Just thought I'd share an observation

I'm really not impressed by the light output from my xenon lights on my 2002 R53 S.

I just find that the light doesn't reach very far. I was always under the impression that light output for low beams xenons was supposed to be serious to that of halogens. I'm also wondering if these bulbs tend to get dimmer with age as halogen bulbs do.

I also don't like how the fog light temperature doesn't match the xenon temperature. Any idea of an H7 bulb that could better match the xenon light temperature?

Any comments or suggestions are welcomed as usual

 

I've noticed that my xenons are adjusted a little low, apparently by design to avoid possibility of blinding oncoming cars. As a result, the low beams don't reach out like they should and the high beams aren't much better. Since I do very little night driving, I haven't bothered adjusting the lights a touch higher. Something to consider before before laying out any cash.

Eric

 

Ok thanks

 

I have an '07 MCS and the Xeons are really very bright.
Makes the night seem like day.
It's why I ordered them, since I loved them in my Porsche Boxster.
They have not disappointed me.

Are yours self adjusting (aiming) when you turn them on?

 

I have never been disappointed with my OEM xenons so maybe it is in fact an aiming issue for you. They will never have the viewing distance of your high beams though so you shouldn't have that expectation.

As for the fog lamps, I guess if you don't care about actual performance in the fog (or occasional snow squall) then you could opt for higher color temperature bulbs but the standard ones actually work better under those conditions. The higher color temp bulbs also don't last as long.

 

In response to HID bulbs loosing their output over time, yes this does happen. Depending on the age of your current bulbs you could probably benefit from a new set of good Philips D2R bulbs. Over time HID bulbs will colorshift and progressively loose their luminous output. I would double check that your headlights are indeed aimed properly, and then go ahead with a new set of quality (ie Philips) D2R bulbs. And for maximum output stick with either 4300K or 5000K color temperature.

 

Another thing to consider is that it is possible to install the bulbs incorrectly so that they are, in fact pointing too low. It is awkward on the R53's to install new bulbs and I installed both sides wrong during replacement. It was corrected by the Mini dealer when it was in for service.

 

I didn't know Xenon bulbs can lose their light output after many years. It would make sense for the original poster, because his car is a 2002 model, (9 years old!)

 

My first vote would be for the bulbs. I had "new" no name ebay special bulbs put in by the PO and they sucked. He had kept the old one that didn't burn out in a box which were OEM philips and I happened to have another spare too that was old and I put those back in and it made a huge difference in clarity, although not much brighter as they were 4 or more year old bulbs from what I understood and had. The knock offs just sucked.

My car is a 2002 S, also keep in mind the early R53s have reflective lights, not projector like the 2007 owner earlier said he has.

I also aimed my lights higher and it made a difference too.

I also have a 2004 VW with Xenons I had since new with original bulbs, and I can tell you, yes after 7+ years they are dimmer...

 

Like mentioned before, try adjusting them to raise the beam. Mine were the same way. Big difference after adjusting them up. However, they are not as bright as other HID lights I've had before (Audi, Porsche, even BMW!).
If you want your fog lights to match the color of the headlights, get blue bulbs. The actual light output of the fog lamps will be slightly less but the colors will match better.

 

I have the same issue, it seems the lights are pointed at the ground ('06 MCS (R53)) and I took it to the dealer and asked them if they could re-adjust the aiming, and they did. It was much better. After 2 months, I hit a bump and my driver side is now pointing pretty much at the ground right in front of the car, and when I turn on my high beams, they seem to be how the normal headlights should be. Help?

 

You just need a screw driver and 3 minutes. There are two adjustments on each headlamp: up/down and left/right. Can't remember exactly where the up/down screw is or which way does what but do a search for adjusting headlights. Tons of info on this site.

 

The 05+ lamps are pretty darn good....
The earlier ones....I would check the bulbs..age and quality...cheap e-bay bulbs are next to useless...
Also the actual lens might need a good polishing....with a few miles on a car..the lenses can turn kinda opaque....and that really reduces light output.
Just remember..the lights on the MINI are LEGAL OUTPUT...not off road things...also all euro cars will Xenon lights are required (by euro laws) to have headlight leveling feature....that is why euro cars in the us usually keeps them..simply cheaper (and safer too) to keep them.

 

I can tell you for a fact, Xenons are a huge improvement over halogens. I've been stuck driving my wife's Ram and needless to say I feel blind at night. It's like a treat when I get to take mojo on a night-time run.

 

I'm having similar woes in my 03 MCS. It's the first thing I noticed after driving the first time at night after acquiring it, you can''t see a damn thing! Clearly they need to be raised. I've been meaning to do it, but you need a dark area with no lights to accurately lift them within reason. Just haven't been able to find the time yet. I also have a 2013 X3 which has projectors and those things are like the sun! So later Coops I'm sure are quite different in that respect.

On another note, my lights keep flickering off or not coming on at all. Usually at least 1 will come on and sometimes both, but as I drive one will flicker rapidly and go out. If I turn my lights off and then on again, they will often come back on for an indeterminate amount of time.

I know the prev owner changed out a ballast as one of them has "Mercedes" hand written in marker on it. I think I'll start by replacing bulbs to see if the problem persists. If it does then I guess I'll continue the spending train to get more expensive parts to keep this thing running!

 

There's a few things to adjusting the headlights.


1. There is of course the up / down, and left right adjustment.
2. There is also "Hotspot" which can be adjusted slightly within the beam of light (at least on projectors) and I assume that even the older reflector ones have a "cut off shield"


The left, right, up / down is easy. It does take some time though to carefully measure and set up to do it correctly. Interestingly enough I learned that it doesn't matter if you are in a low-rider or a lifted truck, DOT says that the low-beams / light beam should fall 2 inches for every 25 feet. I actually have mine pointing down only about 1 or 1.5 inch over 25 feet, but so long as they point DOWN then it seems okay. Also when you're behind a vehicle in front of you, on level ground, make sure your beam of light is landing below their side view mirror.


If you choose to adjust your headlights, you MUST park the car on LEVEL GROUND to do so. A gas station pad will work. You need 25 feet to a screen, which you can make probably make with a coupe of lawn chairs and a bed-sheet. Have someone hold a piece of string on the headlight lens at the axis of the headlight bulb (look closely there's a little dot in the plastic on the lens) -pull the other end of the string taught against your screen 25 feet out. Hold a bubble level on the string and make the string level, and mark the screen. Now your beam of light should be an inch at least, or technically 2 inches below that line.


On mini (r53), there are two adjustment screws. The inner ones closer to the center line of the vehicle, and the outer ones closer to the fenders. The Inner Screw adjusts up and down. Clockwise pushes the top of the reflector down, and counter clockwise pulls it back to raise the beam of light. If you make any adjustments, turn them only a 1/4 or 1/2 turn at a time, then recheck adjustment. The outer ones adjust left and right. If you need to move the beam of light to the left or right, the direction you turn the screw is different on the left and right side of the car. On the passenger side, tightening the screw pushes the reflector more to the left, on the drivers side, loosening the screw pulls the reflector more to the left.
BTW, the lights should point straight forward. For years on halogen cars, the driver side pointed in away from oncoming traffic a little bit, it is not really needed with a proper hid projector though, because the cut off is so sharp that stray light does not escape the beam and does not bother oncoming drivers. (Please note I am not talking about putting an hid bulb into a projector that was designed for a halogen bulb. For anyone reading this, please don't do that. You'll end up with poor output, a not very sharp cut off, and it is very glaring to oncoming drivers)

I've attached an image I made to explain how I adjusted mine, and they are perfect. BTW, I am running Morimoto Mini H1 bi-xenon projectors. I opened up my facelifted halogens using joey-mod directions, cut out the halogen reflector with a dremmel, and glued in the projectors. I know it sounds ghetto, but the JB Weld is holding up fine. People look at them and assume they are factory (can't see the epoxy from the front), and I saved about $700 as compared to buying OEM Xenon headlight assemblies and ballasts, and bulbs, etc. The light output is good, and I am not blinding other drivers. Just look when you see oncoming cars that seem blindingly bright,... they are always idiots that have put hid bulbs into a halogen reflector (without retrofitting a proper hid projector). Compare to the Lexus, Infinity, BMW, Mercedes, etc that you know came with proper hid, and you'll see that they are not blinding to others, and they also give a million times better light output.


Point 2: If you fiddle with the bulb in the back of the socket, you'll notice that the hot-spot of the bulb can move around a little within the beam of light. Moving the hot-spot well below the cut-off shield will make the light output appear to be much brighter, but you probably do not want to do this. You'll end up with so much foreground light, that your pupils will constrict to account for the bright light near the car. You may see every pebble and think your lights are very bright, but that is a delusion caused by the way humans perceive light. Sure the lights are bright, but it's harder to notice that your distance vision has been greatly compromised because the foreground light is so intense. Ideally the brightest part of light should be off in the distance, so the correct place for the hotspot is up high in the beam of light, with about 1/2 of the hotspot behind the cut-off shield.


Lastly, a note about your foglight color. I'm not saying you want yellow fog lights, but Look up the phrase Selective Yellow. These lights erroneously got a reputation for being able to penetrate fog better, or reflecting back less than traditional clear or white lights. Though this is not entirely true, selective yellow light is still very advantageous. The fact is that if the yellow light reflects off of the fog or falling snow in front of you it is much less fatiguing on the eyes. It's easier to look at for longer periods of time. Going to a 5k or 6k fog light is the opposite, causing much more eye strain for yourself. IMHO, if it's important for your fogs to match your headlights, it would be smarter to get 3000k HID bulbs for the headlights. OEM lights are somewhere around 4100k to 4300k because that's the whitest color-temperature that will put out the most lumens -around 3000 lumens at 4300kelvin with 35watt ballasts. All HID bulbs will color shift toward blue over time. 5000k lights have a slightly bluer tint without being too Ricey, but technically they are putting out marginally less lumens than a white light. When you get above 6000k or 7000k you're not only putting out a very blue light, but also loosing a lot of lumens and compromising your night vision.


The comment above on the New Philips bulbs was spot on. They have a reputation of being the best. Osram also makes some really nice D2 xenon bulbs. Watch out for fakes, and use reputable dealers, not e-bay.

 

My headlights where way too low on the drivers side. I tried the 1/2 turn at a time technique as described in the previous post. I'm up to about two turns now. We will see.

 

I replaced my driving lights as indicated in this post. Included a pic of OEM vs new bulbs. Hope this helps.

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...b-upgrade.html