Noticed my low beam headlight burned out. Being new owner, I had the fun of finding a dealer or replacing it myself.
It appears my closest dealer, Countryside, IL BMW is going out of business this week. Owner lost interest, can't seem to find a buyer. Anyone looking to own a BMW shop, give them a call.
Anyway, this post is to relate what I accomplished and discovered. A couple things. The repair manual from eManualOnline doesn't match my K1200GT 2003. Not particularly surprised with changes. Mine was built in Nov 2002. VIN serial is 0059 of 2003 models. See picture, the headlight serial shows Oct 02.
Instead of two H7 bulbs, it was H7 low beam and GF-12 odd looking bulb for high beam. Good news is I didn't need to replace it. I bought a double package of H7s. One wasted for now. Also replaced the 5w parking light while in there.
Second point is the manual told me to remove the left and right body panels. Not needed. I started from the top down. Wings, windshield, instrument panel, front cowling. Except for the windshield it was smooth. Those aluminum windshield support just the wrong material. Looks like pot metal.
Hats off to guys who instruct us to put the screws on cardboard diagrams, where and what screws came from. Great idea. Picture attached. All body panels are T20 for me and T15 for the windshield. The windshield T15's were a bit odd on the fit. Not sure why but I had an assortment of T15 styles.
Next, do not try to reach in and pull the retaining wire without removing the panels. When you get it off, there isn't enough room. Remove the panels. Also forcing it hurts the retaining wire. Not worth the effort.
From start to finish, about 90 mins. I wasn't in a hurry. Didn't need to force anything. Never been down this road before and the cowling did have a tab-friction tab. I don't like those plastic tabs, but it was ok. FYI.
I guess when the high beam goes, I will get to find that part.
Pictures 1-shows the GF-12 plastic plug, when pulled out looks like picture 5. Some kind of metal retainer. Odd. Anyway the H7 bulb has simple retaining wires to pull out and replace. Very easy when the whole headlight is on your bench. I would not want to attempt it in an enclosed space. Other pictures are just progress.
Hope this helps others. Manuals say double H7s. Even AutoZone parts place said the same thing. Not true.
The low beam sits on top and bounces it's light around the sides of the headlight glass. It is not visible from the front glass. The high beam is below the low beam straight into the center of the headlight. Unabstructed view of the high beam bulb. I am just mentioning this for those guys trying to see where the bulbs are found.
Regards
It appears my closest dealer, Countryside, IL BMW is going out of business this week. Owner lost interest, can't seem to find a buyer. Anyone looking to own a BMW shop, give them a call.
Anyway, this post is to relate what I accomplished and discovered. A couple things. The repair manual from eManualOnline doesn't match my K1200GT 2003. Not particularly surprised with changes. Mine was built in Nov 2002. VIN serial is 0059 of 2003 models. See picture, the headlight serial shows Oct 02.
Instead of two H7 bulbs, it was H7 low beam and GF-12 odd looking bulb for high beam. Good news is I didn't need to replace it. I bought a double package of H7s. One wasted for now. Also replaced the 5w parking light while in there.
Second point is the manual told me to remove the left and right body panels. Not needed. I started from the top down. Wings, windshield, instrument panel, front cowling. Except for the windshield it was smooth. Those aluminum windshield support just the wrong material. Looks like pot metal.
Hats off to guys who instruct us to put the screws on cardboard diagrams, where and what screws came from. Great idea. Picture attached. All body panels are T20 for me and T15 for the windshield. The windshield T15's were a bit odd on the fit. Not sure why but I had an assortment of T15 styles.
Next, do not try to reach in and pull the retaining wire without removing the panels. When you get it off, there isn't enough room. Remove the panels. Also forcing it hurts the retaining wire. Not worth the effort.
From start to finish, about 90 mins. I wasn't in a hurry. Didn't need to force anything. Never been down this road before and the cowling did have a tab-friction tab. I don't like those plastic tabs, but it was ok. FYI.
I guess when the high beam goes, I will get to find that part.
Pictures 1-shows the GF-12 plastic plug, when pulled out looks like picture 5. Some kind of metal retainer. Odd. Anyway the H7 bulb has simple retaining wires to pull out and replace. Very easy when the whole headlight is on your bench. I would not want to attempt it in an enclosed space. Other pictures are just progress.
Hope this helps others. Manuals say double H7s. Even AutoZone parts place said the same thing. Not true.
The low beam sits on top and bounces it's light around the sides of the headlight glass. It is not visible from the front glass. The high beam is below the low beam straight into the center of the headlight. Unabstructed view of the high beam bulb. I am just mentioning this for those guys trying to see where the bulbs are found.
Regards
