Hey folks, hoping someone can point me in the right direction. I've got a 2006 r50 with factory xenon headlights that have given me nothing but trouble for years. I'd like to replace the entire assemblies with LEDs, but the only ones I can find online say they aren't compatible with factory xenon lights. Does such a product exist (ideally at a reasonable price)?

Thanks for any help

 

Not that I’m aware of, you’d need a non xenon projector housing, and a really good LED bulb of the appropriate type to match the new aftermarket housings. The better way would be to get aftermarket projector halogen housings and retrofit actual led projectors to them, frankly.

I have LED bulb conversion in the 99 denali/caddy headlights on my dually and they are ok, ie better than halogens, but nothing like a good bi- xenon in a proper housing as far as down range or short range lighting. Aka my f31. Not quite as good short range as my wife’s factory LED atlas either. Effectively I run the dually in high beam all the time with all 4 lit to get close to the same lighting as The factory atlas LEDs on low.

but the f31s with factory LED are not as good as the earlier f31 bixenon either.

Remember LEDs don’t produce white light. That’s a fluorescent layer atop a UV led to make them glow white, unlike xenon’s that actually cast white. Xenon’s as a lighting source are imho way better then LEDs. LEDs are “cool” and give stylists a lot of freedom though, so that’s what modern cars have.

out of curiosity, what is the exact trouble you have with your factory xenon low beams?

 

I guess they don't have to be LEDs, I just don't want to think about my headlights anymore and no-maintenance LEDs seemed like the way to get there. Is it simple enough to swap in new halogen assemblies?
The issues I've been having with my xenons are plentiful--they're incredibly dim, I think as a result of the ballasts (I've swapped the bulbs several times with no change), I can't get them installed/seated properly, the wiring is old and corroding so they often flicker, the auto-leveler is wonky, and if I close the bonnet too hard (or even sometimes when I hit a significant bump while driving), they'll often pop out of the ball sockets, resulting in the headlights pointing straight down at the ground, and this means I have to pop the hood again and open the headlight assembly and pop them back into place, replace the cover, and try to close the hood again praying I don't dislodge them all over. (Invariably, whenever I get my car back from an inspection/etc, they'll have slammed the hood shut and I'll have to fix the lights again) It's a nightmare, and all I want is to be able to see the road when I'm driving at night.
So I don't really care about getting the most optimal lighting solution, anything will be an upgrade over what I've got. I just don't want to have to deal with these headlights anymore.

 

To be frank, it sounds like you might want to convert your Xenon’s to Xenons.

IE bake them apart and change over to retrofit BI-Xenon instead, and while there fix the adjsuters/ ball sockets correctly or jsut lock then in place? ( hint, I have two with FL xenon’s and on neither of them does slamming the hood knock them Out of joint)… or simply swap to a different set of FLcxenon’s that are in better shape?

also if you have never cleaned the bowls or lenses, you’ll be amazed what a difference it makes after 20 years or dust and oil film accumulation if you take em apart. However do NOT wipe or use cleaners on the bowl. Only water and dab, don’t wipe. You can literally wipe the chrome off many headlight bowls.

Anyway, just some ideas throwing out there.

 

^^ gotta jump in here. I'm in the same boat as the OP... Got an 04 MCS with the xenon and they are terrible. I actually run the fogs with the low beam just to be able to see!!

So a set of Face lift xenon bulbs and some new adjusters is all that's needed? (I have no idea what I'm doing with headlights)
(any particular brands or places to purchase?)

 

People swap to the Facelift Xenons, they are much better. I have them. If you have Xenons factory pre 7/2004, its a straight swap with new ballast and bulbs for the 7/2004+, so new Xenons

Facelift.
https://www.ecstuning.com/Mini-2006-...adlights/Left/

https://www.ecstuning.com/Mini-2006-...dlights/Right/






https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...-retrofit.html

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...-retrofit.html

We don't have the Halogen projector Helix/Depo any more. But you can do its with some projector headlights we sell, just have to match up the bulb type https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...sion-help.html


For people that have 7/2004+ Xenon's factory (mine had a ton of miles), most will need new bulbs (old ones look pinkish and maybe a ballast if flickering. You will also need to polish the headlight

https://www.ecstuning.com/Mini-2006-...ng/Headlights/

D2S bulbs are what they are factory. The Factory ones turn pink when old.

New headlighting if they are shot, or polish them out https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ht-lenses.html





You will have to do this once a year.


Repair kits: https://www.ecstuning.com/Mini-2006-...ts/Repair_Kit/

 

Bulbs on ECS site are for cars with build dates starting 07/2004.

My build date is 04/2004. Has factory xenon. Any comparable alternatives?

 

For pre 7/2004 the factory xenon lights if you keep and clean them are D2R bulbs. We have some aftermarket options but no performance in Ziza

https://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/sho...diagId=63_0723

https://www.ecstuning.com/Search/Sit...h/63126907495/

 

You didn’t hear this from me, but my understanding from when I was looking seriously at a pre facelift with xenon’s and doing research was the difference between a D2S and D2R is the black tip on the R… supposedly they are otherwise fully interchangeable.

 

Anyone know if the pre-facelift Xenon ballast {the square looking metal thing under the "flap") will work in the facelift projectors or are they different?

 

https://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/sho...diagId=63_0723

pre-facelift Xenon ballast : https://www.ecstuning.com/Search/Sit...h/63127176068/

And the connector for each side #4 in the diagram above pre-facelift: https://www.ecstuning.com/Search/Sit...h/63126933971/

https://www.ecstuning.com/Search/Sit...h/63126933972/

 

Thanks - but can I put my original pre-facelift ballast into my new/upgraded facelift projectors (from a 05 R52)?
Are the '04 pre-facelift ballasts the same for facelift '05?

 

I don’t know for sure, but from what I’ve read the prefacelift have the parts inside the housing and inaccessible, while the facelift have them external. So it doesn’t sound like they’d attach the same.

 

@Here2Go -Yes; the 1st Gen pre-facelift (non projectors) Xenon ballast are identical to and interchangeable with the 1st Gen facelift projector headlights.

 

@Here2Go - OK. But how do you know for sure?

 

@Here2Go - Because I got off my lazy a$$ and looked/compared for myself.

Hope this helps others

 

Love the comments to yourself, lol

Good info, thanks for doing that!

 

Just an addendum to myself and for others who might be wondering or intending to do the swap with a pair of preowned or salvage yard facelift projectors.

While the early/pre -facelift ballasts and the facelift projector ballasts are identical and interchangeable - In contrast to that; The pre-facelift HID Xenon low beam and facelift projector igniters are not.
The low beam igniters and bulbs are completely different. In either case ridiculously expensive.

To the OP's original question and point - I also discovered how degraded (crumbly), the wires had become in the (original) OEM facelift projector igniter connector "harness".
I find it amazing that the original OEM pre-facelift (non projector) wires are so much more robust than the updated version. What kind of sense does that make??? (-$$$)

Therefore - It appears to me that in order to replace/repair these wires will require complete disassembly of the headlight housing.
Not something most of us look forward to.