lufbramatt

Plastic parts can be vacuum plated, still a common process in the UK. At work we had an Airfix model vacuum plated to use as a trophy at a local place. I expect that the existing plating would have to be completely removed though so not sure that old reflectors could be restored without damage to the optical qualities.

The lights on mine were pretty good until recently, driven down scary dark country lanes in wales etc with no issues. That’s why I noticed the change in light output. Do the xenon bulbs degrade over time/use?

Checked at lunchtime... adjusters defo both gone. Light innards are all floppy. Good shout Dan

Replacing the entire lights not an option at the moment at those prices. Will have a look at the back of the lights to see if anything is loose. Can the movement still be checked with the ballasts in place as I seem to remember the ballasts are attached to the back of the light unit? I have seen some people have been able to do the adjusters from the back of the light without splitting them, need to have a good root around the web for guides. I design model kits for a living so can cope with fiddly assemblies

I'm surprised they have both gone at exactly the same time? Due to them both being affected I'm wondering if it's a sensor or the linkage to the suspension going funny. Any recommended sources for the adjusters? are pre/post facelift different? Want to take the lights off the car at some point to polish the lenses up anyway.

Have noticed the last couple of nights that the headlights are shockingly bad, both lamps are lit but I'm struggling to see where I'm going on unlit roads. This morning I realised the aim of the lights was way too low. Car is a dec 2002 facelift with factory HIDs which should be self levelling. Where should I start looking here? Both lights are aimed at the ground. Is INPA of any use with this issue?

I'm still with CK on the e39 as they were one of the cheapest (without going with random companies on compare the market with really bad reviews), I think direct line was about £3 cheaper for the same cover, not worth the hassle of swapping. They did try to hike the price of my 2nd car I had insured with them last year, after being very competitive initially. Took my business elsewhere out of principal. Saved a 3 figure sum.

I did mine with no bother using a Franklin TA-330 but some guys have struggled and needed something bigger, I'm not sure if there are different styles of ball joint in use. the TA331 is the bigger brother and has an extension bit in the hinge so it opens wider.

Presumably you also need some sort of UV sealant applied as the last step to stop them going cloudy again.

Interesting thread. What prompted you to replace the seals- any symptoms to look out for?

They seem to be very snesitive to wheel balance- on mine I replaced upper and lower front arms, drop links, front tyres, brake discs and pads and ended up with horrendous wheel vibration at 70ish mph which made me hate driving the car. Decent branded parts used. Took the tyres back to have them re balanced which improved it slightly but still wasn't great (won't be using that place again!). Took them to a place that had a Hunter road force machine and as if by magic it's now smooth as silk. Not cheap mind! Interestingly one of the wheels had ended up with about 100g of balance weights on it from the first place, after going on the Road force machine that wheel now has only 20g of weights on it.

Have spotted a lovely black B10 v8 parked in the next road to me whislt walking the kids to playgroup at Hook Meadow, looks a lovely example, nice and clean! anyone on here?

Thanks, what's up with the paint on that looks like it's been keyed a lot? Whats the condition of the bracket above the bumper (last photo)

think I replied to a post you made on pistonheads