BMW E46 Xenon's

[jeffzn0203]

Well hullo there!

I wonder if any kind soul could help,

been tinkering with an E46 320d, for a while now, finally close to her being road ready, and I've turned my attention to her lights.... she has an existing Xenon set-up though these for whatever reason do not work,

got my hands on an aftermarket HID kit and installed as per this handy thread

http://www.bmwfanatics.co.za/showthread.php?tid=27891

and here's where things get interesting, they do not work on the 'outer' light so i connect to the inner light to test, and they do work....

going to strip the entire headlight and have a look at the rest of the unit, but would like to have any info from anyone that has done this before

thanks in advance kind people!

 

[Sankekur]

Possibly a wiring or LCM issue. As far as I recall there are no fuses or relays for the e46 headlights, but probably a good idea to still check still.

You could also try disconnecting the battery or the LCM for a couple of minutes and see if that changes things.

You might also have to get your hands on wiring diagrams so you can test the wiring.

Oh and don't forget to check the grounding straps close to the headlights.

 

[jeffzn0203]

Possibly a wiring or LCM issue. As far as I recall there are no fuses or relays for the e46 headlights, but probably a good idea to still check still.

You could also try disconnecting the battery or the LCM for a couple of minutes and see if that changes things.

You might also have to get your hands on wiring diagrams so you can test the wiring.

Oh and don't forget to check the grounding straps close to the headlights.

Thanks bud, have removed the entire head light need to reset the codes i think

 

[Sankekur]

Not to sound pessimistic, but I have my doubts whether having the codes reset will have an effect on headlight operation. Though while you are at it it might be a good idea to have a look at what error codes are present in the LCM, it might give you an idea what it actually wrong.

 

[Muhammede]

For those that are not aware this is what the xenon looks like when it needs to be replaced

[/IMG]

Just saying

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[jeffzn0203]

Not to sound pessimistic, but I have my doubts whether having the codes reset will have an effect on headlight operation. Though while you are at it it might be a good idea to have a look at what error codes are present in the LCM, it might give you an idea what it actually wrong.

sorry for the late reply....i actually got this working a while back....needed canbus error cancellers at first.....then the left one died....got a new set....that one turns out didn't need the cancellor....BUT.... did not like being that close to the radiator.... soooo long story short all sorted....

 

[[email protected]]

My one looks like the picture and was told that the globes are of different wattage only. Are you saying your ones were looking the same and the right one is dying? On a separate note how much have they cost to be replaced?:RedNo:

 

[kilotango]

i have a feeling its your ballasts. these cheap HID kits are a problem. try this, when the one light doesnt work... turn off your lights, wait a few seconds then try again... you might find that both of them switch on after a few times of 'on an off' switching. also make sure they are grounded properly.

i had too many issues, including shitty beam spread...so i ended up going the full "retrofit" by cutting and gluing in projectors...and using osram bulbs with DENSO ballasts. you can find these kits on www.theretrofitsource.com

they arent cheap.. but they work properly

 

[andre320D]

i have a feeling its your ballasts. these cheap HID kits are a problem. try this, when the one light doesnt work... turn off your lights, wait a few seconds then try again... you might find that both of them switch on after a few times of 'on an off' switching. also make sure they are grounded properly.

i had too many issues, including shitty beam spread...so i ended up going the full "retrofit" by cutting and gluing in projectors...and using osram bulbs with DENSO ballasts. you can find these kits on www.theretrofitsource.com

they arent cheap.. but they work properly

Can you post a photo of yours. I went to the dealer to buy the complete headlight units but a xenon bulb alone is R4100


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using Tapatalk

 

[kilotango]

sure will make a plan this evening..

the kit is similar to this one:

https://www.theretrofitsource.com/c...etro-quik-system-bmw-e46-zkw-lights-only.html

i used the same projector housing in that link, but got DENSO ballasts and Osram CBI D2S bulbs. the only special thing is a harness which has a relay and a H7 connector on the end that connects the ballast to the headlight connector.

---

this should give you an idea of what you'd need for a proper setup and the prices involved:

1x h7 relay: https://www.theretrofitsource.com/components/harnesses/morimoto-h7-low-beam-relay-wire-harness.html

1x ballasts (pair): https://www.theretrofitsource.com/components/ballasts/koito-denso-d2s-hid-ballasts.html

1x projector housing (pair) https://www.theretrofitsource.com/c...orimoto-evox-r-bi-xenon-projectors-50941.html

1x HID bulb (pair) https://www.theretrofitsource.com/components/bulbs/d2s-osram-xenarc-66240-cbi-49224.html

the projectors are bi-xenon so it can do hi/lo beam. however, you'll need splitters etc to make it work (i've just used hid for low beam). the ballasts need to be waterproofed, you can do this with RTV silicone.