dkarp, perhaps the cover was left off at some time in the past. I don't quite understand your difficulty. I removed the bulb on my 1999 E430 the other day just to go through the proceedure, on the ground, in my bathrobe (!), and it just wasn't that hard. Sorry you are having difficulty, but a BMW won't solve your problem. I agree with Behind the Star, the W210s have been pretty darn good.