PaulSD.com
E36 BMW Info
(Created: 10/20/2006)


Some BMW links:
OEM Parts:
realoem.com has the complete BMW parts catalog online
getbmwparts.com and bmwautopartsdealer.com let you order OEM BMW parts online
Aftermarket Parts:
bavauto.com has a pretty nice website with many OEM and aftermarket BMW parts and ok prices
bimmerworld.com has good prices on individual OEM BMW fog lights and Euro turn signals and tail lights
understeer.com sells individual replacement Xtec/Apexcone HID bulbs/ballasts (and sells lots of other BMW parts too)
puma-access.com (440-498-0638) has very good prices on individual replacement ZKW Euro headlight lenses (but sells mostly non-BMW parts)
Other aftermarket BMW parts places worth looking at:
umnitza.com, koperformance.com, turnermotorsport.com, mesaperformance.com, autowerks.com, bekkers.com, namotorwerks.com
FAQs/HowTos:
unofficialbmw.com
eurospeed.org
bimmerdiy.com
Forums:
m3forum.com
bimmerforums.com
roadfly.com
dtmpower.net
blackredgold.net


Some BMW Part Numbers that were hard to find:
Storage Partitions to replace Ash Trays - 82279407927 (Front), 51168119626 (Rear)
Pre-1994 Sun Visors (without airbag warning stickers) - 51162251887 (D), 51162251888 (P)
X-Brace and Bolts - 51718410212, 31101095140 x2, 07119915093 x4 (part number 31101095140 includes a 07119931096 washer)
Cable clips for wires behind grille and in front of radiator - 61131387626
Aluminum Gasket for Coolant Drain Plug in Engine Block - 07119963200
Outdoor Temperature Sensor for On-Board Computer (in driver's side brake cooling duct) - 65818350779
Outdoor Temperature Sensor for Windshield Washer Spray Nozzle Heater (in passenger's side brake cooling duct) - 61318357632
Splash Panel behind rear wheel on driver's side (not listed for M3 in parts catalog) - 51718122069
Plastic Trim Panels underneath car, in front of rear suspension (looks like a small mud flap) - 51718130071 (D), 51718130072 (P)
Retaining clips for ///M style Side Moulding (black plastic strip along the doors - note the label in parts catalog is incorrect) - 51132251394


Some info I assembled while I was buying new lights for my car:

E36 European Ellipsoid Headlights
Ellipsoid headlights were manufactured by both ZKW and Bosch for European E36 BMWs sold from '91-'94.
The ZKW's are BMW Parts 63121393271 (Drivers) and 63121393272 (Passengers) and ZKW Parts 519.01.000.01 (D) and 519.02.000.01 (P).
The Bosch's are BMW Parts 63121387041 (D) and 63121387042 (P) and Bosch Parts 0 301 087 025 (D) and 0 301 087 026 (P).
These parts each come with two 55W H1 bulbs.

In the parts catalog, the Euro M3 Convertible lists both the ZKW and Bosch lights, but the Euro M3 Coupe lists only the Bosch.
The ZKW and Bosch lights are not identical (the internals are slightly different), but they are interchangeable (the ZKW lights will fit an M3 Coupe), so I'm not sure why they are listed that way.

The European headlights will physically fit in any E36 BMW, but will require a wiring converter to connect to an American BMW.
Many places sell wiring conversion kits, but if you care to make your own:
The plug to connect to the European headlights is the same as the plug for the MAF - BMW Part 61131392222 (you will need to order one for each headlight).
The plug doesn't come with pin contacts in it, so you will need to order those as well - they are BMW Part 61130007571 (you will need to order 8 - 4 for each plug).
(61130007571 is a standard 1.0x2.5mm pin contact (available alone as BMW Part 61130007450) with a grommet (available alone as BMW Part 61131382195) around it (picture - the top one is 61130007571, the bottom one is 61130007450) - to save some money, you could instead buy the 1.0x2.5mm pin contacts from an electronics shop, and buy only the grommets from BMW, or skip the grommets altogether)
The rubber cover ("Protection Cap") for the plug is BMW Part 12521713508 (you will need to order one for each headlight). This part doesn't appear anywhere on realoem.com (only a similar but much larger cover is listed - BMW Part 12521719733), but it is available from bmwautopartsdealer.com.
The (male) plugs to connect to the existing (female) plugs on the car's wiring harness are standard 9006 (low beam) and 9005 (high beam) connectors.
suvlights.com and rallylights.com both appear to carry them.
If you want to use the small running lights in the headlights (or use the wire for the running lights to power Angel Eyes), 3M 951 T-Taps/Vampire-Taps and standard .250" Male Disconnect Terminals can be used to easily connect the wire from the headlights to the wire for the running lights in the turn signals.
Most large hardware stores and electronics distributors are likely to carry these.

If you have a Dinan cold air intake, you will not be able to use the Dinan air filter with European headlights. The European headlights are significantly deeper than the American headlights, and there is not enough room behind them for the Dinan air filter, which normally sits partially behind the headlight.
You can, however, replace the Dinan air filter with a K&N RU-2790, which is shorter than the Dinan filter and will fit entirely within the bumper compartment underneath the headlight. This leaves just enough room behind the headlight for the Dinan intake pipe to connect to the air filter.
Even with the smaller filter, you may find that the large knob on the back of the European headlights rubs on the Dinan intake pipe. If this is the case, you may want to put a small piece of foam between the headlight and the intake pipe, or file down the knob on the headlight to keep the headlight from scratching the intake.

Later revisions of both the ZKW and Bosch European E36 headlights do not use ellipsoidal reflectors.
I've never seen European non-Ellipsoid headlights myself, so I can't compare them to the Ellipsoids, but everyone seems to consider the Ellipsoids to be better. Given the availability of Ellipsoid headlights, I doubt there is much reason to buy non-Ellipsoid headlights.
For E36 BMWs from 5/94 to 9/94, both ZKW and Bosch manufactured European non-Ellipsoid headlights with H1 bulbs.
The ZKW's are BMW Parts 63128363079 (D) and 63128363080 (P) - I'm not positive on the ZKW Part Numbers, but they may be 519.01.000.02 (D) and 519.02.000.02 (P).
The Bosch's are BMW Parts 63128363081 (D) and 63128363082 (P) and Bosch Parts 0 301 087 035 (D) and 0 301 087 036 (P).
For E36 BMWs from 95-99, both ZKW and Bosch manufactured European non-Ellipsoid headlights with H7 bulbs.
The ZKW's are BMW Parts 63128363495 (D) and 63128363496 (P) - I'm not positive on the ZKW Part Numbers, but they may be 519.11.000.01 (D) and 519.12.000.01 (P).
The Bosch's are BMW Parts 63128363493 (D) and 63128363494 (P) and Bosch Parts 0 301 095 003 (D) and 0 301 095 004 (P).

E36 European White Parking Lights (front turn signals next to headlights)
These were manufactured by FER and are BMW Parts 82199403093 (D) and 82199403094 (P).
Parts sourced directly from FER (instead of through BMW) are slightly cheaper, but will have the BMW emblem drilled out. If you purchase "OEM" lights from anyone other than a dealer, you will probably get parts without the emblem.
These parts each come with one 21W Type 1156 single-filament yellow bulb and a bulb socket that will not connect to the American wiring.
However, your original bulb sockets (BMW Part 63131384100) will fit in these lights, but you should replace your original 21/5W Type 1157 (P21-5W) dual-filament clear bulbs with yellow ones.

E36 European White Side Markers (turn signals on fenders behind front wheels)
There are two different styles of E36 side markers - I don't think they are physically interchangeable. I believe they were both manufactured by FER.
The old style (picture), made for E36 BMWs from 91-96, are BMW Parts 82199404391 (D) and 82199404392 (P).
The new style (picture), made for E36 BMWs from 97-99, are BMW Parts 63137164491 (D) and 63137164492 (P).
Prior to 9/2004, the new style lights were BMW Parts 63132492179 (D) and 63132492180 (P). I don't know if any changes were made to the parts when the part numbers changed.
These parts each come with one 5W Type 2821 (W5W) yellow bulb, and will connect to the American wiring without modification.

E36 European Tail Lights (w/ White Turn Signals)
These are BMW Parts 82199403097 (D) and 82199403098 (P). They are probably manufactured by FER, but I don't know for sure.
Parts sourced directly from the manufacturer (instead of through BMW) are slightly cheaper, but will have the BMW emblem sanded off. If you purchase "OEM" lights from anyone other than a dealer, you will probably get parts without the emblem.
These parts will fit the American wiring without modification. They each come with one 21/4W Type 1157 (P21-4W) clear bulb, two 21W Type 1156 (P21W) clear bulbs, one 21W Type 1156 (P21W) yellow bulb, and one 5W Type 5007 (R5W) clear bulb. A 21/5W bulb can be used in place of the 21/4W bulb.

E36 Fog Lights
European and American E36 BMWs use the same fog lights. They were manufactured by both ZKW and Hella.
The ZKW's are BMW Parts 63178357389 (D) and 63178357390 (P) and ZKW Parts 518.01.000.02 (D) and 518.01.000.03 (P).
The Hella's were discontinued in 3/1998, but were BMW Parts 63171387091 (D) and 63171387092 (P).
These parts each come with one 55W H1 bulb.