Replacing front indicators'

[montsta56 nz]

Hey People,
I'm about to replace my front indicator len's with clear item's,
Can any one shead any light on how to remove the front Indicator's,??? Unfortunatley I do not own a Manual,
Cheers

[LunatiC]

There are two ways of getting the front indicators off. One is with removing the front grille and the whole front comes off with the headlights and everything (takes longer, but is much easier), and the other is doing it from the engine bay (no need to take everything off, but much harder).

When I replaced my indicators with clear ones, I did it from the engine bay. By the time I realised the advantages of pulling off the front and doing it that way, I was too far into the procedure to bother.

There are three bolts that hold the front indicator. Two bolt onto the front framework that contain the headlights, and the other goes deep into the front side fenders. Once you have the bolts out, you can slightly push the indicators out forward and you should be able to see how they come out. The plastic can be brittle at times since we're talking about old cars here, so try to make sure you don't snap anything.

Putting the new indicators in is the same as removal. Since you are in NZ and have a RHD car (like me, but I'm in Australia), you will find much difficulty in putting back in the bolts for the passenger side indicator, they're blind holes due to many other components on that side of the engine bay, preventing your head to go deeper in the engine bay to see where the hole is to put the bolt in. Driver's side is easier (at least with my M50, not 100% sure with your 535i) since all there is in the way is the washer bottle, which you might not even need to remove.

If you go the other route and drop the front, I am not sure of the procedure with this (it's in the Bentley manual), but what you will end up with is the whole assembly with the headlights and indicators and the grille on the floor in front of you, and it will be much easier to remove the indicators and replace them, since you will have everything laid out in front of you and you can see what you're doing.

You might find some other board members thinking that my description is rubbish and that they have had success in pulling out and putting in indicators without having to remove anything else, but the truth is at least in my case, that the passenger side indicator is still being held in with only two bolts instead of the required three.

Hope this helps, good luck, and BUY A BENTLEY'S! Use the "Books" link at the top to buy one and support the forum, they are a godsend and you will be doing yourself a huge favour.

[repenttokyo]

hmm - I am confused as to why you would suggest removing the front grille to replace the corner lights. I did this yesterday, and they are held in by 3 screws.....one of the screws is difficult to access, but not if you have a ratchet tool and can get at it from 90 degrees.

the bentley manual method is a one paragraph description of removing these three screws. i don't think you are "rubbish", but i don't see the advantage.

[Qube]

Definitely, definitely search. I remember coming across many good posts regarding this. When you reassemble. You don't have to bother to screw it back to the fender. Just screw it to the headlamps as usual and be on your merry way.

[markus]

maybe this can help

http://caraudio.biggz.com/installati...eadlights.html


i should be getting mine in the mail tommorow so id like to know too. are in.pro any good? thats the company pelican parts sells.

[LunatiC]

hmm - I am confused as to why you would suggest removing the front grille to replace the corner lights. I did this yesterday, and they are held in by 3 screws.....one of the screws is difficult to access, but not if you have a ratchet tool and can get at it from 90 degrees.

the bentley manual method is a one paragraph description of removing these three screws. i don't think you are "rubbish", but i don't see the advantage.

After spending more than 5 hours trying to get this last bolt in and then giving up, I would assume there would be some advantage in pulling off the front and doing it that way. When I got my clears I searched through here (as Qube correctly stated, the procedure for replacing corners has been covered heaps of times before in here) and posted some questions. Some people were hell bent on pulling off the front and doing it that way, while others say it's easier to do it from the engine bay.

Having said that, and looking back on it, something tells me I should have done it from pulling off the front. Every time I look at the front of my car the thought that there is still a bolt missing pops into my head and annoys me. That and the fact that my passenger side blinker can be pressed in by hand from the outside.

Also note that it could be easier to put all the bolts back in for LHD cars than it would be for RHD -- most people in here that are LHD have put all the bolts back in successfully, but most people that I know personally who have an E34 here in Australia (RHD) haven't been as successful.

Goes to show that sometimes shortcuts work, and sometimes they don't.

[repenttokyo]

After spending more than 5 hours trying to get this last bolt in and then giving up, I would assume there would be some advantage in pulling off the front and doing it that way. When I got my clears I searched through here (as Qube correctly stated, the procedure for replacing corners has been covered heaps of times before in here) and posted some questions. Some people were hell bent on pulling off the front and doing it that way, while others say it's easier to do it from the engine bay.

Having said that, and looking back on it, something tells me I should have done it from pulling off the front. Every time I look at the front of my car the thought that there is still a bolt missing pops into my head and annoys me. That and the fact that my passenger side blinker can be pressed in by hand from the outside.

Also note that it could be easier to put all the bolts back in for LHD cars than it would be for RHD -- most people in here that are LHD have put all the bolts back in successfully, but most people that I know personally who have an E34 here in Australia (RHD) haven't been as successful.

Goes to show that sometimes shortcuts work, and sometimes they don't.

which bolts did you have the most trouble with?

[LunatiC]

which bolts did you have the most trouble with?

Passenger side RHD, top-most bolt in the front (there are two that fit into the front, and one into the fender side).

[repenttokyo]

Passenger side RHD, top-most bolt in the front (there are two that fit into the front, and one into the fender side).

I had an awful awful time with what is for me the driver's side bolt on the bottom, directly in front of the charcoal canister - It took me a while to find a 90 degree tool that would work.