.

First of all, I want to welcome our new friend here Dima Krivko from San Mateo, CA. We’re trying to create a community of BMW E36 enthusiasts, so if you didn’t read my post Welcome BMW E36 blog readers! yet, please do and let’s hear from you. I really love hearing from you guys and to know that I’m not the only one who is reading this blog.

OK, enough talking about the blog. Today, I’m presenting to you a lesson about why you shouldn’t try to look cool in your BMW unless you’re 100% sure of what you’re doing. If you’re not sure about it, then just don’t do it. Otherwise, you’ll end up being laughing at! like our friend here.

I know that many of you will find this a little bit crazy and you will say to yourselves why he’s posting such things. Well, I have 2 reasons for that:

1. Because I really hate when I see such burnouts. This doesn’t mean that I hate all burnouts (on the contrary, I love burnouts like this, this, this and this), but some burnouts just go too far (like this one) which stops being funny at all. It reminds me of the donuts between cars video which I posted before.

2. To give you an advice on how not to try new things unless you know for sure that you’re in control of the beast you’re riding 🙂 .

Enjoy…

Lets hear you guys. What do you think of this BMW video and what do you think this guy feels while he’s upside down!

I hope you liked the video . . . if not, come on let’s see your videos 😉

Wait for more from BMW E36 Blog.

Best regards,

Tony Sticks.

What? You were looking for hot chick photos? I’m sorry, this is a BMW website. Does this work for you? If yes, please read on.

I’ve been looking for Miss July 2007 and I found a post by Braymond141 who is showing his car which I have to admit that it’s looking great. Shinny and well maintained. So I decided to feature her as our Miss July 2007. I hope I won’t get some heat because of this from angry guys here who were expecting a fine girl in bikini.

If you have missed our previous models, you can still check them out here.

BTW, do you think this cool BMW E36 will look good in a red bikini?

Enjoy and I’m sorry again for the disappointment (if any 🙂 )

Wait for more from BMW E36 Blog.

best regards,

Tony Sticks.