I may be the only who feels this way, but I don't personally like the xenons, and never use my washers. So is there a way I can pick up the blackout halogen projector assemblies from ECS tuning and use them to replace my xenon housings? Would it be plug and play or would I need to rewire?

https://www.ecstuning.com/News/MINI_...004_2005_2006/

 

I believe there are wiring differences AND computer program differences

from what I see on the wiring schematics . . .

 

I'd just black out your xenons to make life easier.

 

Maybe you could figure it out from doing steps in reverse for Halogen to Xenon retrofit:
http://motoringfile.com/files/retrof...nsNewstyle.pdf

What do you dislike about the xenons? There might be a way to remedy what you specifically don't like.

 

Doing a factory retrofit is expensive and difficult, doing a shortcut retrofit from halogen to xenon is easier than the other way around because factory power to the halogens is 12v but if I remember correctly factory power to the xenon ballasts is not 12v, so you wouldn't even have the proper voltage to the bulbs.
The only work around would be to run battery/ignition 12v through a relay that is switched on from the power to the ballast, but not only would you have to make sure you had the proper voltage relay, but most likely the BCM would detect the relay as a fault instead of a properly completed circuit.

 

I've always wondered this too.

My 02 xenon is also expensive and difficult to fix. One headlight stopped working but now works again, it's just much brighter than the other one.

Would be great to just switch to halogen and not mess around with taking them apart to fix the ignitor or ballast.

Does anyone know if you the newer style xenon is interchangeable with the old style?

 

Huh? I just bought two halogen lights and plugged them in to my 2003 R50. Nothing could have been easier, especially after the months I'd spent trying to figure out how to fix the Xenon lights. I bought these on Amazon, for $162 for the pair. Free shipping:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002NAOKH4/

This was for my 2003 R50 with factory Xenon lights and washers, build date 8/2003. VIN xxxxxxxxxxTC48209. Maybe my car is different? I dunno, but if you've got the same setup I can't imagine why you couldn't just plug in the Helix lights.

I did nothing special. Just unplugged the washer tubes and removed the entire Xenon assembly, including washer sprayers, light and control unit. Plugged the wiring harness directly in to the halogen lights and left the washer tubes hanging. Never had a problem since. This was in October 2011.

Clearly, the wiring harness is delivering 12v to the connector, whether it's HID or halogen. The voltage is getting boosted to over 9,000!!! volts in the control unit and igniter, but you're taking all those parts out.

I would *still* like to get my old Xenon lights working. I guess I have to buy the igniter from Alibaba or some sketchy website, and then pry the lens off to replace it.

 

Ok perfect, I just don't like how I can't get mine back to clear no matter go hard I try and how many times I wet sand them down they are constantly yellow and faded. Also I never use my washers so they are pretty pointless to me. I also love the blackout look so these would save me from having to Joey mod them.

 

You aren't supposed to use the washers, you know. The car decides when your lights need a spritz and just does it without involving you at all. I tell my kids the Mini is closer to a robot than a car; everything is mediated by some algorithm based on a holistic view of everything the ECU knows. Well, the ECU and the BCU. They kind of work it out together and then maybe let you know what they decided, after the fact. If they think you have a need to know.

Anyway, the *point* of the washers, and the self-leveling function, is that your 70 year old aunt in Council Bluffs, Iowa is terrified of bright headlights. To keep her happy, the NHTSA kept halogen lights off our roads for a decade or more after they were everywhere in Europe. Also, Detroit loves any chance to not have to build a better car. Just imagine: those lame yellow halogens used to freak uptight citizens all the way out. It was like the Beatles, LSD, and halogen headlights from hellllllll were going to destroy America. Or something.

After finally coming around to halogens, the little old ladies about had a stroke when they first heard about HID lights in 1997. They're not even yellow, like God intended! Their government listened:

http://www.nhtsa.gov/cars/rules/rulings/glare.html

So to keep from sending old people into histrionics, they mandated that these ungodly new xenon lights must have washers to guard against the scourge of dirty lights scattering glare at grandma, and must be well-aimed at all times, even when you have a watermelon in the trunk and your car is pointed up from the weight.

This is also why they sealed the headlight unit so you couldn't just change the ballast igniter when it went bad. Per the NHTSB report above, they intentionally made it hard to repair so that you would have to buy a whole new light assembly every few years. Because scratches on the lens could scatter light, terrify grandma.

After a few years, they realized how stupid all that was. They're just lights, after all.

 

Hey, your car is an '05? I just checked your profile. You know the headlights changed after 7/2004. The R50 I'm talking about was built in 08/03. The lights after 7/04 are a different deal and so you can't just assume that what I did on my '03 will work with your '05.

My new Mini is also an '05 MCS. My '03 is going up for sale soon. So I could try to compare and see if there is an obvious difference. But not now, in about a week when I have both cars back here.

 

Face palm.. Totally went over my head that you said it was an 03. If you could look that would be great, and if worst comes to worst I could always order them and then return them if need be.

 

I don't think the housings themselves changed as far as exterior physical dimensions and mounting, just the insides and possibly the wiring, but again I'm not sure.
This is why I said something earlier about the wiring, I simply don't remember if the facelift xenon headlights still had a 12v signal going to the ballast or not.
Get a multi meter and see, check it at the plug between the body/bonnet and the ballast, if it's 12v you should be ok to adapt the wiring to the new bulb plug.

Also, I'm wondering what's going on with your lenses, mine have never yellowed or had too be polished, usually that's more of a problem with halogen bulbs and plastic/acrylic lenses. Honestly, that's your issue and not the light output itself, I'd Joey mod them and give the inside of the lens a polish and clean, that may simply be where your whole issue is coming from, and it wouldn't cost you anything but some time and a can of paint or plastidip.

 

the xenons are 12v, I went the other way. I went from halogen to xenon. I just had to use NCS to change the voltage requirement to the xenon. since the BCM uses a frequency to pulse voltage to the lights, its not a constant load like most cars. this allows the bulbs to last longer at a very small sacrifice of brightness. whereas if you have xenon already, they require a constant voltage to the ballast. so switching to halogen, you may burn bulbs out faster than another mini, but it should work

 

...ooooooor you could just trade lights/ballast/etc with someone who owns a halogen-equipped R53 (*coughs* pick me!)

 

Bump. I just replaced my very tired Xenons/ with washers with halogens/ non washers on my 05 MCS. Plug and play, no issues. ymmv

 

Sorry to bump an old thread. Are the halogens really that much lighter than the xenon/washers? Also, you said it is a plug and play, but are there differences between pre and post face-lift halogen units? Did you have to source a set specifically for the 05? I also have an 05 MCS and wanting to do this to save weight. I have a friend selling her halogens, but I am not sure if they'd plug right in. Did you have to mess with any coding?

thanks,

 

I bought new halogen lights made for the R53 MCS so it was truly plug and play. Even the auto leveler works. I didn’t have to do anything. I don’t think there is that much of a weight difference either. Wasn’t noticeable at the time. Might as well give it a try.

https://www.ecstuning.com/News/MINI_...004_2005_2006/

 

Thanks for the response. Since you say you didn't notice a big weight difference, I think I’ll just leave the xenons. Might not be worth the effort.

 

:

I've been wanting to do this for a while and now finally getting round to it.

For me it was more an aesthetic choice because I like the look of halogen better , even though it may sacrifice brightness at night I rarely drive at night anyway but I'm curious to see the difference when I do, probably I'll test drive tonight and find out.

What bothers me about xenon you ask?

Goofy cross-eyed squirters and the techno-robo lasergun look clashes with retro styling.

Perhaps I am luddite, or shallow, or both! LOL

Weight savings is minimal I'd reckon, but weight is weight and I guess it depends on how much Colin Chapman you got in your blood or whatever as to concern every ounce counting...




...like how the GP went with halogen as opposed to xenon when they were doing the weight-watcher rundown.

But in reality it ain't really much --- I don't have a nice scale, but simple analog bathroom scale puts the difference at around 2.5 or 3lbs each, so around 5 or 6lbs total.

 

:

Done.

Very simple plug 'n play.

The most time consuming aspect is getting the washer hoses out,
otherwise just 3 easy bolts per side.

Will test drive later this evening to evaluate dimness difference, but as it stands right now I'm stoked because I dig the look.

 

Is that a matte black ring around those new lights? (or glossy?)

 

I painted them with SEM Trim Black 39143.



Curious to see how they hold up, may end up vinyl wrapping in the long run if they chip too easily with the paint.

 

Hey, Thanks for the response about the weight difference. I agree,I don't think 5 lbs is a lot. I just thought it would be around 18lbs as that's what I've read somewhere. i also agree that the halogens look better. In my opinion, they look cleaner.

 

have you considered doing a black scoop? I think it would look nice with the other black accents you have.

I want to wrap my headlight surrounds in black at some point. Just restored the headlights, but I do like the way your new ones look

 

Yeah, no doubt, deffo a cleaner look in my opinion too.

May add up to slightly more with everything all together (hoses + bottle etc) but I doubt it's 18lbs.

The thing with weight reduction is after the obvious heavies are eliminated, then it's on to all the little things and after a while 5 + 5 + 5 + 5 + 5 = 25lbs and you accumulate lightness.

At the moment I'm not big into it so I'm not gonna remove brackets or strip sound insulation, but I do appreciate the process and take what I can get whenever it's easily convenient for me. Mine is just a street car and never tracked.

This epic thread ably demonstrates max weight loss very effectively and thankfully most of the pictures still survive,
it's instructive to see the process in action:

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...r-project.html

:

I've often seen various item weight lists for miscellaneous cars, especially Miata,
but the only R53 list I've come across is this one:

https://www.minitorque.com/threads/w...for-info.7527/

Anybody know a link to another similar list?

That one is pretty good but I constantly have to convert kg to lbs because I cannot otherwise really grasp it.

.



I've flip-flopped on the idea, but I am actually leaning toward black, but I'm not gonna do anything until I get the bigger LEAP scoop though.

But I'm also considering a full wrap instead of proper respray which is really needed, and if I do go through with it then that'll alter what I do with the scoop colorway wise.

Thinking of going with smoky blue with nardo grey roof/mirrors.

I really like that particular blue which is sorta retro although it does slightly resemble the Ford RS blue in a way...