SMOKEY - My 2005 E53 3.0D Run Sheet

[SMOKEY53]

Update - Mods - Exterior

55w HID conversion : one of the downsides of a diesel is that 95% of them came with halogen lights as standard, with the adaptive Xenons being a very expensive option. Only the 'is' and 4.4L came standard with xenons in Australia.

I have remedied this by installing a kit from The Retrofit Source. I love these guys, their shipping kills me but their products are great - I've used them for a number of retrofit projects in the past and they make life so easy. . I got 35w Morimito 5000k H7 bulbs, 55w Morimoto XB ballasts and the Canbus error cancelling units.

This isn't strictly PNP. First thing you need to do is remove the metal bulb holders from the factory connector. They can be separated by lifting the tabs with a small screwdriver. You will also need to bend down two small tabs where the bulb meets the holders to ensure a flush fit - you can see them in the image below at 12 And 6 o'clock. - but this will be obvious when you try put it all together.


There is a bit of cutting involved to the rear covers, need to drill out a 25mm hole with a hole saw, trim the tabs back a bit with a dremel in order to seal the supplied grommet against the covers.




The end result is a dramatic increase in light intensity and a much cooler colour. I need to do some alignment to make sure the cutoff is acceptable as my car doesn't have an active headlight levelling system, but here is a shot comparing stock halogen to HID.





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