When owning an older BMW, it’s smart to discover the small maintenance items you can take care of yourself. Of course, what is easy for one person isn’t necessarily easy for another. In fact, it’s wise to approach with caution many projects some guys on the online boards say are incredibly “easy” to do yourself.
However replacing the fog light bulbs on an E36 M3 truly is easy. My driver side went out last week and I replaced both bulbs this weekend. The bulb size is H1 and I like using Osram (Sylvania) SilverStars purchased from PowerBulbs.com: http://tinyurl.com/6tz2tk
They are much brighter and the light is whiter than stock bulbs, and since the dollar has come back against the pound the price is very competitive.
First step is to insert any type of screwdriver through the brake duct and disengage the fog assembly clip. It’s simple, and when you pop the clip the fog light comes straight out:
Step One
Out It Comes
Then just take off the plastic housing, and unclip the two springs that hold the bulb in place:
Clips
Opened and ready for replacement
Then slide back in and push until it clicks back into place:
All Done
Voila, all done in about ten minutes. It’s easy to learn how to replace all the bulbs on these cars, and even something small like this gives a nice DIY feel.
I have a question – how does the bulb itself come out? My bulb is in there pretty secure and I don’t want to damage it. Does it come out by itself, or is it removed along with some of the connector?
My comment would be for others reading this is to make sure to never touch the bulb with your bare hands — the oils in your skin can reduce the life of the bulb dramatically. Use gloves.
Thanks.
RC — grasp the red base shown in picture, and pull firmly. Bulb will come out.
Good point on not touching bulb with bare hands, thanks.