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Headlight Wipers – Stay or Go?
Posted: Thu Jun 04, 2009 8:50 pm
by Ant84
Can’t decide if I want to get rid of the light wipers or not... What are your thoughts?
Also thinking about Angel Eyes?

Re: Headlight Wipers – Stay or Go?
Posted: Thu Jun 04, 2009 8:52 pm
by leeparkes
Do they work?
Posted: Thu Jun 04, 2009 8:53 pm
by Ant84
Not sure never used them!
Re: Headlight Wipers – Stay or Go?
Posted: Thu Jun 04, 2009 8:54 pm
by Morat
I'd keep them until they stop working. I was quite proud of the original look on my old car, but my new car doesn't have them and I don't miss them - especially with HIDs which throw enough light to beat a bit of road grime on the lenses.
Posted: Thu Jun 04, 2009 8:54 pm
by e30cossie
I would only leave them on if it was a genuine sport.
Re: Headlight Wipers – Stay or Go?
Posted: Thu Jun 04, 2009 8:56 pm
by Ant84
Morat wrote:I'd keep them until they stop working. I was quite proud of the original look on my old car, but my new car doesn't have them and I don't miss them - especially with HIDs which throw enough light to beat a bit of road grime on the lenses.
Kinda think they look cleaner without them...?
Posted: Thu Jun 04, 2009 8:56 pm
by StuBeeDoo
I took mine off. Actually, one of the previous owners took the wipers and motors off, but he left the headlight rings and washer jets on.
I binned those.
Smooth look is far better, unless you have a mint unmolested car.
Re:
Posted: Thu Jun 04, 2009 8:58 pm
by Ant84
Its not a Genuine sport it's a Genuine SE Moredoor.
Re:
Posted: Thu Jun 04, 2009 9:34 pm
by murran
bin them. look silly and they are quite heavy too!
Re:
Posted: Thu Jun 04, 2009 9:40 pm
by Cypriotgeeza
Looks much better without them IMO!
and i was never keen on angel eyes on E30's....Untill i bought mine..now im totally won over by them :

Re:
Posted: Thu Jun 04, 2009 9:44 pm
by bodger
bin them and sell them to me
angel eyes are far to modern looking for an e30, if you want angel eyes, you need an e39
Re:
Posted: Thu Jun 04, 2009 9:46 pm
by capri_rob
Keep them. The more options a car has the better it is

Re:
Posted: Thu Jun 04, 2009 10:16 pm
by Ant84
capri_rob wrote:Keep them. The more options a car has the better it is

Sometimes less is more. Who ever bought it in the first place went bonkers on the options list, it has most extras except air-con and leather, (the two things I actually want). Can you get E36 leather to fit?
Re:
Posted: Thu Jun 04, 2009 10:22 pm
by capri_rob
Ant84 wrote:capri_rob wrote:Keep them. The more options a car has the better it is

Sometimes less is more. Who ever bought it in the first place went bonkers on the options list, it has most extras except air-con and leather, (the two things I actually want). Can you get E36 leather to fit?
Sounds like a good car ! Why wouldn't you want something thats optioned up ?
I believe E36 front seats can be made to fit but its a lot of arsing about - better to look for some decent E30 leathers or get some retrimmed.
Re:
Posted: Thu Jun 04, 2009 10:25 pm
by e30topless
angel eyes are pants .. I would rather have none working Headlamp wipers, i think they look great

Re:
Posted: Thu Jun 04, 2009 11:37 pm
by Rickz
Keep them!!
Re:
Posted: Thu Jun 04, 2009 11:42 pm
by Morat
I thought they were standard on 325s?
Re:
Posted: Thu Jun 04, 2009 11:56 pm
by magpie
bodger wrote:bin them and sell them to me
angel eyes are far to modern looking for an e30, if you want angel eyes, you need an e39
i have just fitted a full h/light w/wipe kit.
+1 on the angel eyes.
but each to their own as we are all unique.
Re:
Posted: Thu Jun 04, 2009 11:59 pm
by Felix79
I may be odd but I adore headlamp wipers. They really just put a stamp of class on the front.
Re:
Posted: Fri Jun 05, 2009 12:01 am
by bennydotc
Keep 'em on
How do they work by the way? Never tried mine but can't see anything on the dash that controls them. I've got a switch with nothing on it next to the rear window de-mist?
Re:
Posted: Fri Jun 05, 2009 12:07 am
by magpie
push the wiper stalk in towards the key/steering cloumn.
with the lights on i think.
has the wiper stalk got an s on it?
Re:
Posted: Fri Jun 05, 2009 12:13 am
by magpie
[quote="Felix79"]I may be odd

Re:
Posted: Fri Jun 05, 2009 12:19 am
by bennydotc
magpie wrote:push the wiper stalk in towards the key/steering cloumn.
with the lights on i think.
has the wiper stalk got an s on it?
Too dark to see at the moment. Definitely a dribble of water coming from the jets but don't think the wipers are moving.
Re:
Posted: Fri Jun 05, 2009 9:08 am
by powelly
We had this conversation at the last Guildford meet, I think the consensus was get rid, they are ugly.
Re:
Posted: Fri Jun 05, 2009 9:23 am
by 78dude
Take them off is my advice to you, in the UK you dont get hard winters as we get here in Scandinavia with -25c and 1 meter of snow with roads covered with ice. Wipers on headlamps makes sence if you live in a country where the winter is rough due to you lamps get very dirty and I have been forced often to pull over during the evenings because the lamps are dirty and I need to clean them.
I think also that you will get better lights to when you remove them due to the wiper arms are in the light beam too.
Re:
Posted: Fri Jun 05, 2009 10:17 am
by Leemc2009
If you keep the wipers on and they work.. can you get aftermarket HID's to pass an MOT? Even though you wont obviously have the self levelling motors..
Re:
Posted: Fri Jun 05, 2009 10:22 am
by Morat
Aftermarket HIDs pass without washers/wipers under the current legislation. The type of bulb is not tested, only the alignment and beam pattern. Luckily the E30 ellipsoid lamps work very well with HIDs and the beam pattern is excellent.
The rules you are referring to only apply to manufacturers building new cars. We've had one report of someone failing an MOT for having HIDs fitted and frankly, the MOT tester was wrong. However, even if you come up against some jobsworth clipboard wielding knob of a tester, you can refit the original bulbs in a couple of minutes.
The guy who tests my car is well known as the tightest MOT tester in the area and even he couldn't fail me for having HIDs. He did moan about a "wiring fault on dip beam" which was just the fact that if you drive on sidelights the HIDs strobe but he wasn't able to fail me for it.
Re:
Posted: Fri Jun 05, 2009 11:18 am
by SPADGE
Keep them on ir take them off its a personal preference thing.
Don't know what the 'genuine sport' remark was about as they wern't a sport only option and many non sport e30's had them fitted from new.
As for angel eyes if you want your car to look awful fit them.
Re:
Posted: Fri Jun 05, 2009 11:31 am
by Kedge
Think I'd take them off and sell them on ebay to someone in the states and use the funds to buy some smoked Hellas, or angel eyes if your weird

Re:
Posted: Fri Jun 05, 2009 8:02 pm
by bss325i
SPADGE wrote:Keep them on ir take them off its a personal preference thing.
Don't know what the 'genuine sport' remark was about as they wern't a sport only option and many non sport e30's had them fitted from new.
As for angel eyes if you want your car to look awful fit them.
They were standard equipment on a 325i Sport.
Re:
Posted: Fri Jun 05, 2009 8:46 pm
by toby
murran wrote:bin them. look silly and they are quite heavy too!
Nah man they are pretty light really.
Re:
Posted: Fri Jun 05, 2009 9:31 pm
by magpie
might slow a ring time of a milisecond if both bottles are full.
Re:
Posted: Fri Jun 05, 2009 10:15 pm
by SPADGE
bss325i wrote:SPADGE wrote:Keep them on ir take them off its a personal preference thing.
Don't know what the 'genuine sport' remark was about as they wern't a sport only option and many non sport e30's had them fitted from new.
As for angel eyes if you want your car to look awful fit them.
They were standard equipment on a 325i Sport.
I know Barry my point was that they were also fitted to many other non-sport e30's
Re:
Posted: Fri Jun 05, 2009 10:20 pm
by beemerbird
Mine has them - 325i SE. I think they're great personally - and I'm sure mine don't work (and can't be arsed checking)

Re:
Posted: Fri Jun 05, 2009 10:48 pm
by bss325i
SPADGE wrote:bss325i wrote:SPADGE wrote:Keep them on ir take them off its a personal preference thing.
Don't know what the 'genuine sport' remark was about as they wern't a sport only option and many non sport e30's had them fitted from new.
As for angel eyes if you want your car to look awful fit them.
They were standard equipment on a 325i Sport.
I know Barry my point was that they were also fitted to many other non-sport e30's
I think what people are getting at is that as they make up part of the standard sport spec, it may detract from a sports originality.
A bit like when people say "stick with an M20 in a sport".