Do It Yourself | BMW E36 Blog

4th September 2007

Installing lighted shift knob for your BMW . . . DIY!

I always wanted to illuminate my BMW shift knob and I didn’t realize that it’s a straight forward job. I recall that I had to cut into my shift knob to do this to my BMW E30 before and the job was very hard to do and it didn’t look like I was expecting. Of course, that’s before I find out that there’s an illuminated shift knob that is ready to be installed. So, by getting this illuminated shift knob, the task became very easy. Take a look at the DIY below. It’s a straight forward task to do. I hope you like it

For those of you who like to fix their BMW car(s) by themselves, I recommend you to get the Bentley BMW 3 series service manual which is one of the best books I’ve ever read. I got it and recommend you to get one for you as it will save you too much time and money while fixing your car.

Disclaimer: Use this info at your own risk!! I’m not responsible if this didn’t work for you :-).

I have seen a lot of threads about lighted shift knobs and many suggestions on how to install it. What follows is the factory
intended retrofit option. (Although I am technically removing the wiring, it is the same for installation.)

Unscrew the Phillips head screw holding the dimmer console in place. The dimmer console is located to the left of the steering wheel. This console then easily pops out of the dash.

What you see connected to the back of it is the factory retro-fit wiring harness.

You want this wire to terminate in the shift console to be connected to your shift knob.

I ran this wire under the carpet with the other wires. This is what it would look like before tucking it under the carpet:

With a little slack the wires pull part way out of the dash back at the dimmer console:

Plugged into the back of the add on wiring harness is the standard wiring harness for the interior lights.

I ran the wires through the dash behind this:

You have to take off the under dash, driver’s side knee panel to get to this. It removes with a wratchet extension and an M10 socket.

With this piece removed you can see I ran the wire behind the factory wire strap to hold it in place. This opens simply by pulling out from the top.

In total it would look like this:

I think the entire deal, knob and wiring harness came shipped from pacific for under $100.

To gain access to the shifter area do the following:

Pull the shift knob up. This takes some force, don’t be worried but don’t hit yourself in the head either. The shift boot removes easily by pulling up on the sides at the corners. To remove the sunglass console you first have to remove the check computer (OBC). To do this reach your hand into the sunglass console and find the hole in the middle in the top. Press up to release the catch on the OBC and push it forward from the back. Then slide the sunglass console up and then rotate it out.

The driver’s side knee panel has three screws. One on either side of the steering wheel and one in the footwell on the center console side. This panel slides out with a little effort. Then you have to remove 3 bolts with a 10mm socket on the metal heat guard as described above. To remove the OBC refer to the cubby removal DIY in my sig. Here is the final install picture:

This is a screenshot of how it should look like when it’s done

You can get the illuminated shift knob from here. Just look for part #25 11 2 231 561 or #25 11 2 231 551

Are you looking for more do it yourself procedures (DIY) ? I recommend the Bentley BMW 3 series service manual for you. I got it and I think it’s a gold mine for us -BMW E36 Owners-. If you didn’t grab your copy yet, get it right now! I’m sure you’ll find this book worth every penny you’ve paid for. Get the Bentley BMW 3 series service manual

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posted in Do It Yourself, Electrical, Interior, Technical Info, Tips & Tricks | 2 Comments

27th August 2007

BMW E36 Fog lights removal . . . DIY!

First of all, let me welcome our new friend here Ricardo Mollinedo. Until now, we have received 8 responses from readers for the post Welcome BMW E36 blog readers!. Well, I still hope that I receive more response from the loyal readers of this blog. So, please if you are a reader of BMW E36 blog, please submit your information here (Welcome BMW E36 blog readers!). We will be glad to hear from you!.

Today’s post is about BMW E36 fog lights removal. I was thinking that this is a very hard task to do because I already tried it on my car and it was just hard. The problem is that the fog lights are in a very bad place that you can’t easily remove or change as my car is maybe 10cm above the ground. This means that every time I needed to change a burned bulb or something, I had to dig deep until I reach it.

It seems that this plan was not very good and that there’s a much easier way to do it. So, if you either looking for changing your burned light or want to change/clean your fog lights, this post is for you. I hope you find it useful.

For those of you who like to fix their BMW car(s) by themselves, I recommend you to get the Bentley BMW 3 series service manual which is one of the best books I’ve ever read. I got it and recommend you to get one for you as it will save you too much time and
money while fixing your car.

Disclaimer: Use this info at your own risk!! I’m not responsible if this didn’t work for you :-).

The fog lights on the E36 are prone to stone chips because they are so low on the ground and can also crack due to thermal stress if you go through a puddle of water when they are hot. Fortunately they are easy and not too expensive to replace. German & Swedish sell original quality replacements for 60$ or alternative ones for 40$.

Pictured below is the drivers side brake duct and fog light. To release the fog light all you need to do is insert a screw driver in the hole at the top and push the releasing clip forwards. The fog light will then pivot on the opposite side and come out.

The picture below shows the release clip on the left and the pivot point on the right of the photo.

If this plastic clip has broken then it is more difficult to remove the fog light. You need to remove the 4 bolts and 2 plastic rivets holding the plastic panel underneath to the bumper. You will probably have to force the rivets out and buy a couple more. They are only about 12p each from a dealer.
Once the panel is off then raise the wheel up a little by for example driving onto a kerb and put your head underneath.

The picture below is what you should be able to see. You will need to hook a flat bit of metal over the top of the bracket and down between the bracket and other side of the lever and then twist it.

The finished result. You might wish to replace the fog light the opposite side as well as you can see from my photo the old fog light glass discolors after a while.

Are you looking for more do it yourself procedures (DIY) ? I recommend the Bentley BMW 3 series service manual for you. I got it and I think it’s a gold mine for us -BMW E36 Owners-. If you didn’t grab your copy yet, get it right now! I’m sure you’ll find this book worth every penny you’ve paid for. Get the Bentley BMW 3 series service manual

BMW E36 Blog: The ultimate BMW E36 information source.

Want to receive exciting tips & information about BMW E36 cars? Enter your Email:-

posted in Do It Yourself, Exterior, Technical Info, Tips & Tricks | 2 Comments

19th August 2007

Fixing your BMW OBC (On Board Computer) lights . . . DIY!

If you have a BMW with OBC (On Board Computer). It’s most likely that you will face a problem in its back lights sooner or later. Luckily I didn’t face this problem with my car yet, but my brothers car has this problem and his car’s OBC looks really disgusting. The problem begins when one of the back lights of the OBC decides to die and your OBC which you love to play with from time to time starts to look like a guy with black eye. At that time, you know that you have to do something about it and I know. You will be thinking … man, I shouldn’t mess with this OBC because it looks really complicated and I may end up breaking something. Guess what? you are wrong! Fixing the OBC back lights is a very simple task and it’s the subject of today’s post. I hope you enjoy this post and find it useful for your car. By the way, I want to thank Eduardo Cesconetto the original author of this great post.

For those of you who like to fix their BMW car(s) by themselves, I recommend you to get the Bentley BMW 3 series service manual which is one of the best books I’ve ever read. I got it and recommend you to get one for you as it will save you too much time and effort while fixing your car.

Disclaimer: Use this info at your own risk!! I’m not responsible if this didn’t work for you.

My OBC had only one light working, the one in the left corner, and so it was a pain to look at it, and it looked like the LCD was burned, but it comes out is just a matter of replacing some light bulbs. You can get the bulbs at the dealership for $2.50 each, and just ask for the light bulb for the OBC of your year/model car.

Here is my OBC:

The first thing to do is to carefully place a flat head screwdriver in one of the sides in the crack between the OBC and the bezel, carefully to not scratch anything, then apply a mild pressure pushing the handle of the screw driver outwards, the OBC will pop out a little bit.

Repeat the same procedure in the other side.

Under the OBC and in the top of the sunglass compartment (or whatever you want to call it) there is a hole as shown on this picture:

Put your middle finger in that hole and find the back of the OBC, then push it out slowly but firmly

That will give you enough space to pull the OBC out, slowly so you don’t pull the harness of the OBC

On the top side of the OBC, you will see the 4 light bulbs:

A bit closer…

Using the same flat head screwdriver, rotate the bulb counter-clockwise 1/4 turn to release the bulb

Install the new bulbs and follow the guide backwards to put the OBC back in place.

I suggest you replace all the 4 bulbs at once, otherwise you can end up with uneven light across the display

Are you looking for more do it yourself procedures (DIY) ? I recommend the Bentley BMW 3 series service manual for you. I got it and I think it’s a gold mine for us -BMW E36 Owners-. If you didn’t grab your copy yet, get it right now! I’m sure you’ll find this book worth every penny you’ve paid for. Get the Bentley BMW 3 series service manual

BMW E36 Blog: The ultimate BMW E36 information source.

Want to receive exciting tips & information about BMW E36 cars? Enter your Email:-

posted in Do It Yourself, Interior, Technical Info, Tips & Tricks | 14 Comments

7th August 2007

Installing Silver Gauge Cluster Rings for your BMW . . . DIY!

Let me start this post by welcoming our new friend Denise Wright. As you may know I’ve been trying to make a group of BMW E36 enthusiasts from the readers of this blog. I have posted a previous topic Welcome BMW E36 blog readers! in which I asked everyone who reads this blog to write a little bit about him/her self. So if you didn’t read this post yet please do and lets hear from you. I feel really happy when I hear from you guys.

OK, now for the post of today that I know most of you will like very much. This is a DIY (do it yourself) post which will teach you how to install those cute silver gauge cluster rings on your BMW. I really love the way the gauges look after the installation. I also love this DIY as it’s very simple and can be done by almost anyone who doesn’t have any experience in cars. Let not forget to thank Komodo who wrote this great DIY.

Enjoy the post and lets see how things go with you.

Disclaimer: Use this info at your own risk!! I’m not responsible if this didn’t work for you.

This is a DIY for installing those silver gauge rings you can find all the time on
eBay for about $30-35. Here is an after stock photo of how this mod changes your car. It’s a simple mod, but makes a big difference.

Tools needed:

– T10 Torque Screwdriver with a long thin handle (one screw is pretty deep inside)

– Phillips head screw driver

1) Unscrew the gauge cluster. There are two screws and some friction holding your cluster in. One screw is on each side of the top, as shown in this picture:

Unscrew those screws and push on the bottom of the glass to loosen the unit. Mine was stuck in there pretty good, so it took a good amount of pressure and jiggling to break it free.

2) It should now slide forward and up to the steering wheel.

IMPORTANT: At this point you’re about to begin messing with electrical parts, so please stop and disconnect your battery before continuing. Leaving it plugged in might make you physically unable to finish this DIY.

When you reach behind the unit, you’ll feel three wire bundles connecting it to the car. Two are on the right (one big vertical one, and one small horizontal one just below it), and one big vertical plug is on the left.

This is probably the trickiest part of the whole installation. You must reach behind the unit (probably blindly) and unplug them, however they are not a normal plug. There’s a little button you must push in the middle of the latch, then slide the clip up until the connection comes lose. Here’s a picture to try and explain it better:

Then after it’s free just slide it out beside the wheel (again, might require a bit of creative shaking and squeezing, but it’s easily possible.

3) Now you should have the unit out of the car. Bring it inside or somewhere with good light and go get your T10 torque screw driver. There’s 5 screws, as shown by this image of the back of the cluster. Two up top, one on each side, and one deep screw in the very middle.

Unscrew them all, pull gently, and the unit should split open:

4) Now look at the faceplate half of the unit (the top half in the picture above). There are three unique, German engineered, “finger screws” holding the faceplate against the glass. It’s the round black circle knobs on each side, and one in the top middle. To unscrew these, simple twist the white part the direction they will move to free the face plate. Here’s a close up of one of the finger screws:

5) After all of them are turned to the unlocked/open position, gently pull the faceplate up and it should separate:

Now simply take your rings and pop them on to the left part of the above picture. Mine were very tight and clipped on, the friction plenty to hold them on through anything, however I know some of the rings are a lot looser and might require some creative glueing to get them to stay.

Here’s a picture of the rings on just that piece. Notice the Bugatti Veyron Top Gear on the projector in the background. This is a must for this DIY. If you don’t watch Top Gear while installing the rings, they won’t work.

6) Now the reverse install. Put the faceplate back in the glass (re-screwing the three thumb screws all the way to ensure nothing moves), then using the torque screws, reattach the back half of the gauge cluster.

Take it back to your car then, slide it beside the steering wheel, push it firmly into it’s hole, and screw the top two screws in.

Congratulations, you now have silver gauge rings installed in your car.

Are you looking for more do it yourself procedures (DIY) ? I recommend the Bentley BMW 3 series service manual for you. I got it and I think it’s a gold mine for us -BMW E36 Owners-. If you didn’t grab your copy yet, get it right now! I’m sure you’ll find this book worth every penny you’ve paid for. Get the Bentley BMW 3 series service manual

BMW E36 Blog: The ultimate BMW E36 information source.

Want to receive exciting tips & information about BMW E36 cars? Enter your Email:-

posted in Do It Yourself, Interior, Technical Info | 8 Comments

30th July 2007

Cleaning BMW E36 Ellipsoid headlights . . . DIY!

Hi Guys,

First of all, let me start today’s post by welcoming our new friend Mortuis Gratis. As you may know, I added the post Welcome BMW E36 blog readers! and I asked the members of this blog to fill in their information in order to get to know each other. The goal is to create a community of BMW E36 enthusiasts. So, if you love BMW E36 cars, and didn’t read that post yet, please do and remember to post your information. I really like hearing from you guys. Until this moment, I received responses from 6 guys and girls + me :-), but of course I’m looking for more E36 lovers.

Now for today’s post: In the last couple days, I noticed that my right headlight is getting very dirty and it even started screaming at me to clean it. Every time I see that light, I feel a little guilty for leaving it like this and try to pretend like I didn’t see it. Yesterday, I decided to look up for some information on how to clean BMW E36 headlights and fortunately, I found this DIY (Do It Yourself!) on how this can be done. From the description of the process, it seems quite easy and I’m intending to do it for my car very soon. But, I hope that my headlights can be cleaned in the same way. My car has a totally different headlights, and I’m not sure if this procedure will work on it. But I don’t have anything to lose, so I will try it.

You too, if your headlights are dirty or started looking ugly, maybe it’s time for you to do some cleaning. Please read the DIY below and if you have any notes or questions , please let me know.

Disclaimer: Use this info at your own risk!! I’m not responsible if this didn’t work for you.

1. First, you have to remove your corner lamps. Remove the indicator lamp bulb, then use a screwdriver to pry the clip that holds the indicator lamp free. Slide the indicator lamp out forwards.

2. You can now remove the headlights. To do so, you need to remove the 3 screws that are on the top, and two on the side. On my car, they were all Phillips screws. The screw below the indicator lamp area is quite hard to get to. It would probably be relatively easy if you have a short Phillips screwdriver.

Pull the headlamp out towards you, then disconnect the connectors. Set your precious headlamp down on a soft, gentle surface!

3. There will be 2 small metal clips on both the top and bottom of the ellipsoids. Unclip them by prying them off with a flathead screwdriver. Remember to pry from the plastic end because you might break/chip the glass if you apply too much force on it.

4. Unhook the 5 big plastic clips (3 on top and 2 on the bottom) with a flathead screwdriver.

5. You should now be able to separate the lens part from the reflector part of the headlight. Pull them in separate directions. They might be tight, so wiggle them free.

6. This is how your headlight will look like when it has been opened:

7. Notice that both lenses are held in by factory silicone. Using a blade, slice them off. Your lenses should now fall out quite easily. If they don’t, you can use a flathead screwdriver to gently nudge it out. Be very, very careful!

8. Clean the insides of the headlight thoroughly. I sprayed window cleaner then used newspaper to wipe it clean. You may want to wipe the projector for the low beam as well. Remember to wipe underneath the projector lens! You will see a definite improvement in clarity.

9. Make sure you have gotten rid of most, if not all, of the factory silicone. Put the lenses back into their original positions. Double check by looking at the orientation of the other headlight. Now, apply new silicone (I used Selley’s Marine Sealant silicone) to the rim of the lenses (where the factory silicone was before). Let the silicone dry, then make sure the lenses are secure.

10. Double check for any smudges on the glass, then reassemble in the reverse order of disassembly.

Now, let’s make a comparison:

Dirty Left Ellipsoid

Clean Right Ellipsoid

At this point you’ll say “That was worth it!”

Are you looking for more do it yourself procedures (DIY) ? I recommend the Bentley BMW 3 series service manual for you. I got it and I think it’s a gold mine for us -BMW E36 Owners-. If you didn’t grab your copy yet, get it right now! I’m sure you’ll find this book worth every penny you’ve paid for. Get the Bentley BMW 3 series service manual

BMW E36 Blog: The ultimate source of information about BMW E36 cars.

Best regards,

Tony Sticks.