Headlamps

[rallyman1984]

To MOT my newly aquired M3 LHD from Gibraltar, will i need to change the headlamps to RHD units ?

also, how come some have the little sidelight at the top ? are they later spec headlamps ?

Alex.

[Paulsimon8]

If they are elipsoid headlamps, then you can spin the light director so that they operate as RHD units

[Templ8e30]

If you have the sidelight bulbs at the top of the lights you have the standard facelift smiley headlights.

On the dipped beam lamps there are 3 screws securing the reflector to the back of the lamp unit, unscrew these and rotate the reflector to the opposite end of the screw slots and re-tighten.

Job done

Cheers,

Iain T

[Brianmoooore]

Screws are captive, so don't worry about them coming right out.

[rallyman1984]

the sidelights i have, are the ones with the sidelights about half way down them. Does this mean i can swivel them round ?
or can you only do it with the smiley ones ?

so the smiley ones come from later cars ? or are their just two different types. ?

Alex.

[Brianmoooore]

Three types of dipped headlamp fitted to E30s.
Pre facelift is a conventional lamp and reflector arrangement, first post facelift was a projector type lamp, using a lens instead of a reflector, with the reflector just being for the parking lamp, and the third sort, from late '88, IIRC, was the so called "smiley", which is a projector lamp, but with a small piece of the decorative "reflector" removed, to allow the lamp to directly light the road close to the car.
A fourth variation of this was that post facelift cars also had dim dip driving lamps fitted, which used the headlamp dipped bulb as a reduced brightness driving lamp, that came on with the parking/tail lamps when the ignition was on.

[Sanchez]

this is the car

I'm now a fully fledged M3 owner. Just in from Gibraltar. Just need to get it onto UK plates now.

Well Chuffed with it. Bit wobbly (loads of paint) but no rust/rot.








First to be done is the a new water pump, should be here tomorrow (from C3) then new gear lever and 17" Alpinas.

The Headlamp wash wipe doesnt work, is this common ? anywhere i should look first regards solving them.

[Brianmoooore]

The Headlamp wash wipe doesnt work, is this common ? anywhere i should look first regards solving them.

[/quote]
Very nice looking car!
Those aren't projector headlamps, so most of the above is irrelevant.
Thought they drive on the left in Gib, anyway?
Problem with the headlamp wipers is almost always that the output shafts from the units have seized inside the long bushes out to the wiper blades.
Good stripdown, clean and grease gets them working for another 1o years or so.

[cliffybabe]

if its any conserlation i had to cut side repeaters into my wings for my motor to pass its MOT, wicked M3 though

[Brianmoooore]

[quote="cliffybabe"]if its any conserlation i had to cut side repeaters into my wings for my motor to pass its MOT, quote]
Hmmm, didn't notice they were missing. Wonder how observant your MOT tester is.