Hi!

I have a 2004 BMW Coupe with halogen lights which I want to upgrade to xenon. My lights looks the same as the xenon but it's halogen. They have lenses and everything. See:

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?model=BD51&mospid=47620&prod=20040100&btnr=63_0807&hg=63&fg=05

I'm thinking about buying a xenonkit with rebased d2s bulbs. Something like this:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7954166940&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT

Or should I use OEM BMW xenon parts and apply an adapter to make the d2s bulb fit my H7 lights? Like this adapter:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7958409529&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT

Any comments or suggestions?

not sure if the bimmer's h7 projectors would behave similar to valeo's projectors. do you know which company made your bimmer's projectors? bosch or valeo? if you are not into experimenting, i would say go retrofit instead. that is the sure bet way of getting true hid performance.

Your choice is between:

1. H7 HID kit (all kits nowadays have questionable quality compared to oem compaonents)

2. D2S bulb with H7 adapter and ballast (stay away from copy cat "philips" bulbs and ballast - buy from a well known source). Be aware of potential safety issue of thin retaing spring used on H7 bulbs. Beam will not be as wide as (3).

3. OEM optics in combination with (2) - http://www.hidplanet.com/bosch.html have new ECE Bosch Single Xenon now for $169 - that is a great price/performance deal. They have a safe solid twist locking ring for D2S bulb.

For all options:
Some research must be done to find out if:

- OEM wiring can take startup power surge
- in dash "bulb out" indicator may come up

Thanks for your help guys.

the thing is that my lights are the new faclifted ones. The front glasshield cannot be removed, it is glued together with the housing. I talked to a bmw-employee and he said that the glasses cannot be removed on these new headlights. They have made them this way because they have have hade problems with water leakage on the lights up to 03 on the 3series coupe.

So I can't change projector! There is only a small hole on the housing were I can switch bulbs.

I will take pictures today, and post them here.

thanks againn.

mmm... is it possible to cut open the rear of the unit to remove the existing projector? its gonna be harder to retro a different projector in tho. on another note if you like to try your luck, just make sure you get the d2s capsule and a h7 adaptor from a reputable source (like herman said). you could try hidplanet... they sell the hid equipment and has the h7 adaptor plate.

Choice #4 - the official OE retrofit kit.

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/partgrp.do?model=BD51&mospid=47620∏=20040100&hg=63&fg=95>

While not cheap, BMW has traditionally been very good about making retrofit kits available for many car options and accessories that don't require wholesale body changes (like cutting a hole for a sunroof). They include all the parts, fasteners, wiring harnesses, and most importantly, instructions for a seamless retrofit into an exisitng car. You also get OE quality and performance.

I'm not well-versed with the E46 in particular, but the link above can get you started.

A savvy ETK user (this discounts most dealer parts dept. personnel) can even get you the individual parts breakdowns for the components of each kit. If you want to peruse the instructions before buying, the instructions can probably be sourced from the EBA if you can get ahold of one or persuade somebody from a dealer to print one out for you.

Coupled with the expertise here, you may be able to piece together a solution using a selection of OE and aftermarket parts even if you don't opt for the full bi-xenon retrofit, but that will require some research effort on your part.

Here are the picture I promised:

from the back:
/?id=299762
/?id=299755
/?id=299732

from the front:
/?id=299736
/?id=299746
/?id=299730

The oem bmw upgrade kit is only available for the dimlights on the e46 2004 coupe.

I cannot make a hole on the back of the lighter so that I can switch projector. I even bought a complete set of bixenon projectors and ballasts, and bulbs, before I knew this. I never tried to open the lighthouse, it was glued with a black thick glue Not like the previous e46 lights, were the glass is easily removed.

So I sold the bmw bixenon set...

I though think that the projector I have is identical to the xenon one (they look the same.)
I will probably buy used BMW original ballasts and bulbs (on ebay), and then try to fit them with an adapter.. I hope it works.

Thanks for all help.

Why don't my links work???

Pictures from backside:
http://www.imagehosting.us/?id=299755&type=viewpic
http://www.imagehosting.us/?id=299739&type=viewpic
http://www.imagehosting.us/?id=299728&type=viewpic

Pics from front side:

http://www.imagehosting.us/?id=299736&type=viewpic
http://www.imagehosting.us/?id=299746&type=viewpic
http://www.imagehosting.us/?id=299730&type=viewpic