So you want brighter Angel Eyes you say?
 

How bout these??

Oh, and BTW....they rival the brightness of the new BMW models. :cool: Gonna complete this over the next few days. Pics will follow. :thumbup:

http://i598.photobucket.com/albums/t...DF291C38AA.jpg

http://i598.photobucket.com/albums/t...DF24BCE1F0.jpg

http://i598.photobucket.com/albums/t...DF3059EB9A.jpg

Is this on a facelifted one? That looks proper.

You better believe it! Thanks. Its a bit hard to get from the pics, but just like the new models if you catch the ring from the side you can actually see right through to the black plastic. The light is forward biased.

Damn, how you do this? Did you open up the housings?

Ooh me, me!!!

Is this a simple bulb swap or is it a more involved than that?

Wow, the moment has come, finally!

oh oh my oh my...i just wet myself..these are awesome!!!..cnt wait for the end result....

Christmas magic? :rofl: This project cant be done without opening it. I'll write everything when I'm done. Not to worry.


No bulb swap here, This is a complete Rework of the internal optics. Some of it involves irreversible modifications, and it's not a project for the faint of heart.

I was afraid of that lol! The results look great though, eagerly await your walk-through!

Your timing is great, I was just about to order LED bulbs when I chanced on this.

Damn dude. Did you cut housing or bake the hell out of it. Yea can't wait for writeup.

Wow, nice project X5SND.

It is something I would like to play with someday.
I'm questionning myself to know if the aftermarket angel eye rings could be heated and reformed to look like the angel eyes of the BMW DTM cars?
With some eyebrows, it could look good.

http://www.bmw-motorsport.com/dam/bm...3646545366.jpg

Didnt cut the housing, used the oven to warm the cousing and make the plastic soften up a bit....then worked my way around with dental tools and straight screwdrivers to cut the sealant.

Now the bad news, there's another thread kickin around that says 20 mins at 400.....at that temp and duration, you won't have anything but a blob. The stuff hella sealed them with doesn't begin to degrade until ~500*F, long after all the plastic melts. As long as your not doing this in sub-zero temperatures, warming the housing (IMO) only serves to lessen the chance of cracking the plastic. It has negligible Effect on the sealant.


I've looked at a few picture of those headlights....you'd probably be further ahead to head to a place that makes lexan/polycarb stuff. Get them to either bend out a flat 1/2 pc and frost the ends or (if they can) extrude it. The clear sides will be see through, and the light will come from the front.

Bending them to look like the DTM cars may look funny though as it no longer fits the contour of the e53 housing... Not to mention that its next to impossible to find good quality 125 & 140mm rings.

Just a bit of an update....

The project has been at a bit of a stand still as its been a stupid busy set of holidays and Im also waiting on some parts.

The LED rings are mounted to the back side of the AE's. It involved cutting the factory ring light receptacle as the XbA rings cannot be cut.

Im hoping that the ups man will show up today so I can jump on this already.


Heres a couple teasers:

http://i598.photobucket.com/albums/t...3FA3172AD1.jpg

http://i598.photobucket.com/albums/t...3F8B7FCCF8.jpg

what kinds of dental tools do you need for cutting the sealant? I'm guessing really ridiculously thin picks and screwdrivers?

Pretty much. I grabbed a stack of misc. pokers, picks and scrapers from princess auto. A healthy supply Is a must though, because the have a tendency of not lasting too long. (Especially after bending the end into a hook and sharpening up the edge on the bench grinder lol)

are these CCFL lights?

They're LED's. I'm using the xBA's (essentially a v2.0) of these:

Morimoto xB LED Angel Eyes - Accessories from The Retrofit Source Inc

Props to you as I know how difficult it was for me to open those damn headlights. Looking forward to see the final results and write-up. :thumbup:

since they claim, it is not a CCFL, and it does not look like an array of bunch of tiny LEDs lined up in circle - why would they require the disassembly of the headlights?...

if these are LED, does it mean that there is a single source of light shining into CELIS tube, right? just like the OE in the facelifeted E53? Or, it is not a CELIS tube?

Can't really tell by the pictures... :(

the reason I am asking is to see if just a more powerful LED light source would be sufficient... I'd like to see your final result, whenever you get to post the final pics...

:)

1) You pretty much have to open/remove the lens to work on them as he is doing (he is mounting an AE kit BEHIND the stock AEs). Yes, those are facelifted (2004+) HLs.

2) I tried the more powerful LEDs as a light source and didn't have much luck. The problem is the design of the stock HL AEs (how the light source is distributed) and for the more powerful LEDs themselves - the heat they generate.

Not saying someone can't improve on the source (like the new LED bulb replacements out now) but its still nowhere near as bright like the new BMWs.

EDIT: You can't see the indiviual LEDs as they are behind the stock AEs. If he shot a pic from behind you would see them. Also, when you take pics of light in the dark they often diffuse/blur the source so it looks like its a neon/CCFL light source.

so... these are tiny LEDs... interesting...

Heres a comparison of the rings im using vs the ones on the TRS site.....

http://i598.photobucket.com/albums/t...83ACE75B0E.jpg

The smaller ring is the v1.0 (100mm) ring, the larger one is the v2.0 (120mm).
The 100mm ring has 110 indvidual LED's that are COB, (chip-on-board). Because of the small size of the LED's, when lit, they give the appearance of a uniform light.....like you would see from a CCFL. These are not like the SMD rings where you can see hotspots.

Yes, but there are more light sources and, of course, the AE ring will distribute the light.

I assume the metal backing on the PCB (that the LEDs are mounted on) acts as a heatsink. I'm curious as to how much total heat it produces.

Both are SMD. Its just the size/amount of the LEDs that are different.

Maybe I'm missing something? :dunno:

Exactly. Although im using it more to hide the yellow coating on the ring....

Yup, metal back functions as a heatsink. They really don't give off much heat at all.....they get warm but nothing of concern considering the environment there being thrown into.

See this link....Ari ExIm

Oh okay. Thanks for the link. It explains how it better dissipates the heat too.

I got a set of old LED "bulbs" for the OE Angel Eyes... they come from the old E39 but fir fine into e53... since they are dead, i was thinking about busting them open to see if i could replace the LED with another one... but, I can not open the housing...

Any ideas? i need to get a vice and try what Slick said... maybe later...

I think the heatsink might be screwed onto the back plastic housing. You can see a screw on the side in that pic.

Never fiddled with those, I thinnk pnoyako85 Frankenstein'd a pair of those....the problem isnt so much a brighter source as it is heat removal.
The heat produced by the amount of light you need push into the FO of the factory AE's to get a bright result will most certainly melt the housing or bulb holder.

yeah, i got that part apart already.. the "solid" metal tube with the LED dome, is the one i can't get apart... it seems that there is a seam that is visible between the circular ridges, where the ridges have a wider gap... but i could not twist them open... :(

You mean you can't pull the LED/PCB out the back of the heatsink? I just assumed you could once the back was removed.

you can see the different shades of housing... that is where i can not twist it open... maybe i need to hit a gym or something.. .lol...

the construction of this unit is very interesting - not what i would have expected...

Ah I see. You can't pull it out the back. I guess you'll have to use a vice and big old plumber's wrench! LOL

this is exactly what Slick said... i got some tools but not the vice... traveling around the world with your own vice - crazy... usually our shops have couple of them mounted, so i never needed a personal one... try to explain to the airline lady, that your bag weighs 150 pounds because you have a vice in it!!! lol...

what you guys think about this ring set:

CCFL Angel Eyes Halo Rings Head Light Lamps ?

are they any good?

and also ,i was curios ,where exactly ,when installing the rings,where
red wire should go exactly ? (accessories box ,nr.? day time lights? wire?)- and ground/black to ground car.


thanks,
misu

this set has bigger ballasts tha what i used to have in my 4.6

they are bright indeed, almost as bright as the new AEs... in my case, the ballasts were dying all the times... they are only $4.50 a piece, and i set them up, so i could replace them without taking the lights out...

here is a pic of 4.6is in Costa Rica with the CCFLs on and the xenon - you still can see the AEs... granted, it was a rainy day...

hi,

thanks for reply,

so based on the info that i have read ,like the one you had in the picture,the red wire will go to the side daytime light,but from my understanding,when side daytime is on and the xenon is on also ,then angel rings should come on also?

now there is no way for the rings to light on separate in the day time? and the xenon to be off?

i am little confuse what in where the wire should go for proper install...

thanks

I supplied an independent power to the ballasts, by a direct wire from the battery terminals in the engine bay. To trigger the power to the AEs, I tapped into one of wires in the relay box in the engine bay, that was energized when the engine was on - I used a relay to isolate the AE power from the battery terminals from the triggering event. as a result, when engine started, that triggered the relay that provided battery power to the AEs. thus I totally avoided the issue of tapping into any circuit that could have set off the check lights or disrupt any other operation of the vehicle. I used a small relay that had 30 mA triggering current...

so,when you had the rings on,the side light and the xenon was coming on also? or only the angel rings?

thanks

here is a part of the install info ,provided to me:

http://i1309.photobucket.com/albums/...psd56fd644.jpg

http://i1309.photobucket.com/albums/...psa50ddbc9.jpg

now,i have to see witch route to go as i am not really incline in electrical
stuff,like to do with relays...

thanks

with this method you pull electricity from the LCM - that supply is electronically controlled and electronically monitored. You are effectively replacing the side marker lights with the AEs.

in my method, the AEs are completely isolated from the rest of the car's electronics, as they pull energy directly from battery terminals, and are controlled by a relay piggy-backing on one of the car's circuitry.

both methods are valid, and you should consider the one that suits your needs the best...

I have tapped the triggering relay in the relay box in the engine bay... the circuit that i have tapped to would come on with the start of the engine and will shut off in a few moments AFTER the engine was off...

As a result, the AEs would come on with the engine running (key in position II), regardless of the headlights, foglight, highbeams... once the engine was turned off, the relay stayed energized for some additional time - from few seconds, to about a minute or two... I think I had tapped into some IHKA circuitry that needed some time to wind down after the engine was off... you can tap into anything that has ignition on, if you go my route... 7 years ago i did not have easy access to WDS and could not easily find an Ignition On wire... So I used a Multimeter...

o brother...i took one head light out and they are glued down,try head gun high temp,no way is coming out! i almost melted the little clear clip that holds the case housing! so,i put all back together for now till other solution maybe, or save more money for depot set.

waiting to see maybe a solution on opening this.

thanks.

oh... you can do it on upto 2002 model... 2003 - on, can't be easily done...

Getting this thread back to the facelifted (2004+) housings...

Here's the actual reason I started this endeavor; Upgrading the projectors and reworking the general front end optics.

The factory Hellas (e39) projectors are dull/dim when put up against some of the new vehicles. Now granted, thats not a fair comparison, but Im running the same bulb (and brightest 35W you can get) that the new high end Mercedes cars run with mediocre results, and it just isn't satisfying. Enter the EVOX-R. It ditches the Fresnel lens for a crystal clear one, and upgrades the reflector bowl from a dull surface to chrome. Heres a comparison. You can also see the Fresnel lens on the left in the pic below.

Left: Factory, Right: EVOX-R
http://i598.photobucket.com/albums/t...pscd199b3d.jpg

I won't get into to much detail with the function of the different lens', just know this....
FRESNEL: diffused cutoff resulting in stray light and overall dim performance.
CLEAR: Razor sharp cutoff, focused light. Maximum light thrown where you want it --on the road.

A bonus of the clear lens is it gives a color band of blue's, cyan, and purple on the top of the cutoff at a distance (while all light below remains white)----lending to a VERY exotic look to on-comers.

You can easily see the difference in the size and intensities of the hotspots between the evox-r and factory projectors.

Left: EVOX-R, Right: Factory projector
http://i598.photobucket.com/albums/t...ps56aab9f4.jpg

Its also worth mentioning that although the projector is a straight swap, the ballasts are a different story. Those who have had to change the xenon bulb will know that Hella used a ballast where the igniter sits on the back of the bulb. These are NOT COMPATIBLE with the new projectors, and necessitates the need to alter the factory harness to include a 9006 plug for an aftermarket harness. Im throwing in a set of Morimoto 3Fives as they have proven to be a solid product in the past, and have similar power requirements as the factory Hella's.

For those who are sqeamish of altered factory harnesses look away now :P

http://i598.photobucket.com/albums/t...psff1c27ad.jpg

Converting the factory harness gives me the ability to keep everything INSIDE the headlight housing, so everything appears stock from the outside.

I havent quite figured out how Im going to do the AE wires....but I did notice there is an unused pin position on the housing plug......;)

Like I stated before, this whole project has a ton of irreversible modifications so its not going to be for everyone....but for those who plan to put the effort in to open these housings.....make the projectors a priority! You'll thank me when you're making all other beams look like candles.

So as it stands right now, I've got the drivers side about done. I have a couple passes left with the polisher to get the rest of the scratches out of the lens. Daylight pics will hopefully come tomorrow......

http://i598.photobucket.com/albums/t...ps90d89341.jpg
http://i598.photobucket.com/albums/t...psf8c21f84.jpg

The best part is the headlamps look completely factory when off! The rings have a slight yellow tint from the Xb rings behind them, but overall looks exactly the same as it did before.

I know its been more than "a few days" for me to complete this im hoping to have it all done by NYE! Dedicating tomorrow to this sh*t!

Hopefully y'all find some of this info useful....


EDIT:

Here a good shot of the exotic color band at the top of the cutoff I mentioned. Courtesy of another member off the hidplanet forum. These are the same EVOX-R's I'm swapping into my X.

http://i598.photobucket.com/albums/t...ps6fc9998a.jpg

Wow even more stunning. Those projectors are amazing.

HOLY sh** t that is nice...

Hit a bit of a speed bump with one of my projectors.....Im having to work out some alignment issues as you can see the cut-offs aren't even. Unfortunately, It may end up delaying the completion of the lights if I have to get a replacement projector as its looking like a manufacturing defect!

Heres some pics from about 25ft to give you an idea so far.....

http://i598.photobucket.com/albums/t...psedea0d31.jpg
http://i598.photobucket.com/albums/t...psd3d3e08b.jpg

Bright as hell.......where is the link to get this done.....the halos...
where did you buy them.

Morimoto xB LED Angel Eyes - Accessories from The Retrofit Source Inc

You need a set of 120's and 140's. The two sets will set ya back $160 +shipping.

The only thing I'll caution is that the 120mm is actually a bit small....a 125mm ring would be perfect, howevver at the moment, is not offered. The 120mm JUST clears the inside edge of the angel eye.

Finished late last night....took a few pics this morning, unfortunately it's overcast today. These could be used as a DRL as they do maintain their brightness in sun, however, the rings themselves are rather narrow so Im on the fence about using them my DRL. I'm most likely going to use the xenons instead.

Initial post project thoughts: IT WAS A PAIN IN THE ASS!! lol. Everything from getting the angel eyes to fit, to figuring out how to tuck the ballasts inside the housing was an uphill battle....and the worst part of all-----opening the housings.

As I stated earlier I only did the angel eyes because I was already opening the housings to do the projectors....So even though these knock all other led AE bulb upgrades and aftermarket AE's out of the park by far; if your sole purpose is to have an AE DRL, I would advise against going this route....

Now everyone is probably wondering how these housings were opened....and unfortunately there is no easy answer. They're permasealed housings, end of story. No baking or heating is going to have any effect on the sealant....you will melt the plastics before the sealant degrades. After stripping the housing down, I used the oven to warm and soften the plastic up to avoid it cracking. (It works best if you have another set of hands to pry open the lip, while you work the dental tools to poke/prod and cut the sealant). ITS A SLOW PROCESS!! It took hours to open one housing.... Once the lens comes off though, all the internals are all screws and clips, making it easy to disassemble.

Seeing as this thread has basically turned into a lighting upgrade thread, lets get to the best part....the projectors.

What I have to say: HOLY SH!T THESE THINGS ARE BRIGHT! I did a quick aim and went for a spin last night to test them out....they cut through every other vehicles beams with no problem! Halogen, Xenon, or LED; I outshine them all! The distance and width is unreal! If you could compare the factory projectors to these I'd say it's like night and day, but you cant compare them...These make the stockers look like candles. The high beams are equally impressive, throwing a ton of light forward. As I mentioned previously, swapping the projectors made changing the ballasts necessary as well. On top of that, this setup also requires the can-bus modules before the ballasts to prevent a bulb-out warning. The light these projectors throw down makes the whole project definitely worth all the hassle, without a doubt!

I used oci-butyl to reseal my headlamps, so now if I ever have to re-open them, its a simple procedure of popping the clips off, cooking in the oven for 5 mins.

Heres a couple pictures I took earlier.....They by no means do any justice to the lights, but its way too cold out right now to be dslr-ing it! The last two pics (sort of) show the flicker of color across the cutoff. As soon as it warms up ill take some dslr pics, and some night ones to show the cutoff and color transition as well.


http://i598.photobucket.com/albums/t...ps69ff4402.jpghttp://i598.photobucket.com/albums/t...ps410c5b61.jpghttp://i598.photobucket.com/albums/t...psf1693307.jpg

Parts breakdown for those interested:

EvoX-R Projectors - $150
Morimoto 3Five SS Ballasts - $110
Morimoto Can-Bus Modules - $30
Morimoto 140mm xBA Led Angel Eyes - $85
Morimoto 120mm xBA Led Angel Eyes - $75
Oci-Butyl Headlamp Sealant (1 roll) - $15

I do need to apologize in advance though....when I started this, I promised a write up w/ pics. As the project progressed though, it became more about just getting everything done and not about planning it out as a DYI write-up.

Damn nice work. Does seem like a total bitch. Deff worth it if you got the time.

still in awe of your work. i may be a crazy man and try this on my 2003 in the summer, I can't stand the amber portion of the waffle anymore and would be great excuse to install angel eyes and "update" my 10 year old lights.

Ninja Edit: I see they sell true dental picks at harbor freight as well as other assorted thin pick sets, I would have to stock up for this job.


Yours look great but even knowing how you did it I still don't know if i'd have the balls to spend 4 hours per side opening one headlight and not crack it.

Thanks! I'm not sure how the design of the 03 housing would change the difficulty level....

As far as picks, I was using ones that were almost straight ends, with 2 knurled sections along the shaft. The smooth handle ones are no good as you need to apply a significant amount of force to work the end back and fourth.

In all honesty though, the next set I do (yes, I've already got something else cooking, for a summer project ;)) I'm just going to cut open...you could have them open cleanly in 20 mins. Not to mention With the plethora of structural adhesives they have available now and a good butyl seal, there should be nothing to worry about...with the added bonus of being able to keep the skin on my thumb!!! :)

I'm really considering just cutting open with dremel lol, with butyl and a little heat sealing should be no problem. i've heard the pre-facelifts are easier to get open because of straighter runs around the headlight but i'd have to check them out off the car to be sure.

I haven't really seen a PF housing...but just be careful when using butyl to seal it back up that it isn't the only thing holding the lens to the housing. The facelift housing uses clips with a couple of screws as well to secure the lens to the housing. Im saying this because while butyl is great for providing a water-tight seal, it does get quite soft on a hot summer day; when, coupled with a warm engine bay directly behind it...could potentially cause some issues. just a heads up!

if you'd like me to be the tester for your cut open method i'd love to make my car sit for a month or so while you experiment on my headlights :)

Lol I was just going to get another pair of facelifts from ebay...as I'm going to need them regardless.....I think Ill let someone else take the reins Of the pre-facelift premasealed housings! ;)

the way I see it as this if I get them all shitted up it's just a cool 500 dollar replacement DEPO set LOL......Good tips on leaving the clips intact, I guess you just cut around them?

True enough!

The clips I was referring to are made of metal and are shaped like a shallow "U" that latch from the lens to the housing body.... They need to be removed. The raised piece of plastic (to which the clips attach) on each side is what you need to keep intact (or build back up afterwards). Im not sure if these clips are facelift housing specific or not though.

hoping this Lightwerkz guy can come through for me, I pm'ed/emailed for a quote, hes in Jersey too. His quote from the LED tail light thread "permasealed lights are no problem we can take care of those for you"

Cesar's a good dude. He is also brilliant when it comes to headlight assemblies. Whatever you want he can do.

emailing him back and forth now seems like a nice guy!

He's got a good rep over on HidPlanet as well!

Ok how about this....

For those of you who want to open your 2004+ headlamps, but are unsure of how to go about it for fear of breaking/screwing something up this is for you.

First: This is not the only way to open them; as XCUSM5 and myself each did it differently than what I'm about to describe... BUT, as far as a relatively 'easy' for the average DIY'er and (IMO) the only way to get a proper seal with the butyl afterwards this is the safest, and least destructive route.

TO OPEN FACELIFT HOUSINGS (the average DIY'er guide)

***This is only a guide. So please read it through BEFORE you begin.***

Dremel w/ cutting thin cutting discs OR a thin hot knife
Torx set
Flat Head Screwdriver(s)
Sharp Thin Blade
Roll of butyl
Some kind of structural adhesive

First step is to strip down the housing to make it easier to work.

1) Remove the weather stripping that runs along the top and down the side.
2) Using a flat screwdriver pry off the metal clips highlighted in orange in the pic below. There are some on the back side of the housing, not shown in the pic.
3) Remove the small torx screws that hold the lens; Highlighted by the orange box....there is also another on the back side (not shown in pic).
4) Ok, now this is where things get interesting....using a dremel or hot knife, cut along the edge of the housing (marked by the green arrows) all the way around. Its easiest to start with area in the bottom left corner of the pic below, and work your way around slowly. You only need to cut the top of the black bit that covers the sealant the lens was pushed into...DO NOT CUT TO DEEP! Once you get all the way around, make one cut perpendicular to the cut you just made (labelled by big green arrow) to split the lip piece. Just work your way around underneath it carefully with screwdrivers and the knife to cut the sealant, and you should be able to get it off in one piece.
***Pay attention to the corner by the side marker light (specifically around the screw holes)...you may need to go AROUND the screw holes, NOT behind them like I showed in the diagram!***
5) Here's the difficult part that may require an extra set of hands...you need to cut the sealant underneath the lens. So using a long thing blade you should be able to get a spot started, and work your way from there. Once you're able to get the blade underneath you're basically home free as far as opening them up.

Putting them back together
Once you do what ever it is you need to, before you seal them up you need to do a couple things first.

1) Make note of where the sealant was placed from the factory around the marker lamp area, as you need to put it in about the same place.
2) Remove ALL traces of the old sealant from both the housing (including the first piece we cut off) and the lens. The key here is we want a nice clean surface for the butyl to adhere to.
3) Running along the top face of the housing trim piece, you'll see 2 small gaps. Cover them with a piece of foil tape the width of the butyl. This is only as a precaution, to prevent the butyl from potentially 'drooping' on/into those spots (one of which sits over the projector).
4) Run a single length of butyl around the housing against the backing of the housing. (It may help to test fit the lens here to see what I mean). The goal is to create a bead that once warmed the edge of lens will push into, essentially creating a water tight seal all the way around. Try not to stretch or change the diameter or the butyl when placing it; we want a bead as uniform as possible.
5) Oven Time! Using some common sense here, we want the butyl soft, but not to run....in and around the 225-275F range for a couple mins should do'er. Again...be careful here, but dont pull it out too early! It needs to be soft enough so when it comes time top push the lens in, we get a nice seal. If You've never worked with this stuff before, it may be a good idea to put a test piece on some foil to get an feel for the temp and duration needed.
6) Once you have the lens on, before the butyl cools, press the lip piece we cut off back on. Key here is to do everything while the butyl is still sticky.
7) Once cool, use some plastic structural adhesive to fill in any gap left from the cut you made. You want something that will be hard/rigid when dry.
8) Re-attach clips/hardware.

http://i598.photobucket.com/albums/t...psbe9fd970.jpg

Like I stated before, this isn't the only way to get them open....but as far as a method that can be done by the average person, and provide a leak-proof & worry free seal (for any climate) this is the way to go.

Hope this helps everyone!

very helpful, hot knife and blowtorch is also another good method, perhaps longer taking but a bit less messy than dremel!

Waiting on lightwerkz to get back to me on how much to open mine up, if he doesnt get back to me I may end up taking the adventure myself when its warmer out :)

So I finally had some time last night to grab some output shots of my lights. The drivers side projector gave issues from the get go with its shield shape & cut off....and while 'convincing' certain areas of it, I sort of buggered it (hence the odd shape). Needless to say, while they're ok for now, it drives the OCD in me nuts; so I'll be ordering another pair and keep these as spares.

Anyways here's the good stuff:

Out the sunroof
http://i598.photobucket.com/albums/t...pse163a34a.jpg

Go the distance!!! (Yes, I know I could probably take the crown for filthiest X here with this one!:rofl:)
http://i598.photobucket.com/albums/t...ps8a44f14a.jpg

Cutoff
http://i598.photobucket.com/albums/t...ps489848fe.jpg


Here's the artsy fartsy shots of the color flicker you get when transitioning across the cutoff. Notice how Even though I get some intense color, the light below always remains white? We Ain't got no 8000k or 10000k ricer nonsense here. These are just the factory phillips 4300k bulbs with a whole lotta physics goin on!!:D

http://i598.photobucket.com/albums/t...ps8d089bb1.jpg

http://i598.photobucket.com/albums/t...ps7904549b.jpg

http://i598.photobucket.com/albums/t...pse02fcea9.jpg

http://i598.photobucket.com/albums/t...ps0eef3615.jpg

X5SND - need your advise and/or help...

Here is another thread dealing with the headlights and I was wondering if you could shed some light onto the issue (no pun intended!!! lol)...

Do you have Adaptive headlights? If you do...
When you opened your headlights,

was there only ONE stepping motor for vertical light adjustment, or

was there two stepping motors, one for vertical and one for lateral adjustments?

WE need your expertise in this thread: http://www.xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-foru...t-trouble.html

just thinking about doing the upgrade..and read this...hahaha...

RIGHT now i gave up on AE's ....5 pairs blew on me...lasted about 1-2months each pair...now thining about the painfull upgrade...lol....

but Frankenstein wasnt enough i guess ...lol

^^ LOL. Yeah, thats one of the reasons I never bothered with the led AE bulbs.

Found this little gem to hopefully clarify the concept of flicker. My headlights only change color on the threshold of the cut off (going from above it, to below)....any position above or below it, they appear white like normal headlamps. The pictures in my previous post were taken deliberately to emphasize the color.

From ~15ft. moving vertically maybe 3" total.:thumbup:

Any particular reason you didn't remove the amber from the headlights when you had them split or just personal preference? I want to split my headlights on my 05 to remove the amber.

to stop them from blowing you need to disable the cold check monitoring for your AE. Done by dealer or coding programs

Because its not like the pre-facelift models. It would look very unfinished without the amber lense.

I guess you could use chrome paint but not sure how it would look or how much light would show through when the turn signal/parking lights are used.

http://thumbnails3.imagebam.com/1937/a4421119367212.gif

in australia the facelight models dont have the amber in the headlight. Its just clear. Where the parker would be is our turn signal. Our AE is our parker light

Yup. That's why people will kill to get a hold of what we call Euro headlights. I got lucky and bought mine used from a guy who was just selling his X and getting a new M3. :D

Of course, my X is now gone. :(

http://thumbnails10.imagebam.com/304...3530420408.gif

oh i see, didnt really know the differences between euro and us spec.
this is a pic of mine
http://img266.imageshack.us/img266/3219/img2341w.jpg

Please don't leave any Americans unattended near your vehicle. :yikes: :rofl: ;) :thumbup:

i wish i could go for the euro corners - but if my car is taken outside of the US and then brought back to the US, the Customs and border will NOT let the car back with the clear corners - so I have to live with it!!!

hahaha, that is my excuse not to spend couple $$Grand$$ on this mod!!!

May be things changed, but last year I sold my canadian E46 to a US resident, and he imported it into US with clear corners, and clear side markers (fender). The only thing he had to change was the speedometer faceplate for mph.
But that was at a 'ground' border, not airport border though.

The reason why you can just have the euro lights on an E53 and get it into north america, is because FMVSS (108 or 109...i cant recall) requires that it have amber front and red rear reflectors. I'm Sure you can see why this is a problem as our reflectors are incorporated into the headlamp housing itself. Now, You CAN get around this though by using the euro headlights in conjunction with a fender mounted reflector (like on the newer X models). As long as the reflector is marked with a SAE or DOT number you shouldn't have any issues.

Now your excuse is no longer valid. :)

Thread Bump X5SND if you still hang your hat here.


I need to take out my lights to deal ballast and stuff....
Any long term feedback on the Morimoto Rings.

^Not sure how often S is on the forums nowadays but we periodically chat and last I checked with him he only had to change the drivers on the Morimoto rings (they were updated since he first installed them) and it was under warranty, other than that they have been solid for him.

The new ones are shipping soon from TRS (XSB Halos), so you could do those, or you could also do the Umnitza V2 rings which are proven quality and reliable as well.

i know this is a dreadfully old thread but I was wondering if anyone still had the PIC that was linked on photobucket that showed these Green arrows he was talking about? Trying to figure out where to make the cuts for a retrofit.

image USE to be here but it doesnt work anymore and google cache sites dont have it either.

http://i598.photobucket.com/albums/t...psbe9fd970.jpg

I have a diy on here somewhere detailing this. I'll link it in a sec.

Edit: Here you go, https://xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-forums/...ening-diy.html