Lights

While it's often joked that these things don't exist on BMWs, the E30 is equipped with a variety of Lights to help you and other road users

Overview

All cars by law must be equipped with a number of lights to aid navigation and to give signals.

Headlights

Early headlights

The quad headlights are one of the most distinctive features of the E30, and define the whole look of the front end.

While the high beam is essentially the same on all cars, three different light setups were installed on E30s during their production. The early cars featured a simple lamp setup that reflects the light from the bulb, making a dispersed glow in front of the car. Later cars were fitted with projection lenses, which focused the beam into a brighter, tighter area. They also contained a black cut-out to prevent light scattering upwards, and for this reason these later lights are known as "smileys".

"Bullseye" headlights

For one year, 1988, a lamp was fitted that contained the projection lens but without the cutout. These lamps are known as "bullseyes", and offer the best light of all, for the driver at least. They're not so friendly to oncoming traffic.

"Smiley" headlights with washing system

Dipped

Bulb: H1 55W

The main driving lights are turned on by fulling pulling out the headlight switch.

High Beam

Bulb: H1 55W

Activated by a stalk on the steering column, the High Beams are separate lamps to the Dipped headlights, and are the inner of the two lamps on each side.

Parking

Bulb:

These little lights sit in their own section at the top of the outer lamps. Turned on by pulling out the headlight switch one click, they will do nothing to illuminate the road ahead, but will warn others of your presence if parked on a dark street.

Headlight Washers

To keep the lenses working as they should, some vehicles were equipped with a wash-wipe system at the front end. On each side of the car, two angled blades turned around one spindle motor to wipe away any road muck and spray that was making your lamps gloomy.

This was both a luxurious and experimental feature back in the Eighties, and very few of these units work properly. Learn more about headlight washers.

Headlamp Adjusters

Possibly the most troublesome feature ever fitted to E30s was the Headlamp Adjuster system. Using 8 hydraulic little spindles, you could control the vertical and horizontal aim of your lights, presumably so that you didn't dazzle other drivers when all your fat friends sit in the back.

Because of the way these things work, they gum, rust and crust up over time, and only get used when the MOT man gets his hands on them, at which point they won't work and he'll fail you. If your headlamp adjusters are truly shot, learn how to convert your adjusters to motorised ones.

Rear

The rear lights are a cluster unit that incorporates brake lights, reverse lights, indicators and rear foglights if fitted. The rear board separates from the plastic lens with a simple twist of the screw-wheel, giving access to all the bulbs underneath. The cluster contains sockets for five bulbs.

Two types of rear cluster were fitted during the lifetime of the E30, but they are interchangeable between all years and body styles.

For those that find the rear cluster not to their taste, a popular aftermarket alternative is available from MHW. If you can't fork out for replacement units, learn more about tinting your own lights.

Rear Lights

Bulb: 12V 10W

Brake Lights

Bulb:12V 21W BA15

Reverse

Bulb:

Licence Plate

Bulb: 12V 5W

Indicators

Bulb: 12V 21W BA15 (rear)

The orange bits at each corner of your car are there to signal your intentions to other road users. They are called Indicators.

Side Repeaters

Bulb:

Certain vehicles were equipped with a third indicator light, mounted on the front wings just behind the wheel arch. While a known rot trap, some people find these lights appealing; especially if you're replacing a rotten wing with one that has the hole cut out ready for them.

If you want to fit side, repeaters, the wiring for them is installed from the factory. It goes straight across and through the inner wing just in front of and above the front loudspeakers, and terminates in small rectangular two pin plugs. The sockets for these plugs are on fairly long branches from the Loom that goes across the car behind the dashboard to the column stalks. The sockets you are looking for have blue/red and brown wires on one side and blue/black and brown the other.

Foglights

Front Fogs

Bulb: H3 12V 55W

Rear Fogs

Bulb: 12V 21W

If you think you need rear fog lights, learn more about retrofitting rear fog lights.

Interior

Bulb:

Inside the cabin of the car are some roof-mounted lights, to help you unload the shopping and find that loose change you dropped. BMW are thoughtful like that. The two main lights are located rear of the front doors, with a third mounted about the Tailgate on Tourings. An optional extra was another light mounted next to the Check Panel, for cars already equipped with that feature.

These lights are controlled by pin-switches located on the A-pillars of all cars, the C-pillars for 4-doors and Tourings, and the tailgate of the Touring. They each have their own 3-position selector switch to specify On, Off, and On When Door Open.

One of the many optional extras was a Light Delay Unit, which kept the lights on for a time after the door had closed. If you think this is a feature you need, learn more about retrofitting an Interior Light delay unit.

Mirror Light

One of the swankiest optional extras was a Mirror Light, which consisted of two lamps built into the interior mirror. While the lights themselves are rare, the wiring for them is included in the standard vehicle loom, making it easy to fit these to your own car.

This wasn't an option for Cabriolet owners, but don't cry; it is possible to install mirror lights in cabriolets.

Instruments

Bulb: 12V 3W baseless (cluster) 12V 1.2W baseless (heater controls)

Some basic candles are fitted to all E30s to help you read your Instruments at night. These lights will glow as soon as the Lights#Headlights are turned on, and their brightness can be controlled by turning the headlight knob clockwise or anti-clockwise.

The dash cluster itself is fitted with two 12V 3W bulbs to provide the glow, while a number of smaller 1.2W bulbs are wired around the centre console to light up the heater controls.

Glove Box

Bulb:

Common Upgrades

HIDs

It is sometimes commented that the front lamps on an E30 are rather feeble compared to more modern lighting units. Online auction sites now offer a number of High-Intensity Discharge lamps to give you better night vision. If you've got your hands on one of these kits, and want to get it fitted to your E30, learn more about converting your headlights to HIDs.

Tinting

Smoked Headlights

For those who crave the bad boy look, there are ways to make your pearly white headlights blend in better with the black front grille. For that drug-dealer look, learn more about smoking your own headlights.

Tinted Rears

Sometimes the multicoloured cluster at the back end makes your car look like it's been attacked by Haribo. Some prefer a more uniform look to their rear lenses, to give less of a colour clash across the unit. If you think that back plastic is ugly, learn more about tinting your rear lights.