Jump to content
harmzsingh

OEM xenon into halogen housing

Recommended Posts

Does that stop the headlights from flashing when the engine is running? Mine are like a strobe light.

A mate recently fitted new lights with aftermarket HID's into his E60 and had the strobe problem, he fitted Canbus error modules and it stopped. Worryingly the HID were meant to be Canbus friendly!!!

Getting either an Xenon lcm or your lcm coded for xenon (if possible) it should also stop it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ok great. Any recommendations for CAN decoders as there are many different ones available. I would rather buy tried and tested. I also heard that the LCM is matched to the dash insert and has the chassis number in. Is it a case of just fitting a pre coded LCM say of an M3 and it will work?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi folks it's finally all complete.

I did have to do some modifications. The Halogen housings that I had were slightly different.

1st Modification: The donor Xenon units off the pre face lift had a Yellow adjustment knob at the rear of the headlight which is for adjusting the shield inside for driving abroad. I ended up leaving this out as it required some serious cutting and accurate re-attaching which I could see would have been a major ball ache. There is a long rod that attaches to the shield from the Yellow knob and would have been a nightmare to align. I left this out as you can reach inside and flick it up with a screwdriver if needed.

2nd Modification: I had to remove a plastic tab on the back of the headlight to make space for a 22 mm hole for the igniter loom. I wanted the loom to run a factory like route and look neat so I simply cut the bracket off and used a cone cutter to drill the hole.

3rd Modification: The white plastic igniter box had to be reversed and the loom tucked behind it for safety. The plastic lugs are there ready you just have to drill two small holes in the housing. The reflector just misses the box during the self check so no issues there.

In addition to this I made a mistake of trying to wipe the xenon chrome effect surround that fits around the projector with a micro fibre cloth to clean it. This ended up fetching the chrome coating off so I could see through it! Not a major problem as it just clips on to the projector. I sprayed it with a chrome paint called Plastikote and got a pretty good finish. I actually prefer it.

I have gone for a temporary M3 headlamp switch control unit that is pre coded for Xenons so I unfortunately have the Red dot next to the miles see pics. I will eventually go for fitting the level sensors when I manage to source the bits for the full conversion.

A massive difference at night awesome. I have set the lights slightly low to take into account the lack of self levelling.

In addition I did some geeky carbon wrapping on the black internal surround to make it a bit different. Looks pretty smart.

I hope this helps anyone thinking of doing it.

Trying to figure out how to upload the document to include problem pics. I will add this when I find out.

Edited by Msport330d
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi fellas just an update. I ended up having to pay a visit to Quarry Motors in Sheffield to get my original LCM coded for Xenon headlights. I had an issue with the rear lights caused by the random Xenon coded LCM I bought of ebay. My brake lights became my sidelights and my rear side lights in the boot lid became very bright as if the fogs were on. I paid a diagnostic fee and the lads recoded my old switch and everything works as it should.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

probably a stupid question but are all facelift coupes supposed to have bi xenons?

mine does not have them and my previous coupe didnt either.

i have projector lenses but just h7 bulbs fitted?

Facelift coupes have projectors and H7 bulbs as standard.

Xenons and bi-xenons were always a cost option.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

probably a stupid question but are all facelift coupes supposed to have bi xenons?

mine does not have them and my previous coupe didnt either.

i have projector lenses but just h7 bulbs fitted?

Facelift coupes have projectors and H7 bulbs as standard.

Xenons and bi-xenons were always a cost option.

cheers that clears that up, just read on other forums that they came as standard especially on models with the self levelling lights which mine has

Link to comment
Share on other sites

probably a stupid question but are all facelift coupes supposed to have bi xenons?

mine does not have them and my previous coupe didnt either.

i have projector lenses but just h7 bulbs fitted?

Facelift coupes have projectors and H7 bulbs as standard.

Xenons and bi-xenons were always a cost option.

cheers that clears that up, just read on other forums that they came as standard especially on models with the self levelling lights which mine has
Yeah I think there is some confusion there.

All lights have some sort of levelling and all lights perform a self test of the levelling motors when you initially switch the headlamps on.

Xenon lamps however are proper self levelling units and as such do not have a headlamp adjustment switch on the light switch.

Non xenons have a level adjuster next to the dash lights dimmer switch.

Edited by B0B
Link to comment
Share on other sites

mine does not have the adjustment switch beside the light switch either. my previous e46 did have the adjustment switch but this one doesnt, thats why i was even more confused

I wonder if someone has retrofitted halogen lights in your car rather than replace a xenon ballast/ignitor?

Daft move if someone has!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Could be it just had a new LCM?

Easiest way to tell is to watch them turn on/off - do they fade out, like a normal bulb, or turn off instantly (like an LED)?

How do I attach pics to this thread fellas.

Uploading them to photobucket and pasting the [i mg] tag is usually the easiest.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It should be D2S for standard fitment xenon bulbs. Without the ballasts, they'll not work anyway (different connections).

If you pop the VIN into this, it'll tell you if xenons were standard or not :)

http://www.bmwarchive.org/vin/bmw-vin-decoder.html

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It should be D2S for standard fitment xenon bulbs. Without the ballasts, they'll not work anyway (different connections).

If you pop the VIN into this, it'll tell you if xenons were standard or not :)

http://www.bmwarchive.org/vin/bmw-vin-decoder.html

This doesnt work for my VIN number :wacko:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It should be D2S for standard fitment xenon bulbs. Without the ballasts, they'll not work anyway (different connections).

If you pop the VIN into this, it'll tell you if xenons were standard or not :)

http://www.bmwarchive.org/vin/bmw-vin-decoder.html

This doesnt work for my VIN number :wacko:

After you've put your vin in and hit enter have you scrolled down the screen? As daft as it sounds someone else had this issue because they hadn't gone down the screen far enough [emoji6]

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You need to put the last 7 of your VIN in there & complete the captcha box.

Does yours have headlight washers?

FWIW, all facelift coupè & convertibles with xenons are bi-xenons.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...


×
×
  • Create New...