Hi BuckTallTrees

Wanting to do this on my wife's 2014 R57 - being a later car like yours did you need to make the wiring changes etc detailed or did they plug and play once the NCS Dummy updates were made?

Thanks
Ben

 

also some more pics and part numbers would be great if you didn't mind
Thanks

 

Hi Ben -

I bought 2007 Xenons from Ebay and a couple of Xenon plugs with wires. That allowed me to work out how the lights work and if I’d needed to do the modification to the light as shown at the start of the thread - I did! But it was quick and easy.
The Xenons won’t work as ‘plug and play’ because although the original halogens have 1 live for the low beam and 1 for high which is exactly what the Xenons need - they go to the wrong pin - so again this thread shows how to move each feed to the correct pin.
I went a bit further and ran some new wiring from the Footwell module (FRM) and the cabin fuse box.
The FRM (pin41) runs the high beam and the fuse box has a relay for the headlight washer pump (another Ebay purchase because you need the washer bottle with 2 pumps)
The cabin has rubber grommets in the fire wall with space to run the new wires - so again not too difficult.
The lights strobed when I first connected them - so as well as enabling the Xenons in NCS I had to turn of headlamp monitoring - but I’ll revisit that because the factory fit Xenons must have lamp checking - so I might be able to re-enable it.
I didn’t take pictures on the install as I went - sorry - but I did make a wiring sketch - so I’ll tidy it up and add it to this thread.
All in all I’d say it’s a full days work or a weekend if you’re doing research at the same time - but nothing too complicated and a really good upgrade .

 

Perfect thanks
No additional parts needed for the levelling then?
Good to know earlier light units will work, I've been struggling to find many LCI era units but plenty of earlier ones on ebay etc.
Be great to see your diagram to get everything working as factory thanks, no rush I will start buying parts
Regards
Ben

 

Got some LCI era headlights on the way and hopefully a twin pump washer bottle will start working on this soon hopefully did you manage to find the diagram ? Thanks

 

Pre facelift aka 2008 halogen wiring loom and xenon socket

 

May I ask what code you add?

 

Ok
After hours and $$$ for paid files, I found it.
F3 fuse 30A
X11001
Pin 10
Add a four generic relay like BOSCH 3165143314661

 



 

So I’ll preface this with I am not very knowledgeable about this stuff so if I am asking dumb questions just tell me that. But I have a 2013 R56 that I changed to OEM Bi-Xenon headlight from stock Halogens. It has not been coded yet so I have the flashing at first and then the pulsating after they are going. Problem is that the passenger side will flash and then go out. The driver side will flash and then stay on. I am worried that there is more than just a coding issue. Has anyone else had this happen before it was coded? I don’t want to go through the process of coding it and then have to change everything back if I still have an issue with the passenger side.

 

I'd get it coded first before doing anything.

 

Hello Everybody,
I am going to dig up this thread. I did the conversion according to the above instructions. I also did code $522 option and disabled auto leveling. However I am still getting a fault 009CB2 in ISTA: FRM: Headlight vertical aim control potentiometer defective. Do you also have it?
Since there is no extra documentation of this fault in ISTA I am suspecting that it might be caused by the fact that my car did not have the manual adjustment of the halogen lights, the one that is one the steering column. On the other hand cars with factory xenon light also don't have it.

Any ideas how to get rid of it?

 

Thanks for all the work, investigation etc. Going t o be using this thread as the parts car I just purchased has factory Xenon in it and I plan on putting them on my car when I repair the body work.

 

Everything makes sense to me except for the ballast module wires.
My xenon headlamps don't have that connector, and no connector with 5 black wires going to it.
Was hoping this would fix my issue with high beams, but nope.

 

My plan is to make an "adapter" cable. I have the Xenon connectors off my donor car and the connector that is glued to the headlight housing from my busted right headlight and got another from a busted headlight at a pick a part yard. By doing this, all the switching of wires will be done in the adapter instead of the vehicle wiring. This way, if I ever want to put s back in, unplug the adapter put them in and plug them in.



Now it is just a matter of aligning the right wire with the right wire, solder and shrink wrap then cover with some wire loom. Do the programming and hopefully, voila.

 

BTW, I haven't verified but I think connecting both grounds on pins 3 & 5 of the Xenon connector might do away with having to modify the solenoid/balast wires.

After going back through the thread, you did add a ground wire (blue) so I will have to modify the wires inside the Xenon housing.

 

BTW, as I understand it, the other 4 wires on the Xenon plug are for the leveling motor. Has anyone tried using these to adjust the aim of the beam? There are only two wires connected to the motor.

 

Alexr54 I am guessing your lights are post LCI like mine. If your remove the ballast module mounted on the bottom of the light with 3 screws technically two connectors, one 6 pin and one 4 pin. I am guessing here that the 6 pin runs to the ignighter and the 4 pin is the connector he mentions above. My problem is the way the headlight assembly is made, I cannot get the ends out to the turn signal access hole unless I completely disassemble the headlight. There is a plastic plate covering them that doesn't have enough space to get the plug through.

Here is a picture of my 2013 Xenon headlight with the ballast removed.


Here is the plastic cover/plate that prevents me from fishing the connector out the turn signal access hole.

The wires have a zip tie attaching them to the housing but even if I cut that, I just don't think there is enough room to wiggle the plug connectors as they are together through there.

I am going to live with just low beams for now. I still have the flash ability so if someone is coming at me brights on, I can flash them to lower or hold back and blind them too.

It is strange that it is a ground issue. Curious why when not running, the high beam works fine, running it doesn't. How is the ground "disconnected"

BTW, my "adapter plug works great. If I ever need to convert to halogen, just unplug the adapter and everything is back to stock.

 

I am not sure if it would work but splicing another ground into the solenoid wires if I can figure out which it + and which is -. I have easy access to these. I need to get out my multimeter and do some testing.
Here is a picture of the solenoid with the blueish/green connector. A solenoid is just an electro-magnet so one is hot, one is ground.

Both those wires go to the plug in the headlight housing that connects to the car. One is splice into another, the other appears to go to its own pin. Unfortunately, not enough time to do some electrical probing tonight.