P53's trial and error... finally paid off
 

About a year and a half ago I set out to find a new headlight solution. The best answer I could find led me to purchasing a set of Projector 53’s… That in its self is a small book of info for the do’s and don’ts… Ultimately I ended up getting in contact with Umnitza and placed an order for the new headlights and AE’s. I spent the next year consistently returning the headlights due to defects. I would install the P53’s on the X and within a few days they would fill with moisture from the inside and on one occasion an AE ring fell from its mount. Needless to say this was not the solution I was looking for. However the crew at Umnitza continued to work with me in order to solve this problem, on almost every occasion they fronted the shipping so I could un-install the headlights and send them back to Cali. Throughout this daunting process Umnitza and I decided that I would be a perfect candidate to serve as their guinea pig as they worked through some of the common problem with the P53’s, IE moisture build up, AE failure, and in finding a quality supplier for the housing… And now after a long awaited process I have finally been supplied with a QUALITY FINISHED PRODUCT! Not only do I feel that I have received a top notch product but I would like to go on record and let all of our forum members know that regardless of different threads that can be resurrected using the search function in regard to Umnitza and their business/quality practices, I am here to tell you that I have been treated extremely well and although it took some patience and understanding on my part I feel that Umnitza did what was right by me. I gave them the opportunity to turn their back on me and “live up to the expectation set forth in my reading” and to the contrary I feel like they really took care of me. Whatever profit was made on my initial purchase was used at least twice over to cover all of the shipping charges to and from the Umnitza shop.
And now for the pics!! Installed in the P53’s are the latest and greatest in aftermarket Angel Eyes, Orion V2’s, these things are so bright in contrast to anything else I have seen, I get comments on a regular basis about how sharp they look (and not by the ricer crowd). This headlight and AE combo give the X a super updated and sophisticated look… but that is just me… take a look for yourself…
The OE comparison is with a 2003 5 series...
:thumbup:

Good for you and your patience! I have to say that they were diligently working to solve some issues I had with the P53s as well, but after a few months my patience wore and I sent the items back for good and a full refund, minus shipping of course.

Your headlights look excellent, good luck with them!:thumbup:

so is this their new, 100% finished product foreal to ALL customers or just to you? (had a bad experience with them)

are the orions brighter than CCFL? can you use OEM ballasts and keep auto leveling? and how much was the setup?

RPX5- Thanks! I am pretty happy with the outcome.. I was getting pretty tired of dealing with the whole thing, but I felt that it was the right thing to do to play along with them until they found a solid solution.. hopefully I have been able to help them provide a quality solution for those of us who were/are looking for this type of product...

MTX5-
It is my understanding that this is the new standard for the P53's... I am not sure about the ballasts as my set up is still for halogen... as far as the AE's go, I was able to have my Indy find an unused power source around the radiator and tapped in to it.. so the AE's are hard wired and are on whenever the ignition is on....and yes they are pretty dang bright; you can see the difference in the pics above... but it definately looks better in person..

as far as price goes I am not sure what they will go for.... I do know that last year when I paid for the Original P53's it cost like 650 or something... that was for everything except for the Xenon upgrade...

i think thats a mistake we all make.. we lose patience, and end up getting mad at umnitza (and writing nasty reviews).

recently, i called umnitza incquiring on their orion product for the X5 (after seeing this post), and they have been very helpful. we cleared many misunderstandings. they are a small staff, so they need our patience.

anyone interested in some new headlights with angel eyes (or even getting angel eyes in your OEM lights) should give them a call, they are willing to help. i am currently working with them and will post results as soon as i get them.

Zacman,
Very impressive looking P53's, pics look fantastic. Curious though why you wouldn't upgrade from halogen to xenon during the procedure. I also currently have halogens and when the time comes I will definately upgrade to xenons.
[Apart from lighting quality and sharpness of lighting edge the appearance at night time of a set of xenons (compared to halogens), coming towards you is like chalk n chees].

Good for you for hanging in there and persisting with what sounds like a real pain in the arse procedure to get through. End product looks great.

Nice to see Umnitza have a go at resolving all issues. Having said that, they really did need to lift their game and get some satified customers on side for positive feedback/comments.

i'm currently working with them, just waiting on some results. if they all turn out well it seems like it would be very well priced. many members are paying $300-$400 for depo lights off ebay, but it might turn out to be a better deal from umnitza with upgraded AEs.

Moh,
So how much all up for a complete package? (including conversion from halo to xenons?)
Please confirm the A/eyes are CCFL's ('cause they look like them).

No specifics yet as it seems like it will depend on what housing is chosen (depo, sonar, or even possibly OEM). i can guess it to be around $500-$650.

The AEs are NOT CCFL. they are 60 LED angel eyes, that according to Umnitza, are brighter than CCFL (what I am looking for).

I will start a thread soon when i get more details and info on the progress. I may be selling my current headlights with CCFLs if anyone is interested.

I didn't write nasty reviews, I just spoke truth with updates in a real time frame, unfortunately, it just seemed nasty.

I'll be waiting to hear of your experience, best of luck bud! I hope it goes smoothly, if so, I'd be into giving it another go.

:fishing:

sorry i was talking about me on the nasty review part, as well as in general, my bad! :thumbup:

i will keep you posted.

Maybe Matt sold the business to someone who actually knows how to service customers. Maybe pigs fly now. Who knows. This isn't the Umnitza I've grown to hate over the years. LOL

Glad it worked out for you tho. Your X looks great!

In general is right, i read some posts after i ordered lights, lots of negativity there.

:lmao:

hey JT MC, Matt is still there he is actually the one helping me out. very helpful.

ya man. i was really anti-umnitza after my experience. but i duno maan.. alot of issues occured from people who buy from vendors not directly from umnitza.

not giving excuses but i called them directly and they are being extremely helpful, and giving me alot of options. :popcorn:

I've been on various BMW forums since 2003 and owned many more BMWs over the years. I too bought a lighting setup from Matt back in 2003 and paid like $700 but when it came broken and I contacted him directly, all I got was a run around. Not an offer for replacement, not anything. Maybe he's grown up over the years and has learned a thing or two, but for me, I still base everything off that horrible experience. To me, he's never done me right and will still be a bad vendor in my eyes.

This is what they talk about in customer service. If you have a bad experience, you go and tell everyone who will listen. Probably something that probably haunts his company and his reputation to this day. Personally, I just choose not to patronize his business, but since you guys were on the subject, I'd thought I'd just share my experience. Part of that telling anyone who will listen part ;) LOL

BTW, I do want to say that Lawrence at Invision has EXCELLENT customer service!

Just trying to keep this thread on the positive side :)

One year to get two headlights to work? That is a lot of patience. Imagine if umnitza was dealing with transmissions and you had to go thru the same ordeal! You'd retire before you'd see your car on the road again.

MTX5- Glad you could get something working... you will be impressed the LED AE's are crazy sweet looking and they should last a good long time as well...

XFoomph- At the time I did not have a solid understanding of what all going the Xenon route would entail and I was afraid I was going to run in to problems electrically that could only be solved by throwing more $ at it.. so in a compromise to myself I just went with the "safer" solution and stuck with halogens.. however I am using a Hyper white bulb and with the projector lense I feel that I have acheived what I was looking for..

JT- Thanks man, I too am pleased with the outcome.

Youry-
"One year to get two headlights to work? That is a lot of patience. Imagine if umnitza was dealing with transmissions and you had to go thru the same ordeal! You'd retire before you'd see your car on the road again."

- Indeed had I been in the market for a transmission I probably wouldnt have been so inclined.. but since I wasn't "in need" of new headlights, and after talking with Matt I saw an opportunity where my patience could possibly go along way to help other enthusiasts get a quality product that they are looking for.

There is no excuse for poor customer service, especially in todays market, if you cant deliver then somebody else will. but with that said I also feel that if someone has the drive to try and make a wrong a right, more often then not I am the type of person that will let you do it on my watch... especially if I have nothing to lose... worst case senario after a year of trial and error, I get a refund and go somewhere else.. best case.. I play a small part in solution that benifits several other X'ers..:thumbup:

Yes that is very true! Lawrence does provide exceptional service! ;)

_Law :thumbup:

haha that is a long time. i don't know.. like i said, i'm giving them another shot. i'm supposed to call back within a few days to check on progress.