kevinqat

Hi guys. I'm replacing a headlight lens. How do I get the right-side (starboard) headlight assembly off my 95? I've removed the screw on the rad side, and the plastic gizmo on top. Where else is the assembly it held on? I'm about to remove the wiper so I can remove the bottom trim strip in case I can get at the bottom clips that way, and simply remove the old lens without having to remove the whoe assembly.

bicylindrico

There will be two screws behind the turn signal lens. You will need to remove the wiper arm and the cover behind it. I recommend taking the whole headlamp assy. out. You will be most of the way there and it will be much easier to replace the lens with the whole thing removed There will be a electrical connector and hose on the wiper motor. Good luck!

kevinqat

Thanks for the reply. It's exactly as you describe. Just after I posted I was able to figure it out by fluke (don't have a service manual--do have the useless E-Class Owner's Bible). Once I noticed the little tongue for the corner light it got pretty obvious. Had I had your advice before I started I would have saved myself many hours of eyeballing.

If anyone else is wondering how to do this, first, remove the corner light by locating the little plastic tongue behind the assembly inside at the fender. Flip that out and remove the corner assembly. Now you see the two screws holding that end of the headlight assembly to the car. Remove those. Next remove the screw hiding at the radiator end of the housing. Fun to get out but not too hard. I think it's 8mm.
Now remove the single screw at the radiator end of the bottom trim under the light. If you have wipers, loosen the retaining nut, spray some WD40 on the wiper base where the wiper axle passes through it, and wap the retaining nut while pulling on the wiper base to loosen it. Remove wiper to help free the trim. Now have fun angling the whole assembly out of the car.

Oh yeah, you'll also have removed the cowl for the air intake behind the headlight by now. Which is easy.

Once the whole assembly is out, carefully lift the plastic retaining clips, gently, using a slot screwdriver to free the lens housing from the main assembly. Be very gentle as these clips are brittle. Or you can use your thumb and break the first one you try, as I did.

There may be one retaining screw at the top outside corner of the assembly. Took me an hour to get that thing loose because it was filled with dirt and then I chewed it up a bit. It's a philips head.

The rest is a snap. Put the new lens on, snap it in place, and wrestle the whole works back together again.