[scottz5]

Originally Posted by indianboy821

Any tricks to getting the whole light fixture off? I have tried for hours now and the thing doesn't come off! Any ideas??

Pull harder, i am not joking!

[Flee67]

This is very frustrating.....I hardwired on my E46 years ago and it was pretty simple getting the fixture to come down.

After struggling to remove the switch panel behind the inside rear view mirror, I happened to notice in the Owmers' manual that instructions are included! This panel must be removed to manually open/colse the sun roof.

I tried following these instructions, too, to no avail. Do you push up (towards the sky) on the screwdriver/putty knife to release the tabs? Or do you push backwards (towards the rear window)? Also, I know the tabs are about 1 inch from the edge, but how deep (again, towards the sky) are they? Are they just a few millimeters deep, or is your instrument going quite a ways up into the space? Any pics that depict this would be most appreciated.

[tima]

The light is a pita.

Try to gently unclip the translucent white cover - it does unclip so you can change the overhead bulbs. Once off, this gives access to an indented area wherein sits the center lamp - this indent offers some purchase on the unit. You can put your thumb into the center lamp indent and gently push the unit toward the rear which should make a very thin opening between the front edge of the light unit and the cutout hole.

*If I remember correctly*, think of the clips as centered on the small round lights; you can push the clip at maybe 3/8-to1/2 inch from the bottom of the unit - but its been a couple weeks.

When one side does unclip you will know it. Maybe pulling harder works, but when I pressed the clip right I could tell and did not need to pull. You'll want to wedge something thin into the side that comes free so it doesn't clip back into place while you do the other side .

Best of luck.
.

[pharmb]

You need to stick your head between the windshield and the dash so you can actually see what your trying to do. Use the screwdriver from the tool kit in the trunk, it's the perfect size. Push up (towards the sky), NOT back (toward the rear window). The clips are about 1/4 - 1/2 inch from the edge of the fixture. It does not take a lot of pressure to get them released, it's more about getting the angle right, and looking to find the recessed "slots".

[Flee67]

Okay...finally got the fixture down and it's hardwired now. Thanks. To clarify, the clips are very easy to miss and are very tight and snug against the metal plate which is the edge of the fixture. You'll need a very thin screwdriver (the one in the tool kit works well) to slide in between the edge of the fixture and the clip (about 6 mm in width) and then separate the clip from the metal edge of the fixture. They're centered directly behind the two round lamps. Once you separate the clip, then it's just a matter of pulling down the fixture (it should not take very much force at all once it's released). The best way to see everything is to gently pry away the headliner from the edge of the fixture and then use a very bright flashlight.

[indianboy821]

Well after a trip to BMW with a dead battery and hours trying to get the fixture down, my v-1 is now hardwired again. However it seems to randomly shut off at times. I tapped into the green and white wire going to the rearview mirror. Is it possible the blue clip is not in well? Also if i was to take the hardwire out would the wire I tapped into need patching or would it be okay with a hole in it? Any ideas?

[ben1364]

Ideas?
I would also check your ground connection.

[scottz5]

This weekend I cleaned my car and took down the light (i am an expert now it only took 30 secs) I drilled a sm hole and put a screw in to create a better ground and now its pefect!

[mfisher702]

The best pieces of advice are:

Owners manual pages 29 and 30 cover the light fixture removal
The 2 clips are DIRECTLY in front of each round lamp
Clean regular head screwdriver (like the one in the car tool kit) works fine
Angle the screwdriver about 15 degrees from front bumper to rear so you are pushing ""up and "in" on the clips
Pull down clightly on the side of the fixture where you are trying to push the clip in
Green and white wire to the sunroof for power and black starhead screw into the roof metal left of the sunroof box for a ground.

I will admit to about 20 minutes of frustration on removing the light fixture like everyone else but the best thing I read was when one of the guys here figured out it was covered in the owner's manual (in case you need to manually close the sunroof after electrical failure.

V1 is Good!

[Jesse Wilson]

These are some images from my recent install. It took about 15 minutes to do and was very simple. The light cover took about 5 minutes but wasn't all that difficult. I suppose it didn't have to tke that long but I wanted to be really carefull I didn't mess anything up. To those debating I would highly suggest doing it. I have had the radar detector running off of the cigarette lighter for so long that I forgot what my center console even looked like with the lid closed. Any questions please feel free to ask!



Here is an idea of where the clips are


Here is a picture of how the clips work


This shows where I tapped into the bundle, I used the green wire with the white stripe. It also shows the location that I mounted the ground screw. If I were you I wouldn't even mess with the bolts that others are using, just tap your own. You know it's secure and it's ten times easier.


This shows where I tucked away the extra wire.


DONE!


and DONE!

And yes it works even when the sunroof is in operation!

Jesse

[lumbergh]

If it weren't for this post I would have ripped the entire headliner off trying to get the light console down. It would have been years before I wandered accross it in the manual.

Those things are really hidden.

I'm real happy with the hardwire of my V1. It is so much cleaner now. This is a better hardwire than what I was going to do.

Thanks for all the pics and explanations!

[e90fanatic]

I hardwired the V1 successfully but whenever I operate the sunroof it shuts off and restarts immediately....any others experiencing this? Any fixes?

[scottz5]

Originally Posted by e90fanatic

I hardwired the V1 successfully but whenever I operate the sunroof it shuts off and restarts immediately....any others experiencing this? Any fixes?

yea i drilled a sm hole and used a screw as a ground

[poldim]

Originally Posted by e90fanatic

I hardwired the V1 successfully but whenever I operate the sunroof it shuts off and restarts immediately....any others experiencing this? Any fixes?

Was this off of the bolt?

[e90fanatic]

Originally Posted by poldim

Was this off of the bolt?

I don't know because I actually got a installer to do it for me.

[jmcphillips1]

what does this "pop" feature do for me?

[poldim]

Originally Posted by scottz5

yea i drilled a sm hole and used a screw as a ground

I used the 10 mm bolt for the sunroof motor mount. Works flawlessly.

[petesamprs]

Same here. Just take a brillo pad to the bolt before putting it back on - that should ensure a good ground connection. no drilling necessary

[poldim]

Here is the install from a few weeks ago.

[FELO325E90]

COOL

[poldim]

You can sort of see the ground connection. It is on the motor mount bolt (greenish) to the right of the sunroof motor.

[shutterbug]

Thanks for the photo. This will help me a lot when I go to install my Passport. Just to clarify, the green-white wire you tapped into is part of the bundle that's hanging down in your photo, right?