Headlight Installation?

[X5Sport]

Originally Posted by lordviper

Hi guys,
i have an 03 x5 with halogens, and have bought whole new headlights with xenons, projectors, angel eyes pre fitted to them.

does anyone have a guide or any helpful info on how to install/replace a whole headlight unit on a 03 e53 as i want to try it myself before calling a mechanic.

thanks for any and all help

Have you got headlight washers and auto-levelling lights already fitted? If not bear in mind that you will fall foul of the Lighting Regulations for which you can be issued with a Vehicle Defect Rectification Scheme (VDRS) Notice or FPN and fine. If the lamps are not the ECE approved type you may also fail your MOT. It doesn't happen everywhere, but just bear in mind. Some parts of the UK are worse than others - no surprise there!!

I've seen some fairly lengthy discussions on a couple of Police Forums about enforcement of these aftermarket lights and what actions can be taken against drivers. HID lights are still 'technically' illegal in the UK, but their use is being permitted under a European Agreement providing the light units are ECE Approved, the bulbs burn at 4300K and headlight washers and auto-levelling systems are fitted to the car. I've seen plaenty around which quite obviously meet none of those regs and combine that with the reduction in Traffic Police and Police Vehicle Inspectors those numbers are growing. Some MoT stations are hot on it, others not. Same in some Counties where Chief Constables either want it enforced, or don't. You just can't tell. Plenty of places purport to sell 'approved' systems, but they're actually only for Off Road Use and if not otherwise stated come under Trading Standards. Talk about a minefield!!

[Zulu95]

"If the lamps are not the ECE approved type you may also fail your MOT."

So pull the lights and fit your old units once a year for the MOT. I know a guy who MOT's every year with his "Check Engine" light on because his US made SUV is passing anti-freeze into the exhaust and killing his O² sensors. £50 extra at time of test takes care of the "problem" and is cheaper than fitting new O² sensors just for the test.

[lordviper]

Originally Posted by UrbanFlow

Lordviper, I'm in Surrey and looking to do exactly the same conversion.
How long did it take you all in and have you managed to sort the error messages yet?

Cheers

UF

hi there,
so im not technical at all and have never even changed a lightbulb on a car.
but the whole job took me around 45-60mins on my own. its only really 4 screws and the whole headlight pops out!
as for the error code, its really weird as its not doing it anymore, the codes have all dissapeared and everything seems fine. i hope its all gone!

Originally Posted by X5Sport

Have you got headlight washers and auto-levelling lights already fitted? If not bear in mind that you will fall foul of the Lighting Regulations for which you can be issued with a Vehicle Defect Rectification Scheme (VDRS) Notice or FPN and fine. If the lamps are not the ECE approved type you may also fail your MOT. It doesn't happen everywhere, but just bear in mind. Some parts of the UK are worse than others - no surprise there!!

I've seen some fairly lengthy discussions on a couple of Police Forums about enforcement of these aftermarket lights and what actions can be taken against drivers. HID lights are still 'technically' illegal in the UK, but their use is being permitted under a European Agreement providing the light units are ECE Approved, the bulbs burn at 4300K and headlight washers and auto-levelling systems are fitted to the car. I've seen plaenty around which quite obviously meet none of those regs and combine that with the reduction in Traffic Police and Police Vehicle Inspectors those numbers are growing. Some MoT stations are hot on it, others not. Same in some Counties where Chief Constables either want it enforced, or don't. You just can't tell. Plenty of places purport to sell 'approved' systems, but they're actually only for Off Road Use and if not otherwise stated come under Trading Standards. Talk about a minefield!!

i transferred the levelling motor from my original headlights to the new ones and they work fine, and the washers are also still there. so it should be all road legal, that was one of the reasons i bought it as the listing stated it was 100% road legal.
thanks for the heads up though!
i reckon where i will break the law will be if i put in the 6000k colour HID's but i doubt itll be noticeable!

i think my old ones will go on the ebay.
do you reckon ill get a half decent price for them?

thanks for all the compliments! i took the car for a quick spin and it got a bit of attention at waitrose in canary wharf, which helped my ego but isnt really what im after. im chasing the 2011 X5 OEM look.

please let me know if you need any help or advice when installing yours guys

[lordviper]

ok so installed the HID's and that coupled with the xenon projectors and the 6000k angel eyes look amazing!
my iphone camera shows a blue tint, but its ice white. very intense and good.
no more errors theyve all disappeared.
i also changed the kidney grills to black.


The foglights are a total nightmare.
I got them out to replace them, but then realised i had the wrong bulbs!
i need H11 LED's not H3's.

i also cannot for the life of me find where to buy high intensity lights for the trunk/boot area.
my goal is to change all the lights in the car to LED's, but most places dont post to the UK.

[Tripz]

That turned out very nice. I'm looking to convert my halogens over to projectors with hid's. Which kit did you purchase from ebay? I assume it's direct plug and play if you are still using your halogen bulbs? Thanks!

[13Jester13]

Just got my new headlights in the mail today and have one of them in and all lights are working. However, I am not sure how to hook up the angel eyes. There is a connector for them, but I do not see any connector under the hood made for it. It is two thick round prongs in an oval harness. Any ideas?

Follow up question to original post of how to hook them up, what is the best source/solution to pull power from. I have seen wiring harnesses that allow the angel eyes to come on when when the car is unlocked. Do you have to have the harness to do this, or can I just pull power from a wire that controls the interior lights that come on when I unlock?