Headlights

[Curious Joel]

I know, I don't own an E53 anymore, but someone still might be able to answer these questions in general terms.
I'm a little bit underwhelmed by the stock halogen lights on the 330xi. I'm looking at my upgrade options. I know I can put a better bulb in. Any suggestions on good bulbs? ALso, how the heck do I do it? Do I run into any warranty issues?
My number one choice would be a conversion to xenons. Any experience or opinions on this? It sounds awfully intense, so do you think my dealer would be willing to take this on? Also, how much would that cost? I'd love some xenons again.

[hayaku]

CJ,

nothing wrong with the stock lights, just a bit yellow... i've got a thing for yellow lights now so thats just me

you can get whiter bulbs but in doing so you lose the intensity of the light, meaning you actually get less useable light at night. there are bulbs that give you that "xenon look" if you want...

xenons, or HID, is a full system. whiter light and more power. yes you can retrofit this in. just very pricey on the e46. i do enjoy HID lights more on street driving at night and would find the conversion worth while if your car didn't have it. call vaheh at crevier parts and ask for pricing on the conversion kit. you dealer can retrofit it or if you are willing to pick up a wrench and some screwdrivers, you can do it yourself.

[Curious Joel]

Originally Posted by hayaku

CJ,

nothing wrong with the stock lights, just a bit yellow... i've got a thing for yellow lights now so thats just me

you can get whiter bulbs but in doing so you lose the intensity of the light, meaning you actually get less useable light at night. there are bulbs that give you that "xenon look" if you want...

xenons, or HID, is a full system. whiter light and more power. yes you can retrofit this in. just very pricey on the e46. i do enjoy HID lights more on street driving at night and would find the conversion worth while if your car didn't have it. call vaheh at crevier parts and ask for pricing on the conversion kit. you dealer can retrofit it or if you are willing to pick up a wrench and some screwdrivers, you can do it yourself.

Thanks, hayaku!
I'm not really going for the xenon look, I just wanted something more powerful. The stock bulbs are fine, but they're nothing in comparison to the Xenons I had on my E53... I might talk to my dealer about it. Thanks again for the info!

[2001BMW330xi]

go to Umnitza.com and search for Projector46's. You can get OEM Xenon headlights with built in angel eye DDEs, plug and play and you have to go to the dealer once for them to flash your ECU. check out www.e46fanatics.com , this is a great 3-series site that I've used for both of my 3-series vehicles (330xi and M3) and has a lot of great resources.

[Chris F.]

CJ I'm tired of ya going to the dealer for retrofits.... I'm gonna drag you down here to do it yourself, you might learn a thing or two

Seriously, changing out headlights is a ~4 hour job (its actually a heck of a lot shorter but the first time through you go slow) and the differences are impressive. I hate driving a car w/o Xenons!

[breytonX5]

Originally Posted by Chris F.

I hate driving a car w/o Xenons!

I( agree once you go Xenon you don't go back. CJ, don't just get the xenon-look bulbs as they're far less bright (like Hakayu suggested) than your stock light. Get the real HID conversion kit at Umnitza.com. Seriously, this is that difficult to retrofit.

[Curious Joel]

Originally Posted by Chris F.

CJ I'm tired of ya going to the dealer for retrofits.... I'm gonna drag you down here to do it yourself, you might learn a thing or two

Seriously, changing out headlights is a ~4 hour job (its actually a heck of a lot shorter but the first time through you go slow) and the differences are impressive. I hate driving a car w/o Xenons!

Well the last time I tried to put something on the car myself, the running boards, it ended up as like.. redneck running boards that were half on.

[Curious Joel]

Originally Posted by breytonX5

I( agree once you go Xenon you don't go back. CJ, don't just get the xenon-look bulbs as they're far less bright (like Hakayu suggested) than your stock light. Get the real HID conversion kit at Umnitza.com. Seriously, this is that difficult to retrofit.

The umnitza retrofit is sounding tempting, and I'd love to do it myself. But how hard IS it.... I have a lot of friends that are into cars, etc., and could help me.

[SILENTx5]

i agree, the umnitza conversion kit is definitely worth it. it comes with step by step instructions or if you aren't confident installing yourself, you can ask matt at umnitza about regional installers in your area. i know he has a handful of installers around the US.

[Curious Joel]

Is this the right kit?
Umnitza
Also, are there any warranty issues? It says it's plug-n-play... I assume there are no separate switches to activate the angel eyes, etc?