Hi everyone,

I am thinking about converting the low beam to HID but I am not sure what bulb i should be looking for.

My OEM headlamps are halogens with reflective housing( I think it is a reflective housing? cause it's reflective inside). I read online that D2R type bulb is the kind that should be used for reflective housing. However, I also know the bulb type replacement for the halogen is H7, so which one should I get? D2R and H7? What is the difference between the two? How does D2R works better in reflective housing (than H7?)? Sorry if anything above is wrong, I am just trying to figure thing out... please help/correct me.

On ebay there are H7 to D2R adaptor... which is a piece of metal that ,according to the seller, should be attached to the D2R bulb.. What is that? Do I need that?

Also, does anyone know what is the fog light bulb type on 2003 MCS? I am talking about the fog lights that's right below the headlamps and is a combination of turn signal light and fog light. I am thinking of putting LED for the fog light portion of that light but online it says fog light uses H11, and when I call mini dealership they tell me it's H7.. same as low beam. Does anyone have experience in changing that specific fog light and know what type it is?

OH, and just curious, can the OEM reflective housing withstand the heat of 50W HID? I read that it might melt some housing...?

Thank you for your help!!

Mr.R53

 

Long story short, it's not adviseable to put a drop-in HID kit in the stock halogen reflector headlights. I won't get into the legality issues either. Your headlights take a H7 halogen bulb, if you did want to convert you would need a H7 HID PnP hit. However this is a less than optimal solution because the halogen headlights were never designed to handle the output of an HID light source. If you really wanted to upgrade to HID lighting, lurk in the classifieds and see if you can find a set of used Xenon headlights from either 02-04 (reflector HID uses D2R bulbs) or from an 05-06 (projector HID uses D2S bulbs).

 

Also, does anyone know what is the fog light bulb type on 2003 MCS? I am talking about the fog lights that's right below the headlamps and is a combination of turn signal light and fog light. I am thinking of putting LED for the fog light portion of that light but online it says fog light uses H11, and when I call mini dealership they tell me it's H7.. same as low beam. Does anyone have experience in changing that specific fog light and know what type it is?

That's not a fog light. Directly under the headlights on a 2003 S you find the combination turn signal / parking light. If fitted the fog lights would be under this light in the lower bumper. The side light / parking light fixture can be access thru the top of the bumper with the bonnet open altho you may need to find someone with small hands. There are two lights in the light unit. One is a small sidelight bulb, 5 watt wedge mount; the direction indicators are 22 watt bayonet mount - this is the larger of the connectors. If the connectors have never been removed they may be a PIA to get loose but 1/4 turn WILL undo them.

The fog lights for a 2003 (and up to 07/2004 builds) is a 55w H7, and after 07/2004 an H11 on GEN1. The common way to acess the fog lights is to loosen the wheel well liner.

(Haynes, chapter 12)

 

I have a 05 R50 and converted to low beam HID. The reflectors do a good job directing the light down and not letting a whole lot escape up, but it is more then what you would get with projectors. You have to be careful about adjusting your headlights so they point slightly down. Also the computer will think you computer your headlight is burned out and wont send electricity. You have to put in inline resistor.

On a second note, I would only recommend this modification if you are highly mechanically inclined. There are a lot of curve ***** that come you way and if you mess any up, you could have big problems. If I had to do it again I wouldn't, i would just buy some good H7 halogen bulbs.

If you do go HID please do us all a favor and only get 5k or less bulbs. It will keep Johny law away and other drivers will thank you as well.

 

Thanks for the input ! But i am still a bit confused

I don't have the fog lights that are in the lower bumper, so I guess i am talking about the parking lights/signal lights lamp.

You were saying there should be one 5W small sidelight bulb, is that the bulb for parking light? Is there a model number for the wedge mount bulb?
Thank again!

Mr.R53

 

Hi thanks for your post. So if i understand you correctly, I shouldn't get D2R? and just get the H7 type?

What's PnP by the way, I am not familiar with that term... is that different from plain HID Kit?

Thank so much!

Mr. R53

 

no "model number" - go to any auto part store and ask for a 5 watt wedge mount - it is a VERY common bulb ....

better is to pull your burnt bulb and carry that into the part store ... this is NOT a MINI unique bulb.

the housing has a parking light and a turn signal. if your turns work you need the little side light bulb. If the turns don't work you need the bay' bulb (also a common size)

 

I see, does that always happen? so I will NEED to have a inline resistor?
Does a standard HID kit comes with it?
I know they give me the ballast.. but not sure if that's the same thing

Also, did you just get a H7 ( or whatever type your halogen bulb used to be) HID KIT?
I am confused on if I need a D2R HID Kit for my reflective housing.

Thank,
Mr.R53

 

I see, I am trying to buy a LED that could replace the parking light... i will look into that more..

Thanks!

 

Yes you would need an H7 HID kit, PnP means plug & play (kit). I can't recommend using HID kits in our headlights, but what I can personally recommend is the use of the Osram Rallye H7 bulbs that are rated at 65w. They are rated at 2100 lumens per bulb vs the standard 1500 lumens of a typical H7 bulb. I run these in my 03 in the Highs and Lows with great success.

 

To answer your question about the resisters, yes if you want your headlights to work at all. You buy a H7 kit, if you buy a D2R you will not be able to mount the bulbs. Also in the kit comes a ingnitor, and ballast so you get correct operation. You have to find a way to enter the back of the headlight housing for the high voltage lines, and then you must seal that hole again or you will get moisture in your headlight. Everything must be mounted securely and since the headlights are part of the hood you must mount the ballast either on the headlight housing or hood while still allowing clearance.

I hate to burst your bubble but your posts do not seem like you are fully competent to do this modification. Just buy some Sylvania Silverstars or some PIAA bulbs. You will save your self a lot of trouble and possibly avoid ruining your headlights.

 

Thanks shmork53. I have actually put a few HID kits on some of my previous cars... but I never cared about specifics before....

The main concern i have right now is, like you said, having the headlamps stuck with the hood...
Trying to figure out how the wiring is going to work...

I am not sure what a resistor or a ignitor is... because I just put together the HID kits before without knowing what the components are called (pictures instructions maybe? lol) So i probably used them without knowing, haha.

My friend who converted his 05' MCS lowbeam told me he needed a canceler for his HID kit or else the check engine light will come on because of the change in current/voltage (that's what he told me)? Did you need one when you convert your low beam? And how did you do the wiring..? Wouldn't there be wires hanging from the headlights/ballast to the "battery plug thing" (whatever it's called...) whenever you open your hood?

Thanks,
Mr.R53

 

The resistors I used are the same as the canceler that your buddy used. True pictures help a bunch for installs, they sometimes explain more then the crappy write ups somebody did who has English as a second or third language.

The main hangups I got into were the actual lights have a plastic bezel instead of metal so I had to bend my prongs a bit to hold the bulb securely. Finding a mount for the ballast box. I got a thin ballast and was able to fabricate a bracket and use the screw holes on the bottom of the headlight housing where MINI mounts the factory ballasts for HID optioned cars. The resistor or canceler I hard wired into the kit before the ballasts so the car thinks a 55+ watt bulb is there so the car doesn't throw a check engine light, and so the lights actually work. Finally and most importantly getting the rear housing sealed. The rubber grommets I got from the kit had 2 extra holes in it so that had to go. I ended using a combination of caulk, a contractor grade thick putty / sealer and some duct tape to hold it all in. The way I got into the housing for wires to go in and out to the boxes was through the above mentioned hole that i drilled in to the back access door you remove to change the bulbs.

Good luck, take your time and think 2-3 times before you do it. Once the install is done, adjust your headlights so other people are happy.

 

Thanks shmork53, really appreciate your help!
Just three more questions .. for now...

Don't you need the ballast to connect to the actually battery plug of the car? so wouldn't that means when you open the hood, the wire will go from the lights ( or where you put your ballast) to the battery plug? I wasn't sure if you mentioned it in your post...maybe i just didn't understand it.. do you happen to have some pictures that I can look at to get a better sense of how you did it ?

And also you mention how the car needs to think that there is a 55W light bulb running.. is that why there are 55W HID on the market...? other then being brighter? So IF I get a 55W HID, would that solve the check engine light problem without a resistor/canceler? Does most 35W kits come with resistor/canceler?

As for adjusting the lights, do you mean moving/turning around the actual light bulb itself or are you talking about the headlight adjustment screws that I read in another thread? I never really adjusted the ones that I installed before , but i want to do it right this time haha.

Thanks so much,
Mr.R53

 

I also use the Osram Rallye 65W H7 bulbs in both low and high beams. They are a good alternative to a complicated HID conversion.

 

I'm definitely a big fan of mine, I think they're the best bang for the buck when it comes to sticking with halogen.

 

I posted some more info about this issue here
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...-hid-kits.html

Stick with the OSRAms.

 

most H7 kits get their power from the headlight plug, no need to run from the battery. I am not sure about the 55w and no need for a resistor. Once the bulb is in DO NOT ADJUST IT. Bulbs are designed to sit in one spot to work properly with the reflector. Adjustments are done with the adjustment screws. Finally the resistors do not come with the kit, some places sell plug in resistors, but it is an accessory and kits don't come with it.

 

I thought that you need to connect the ballast to the battery?? and the plug to the original head light plug is just to control the on and off of the HIDs?
I might be wrong through... since the last time i installed one was 4,5 years ago...

Thanks,
Mr. R53

 

That may have been the case then, but now it's all plug-n-play.

 

WOW, that makes things a lot easier... and I was thinking how the wiring should go to the battery the whole time....

Thanks everyone, I think that basically resolved my concern

Mr. R53

 

Okay.. one more question.. does anyone know what's the attachment that the new slim ballasts have with them? it's leading out from the slim ballast and it's a pretty bulky thing.... i am not sure what it does and why do they have it there... it kinda defeat the purpose of the slim ballast..? is it like an error code canceller?

Thanks,
Mr. R53

 

I got the slim ballast kit from ddm and the only thing actually attached to it were the connecting plugs, my error code eliminators were a seperate piece (approx 1.5 x 2.5) that then connected inline to the ballast. Don't know what you may have, got a pic.?

 

hi BlwnAway,



This is just an example that I found, and i haven't got my own kit yet..
You see how there's another thing that leads out of the ballast?
I notice some "newer" and more popular brand doesn't have that thing but they make it clear that I will need a canceller.. so I am not sure if that thing in the picture is a canceller or not..

Thanks,
Mr. R53

 

Oh and.. do you know what will happen if I don't use a canceller/ error code eliminator? Or anyone on NAM??

Well, i ask because I am not sure if my 2003 R53 need one... and I want to know other than the light for "bulb out" on the dash board, will the HID still be able to run without the canceller (assuming i do need one) ?

Thanks again,
Mr. R53