i tried to mess around with them today and the adjuster feels like it's poped out, cause i can raise the beam by grabbing the headlight bulb itself...
Can you show me on this pic where the headlight adjusters are?
Can someone just show me where on this pic of my 2002 E39 the headlight adjustments are?
I've read many threads and am confused about "servo adjusters", "replacing adjusters", "auto leveling adjusters", etc. Mine doesn't seem to be fancy automatic stuff ... the lights are just set way way way too low.
I can replace a headlight bulb ... but I need a bit of help identifying where the up/down headlight adjuster screws are.
Can you kindly circle the adjusters for me in this picture below of the left and right headlight assembly?
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I've read many threads and am confused about "servo adjusters", "replacing adjusters", "auto leveling adjusters", etc. Mine doesn't seem to be fancy automatic stuff ... the lights are just set way way way too low.
I can replace a headlight bulb ... but I need a bit of help identifying where the up/down headlight adjuster screws are.
Can you kindly circle the adjusters for me in this picture below of the left and right headlight assembly?
Attachments
61 - 80 of 160 Posts
Yeah thats it then. Heres a pic....I used some aluminum tape as a shim in the empty hole....both adjusters have the same hole so shim both adjusters just in case. When you put the shim it, it puts pressure on the tab thats holding the aluminum ball into the socket.
do i need to use aluminum tape or would duct tape work? also do i need to shove it in there? i didn't do the work to install the metal adjusters...Yeah thats it then. Heres a pic....I used some aluminum tape as a shim in the empty hole....both adjusters have the same hole so shim both adjusters just in case. When you put the shim it, it puts pressure on the tab thats holding the aluminum ball into the socket.
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A friend just called asking about the aluminum headlight adjusters for his 1998 E39 ... I can't find 'em.
Am I right that, for my USA 2002 E39 525i, I can get (per side):
- $500 Hella OEM headlights
- $275 Aftermarket DEPO/DJAuto headlights
- $165 Aluminum adjusters (both sides, must open sealed lights)
- $85 Plastic adjusters (each side, must open sealed lights)
But, for his USA 1998 E39 528i, the choices seem to be different (per side):
- $500 Hella OEM headlights
- $275 Aftermarket DEPO/DJAuto headlights
- Aluminum adjusters are not available ???
- $12 Plastic adjusters (per side, do not need to open sealed lights???)
Is this a correct assessment of the best choices available to fix broken headlights?
![]()
REFERENCES: (0) (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9) (10) (11) (12)
Am I right that, for my USA 2002 E39 525i, I can get (per side):
- $500 Hella OEM headlights
- $275 Aftermarket DEPO/DJAuto headlights
- $165 Aluminum adjusters (both sides, must open sealed lights)
- $85 Plastic adjusters (each side, must open sealed lights)
But, for his USA 1998 E39 528i, the choices seem to be different (per side):
- $500 Hella OEM headlights
- $275 Aftermarket DEPO/DJAuto headlights
- Aluminum adjusters are not available ???
- $12 Plastic adjusters (per side, do not need to open sealed lights???)
Is this a correct assessment of the best choices available to fix broken headlights?
REFERENCES: (0) (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9) (10) (11) (12)
Attachments
For the record, there's a really nice headlight polishing thread here.
The DIY shows how to remove the headlights better than in this thread.
And, it contains stunning before and after pictures ...
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The DIY shows how to remove the headlights better than in this thread.
And, it contains stunning before and after pictures ...
Speaking of adjusting headlights, Ågent99 and I teamed up to come up with the following suggested headlight-aiming procedure for the E39 Hellas:
(0) Find a wall at least 4' high abutting about 35' of level drivable ground
(0) Find a wall at least 4' high abutting about 35' of level drivable ground
(1) Keep handy a flashlight and one, or better yet, two 6mm allen wrenches (remember, it's dark)
(10) Then, with the 6mm allen wrench, adjust each headlight's outside (lateral) adjusters such that the bright spot is also about 2" to the right of the vertical reference tape (i.e., the plus sign) for each side respectively.
(11) As a doublecheck, switch on the high beams (the respective alignment should remain the same).
(12) The result should look something like this:
--+----------------------------------+--
-----*----------------------------------*
The asterisks above denote the final positions of the brightest points of your headlights after adjustments (ignore the hyphens with the asterisks...they were necessary for proper placement of the asterisks)
(2) Inflate tires properly, tank 1/2 full, typical driver in seat.
(3) At night, park just close enough to the wall to fit in between as you string the tape.
(4) Mark a 10' horizontal line with tape on the wall at the headlight midpoint; the result should look something like this:
----------------------------------------
----------------------------------------
(5) At each headlight centerpoint, mark a vertical line with tape on the wall to make a plus sign (one for each headlight center point); the result should now look something like this:
--+---------------------------------+--
--+---------------------------------+--
(6) Back the vehicle until the headlights are 25 feet from the wall and perpendicular to the wall.
(7) Switch the low beam on (both high & low adjust together for each headlight).
(8) Chant "Lateral adjusters handle lateral movement; medial adjusters perform vertical movement", three or four times (or until at least the lateral:lateral part sinks in).
(9) With the 6mm allen wrench, adjust both headlight's inside (medial) adjusters such that the brightest area is about 2" below the horizontal reference tape.(7) Switch the low beam on (both high & low adjust together for each headlight).
(8) Chant "Lateral adjusters handle lateral movement; medial adjusters perform vertical movement", three or four times (or until at least the lateral:lateral part sinks in).
(10) Then, with the 6mm allen wrench, adjust each headlight's outside (lateral) adjusters such that the bright spot is also about 2" to the right of the vertical reference tape (i.e., the plus sign) for each side respectively.
(11) As a doublecheck, switch on the high beams (the respective alignment should remain the same).
(12) The result should look something like this:
--+----------------------------------+--
-----*----------------------------------*
The asterisks above denote the final positions of the brightest points of your headlights after adjustments (ignore the hyphens with the asterisks...they were necessary for proper placement of the asterisks)
Attachments
I did some research into the old posts (back to 2008) and it seems like the procedure listed above is still a bit wrong and needs to be honed.
So I opened a thread to clarify which of the three below is correct:
- One adjuster for vertical, one for horizontal
- Both adjusters do vertical, there is no horizontal (as stated in the diagram below)
- The adjusters are actually DIAGONAL (one is mostly vertical, the other is mostly horizontal)
Here is the thread opened to resolve that issue.
![]()
So I opened a thread to clarify which of the three below is correct:
- One adjuster for vertical, one for horizontal
- Both adjusters do vertical, there is no horizontal (as stated in the diagram below)
- The adjusters are actually DIAGONAL (one is mostly vertical, the other is mostly horizontal)
Here is the thread opened to resolve that issue.
While I'm still on this focus, I want to propose an adjustment procedure ASSUMING that DIAGONAL motion (with MOSTLY-directions) is what is actually occurring.
This proposal ASSUMES the answer to this question is "diagonal":
(1) Inflate tires properly, tank 1/2 full, typical driver in seat.
(2) Find a wall at least 4' high abutting about 35' of level drivable ground
(3) Obtain two 6mm allen wrenches (each headlight's two adjusters must be turned simultaneously an equal number of turns in the same direction)
(4) Find a small self-standing or clipping light to see under the hood.
(14) As a doublecheck, switch on the high beams (the respective alignment should remain the same).
The result should look something like this:
--+----------------------------------+--
-----*----------------------------------*
PS: It's confusing to me how BOTH adjusters work in tandem diagonally; but that's what the BMW E39 headlight aiming instructions seem to indicate.
This proposal ASSUMES the answer to this question is "diagonal":
(1) Inflate tires properly, tank 1/2 full, typical driver in seat.
(2) Find a wall at least 4' high abutting about 35' of level drivable ground
(3) Obtain two 6mm allen wrenches (each headlight's two adjusters must be turned simultaneously an equal number of turns in the same direction)
(4) Find a small self-standing or clipping light to see under the hood.
(5) On a dark night, park just close enough to the wall to fit your body in between as you string the tape along the wall.
(6) Mark a 10' horizontal line with tape on the wall at the headlight midpoint; the result should look something like this:
----------------------------------------
----------------------------------------
(7) At each headlight centerpoint, mark a vertical line with tape on the wall to make a plus sign (one for each headlight center point); the result should now look something like this:
--+---------------------------------+--
--+---------------------------------+--
(8) Back the vehicle until the headlights are 25 feet from the wall and perpendicular to the wall.
(9) Switch the low beam on (both high & low adjust together for each headlight).
(10) Wait about 1 minute as the Xenons do a calibration run which takes about 30 seconds to complete.
(11) Cover one headlight with an opaque blanket or towel so that only one light is being aimed.
(12) Chant "Lateral:lateral, Medial:vertical", three or four times (or until at least the lateral:lateral part sinks in). This is because the lateral (outside) adjuster MOSTLY moves the headlight laterally (i.e., side to side); in actuality, it moves the headlight aim diagonally, but mostly horizontally. Likewise, the medial (inside) adjuster MOSTLY moves the headlight vertically (i.e., up and down); in actuality, it moves the headlight aim diagonally, but mostly vertically.
(13) Using both 6mm allen wrenches in place on one headlight, twist both adjusters an equal number of turns in the same direction such that the brightest area moves diagonally to about 2" below the horizontal reference tape and to 2" to the right of the vertical reference tape (i.e., the plus sign) for each side respectively (the spec is 2.1 inches/52mm +/- 1.3 inches/33mm).(9) Switch the low beam on (both high & low adjust together for each headlight).
(10) Wait about 1 minute as the Xenons do a calibration run which takes about 30 seconds to complete.
(11) Cover one headlight with an opaque blanket or towel so that only one light is being aimed.
(12) Chant "Lateral:lateral, Medial:vertical", three or four times (or until at least the lateral:lateral part sinks in). This is because the lateral (outside) adjuster MOSTLY moves the headlight laterally (i.e., side to side); in actuality, it moves the headlight aim diagonally, but mostly horizontally. Likewise, the medial (inside) adjuster MOSTLY moves the headlight vertically (i.e., up and down); in actuality, it moves the headlight aim diagonally, but mostly vertically.
(14) As a doublecheck, switch on the high beams (the respective alignment should remain the same).
The result should look something like this:
--+----------------------------------+--
-----*----------------------------------*
PS: It's confusing to me how BOTH adjusters work in tandem diagonally; but that's what the BMW E39 headlight aiming instructions seem to indicate.
Attachments
The original question was 'where are the adjusters' and the answer is "inside", so here's a pic from this thread which shows broken adjusters in situ from a rectangular hole cut in the headlights with a soldering iron.
![]()
BTW, here are the pertinent headlight threads I've gathered for the bestlinks:
- Broken headlight adjusters (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9) (10) (11) (12) (13) (14) (15)
- How to buy new headlight adjusters (E39 prior to 9/2000) (E39 after 9/2000)
- How to make your own headlight adjusters (1) (2)
- Headlight aiming DIYs (1) (2) (3) (4) (5)
- Headlight replacement H7 bulbs (1)
- Headlight plastic polishing & refinishing DIY (1) (2) (3)
![]()
BTW, here are the pertinent headlight threads I've gathered for the bestlinks:
- Broken headlight adjusters (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9) (10) (11) (12) (13) (14) (15)
- How to buy new headlight adjusters (E39 prior to 9/2000) (E39 after 9/2000)
- How to make your own headlight adjusters (1) (2)
- Headlight aiming DIYs (1) (2) (3) (4) (5)
- Headlight replacement H7 bulbs (1)
- Headlight plastic polishing & refinishing DIY (1) (2) (3)
Attachments
Finally, I got the courage to tackle this job.
The only tools required were an 8mm socket wrench and a T10 Torx and a flathead screwdriver:
- I removed the four builbs (high beam, low beam, side light, angel eye)
- I removed the four 8mm screws holding the headlight in place
- I pulled the headlight assembly out forward
- I removed the two tiny T10 Torx screws holding the back in place
- I baked the headlight assembly in the California sun for an hour
- I removed a bottom and a top molding (don't know what they are called)
- Slowly, with a screwdriver, I pulled the front clear plastic off
Out fell three parts:
- a white inch-square section of one of the adjusters
- a round pipe for the angel eye (I think)
- a reflector for the outside bulb
It appears at least one headlight adjuster is broken so I'm left with:
- Sending both headlights out to EAC for repair
- Buying the $160 aluminum headlight adjuster set from EAC
- Fabricating my own headlight adjusters (after buying the necessary tools)
- Purchasing whole new headlights (what options do I have)?
![]()
The only tools required were an 8mm socket wrench and a T10 Torx and a flathead screwdriver:
- I removed the four builbs (high beam, low beam, side light, angel eye)
- I removed the four 8mm screws holding the headlight in place
- I pulled the headlight assembly out forward
- I removed the two tiny T10 Torx screws holding the back in place
- I baked the headlight assembly in the California sun for an hour
- I removed a bottom and a top molding (don't know what they are called)
- Slowly, with a screwdriver, I pulled the front clear plastic off
Out fell three parts:
- a white inch-square section of one of the adjusters
- a round pipe for the angel eye (I think)
- a reflector for the outside bulb
It appears at least one headlight adjuster is broken so I'm left with:
- Sending both headlights out to EAC for repair
- Buying the $160 aluminum headlight adjuster set from EAC
- Fabricating my own headlight adjusters (after buying the necessary tools)
- Purchasing whole new headlights (what options do I have)?
Attachments
61 - 80 of 160 Posts
