W124 front lens replacement?? -Pics.
 

A stone cracked my left front headlight lens. Should be no problem.. Bought a new lens and figured it would take me a couple of minutes to replace the old one. Not so!

How to get the old lens off.. :confused:

I can see that i have to remove the metal piece right below the headlight. -One screw towards center of the car -check! But how do i get the other end towards the corner lens loose? (see picture) It feels like i'm bending metal when i try to pull it.

And even when/if i get that metal piece off, the lens is wedged behind the edge of the corner lens. (see picture) Do i have to remove the corner lens first?

Freestyler

If it's like my 92' 300, you'll see two plastic tabs above the lamp assembly (hood open). Gently lift the tabs and slide the assembly forward until released. I believe there are tabs on the bottom as well. Once you have the tabs released, you should be able to pull the assembly off.

Forgot the pic..

As you can see, the corner lens is in the way of the headlight lens.. -Can't get it past without removing the corner lens..?

The corner marker light is easy to remove. There's a tab accessible from behind it, just push it and the marker will pop out. Also, to replace the headlamp lens, it would be better to remove the whole assembly first, only three screws...otherwise you risk breaking one of the plastic tabs that secure the cover.

Good luck.

I just did this the other night. You have to remove the corner lens (carefully - the tabs holding it in place get brittle as they age, and if (when?) they break, you need a new lens. The lens has to come out as there is another screw holding the trim piece in place under the headlight. One at each end. The plate under the headlight has a rubber lip on the back as well. Once both screws are removed, rotate the grill side of the plate away from the front of the car to about 45 degrees, then slide the fender side of the plate out, exposing the bottom of the headlight.

Before you remove the lens, carefully remove the rubber gasket that goes across the grill and bottom of the lens. The rubber has tabs that go through the lens rim holding it in place. It helps to slightly stretch these tabs so they clear the lens holes. The fender edge of the rubber has a molded rubber hook that curves around the bottom fender side of the lens, which must be pulled towards the fender to clear.

You will need 2 long, thin screw drivers to remove the lens. As Glen says, if not done carefully, you risk breaking the tabs, so you may want to remove the headlight to take the lens off. It can be done on the car if you are very careful and don't try to force anything.

The bottom of the lens looks like the top: 2 plastic clips on the bottom holding it on and 2 on the top. GENTLY pry up the 2 sides of each clip so that it clears the tab on the headlight housing. This can be done by sliding the flat of the screw drivers under the tab, and rotating them so that the blade acts as a lever, raising the tab. The bottom ones are done the same, but if the headlight is on the car you have to work by feel, and the clips have to be approached from the sides (screwdrivers held under the lens and parallel to the lens face.) It does work, it just takes time and care.

Once all 4 clips are removed, the lens is free, but you aren't done yet. there are 4 fat plastic pins on the lens corners that go into guide holes. The pin closest to the lower fender side of the lens doesn't clear easily. Gently rotate the grill side of the lens out from the headlight until those pins clear. Then rotate the top of the lens slightly down until the upper fender pin clears. Finally, rotate the lens slowly clockwise and out from the car until the 4th pin clears.

Reassembly is the reverse of above. It sounds more complex than it is. The hardest part of re-assembly is after the bottom lens tabs are secured, pushing the top of the lens against the rubber seal enough so the top tabs re-engage. Use a folded towel to protect the lens and your hand.

When re-installing the turn indicator lens assembly, make sure it 'clicks' into place, and try pushing it out from behind to make sure it is locked in, or else you might loose it on the freeway!

Good luck, about a 1 hour job.

Thanks JCE.
Now that's what i call a detailed explanation! Suddenly everything falls into place.

It has gotten dark outside now, so i'll wait until tomorrow. But i'll let you all know how it went.

Freestyler

Yeah!
 

I was going to tell exactly what JCE already told you;) . So he save me a few lines.:D :D
Good luck!:cool:

It's done.

Everything was exactly as JCE said it would be.

And for anyone who will try this: Take the entire headlight assembly out! It's only 3 screws and it only takes 2 min to get it out. -Makes it so much easier to replace the lens.

Only thing that bugged me: There's absolutely NO room for a hand of my size to get down beside the brake pressure distributor and the headlight assembly, to replace the metal clip that secures the corner light assembly..! It took me 2 hours and a whole lot of swearing to get that in place..! -And my hands looks like i've been fighting a wild cat.. But it's there now.

A big thanks to JCE and others who responded. :)

Freestyler

Hmm.. It turns out that my in-dash headlight adjustment no longer works. :(

Is that electric or pneumatic controlled? (noticed a vacuum hose attached to the headlight??)
And what would cause it not to work?

Freestyler

Pneumatic(vacuum); and the hose most likely pulled loose (maybe while fighting that wildcat ;) . Check BOTH ends of hose as it may have pulled from splice at other end.