I was so gonna get these^^^^^
Just waiting for a guinea pig lol

 

I called these guys and am interested in getting a group buy going. I think the demand for aftermarket projectors has been huge and we can easily get the price knocked down a good chunk with 20 names.

They have a lot in stock and we wouldn't have to wait the way we do with Helix.

I'm buying a pair tomorrow or Wednesday (local pickup here in Los Angeles) and will install and take photos and make a video. For the record, I have HID's in my stock halogen housings on my all black MCS 2011. I think a lot of people are in my shoes and to save some money on top of it would be great.

 

i would be down for a group buy if we can get that organized. and definitely post the pictures and/or video asap. im sure were all anxious to see some more results

 

if we could bundle it with a set of H11 HID bulbs that would be really attractive for me. I don't know if we could all agree on the color temp though.

 

im down for a group buy as well

 

I bought the same ones. UPS is coming to pick them up on Monday...Because of the same "HIGH BEAM" issue you are having. If you turn on the high beams then the lights cut off. If you hold the high beam stick towards you like you are flashing your lights then they stay on and the motorized cut off works at deflecting the bulb up.

I did not like the output on these with the Halogen bulbs. The cut off was poor and adjusting them didn't seem to help much. The light just scattered.

They looked awesome! Only thing is that the "HALO" portion is lit up by a couple small LED bulbs that are not separate from the light output of the headlight. The HALO's were only visible at night when the headlights were off. They got drowned out by the headlight lights and can't really be seen during the day like a BMW Halo. I even bought the bluish blubs that Sylvania just discontinued that looked blue but lit up orange for the turn signal.

I had originally decided to keep these headlight even with the $30 refund on them from the eBay seller due to the high beam issue. He told me they looked into it and with out "rewiring" them that is how they are made. I decided to return them when i noticed the led from the halo was flickering and went out. They look great but aren't reliable and could be a hazard with the high beam not working properly. Imagine going 70mph on the interstate and accidentally bumping the high beams and all of a sudden it's PITCH BLACK!

Well I hope my experience helps decide if you guys get them or not. I just didn't feel like rewiring them and having to open up the headlight housing to upgrade or replace the flashing LED that powered the HALO.

As for the multi colored wiring harness that doesn't plug into anything...I wondered what this was for myself!

 

have them installed a few months ago and havent had a chance to post them up so here they are. sry for the crappy iphone photos

 

I attached a picture of the "mystery" wire. Anyone provide any insight as to what it connects to?

07TurboMini, I tried both pulling and pushing my high beams lever and they don't come on either way. Fortunately I don't have the same issue as you with the headlights shutting off completely so it's not as immediate a hazard. I just wonder if my wiring is different since I had the factory bi-xenons originally?

Also, the halo on my passenger headlamp is flickering so trying to arrange a replacement with the seller. I like the look of the headlamps if I can get them to work properly.

Need to figure out how to aim these puppies too ... I think they're shooting too high right now.

 

That looks badass Calvinora!

So a single LED can light up the halo that evenly? Maybe a bigger LED can be substituted for a brighter light? There are a lot of single SMD 3 watt LEDs on ebay now for cheap. What does this halo LED look like and where is it mounted?

 

I came across these aftermarket projector housings, with halo, and HID, available in either chrome or blacked out. Really sounds too good to be true for under $400.

I've heard the Spec-D projectors don't have a great cut off. I wonder which option would be better: putting a H13/HID retrofit kit into the stock halogen housing (which has a fairly good cutoff), or using this projector/HID set up. I've looked into doing an OEM retrofit and the parts came close to $2,000

 

Blackflamecustoms.com

JB will make you a custom bi-xenon setup for a fraction of factory cost.

 

Yeah, 2/1 of the factory cost of $500, if equipped from MINI that way of course, lol.

But seriously though, paying $1000 or more for a retrofit seems to be the most common method for getting read HIDs in projectors unless you do the retro yourself for around or under $300.

 

Doing the retrofit yourself is all well and good, but incorporating the washer spray functionality to a car that didn't come that way is another thing to consider, in addition to the cost of programming at the dealership. It shouldn't take long, but they will probably charge you by the hour.

 

I don't think you can compare the $500 new-built option cost with the retrofit cost. Anyone who buys new and doesn't opt for Xenons is making a huge mistake. To retrofit an OEM setup with levelers, the washing units, OEM housings is easily over $2000 using new parts and that doesn't include the labor and recoding. Everything short of that is a compromise of some sort.

The Black Flame setup is attractive, but pricey considering they're using replica halogen housings fitted with a HID projector. The benefit, though, is that they're plug and play, so you're paying for the convenience.

The worst thing is to throw money at an attempt and have it look bad (e.g., putting HIDs in a halogen fixture). Personally, I'd rather leave the halogens in and not be noticed than put in a cheesy retrofit that screams poser.

 

I'll admit, when I realized that an aftermarket replica housing was used for the BFC retrofit, I was a bit disappointed - at first. I closely inspected the housings, and they are nearly identical to stock not only in form, but quality. You can even use the factory height adjustment screws once retrofitted.

In a lot of ways, you get what you pay for. A $300 set of "ebay specials" will work fine for some, but others may want something a little more streamlined and go with something like the Black Flame Customs setup. The more extreme scenario here is retrofitting the stock setup. But as d@g suggested, it's hard to justify.

 

I hear ya, Doc. I've done a few headlight/foglight retrofits in BMWs and VWs and, other than the lack of german markings, the aftermarket housings are on par with the OEM (though generally half the cost).

I didn't realize you had the BFC setup. I guess you're happy with the finished product? How's the cutoff of their projector? Just curious if you'd do it again (i.e., was it worth it?). Did you go with something in the 5000K to 6000K temp range?

 

I've also done my share of headlight work in the past, it's not easy to get right. I'm pretty pleased with them! The cutoff is great, and so is the finished product. I went with a 5000K bulb, which truly looks perfect for me. In case you were wondering, those are chrome turn signal bulbs that burn amber.

Attached are some pics.

 

Stock xenons are a requirement from here, on out. I have done a couple of retrofits and they just aren't as fun as paying for it. While I am pleased with the results of my Morimoto projectors D2S(the ones everyone seems to use for cheap retrofits now) in my factory housings, I will never be 100% happy with them. When you do stuff yourself you always see something you could have done differently or better and thus why I feel bleh about my retrofit on my R56...love the output and look of blacked housings, but with they were OEM.

 

+1, exactly

 

so has anyone gone w/ this setup?
http://www.protuninglab.com/07micoeuhapr3.html

...photos? how does it work, are you happy with it?

Yes, unfortunately I did not realize what the difference was between Halogen and Xenon when I purchased my MINI in '08. ....hence why I didn't get HID/Xenon's. ...and I don't care to pay $1,000+ for bling. ...for $350 these seem like they look and hopefully work great? ...would love to hear??

 

How did you fix the error on the hid's?