Removing front Z4M reflectors? How to?

[GammaZeta]

Ok, so I want to take my front amber reflectors off of my Z4M and wanted to know if we have reached a consensus yet on the best way to do it?

Is it possible to just keep the wheel on and remove a few of the rivets on the plastic wheel well?

Or do you have to take off the bumper?

Can you just paint them while still attached?

Or are they accessible through the engine bay?

[Finnegan]

Bumper off IIRC. CrFine82 has a DIY on removing of you need it.

[Rick Hunter]

You don't have to take the bumper off, nor do you need to pull the wheels off either (just turn the wheels in). The reflectors are not accessible through the engine bay unfortunately.

You can access the back of the reflectors through the wheel well although you will need to be pain tolerant (gap is small when you reach in) and be able to catch the reflectors to avoid losing them when you pop them in from the front. The front reflectors are only held onto the bumper with double sided tape (albeit strong tape).

Having done this operation twice on my car, I can tell you it is a pain in the ass but not impossible. If you're removing your bumper to do other DIYs then definitely this is the preferred method. I wouldn't recommend painting them on the car... do it right the first time... preparation of the reflectors is key to preventing a crappy paint job.

BTW on the back of the reflector there are 3 pegs with which you could fasten a string onto to help with the catching procedure. Sorry I have no pics for the DIY although you should be able to find it with search.

[GammaZeta]

So wheel well is the best method.

Does anyone know the part number of the screws/nuts that I will need to replace on the wheel well? I heard they are one use only.

Do I need to take all the screws/nuts off or just the first few?

And obviously re installation is just reverse?

[Rick Hunter]

None - You just remove the plastic access panel on the wheel well (1/2 turn on the plastic screw IIRC then pull the panel out). Then you reach your hand in to catch the reflector (PITA but doable) while you push the reflector into the car.

Make sure you have double sided tape to replace on the reflector before you reinstall it to the bumper (get the good stuff, 3M super heavy duty indoor/outdoor mounting tape)

Good Luck.

[Pheonix]

All great tips! It is also easier to pop it out by gently push around the inside of the bumper while pushing the reflector in.
I used RTV adhesive (like silicone) since i have some at work. IMHO, it was better than the tape because i could still move the reflector around and get it perfectly flushed with the bumper. But the tape will also work if you cant find RTV.

[nwflbimmer]

I am about to perform a thread-jack!

I saw on eBay a foglight that looks like it is supposed to be mounted in the bumper approximately where the reflector is located. It says it is an actual BMW part. Does anyone know anything about it? I really wish there was foglights on my MZ4 Coupe.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2004-2009-BM...ec618b&vxp=mtr

[chickdr]

Originally Posted by nwflbimmer

I am about to perform a thread-jack!

I saw on eBay a foglight that looks like it is supposed to be mounted in the bumper approximately where the reflector is located. It says it is an actual BMW part. Does anyone know anything about it? I really wish there was foglights on my MZ4 Coupe.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2004-2009-BM...ec618b&vxp=mtr

Those look like they are and upgrade for the 03-05 cars which have round fogs in that location. The only way I could see a fog working for the Z4M is to custom mount one at the top edge of the brake ducts. It would take some skill.

[StickMon]

Originally Posted by chickdr

Those look like they are and upgrade for the 03-05 cars which have round fogs in that location. <snip>

If you look at the picture you can see that the fogs are where the ///M has brake ducts. You can see the reflectors higher and more to the side.

Thread jack-back:
Don't overestimate the difficulty of removing the bumper cover. Comes right off.
I've had mine off 4 times. Takes 10 minutes. You'll waste more time trying to extract your hand from the wheel well and applying band-aids. The hardest part is wrangling the headlight washers. Good opportunity to combine the reflector delete with the headlight washer delete.

[pelerojo]

Question on the rear reflectors. I had mine painted but they left the bulbs in and they show through. What is the recommeded fix. Can I remove the bulb from the ground without removing the refleector? I can get my hand to it but not sure how it is in there. Any pics some one can point me to would be appreciated.

[a_riddler]

Just don't reconnect the wire for the rears. Done. I simply ziptied up the wire.