E70s, with halogen lighting

[sapphireblack]

This is a compromise I've made to acquire the kind of budget car i was seeking. Simple question, do such cars have a flip lever to convert to LHD traffic! And how are bulbs accessed i recall on some models there was a removable panel inside the wheel arch lining.

I will have a few new things to learn from tomorrow.

[Greydog]

This is not one of BMW's best efforts in design and accessability
My E70 has halogen lights first winter I realised just how poor they can be I read many reports of E53's with halogen lights that were bad (both mine were Xenon) well BMW managed to somehow make the E70's worse !! My wifes Subaru Outback is Halogen lit and it is completely different ?
So first make sure the plastic lens's are clean a couple of hours with a lens polishing kit improved things (but not much) my next step change the lamps them selves. Here the fun begins to sensibly access the main and dip beam lamps you need to take off the front wheel and remove the front half of the wheel arch liner, now you can see and reach the two covers to get at the lamps. I upgraded to Osram Night Breaker +100% and can now see where I am going a really good improvement not as good as Xenon but good.
Now the really fun part I had a front parking light failure come up (the Halo light) to change that the whole headlamp needs removing !!! Wheel Off Liner out a few support braces to remove and unbolt the headlamp, you will need a good 1/4 drive set with a long 1/4 drive extension to reach 2 of the bolts took me 3 hrs to do both sides. The Halo's require a special BMW lamp at a really stupid BMW price so are now upgraded to LED (OK for MOT) while the Headlamps were out I changed the Indicator lamps as well didn't fancy doing it again soon.

[sapphireblack]

Thanks for that. My E53 had xenons as does my E71. I wanted a xenon equiped E70 but that proved surprisingly elusive. If and it's quite a big if i make my home abroad and if i take this newly acquured E70 with me, I'd obviously need to switch to LHD traffic. This new car has headlight washers, or at least the flaps, i didn't think to try them out yesterday though.

Since posting, I've searched on YouTube and found this interesting clip, which amusingly refers to exenon headlights needing to be adjusted https://youtu.be/Pra1DTct7Gk?si=cqE2-THo0n8bArIs That was a surprise but until the car is on my drive i dont know if switching to LHD with halogens is performed the same way? I plan to fit Philips ultinon LEDs if i export the car, they're less fussy in Greece and the beams can be lowered manually anyway. What surpised me in the video was that it seems to contradict what X5 Sport believes about xenons not needing adjustment for LHD traffic. That point is not relevant to my possible future needs. I need to find out if these headlights on the inbound car can be flipped. I do recall levers once being involved, on the E39 from vague memory.

I've already got a guy who worked on my old Touareg, booked for Thursday to refurbish all the lights front and rear. All the plastics are very hazy, especially the headlights. I dont fancy stripping wheels, arch liners etc to replace headlights, let alone the cost of replacement units.

So the fun of new car acquisition has already started, although i must keep costs under control.

[X5Sport]

I’ve found this in the manual for the E70/71 for halogen headlights. I don’t remember coming across a lever in the Xenon lights, but the manual says it’s there. The manual is a PDF that covers all models (including other parts of the world). The E70 is top left. I’m not sure the X6 ever came with halogens. I believe, but am happy to relearn, that the idea behind the flat beam fitted to Xenon type lights avoided any need to change. I would have thought that just adjusting the beam heights might solve the issue….if there is one?

IMG_3210.jpeg (183.79 KiB) Viewed 1376 times

[sapphireblack]

Useful info as ever from the guru.

The diagrams and description seem to be at odds with my understanding of a cars left and right sides. Even when facing the car the cars right side is on the viewers left. My reading and viewing of the image is that it's showing the right headlamp, or have i got this arse about face?

[X5Sport]

Assuming the air intake is what is running across the lower part of the image, then yes that is the right hand headlight. Well at least that’s how I’m interpreting it! So if it’s wrong, then both of us are thinking the same way

[Leslie]

Xenon Headlights I bought for my old 2001 e46 had the yellow knob tha back to switch between LHD and RHD , they changed to bi xenon in 2002 snd after that no more adjustment at the light.

[sapphireblack]

This is not one of BMW's best efforts in design and accessability
My E70 has halogen lights first winter I realised just how poor they can be I read many reports of E53's with halogen lights that were bad (both mine were Xenon) well BMW managed to somehow make the E70's worse !! My wifes Subaru Outback is Halogen lit and it is completely different ?
So first make sure the plastic lens's are clean a couple of hours with a lens polishing kit improved things (but not much) my next step change the lamps them selves. Here the fun begins to sensibly access the main and dip beam lamps you need to take off the front wheel and remove the front half of the wheel arch liner, now you can see and reach the two covers to get at the lamps. I upgraded to Osram Night Breaker +100% and can now see where I am going a really good improvement not as good as Xenon but good.
Now the really fun part I had a front parking light failure come up (the Halo light) to change that the whole headlamp needs removing !!! Wheel Off Liner out a few support braces to remove and unbolt the headlamp, you will need a good 1/4 drive set with a long 1/4 drive extension to reach 2 of the bolts took me 3 hrs to do both sides. The Halo's require a special BMW lamp at a really stupid BMW price so are now upgraded to LED (OK for MOT) while the Headlamps were out I changed the Indicator lamps as well didn't fancy doing it again soon.

I am puzzled. Onlne tutorials show an H8 removal from the rear port as fiddly as many others but not needing headlight removal .
https://youtu.be/O7ojpXJZhsQ?si=vVtHSJVucSXfphQH

Headlights for sale show two ports which mine has, .but when i open the smaller on my car, all i see is the back of what i assume is an H7? Where is the H8 located?

[sapphireblack]

I should have looked before, 2009 car, 2009 dated manual shows this.

Confused for sure

[StuBeeDoo]

Both our Citroens have halogen lamps. The best money I ever spent on them was to buy Osram Nightbreaker "Laser +150%" bulbs.

[Greydog]

Morning SaphireBlack
My understanfding has always been when your sat behind the wheel Right hand side (Drivers side UK) and Left hand side (Passenger side)

The picture you posted showing the Bulb is the passenger side (left) headlamp and that is the H1 lamp, the other cover will have an H7 lamp behind it. The picture of the back of a headlamp unit you can see an oblong cover held in place by 3 screws between the two round covers behind that is the Parking/Halo lamp.
That is just about impossible to get at with the Headlamp unit in place (or I found it so) My local Dealer quoted £87 + VAT for just the parking/Halo lamp
As said not BMW's best effort

[sapphireblack]

I have learned, thank you. I am baffled how online tutorials show H8 extraction from the rear. Even the handbook shows that

[Greydog]

Yes they all do but sadly they are wrong on two counts (1) the H8 is the halo lamp on Xenon Headlamps (2) I think BMW must have a special Technician with really skinny bendy arms and fingers
On my headlamps and it seems yours my fat old fingers just couldn't get at the H1 lamp without them being double jointed and 2ft long with a grip like King Cong The inner H7 Lamp I found impossible to reach without taking off the wheel and the inner arch liner then getting to the cover for the Parking/Halo Lamp proved that the whole unit has to come out

[sapphireblack]

To think a bulb swap could be a workshop task is laughable but not funny

[X5Sport]

Welcome to modern cars. Manufacturers really, really, don’t want you to do any servicing yourself as it costs them money!