Windshield Cowl DIY doityourself

[JHiggy]

Haven't done it but just received ECS advertisement today for a new windshield cowl. Mine looks like garbage, have been thinking about replacement, and saw ECS's e-ad.

ECS Windshield Cowl: http://www.ecstuning.com/ES129793/?utm_source=emailcampaign&utm_medium=marketing&utm_content=retail&utm_campaign=ES129793_E46WindshieldCowls

@ $47+ shipping, not bad

Seemingly helpful DIY: http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1334705

[johnrando]

I have my cowl but I haven't done this yet, so thanks for posting. BTW, anyone know how long those cabin filters last, as I'm wondering if it makes sense to replace that while it's accessible?

[danewilson77]

You should change your in cabin air filter every 15k miles (i.e. every other oil change). This is dependant on the enviroment as well though.

[johnrando]

Thanks Dane.

[GSEN820]

John you live in LA I think yours should be done once a month. HAHA

[wsmeyer]

I just took a picture of mine two days ago and was going to ask if anyone had replaced there's! The DIY guide in the link is perfect.

Many thanks!

William.

[wsmeyer]

Finally got around to changing mine today. Really easy, I didn't see any need / benefit to removing the microfilter housing which made it even easier.

William.

[Oli77]

Thanks for the info.

I will need to DIY this one of those days.

[johnrando]

Finally got around to changing mine today. Really easy, I didn't see any need / benefit to removing the microfilter housing which made it even easier.

William.

Still need to do mine William. Maybe you can come over so we can meet and I'll buy you a beer, and you can help me replace mine. BTW, was that you parked on Manhattan Beach Blvd. on Wednesday? If not, we have triplets in the South Bay.

[wsmeyer]

Beer? You're speaking my language now! Wasn't me on MBB, I was parked out on Hermosa Ave all weekend though saving the garage for friends coming to the beach. I'd be glad to help a fellow mafia member. Weekdays after 4 and weekends work best for me.

William.

[johnrando]

Sent you a PM. Now we have to figure our who our triplet is.

[Scott95]

Thanks for posting this! The cowl was one of my first parts ordered for my new ZHP and it should get changed this weekend, finally!

[johnrando]

Replaced mine today with William. Very easy!

[bcleaver]

Nice! I just noticed mine was cracked and said to myself "I wonder if you can replace that easily". Then Boom, mafia to the rescue

[Marcus-SanDiego]

:chuck

[aurelius]

ECS includes new wiper arm gaskets in their refresh kit (http://www.ecstuning.com/News/BMW_Service_Kits/ES2497329/) (part #17 in the diagram below). It's a 2-piece part but it seemed to me new gaskets were already built in to both "wiper holes" in the new cowl.

What am I missing here?

To those who have this project on the back burner, the cowl is large and typically incurs significant shipping charges but all orders ship free thru 6/30/12 HERE (http://www.bmwmercedesparts.com/). $50 for the cowl. Part numbers:

51718208483 (Sedan)
51718232894 (Coupe)

http://i1125.photobucket.com/albums/l584/aurelius3/Random%20BMW%20Pics/E46windshieldcowl.png

[WOLFN8TR]

Thats a good price. I got mine from ECS and the wiper gaskets were built in.


Bayerische-Motoren-Werke

[aurelius]

Thats a good price. I got mine from ECS and the wiper gaskets were built in.

So you did not buy their "kit," with the separate wiper gaskets?

ECS tells me their kit is the same as a kit sold by BMW, with the cowl, side pieces, and wiper gaskets.

Which would certainly imply the gaskets must be used somehow.

If anyone can clear this up beyond speculation, please chime in. The wiper gaskets in their little bags on my desk are a constant reminder that this job may be incomplete...

[WOLFN8TR]

I bought the ESC windshield cowl and a few extra push clips. The cowl had the clips and gasket on it already. The gaskets were part of the cowl. Maybe they changed it, it was last year when I got mine.

#17 on the diagram looks like the washer/gasket on the wiper stem. I didn't need those when I replaced my cowl.


Bayerische-Motoren-Werke

[cakM3]

Haven't done it but just received ECS advertisement today for a new windshield cowl. Mine looks like garbage, have been thinking about replacement, and saw ECS's e-ad.

ECS Windshield Cowl: http://www.ecstuning.com/ES129793/?utm_source=emailcampaign&utm_medium=marketing&utm_content=retail&utm_campaign=ES129793_E46WindshieldCowls

@ $47+ shipping, not bad

Seemingly helpful DIY: http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1334705

Yes I followed this DIY when I replaced my windshield cowl cover on the ZHP this spring. It was very easy to do :thumbsup Thanks J for posting this :)

And as stated... the replacement part is not expensive either :)

[Nivo]

I replaced mine, the OEM clips from 2004 where better then those new plastic white ones.

[aurelius]

So good, they in fact try to stick around forever. Every one of the OE clips on the car I did remained in place upon removal of the original tray, which can trip you up during replacement. To all who have yet to do this, be sure to read post #5 in the DIY linked above in the OP.

[JHiggy]

One year later as the OP and I just now replaced it. Definitely don't need to remove the air filter tray; definitely need to remove the old clips (look 2x and count em'; they're sneaky). Reinstalling the wiper arms was kind of a PIA. That said, I did begin my DIY celebration early and was a couple adult beverages deep which likely influenced my fine motor skills.

[quikryptonite]

So I replaced mine this weekend and have a question about the pressure nut reinstallation. How far down is it supposed to go when you put it back on? I couldn't get mine to go down very far. Does it need to go all the way into the ring from the wiper arm? There wasn't much left of the threading to put the 15mm nut back on. Am I just being paranoid?