DIY: F80/F82/F83 (M3/M4) Front Bumper & Headlights Removal

[Igor_M5]

Several of our customers asked us to create a DIY on how to remove the headlights so they can mail them in for a BLACK OUT. This DIY is pretty straight forward, and I tried to grab as many photos as I could, for whatever steps I missed to snap some pics, I'll grab an illustration of the factory parts, or get an example from another F-Series BMW. Either way, I'll try to be as thorough as possible, and if you guys have any questions feel free to post them up and I'll answer them.

You will need tools to remove the following types of screws. What tool you choose to attach your sockets to is entirely up to you, but I'll mention the tools I used.

SCREWS:

• Torx - T25 & T30
• Hex - 8mm & 10mm
• Phillips - PH2 (Regular phillips head)

Grab a bin to collect all the screws.

Just in case, have a flat head screwdriver, long needle nose pliers or needle nose clamp jaws. Hopefully you won't need them...

TOOLS USED:

• T30 3/8" Socket w/ a 8" extension on a Ratchet
• Hex Screw Driver Gun w/ T25 & T30 6" Bits
• 90 Degree Hex Socket
• 8mm Socket Hex Bit

The Subject Vehicle:


The Objective:


STEP 1
Pull the car into your garage or where you plan on disassembling it. You will need to jack both sides of the car to gain access to the front fender liner. You can either jack up one side at a time like we did, and place jack stands at the correct points.



STEP 2

Open the hood (remember, its 2 pulls on the interior hood latch). Once you pop open the hood, you'll see a weather strip liner that runs across from the left headlight to the right headlight. Simply pull it up, revealing the screws that hold the bumper and headlights in place.





STEP 3

Onto the fender liner. The purpose of removing the liner is to gain access to the 2 bolts that secure the bottom of the headlight to the front support. It also allows you to easily access the screws that hold the bumper to the fender.

There are 2 ways to go about it; one way is to remove the wheel completely, another way is to simply turn the wheel to access the screws. If you choose to keep the wheel on, you'll need to turn the wheel twice, INWARDS & OUTWARD to get access to all the screws.

We chose to keep the wheel on, so onto STEP 3...

The fender liner is attached with 9x 8MM screws - 3 of those screws attach the liner to the bumper, they are located behind the edge of the bumper. To access those screws comfortably, we turn the wheel INWARDS.



Now turn the wheel outwards (if its not removed), and you'll gain enough access to use your tools to remove the remaining 6 screws.

2x 8MM screws are located along the bottom of the liner.



2 More screws located here:



Finally the last 2 are located right above the center of the wheel, where the liner meets the 2nd part of the front wheel well liner. Once the last 2 screws are removed, wiggle the liner to break it loose from the car and simply pull it out.



REPEAT STEP 3 TO REMOVE THE LINER FROM THE OTHER SIDE OF THE VEHICLE.

STEP 4

Removing all the screws from the bottom of the bumper that secures it to the lower engine cover and side splash guards. There are a total of 8x 8MM screws and 2x PHILLIPS Screws.

Starting from the sides, you'll find 1x PHILLIPS screw, and right next to it a 8MM Hex screw. Remove those, then continue along the edge of the bumper and you will find the second 8MM Hex screw. Repeat this step for the opposite side of the bumper.



Once you got the screws that secure the bumper to the splash guards, continue onto the center of the bumper where you will find the remaining 4x 8MM Hex that secure the bumper externally.



STEP 5

Before we move onto the last step that removes the last bit of screws securing the bumper in place, lets disconnect the parking sensors & side view cameras if your M3/M4 is equipped with those.



STEP 6

The last step to removing any remaining screws that secure the bumper in place. This is the area that secures the bumper to the fender, located behind and above the side view cameras, the bumper reflectors, and the side parking sensors. Remove 2x 8MM screws from both ends; the screws are much longer than any other 8MM screw you removed so far, so don't be hesitant to place them in the bin of screws, you won't confuse them.



Now that the screws are all removed, all that's left to do is wiggle the bumper off the car. Start off by lifting the top edge of the bumper where you removed the first T30 Torx screws, and pull it slightly forward. Then break loose the bottom of the bumper from the engine covers, and finally break loose the sides of the bumper from the fenders. It's easier to remove the bumper with an extra set of hands, so one person can hold one side of the bumper, while you hold the other side.

Don't yank on the bumper and think you'll just walk away with it, you will need to perform a few additional steps that I don't have the photos for so please read carefully.

Upon breaking the bumper loose, you will need to do the following:

Un-clip the master parking sensor plug located on the passenger side. It's right near the headlight, a fairly big plug, so you won't miss it.

This is what the master clip for the parking sensors looks like:



Then the headlight washers... before you yank the washers out, grab the extension arm that leads to the bumper and push it from the back to allow the washer cap to pop out of the bumper. You will notice that the cap is mounted and pivoted on the washer nozzle. Lightly spread the clips from the cap and push them down (towards the ground). Once you removed the caps, then you can begin to extract the washer nozzle. It's attached to the bumper bracket with a large clip, you push it back and wiggle the washer out of its place. Hard to describe without illustrations, if you followed this tutorial to this point... faith is on your side





Once you removed both washer nozzles, the rest of the washer fluid hose runs across the bumper from one side to the other, mounted with half open clips that you can just lift the hose out of and leave the hose dangling from the car. At this point the bumper should be free for you to run and party with.



STEP 10

The headlight is secured with 3x T30 Torx screws, and 1x 10mm Hex Screw.

The first T30 Torx screw is located directly on top of the headlight in the engine bay.



Step 11

The second screw is a 10MM Hex screw located behind the headlight, right under the fender.



Step 12

Now for the final 2x T30 Torx screws. They are located on the bottom of the headlight, and the main reason for why the fender liner is required to be removed. One of the screws is easy to spot, the other screw sits further in towards the engine bay, and its deep in under the headlight. Its the same exact screw as the one that's easily accessible so it's hard to mistaken it once you spot it.

NOTE: Here's the catch, these are not your typical screws because for whatever reason... not only are these screws threaded with RED loc-tite thread lock, but the screw goes into a SQUARE nut that's enclosed in a metal clip-like housing, so basically... once the screw starts spinning the nut, that's when you need to whip out your flat head screw driver and needle nose pliers or needle nose locking grips.

Here's the photo of where the 2 screws are located:



This is the location of the tabs through which the headlights are screwed down with using those screws. I only had one piece present to show you where they are mounted, but the arrows mark the location of the second piece.



Another Important NOTE: In this photo above, the metal tab that's present is the ONLY tab that's accessible IF the nut starts to spin. That's the screw that is harder to access from the back, the further one in the above photo. If the nut happens to spin through in the tab that's closest to the turn signal, the one that's easily visible and accessible... then well... you're honestly shit out of luck. I wouldn't even know where to begin telling you how you could reach that nut to prevent it from spinning. Thankfully, out of all the 4 lower screws we had to remove from both headlights, only ONE spun through, and it was the inner one which I was able to reach to, pry open, and stop from spinning while I unscrewed the T30 Torx from the back.

Here is what the piece into which the screws go into. Good thing is, if you manage to mess it up... they are replaceable.





Now.. repeat the steps in reverse order to assemble it all back together.

Finished product featuring our BLK-OUT LED Headlights

[Vectors2final]

Can you pop the washer covers off without taking apart the whole damn bumper?

[Deja_Vu]

Just a heads up for those doing this - I've got '16 F82 and there were slight differences in the removal. On step 4 I didn't have to remove a philips screw. They were all hex. Also I didn't need to jack the car or turn the wheel. Just had to feel around for one screw when removing the splash guards. I'm not sure if this will work during the install.

Also, save yourself some time when disconnecting the main headlight power - I had to remove a screw just above it and twist/bend a guard away that was preventing the top clip from moving. Spent about 30 minutes trying to figure out why I couldn't get the damn thing off.

[STOOF]

wow big difference from my old G35/37 lol used to take that bumper and headlights off in 5 minutes.

[Alvinized52]

Great Job with this write up! Gonna attempt to do this myself this weekend. Wish me luck!

[Brasko]

Great write up! Thank you for taking the time to illustrate the process. Going to bookmark for future use.

[wicked510]

Sorry to revive a stale post but I can’t seem to find information on this anywhere. How do you determine what adjustment if any is needed on the bottom two t30 toro screws on the headlight assembly?

https://f80.bimmerpost.com/forums/at...mentid=1181092

[MFNATIK]

I know this thread is super old, but is there a trick to aligning the headlights when putting them back? I can't seem to get the driver side headlight to align just right. Passenger side was super easy for some reason.

[henrylee]

Thanks for the DIY

[M3nmotion18]

Thank you! I'll need this for future!!

[BzsBimmer]

Originally Posted by wicked510

Sorry to revive a stale post but I can’t seem to find information on this anywhere. How do you determine what adjustment if any is needed on the bottom two t30 toro screws on the headlight assembly?

https://f80.bimmerpost.com/forums/at...mentid=1181092

What adjustment are you referring to?
I just finished up my swap and used these instructions. Had to learn some nuances on my own but overall this was really helpful.

The bottom T30’s don’t adjust anything. The nut actually has a function with the bolt that actually pushes and pulls out prior to engagement/release. I bring this up because it will just spin if you’re not aware to pull the screw out.

[BzsBimmer]

Originally Posted by MFNATIK

I know this thread is super old, but is there a trick to aligning the headlights when putting them back? I can't seem to get the driver side headlight to align just right. Passenger side was super easy for some reason.

Align as in the beam or the height of the headlight?

Here’s what I did to align the headlight. Prior to removal, measure the gap between the fender corner and the light. It won’t be completely even across but take some measurements across.

When installing, I put the T30 bolt on the top of the light to the point where the light is just engaged but not tight.

Then the 10mm bolt, on the side. Get it snug but not tight. Raise the light to the point where measurement matches prior. Lock those two bolts down.

Then install the T30 that’s closest to you on the bottom. Get that tightened.

Then install the T30 that’s furthest away and hidden. Tighten.

Reinstall bumper and do you gap alignment. DO NOT put your fender liners back on until the gaps are within range. You can make adjustments as needed with the bumper on.

[BzsBimmer]

Also check the rear of the headlights. I noticed my old Xenon vs the LED housing had some additional bumps and stuff that got in the way. I had to install them at an angle to clear the bumps. I made sure the T30 holes were flush to the lower bracket hole opening.

[BzsBimmer]

Lastly, if the side bracket is broken, you could have issues with alignment. I had a buddy confirm his had an issue with alignment because his bracket was broken.

I’d also recommend buying the harness from marius76 and his coding service. He was super helpful and patient.

[MFNATIK]

Originally Posted by BzsBimmer

Align as in the beam or the height of the headlight?

Here’s what I did to align the headlight. Prior to removal, measure the gap between the fender corner and the light. It won’t be completely even across but take some measurements across.

When installing, I put the T30 bolt on the top of the light to the point where the light is just engaged but not tight.

Then the 10mm bolt, on the side. Get it snug but not tight. Raise the light to the point where measurement matches prior. Lock those two bolts down.

Then install the T30 that’s closest to you on the bottom. Get that tightened.

Then install the T30 that’s furthest away and hidden. Tighten.

Reinstall bumper and do you gap alignment. DO NOT put your fender liners back on until the gaps are within range. You can make adjustments as needed with the bumper on.

Thanks for the info. That method makes sense and you're right, the broken tab where the 10mm bolt goes doesn't lift and pull the light tight into the corner where the fender and bumper meet. Instead I was trying to force the bottom outside T30 to prop up the headlight which it does somewhat, but not enough to close the whole gap. Time to either epoxy it again or fabricate that bracket you suggested.

[Crazy Penguin]

Just leave the headlights completely loose with all the bolts in. Install bumper and then adjust the gaps around the light and tighten.


This DIY is also wrong.
There's absolutely no reason to remove the headlight washers.
You unplug the hose that feeds them under the passenger side light.
Then you just leave everything on the bumper.

[calebcross]

Originally Posted by Igor_M5

Step 12

Now for the final 2x T30 Torx screws. They are located on the bottom of the headlight, and the main reason for why the fender liner is required to be removed. One of the screws is easy to spot, the other screw sits further in towards the engine bay, and its deep in under the headlight. Its the same exact screw as the one that's easily accessible so it's hard to mistaken it once you spot it.

NOTE: Here's the catch, these are not your typical screws because for whatever reason... not only are these screws threaded with RED loc-tite thread lock, but the screw goes into a SQUARE nut that's enclosed in a metal clip-like housing, so basically... once the screw starts spinning the nut, that's when you need to whip out your flat head screw driver and needle nose pliers or needle nose locking grips.

Here's the photo of where the 2 screws are located:

Attachment 1181090

Erm….any idea what the part number is for these screws? I may have…stripped them….and need to buy more

[BzsBimmer]

Originally Posted by calebcross

Erm….any idea what the part number is for these screws? I may have…stripped them….and need to buy more

https://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/showparts?id=8M93-USA-09-2017-F80N-BMW-M3&diagId=63_1854
Check part 9…
Not sure if you need that or part 7

[Mrm4sw49r]

Originally Posted by Igor_M5

Several of our customers asked us to create a DIY on how to remove the headlights so they can mail them in for a BLACK OUT. This DIY is pretty straight forward, and I tried to grab as many photos as I could, for whatever steps I missed to snap some pics, I'll grab an illustration of the factory parts, or get an example from another F-Series BMW. Either way, I'll try to be as thorough as possible, and if you guys have any questions feel free to post them up and I'll answer them.

You will need tools to remove the following types of screws. What tool you choose to attach your sockets to is entirely up to you, but I'll mention the tools I used.

SCREWS:

• Torx - T25 & T30
• Hex - 8mm & 10mm
• Phillips - PH2 (Regular phillips head)

Grab a bin to collect all the screws.

Just in case, have a flat head screwdriver, long needle nose pliers or needle nose clamp jaws. Hopefully you won't need them...

TOOLS USED:

• T30 3/8" Socket w/ a 8" extension on a Ratchet
• Hex Screw Driver Gun w/ T25 & T30 6" Bits
• 90 Degree Hex Socket
• 8mm Socket Hex Bit

The Subject Vehicle:
Attachment 1181071

The Objective:
Attachment 1181072

STEP 1
Pull the car into your garage or where you plan on disassembling it. You will need to jack both sides of the car to gain access to the front fender liner. You can either jack up one side at a time like we did, and place jack stands at the correct points.

Attachment 1181073

STEP 2

Open the hood (remember, its 2 pulls on the interior hood latch). Once you pop open the hood, you'll see a weather strip liner that runs across from the left headlight to the right headlight. Simply pull it up, revealing the screws that hold the bumper and headlights in place.

Attachment 1181074

Attachment 1181075

STEP 3

Onto the fender liner. The purpose of removing the liner is to gain access to the 2 bolts that secure the bottom of the headlight to the front support. It also allows you to easily access the screws that hold the bumper to the fender.

There are 2 ways to go about it; one way is to remove the wheel completely, another way is to simply turn the wheel to access the screws. If you choose to keep the wheel on, you'll need to turn the wheel twice, INWARDS & OUTWARD to get access to all the screws.

We chose to keep the wheel on, so onto STEP 3...

The fender liner is attached with 9x 8MM screws - 3 of those screws attach the liner to the bumper, they are located behind the edge of the bumper. To access those screws comfortably, we turn the wheel INWARDS.

Attachment 1181076

Now turn the wheel outwards (if its not removed), and you'll gain enough access to use your tools to remove the remaining 6 screws.

2x 8MM screws are located along the bottom of the liner.

Attachment 1181077

2 More screws located here:

Attachment 1181078

Finally the last 2 are located right above the center of the wheel, where the liner meets the 2nd part of the front wheel well liner. Once the last 2 screws are removed, wiggle the liner to break it loose from the car and simply pull it out.

Attachment 1181079

REPEAT STEP 3 TO REMOVE THE LINER FROM THE OTHER SIDE OF THE VEHICLE.

STEP 4

Removing all the screws from the bottom of the bumper that secures it to the lower engine cover and side splash guards. There are a total of 8x 8MM screws and 2x PHILLIPS Screws.

Starting from the sides, you'll find 1x PHILLIPS screw, and right next to it a 8MM Hex screw. Remove those, then continue along the edge of the bumper and you will find the second 8MM Hex screw. Repeat this step for the opposite side of the bumper.

Attachment 1181080

Once you got the screws that secure the bumper to the splash guards, continue onto the center of the bumper where you will find the remaining 4x 8MM Hex that secure the bumper externally.

Attachment 1181081

STEP 5

Before we move onto the last step that removes the last bit of screws securing the bumper in place, lets disconnect the parking sensors & side view cameras if your M3/M4 is equipped with those.

Attachment 1181082

STEP 6

The last step to removing any remaining screws that secure the bumper in place. This is the area that secures the bumper to the fender, located behind and above the side view cameras, the bumper reflectors, and the side parking sensors. Remove 2x 8MM screws from both ends; the screws are much longer than any other 8MM screw you removed so far, so don't be hesitant to place them in the bin of screws, you won't confuse them.

Attachment 1181083

Now that the screws are all removed, all that's left to do is wiggle the bumper off the car. Start off by lifting the top edge of the bumper where you removed the first T30 Torx screws, and pull it slightly forward. Then break loose the bottom of the bumper from the engine covers, and finally break loose the sides of the bumper from the fenders. It's easier to remove the bumper with an extra set of hands, so one person can hold one side of the bumper, while you hold the other side.

Don't yank on the bumper and think you'll just walk away with it, you will need to perform a few additional steps that I don't have the photos for so please read carefully.

Upon breaking the bumper loose, you will need to do the following:

Un-clip the master parking sensor plug located on the passenger side. It's right near the headlight, a fairly big plug, so you won't miss it.

This is what the master clip for the parking sensors looks like:

Attachment 1181084

Then the headlight washers... before you yank the washers out, grab the extension arm that leads to the bumper and push it from the back to allow the washer cap to pop out of the bumper. You will notice that the cap is mounted and pivoted on the washer nozzle. Lightly spread the clips from the cap and push them down (towards the ground). Once you removed the caps, then you can begin to extract the washer nozzle. It's attached to the bumper bracket with a large clip, you push it back and wiggle the washer out of its place. Hard to describe without illustrations, if you followed this tutorial to this point... faith is on your side

Attachment 1181085

Attachment 1181086

Once you removed both washer nozzles, the rest of the washer fluid hose runs across the bumper from one side to the other, mounted with half open clips that you can just lift the hose out of and leave the hose dangling from the car. At this point the bumper should be free for you to run and party with.

Attachment 1181087

STEP 10

The headlight is secured with 3x T30 Torx screws, and 1x 10mm Hex Screw.

The first T30 Torx screw is located directly on top of the headlight in the engine bay.

Attachment 1181088

Step 11

The second screw is a 10MM Hex screw located behind the headlight, right under the fender.

Attachment 1181089

Step 12

Now for the final 2x T30 Torx screws. They are located on the bottom of the headlight, and the main reason for why the fender liner is required to be removed. One of the screws is easy to spot, the other screw sits further in towards the engine bay, and its deep in under the headlight. Its the same exact screw as the one that's easily accessible so it's hard to mistaken it once you spot it.

NOTE: Here's the catch, these are not your typical screws because for whatever reason... not only are these screws threaded with RED loc-tite thread lock, but the screw goes into a SQUARE nut that's enclosed in a metal clip-like housing, so basically... once the screw starts spinning the nut, that's when you need to whip out your flat head screw driver and needle nose pliers or needle nose locking grips.

Here's the photo of where the 2 screws are located:

Attachment 1181090

This is the location of the tabs through which the headlights are screwed down with using those screws. I only had one piece present to show you where they are mounted, but the arrows mark the location of the second piece.

Attachment 1181091

Another Important NOTE: In this photo above, the metal tab that's present is the ONLY tab that's accessible IF the nut starts to spin. That's the screw that is harder to access from the back, the further one in the above photo. If the nut happens to spin through in the tab that's closest to the turn signal, the one that's easily visible and accessible... then well... you're honestly shit out of luck. I wouldn't even know where to begin telling you how you could reach that nut to prevent it from spinning. Thankfully, out of all the 4 lower screws we had to remove from both headlights, only ONE spun through, and it was the inner one which I was able to reach to, pry open, and stop from spinning while I unscrewed the T30 Torx from the back.

Here is what the piece into which the screws go into. Good thing is, if you manage to mess it up... they are replaceable.

Attachment 1181092

Attachment 1181093

Now.. repeat the steps in reverse order to assemble it all back together.

Finished product featuring our BLK-OUT LED Headlights

Attachment 1181094

Hi when you removed the master clips for the parking sensors and all the other sensors did you had to recalibrate it ?
Because I took my car to the smash repair to get front bumper repair not just one shop but 3 of them said the same thing about recalibrating the sensors if not it will not work and wanted to charge me $250-500 to calibrate it
Do you know anything about this? Any information would be great thanks
I’m from Australia by the way

[Motown65]

Originally Posted by BzsBimmer

What adjustment are you referring to?
I just finished up my swap and used these instructions. Had to learn some nuances on my own but overall this was really helpful.

The bottom T30’s don’t adjust anything. The nut actually has a function with the bolt that actually pushes and pulls out prior to engagement/release. I bring this up because it will just spin if you’re not aware to pull the screw out.

Those bottom spots have reverse threaded pieces in them that look to be adjusters though?

[BzsBimmer]

They might. I personally wasn’t able to discern any appreciable difference when adjusting when fastened. Could have been just me.

[ck_M3]

Thank goodness for this thread, needed this when swapping out for Icons.

Can verify a few things:

• The two T30 bolts underneath the headlights can be a nightmare. Like OP, 3 came out just fine, and of course 1 (closest to fender) became a day filled with cursing. Long needle nose pliers will be needed. Mine got stuck at some point, and I could not get any sort of grip to back it out. So, I tried tightening to break any seal, and that finally let me back out the bolt
• Did not have to remove headlight washers from the bumper, just the connections
• Your headlight hose will spill an enormous amount of fluid, be prepared for this, flip the hose around as fast as you can and run it over your fender into the engine bay to keep it out of the way
• My headlight wires were way short, had to undo the factory taping to give it slack. Passenger side will be extremely short, I had to unclip the loom up near the fender to bring it down. Used friction tape to rewrap everything once done
• The bolts for underneath (2 per side) will have an inner ring-nut that it passes through to get to the difficult square nuts. These ring-nuts spin the opposite direction to tighten. Try to spin these on as tight as possible, otherwise they’ll span out causing a gap. You should be able to turn these with your fingers if there’s enough slack in all the bolts
• The lights will not turn on if you try testing the illumination until you get them coded
• Blue tape will save your fenders, bumper ends, and headlights. Use it EVERYWHERE
• Don’t bolt down your headlights until after you have your bumper on, helps with fitment