# Can you install OEM xenon in an E46 with stock halogens?



## blockpavick (Dec 22, 2004)

Hello to all. I am new to this forum, having been away from BMW's since the early 70's and my 2002. I am awaiting delivery of my new 5 speed manual 2005 325xiT. Although I would have preferred the xenon headlamps, the vehicle I bought does not have that option. Does anyone know or have any experience in swapping out the stock halogens for the OEM xenon's on 2003-2005 E46's? I assume all the parts could be ordered and available from BMW dealers. Beyond the assumed high cost which may make this not practical, are there any technical issues why this could not be accomplished. The stock halogens I assume are fine headlights, and it may not be worth converting even if possible Any help or information appreciated. Thanks and Happy Holidays,
Joe Block


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## russ330 (Dec 22, 2001)

Well, you have a couple of options.

1. You can scour eBay in search of the _entire_ head light assembly, and swap that in.

2. You can purchase the Projector46's from either www.umnitza.com or www.jlevisw.com, these are aftermarket projector head lights that can be purchase with Xenon lights installed. I do not know if they can they can be ordered without DDEs.

3. Lastly, you can purchase the projectors themselves and swap those into your existing headlights. Check out this thread to read one mans chronicles swapping in the projectors. http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=204505&highlight=xenon

I am also under the impression that when performing any of these modifications, the car will have to be taken to the dealership so that they can "flash" the ECU, allowing it to recognize the Xenons.


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## Mad Max (Sep 6, 2004)

I would take a trip to your local BMW parts dept. and have them cross reference the parts list. I am sure they would work - but of question would be cost. As a HID needs a projector lens, so you would need to swap out the entire headlight assembly, also you need a pair of ballasts for the HID's - wiring should not be an issue, though the factory harness MAY be different for the halogen vs. HID. 
Since owning a BMW with the HID's, I wanted to modify my 98 SS Camaro - I will do it, but basically, I am going to buy a projector Hella or Bosch and modify it to fit the headlamp. The cost is about 4-500.00 for the projector housings - that is why I say check with the parts dept., because the headlamp housings may be 200.00+ each, so it may run you 8-900.00 to do this yourself. 
The other option is to check ebay for a nice set.


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## blockpavick (Dec 22, 2004)

Thanks for the information. I found some units on ebay. As my car would be brand new, I would be hesitant pulling new stuff off the car and installing aftermarket or salvage/used equipment. Warranty and all that. My dealer is supposed to be checking if he can do this for me and at what cost. I will report back.
Joe B.


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## STEVE46 (Aug 25, 2004)

blockpavick said:


> Thanks for the information. I found some units on ebay. As my car would be brand new, I would be hesitant pulling new stuff off the car and installing aftermarket or salvage/used equipment. Warranty and all that. My dealer is supposed to be checking if he can do this for me and at what cost. I will report back.
> Joe B.


The dealer will charge you one arm and one leg to retrofit HIDS. You'll have autoleveling and all that jazz, but I just ordered some Xenon HIDs from ebay. $700 and an hour later, I had Xenons. They are not hard to install. I also had the Projector46s for a few months, but didn't like those as much. The build quality is not OEM and you have to locate the ballests seperate from the headlights which I feared would be attacked by water over time. If you get OEM HIDS, you DO NOT need to have the dealer flash your car. The only thing that does for you is fix the "Light Out" indicator in the dash. You can fix this by pulling fuse #32 which just disables the light check by the computer. You will still be notfied if any lights are out when you turn them on.


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## blockpavick (Dec 22, 2004)

*North American versus European headlights*

As a follow up, whether the E46 headlights are OEM halogen or xenon, is there a great difference between what we get here in North America as opposed to Continental European headlights? Is the beam pattern different? I know in the old days of mandated sealed beams for NA there was a huge advantage in European headlights. Are there any advantages to NA vs. E code today? If so, could E code headlights be installed in the E 46 for North America? Thanks.
Joe B.


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## STEVE46 (Aug 25, 2004)

blockpavick said:


> As a follow up, whether the E46 headlights are OEM halogen or xenon, is there a great difference between what we get here in North America as opposed to Continental European headlights? Is the beam pattern different? I know in the old days of mandated sealed beams for NA there was a huge advantage in European headlights. Are there any advantages to NA vs. E code today? If so, could E code headlights be installed in the E 46 for North America? Thanks.
> Joe B.


There is a slight difference, but as long as you get lights from Continental Europe (NOT THE UK!), you will be fine. With HID systems, you won't find any difference between E-Code only or VOL/Ecode "Harmonized" lights because even in Europe, the light pattern for HIDs is like this:
____/---- ____/---- as opposed to true Ecode which is ____/ ____/. In the UK and Japan, the pattern is reversed \_____ \_____ which means you will be blinding everyone on the road. If you order them from www.bekkers.com, they will give you E-Code German headlights of the correct type.


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## russ330 (Dec 22, 2001)

Our xenons here in NA are auto-leveling. When you first power on a xenon equipped car you can see the beam of light go up and down. From what I understand, the lights will adjust their height dependent on the speed the vehicle is going. The Euro Spec. cars have a thumb-wheel that manually adjusts the height of the lights. 

As far as the beam pattern and cut-off, I would assume that there are differences but what those differences are I cannot say...


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## STEVE46 (Aug 25, 2004)

russ325 said:


> Our xenons here in NA are auto-leveling. When you first power on a xenon equipped car you can see the beam of light go up and down. From what I understand, the lights will adjust their height dependent on the speed the vehicle is going. The Euro Spec. cars have a thumb-wheel that manually adjusts the height of the lights.
> 
> As far as the beam pattern and cut-off, I would assume that there are differences but what those differences are I cannot say...


Actually, Euro HIDs are autoleveling (it is required over there too). You are thinking of Euro Halogens which are required to be manually adjustable. The HIDs in our cars only level based on the load of the suspension.


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## Scott ZHP (Jul 17, 2003)

STEVE46 said:


> The If you get OEM HIDS, you DO NOT need to have the dealer flash your car. The only thing that does for you is fix the "Light Out" indicator in the dash. You can fix this by pulling fuse #32 which just disables the light check by the computer. You will still be notfied if any lights are out when you turn them on.


All depends on his build date. Pulling the fuse on newer E46s wont help; the xenons will flicker.


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## blockpavick (Dec 22, 2004)

*Dealer cost*

For anyones interest, my dealer finally called, and said to replace the stock halogens with OEM xenon would cost around $2,500 in parts plus labor. Obviously not worth doing. So I will be satisfied with the stock halogens when I pick up my new 325xiT tomorrow.
Joe B.


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## Scott ZHP (Jul 17, 2003)

blockpavick said:


> For anyones interest, my dealer finally called, and said to replace the stock halogens with OEM xenon would cost around $2,500 in parts plus labor. Obviously not worth doing. So I will be satisfied with the stock halogens when I pick up my new 325xiT tomorrow.
> Joe B.


That's about right if you buy the parts new at full retain from your dealer.
I've done exactly what you're trying to do for $700. Go here:

http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?t=46813


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## blockpavick (Dec 22, 2004)

*I see the light*

Thanks for the information. This is something I may do later. Great reference! I am however, very reluctant to mess with a new car under warranty. At this point the H7 halogens seem very acceptable, as the vehicle being replaced is a 1995 Passat with mediocre headlights. For a simple upgrade, any reason not to use 80w H7 in the high beams?
Joe B.


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## Clarke (Oct 21, 2002)

I think tou will be pleasantly suprised with the Halogens.325s have some of the best out there.We have Xenons on the X5 and Halogens on the 325Cic and the cabrio suffers little in the comparison.Yes we've come a long way from the old sealed beam days.I used to have a pair of Marchal Ampliluxs with 80w lows and 100w highs I used to move from car to car.--btw Depending on the load you carry you might want to raise the aim a bit BMW tends to aim them pretty low.Usually you can bring them up some and still have the cutoff plenty low enough for other cars.Congrats in advance,and welcome back to the fold!:thumbup:


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## sna77 (Jun 18, 2004)

*Stev46 Q:*

Can you send the link to the ebay auction you won, or a similar one?

I was going to buy the e46 projectors, but after hearing you say the quality isnt there, I'm considering something else now... Did you buy new ones or used, etc? Where did yo find instructions for installing the?

Thanks!


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## STEVE46 (Aug 25, 2004)

sna77 said:


> Can you send the link to the ebay auction you won, or a similar one?
> 
> I was going to buy the e46 projectors, but after hearing you say the quality isnt there, I'm considering something else now... Did you buy new ones or used, etc? Where did yo find instructions for installing the?
> 
> Thanks!


Couldn't find the auction link for the headlights I won (too old), but here is a similar link:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=7945260224&category=33710

That is for the drivers side light. That same seller has the passenger side lights too. Just be sure you get the correct lights for your year. There was a change starting in 2002 for sedans and 2004 for coupes. 99-2001 sedans are the same and 2002-2005 sedans are another style. I've seen that seller sell both types in the past. I bought used lights and they are fine. Just make sure your seller has good feedback. As for installing the lights... it's not hard at all. 4 bolts in each light and they just pop out. The new ones pop in and reconnect the same way. I'll see if I can dig up instructions posted somewhere. Good luck!


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## Scott ZHP (Jul 17, 2003)

blockpavick said:


> For a simple upgrade, any reason not to use 80w H7 in the high beams?
> Joe B.


I wouldn't do it without adding relays. The stock wiring will be iffy to handle the extra current.


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## Scott ZHP (Jul 17, 2003)

sna77 said:


> Can you send the link to the ebay auction you won, or a similar one?
> 
> I was going to buy the e46 projectors, but after hearing you say the quality isnt there, I'm considering something else now... Did you buy new ones or used, etc? Where did yo find instructions for installing the?
> 
> Thanks!


First of all, what year E46 do you have? You can't just mix and match, even if the housing physically fits the car.

Up to 02, you can fit xenons without issues or coding. Althought pulling fuses IMO is a hack - spend the extra $40 and do it right.

After 02, you need to fit bixenons and you MUST have your car coded. The lights will strobe unless the LCM is recoded and once it is, your inner high beams will cease to work except on flash-to-pass. Pulling fuses will not help you.

In either case, you will not have autoleveling. The adjusters are built into the headlight housings, but the pair of leveling sensors, the correct LCM to interpret their signals, and the wiring to send it onward to the light housing won't be fitted to your car.


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## sna77 (Jun 18, 2004)

*RE: Scott ZHP*



Scott ZHP said:


> First of all, what year E46 do you have? You can't just mix and match, even if the housing physically fits the car.
> 
> Up to 02, you can fit xenons without issues or coding. Althought pulling fuses IMO is a hack - spend the extra $40 and do it right.
> 
> ...


Scott,
I have a 2001 346 sedan, with a production date of 11/2000. How do I resolve the auto-leveling problem? And please point me in the right direction for the lights... I'm glad I didnt buy the 46 projectors with angel eyes!

Thanks,
Steve


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## Scott ZHP (Jul 17, 2003)

sna77 said:


> Scott,
> I have a 2001 346 sedan, with a production date of 11/2000. How do I resolve the auto-leveling problem? And please point me in the right direction for the lights... I'm glad I didnt buy the 46 projectors with angel eyes!
> 
> Thanks,
> Steve


PM me your email address and I'll send you the factory EBA refrofit PDF for xenons.

You can retrofit OEM xenons without much problem into an 01. You need a set of xenon housings/ballasts which are commonly on ebay for ~$250ea. Then either pull a fuse to suppress the dash error (not recommended) or ask your dealer to code the car under the "retrofit path" for xenons. They'll give you all sorts of hooey on why they cant do it - ask again and hand them the doc above which tells the tech how to do it.

The reason you get a dash error is because the xenon bulb has no filament and offers no resistance - so the car thinks a bulb is burned and throws an error. On later cars the voltage is also reduced, which is why the xenons strobe - there isnt enough voltage to supply the ballast/bulbs.

You can resolve the autoleveling issue, but not without alot of work. You'll need the sensors (front, rear, both on the pass side) and the suspension brackets, about $150 for the parts. The bigger issue is running the wiring from the sensors to the LCM and from the LCM to each light. You may need to replace the LCM - not sure about non bixenon-cars - I doubt your LCM will support autoleveling.

Unless you really want the leveling, it really isnt worth the hassle. Just aim them slightly high and forget it.


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