19 August 2016

Aligning the Front Bumper and Headlights

The front bumper wasn't well aligned on the car when I got it.  Most Z3 cars are in the same condition.  The front gap between the hood, closed, and the bumper in the center of the car was dead-nuts at 5 mm.  So no adjustment needed there.  But the corners were off.  While I had a headlight out to do the A/C service, I thought I might as well try to improve the bumper fit.  The official spec if 5 mm all around on all gaps, including the headlights.  Loosen the bolts and try to make everything even and neat, if you can.  You could easily spend many hours doing this if you are so inclined, but I will say this: there is no such thing as pure perfection.  The outermost wing edges on my bumper are pointing out a little, so all I could do is best fit everything.  While there is no such thing as perfection here, there is great opportunity for improvement.  I went ahead and re-set my headlights too, and I was VERY happy with the improvements I could make there.  Of course, you do need to re-aim the headlights if you adjust how they fit to the car, too.

Total cost of this mod = $0

"Before"

"Before"

Homemade 5mm gap check tool


"After"

"After"

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