E46 headlamp (dipped beam) bulb changing grief!!

Scania

Scania

Scania

Caporegime
Joined
25 Nov 2004
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On the road....
N/S dipped beam (H7 bulb) blew this morning at 04:00 - they never fail at a convenient time eh?? :p - anyway, whipped out my spare, removed the old bulb as per the handbook, but for the life of me can't get the fitting to screw back in again! :o

The cars handbook simply stated turn the fitting to the left to remove - I assume the reverse to re-fit - yet it won't go back in....

Any suggestions? am I doing something daft here or what?? :o

Never encountered this before with any of my BMW's , other cars come to think about it or trucks - which usually don't have handbooks and you have to figure it out for yourself....

Stumped!!! :o

Any pointers appreciated!! :)
 
Embarrassingly I had similar problems with my E46 when I first got it :o It'd turn but it felt like only one side was 'locking' into place.

Had to rotate the bulb around and it only properly locked in then.
 
Atari said:
Embarrassingly I had similar problems with my E46 when I first got it :o It'd turn but it felt like only one side was 'locking' into place.

Had to rotate the bulb around and it only properly locked in then.
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Glad it's not just me! :D

We tried the bulb both ways - it was noticably loose one way mind you - but still no joy....

Hero that he is, he's removed the headlight unit and is going to "have a play" when he's on his lunch break, I take back all bad things I've said about fitters in the past! :D
 
Mine is exactly the same, nearside has actually melted and barely stays in the holder, but is in there enough to last me until next MOT.

No idea of pricing for a new headlight unit.
 
acemastr said:
Mine is exactly the same, nearside has actually melted and barely stays in the holder, but is in there enough to last me until next MOT.

No idea of pricing for a new headlight unit.
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I *think* you can buy the holders on their own from BMW/eBay. I shudder to think how much BMW would charge for a new headlight unit :eek:
 
mattyprice4004 said:
Going to a scrappy with an E46 in tomorrow, want me to see if there are holders in the headlight units?
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If you mean me, I'll let you know later - I don't know if the fitters sorted it or not until I get back to the yard....

Nice one for the offer - even if not ment toward me!! :D
 
Sorted mate, it now has something akin to a BMW / DAF HGV mutant bulb holder, but it works a treat!! :D

Again, thanks for the offer. :)
 
I changed the main beams on my octavia VRS and I almost drove the car off a cliff in rage. You have to pull this lever thing to unlock the unit from the body and you need all the power of chuck Norris to do so. I then placed one of the units back but not in all the correct grooves in the body shell so it got properly stuck and it took me about an hour to get it unwedged. I seriously thought i got it stuck in the wrong position for good ( so would have had a "lol, panel gap" for ever). I wanted to change the side lights to a whiter colour but because i have xenons you have to take the projector off e.t.c and it is a complete faff so i just though "**** it " and let them be.

I also shredded my hands to pieces...

It was totally not worth it for slighter brighter high beams :p
 
[bgcb]REPO_MAN;23944149 said:
Think yourself lucky, to change my dipped beam xenons, the bumper has to come off and the headlights have to be removed from the car.

Its ridiculous.
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I took my bumper off just for the lols when changing the headlights :p

Less hand scraping and you can do things properly!
 
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