Hi All,

Has anyone selected the factory Xenon headlight on there Cooper S?

Does it INCLUDE the self leveling and washer cleaning function?

Be great to actually see a photo of the xenon headlight (can not seem to find any photo of it anywhere!)..........Does it have a different lens arrangement?

Grateful for any help at all!

Cheers!

Simon

 

Here in canada the xenons are standard fit..

they do have the auto level.. all the lights do... and the headlight washers as well

Adam

 

I got 'em on mine. They are totally awesome! The autoleveling works great and the pattern is clear and bright. Check out a pic here.

 

I'm in Hong Kong and the Xenon option has just been added, but would like to know more about it before I confirm my order.

Any chance of a photo (closeup)?

Thanks!

Simon

 

here is mine...xenon

 

send private message with email and I will send pix to you!

 

i love my xenons

 

So helmi,

They look like the regular headlights. So they only put in Xenon bulbs and ballast.....correct?
Most other manufacturers' xenon lights have a semi spherical ball shape lens and will look physically different to their regular HALOGEN headlights.
If this is the case then I'll be better off doing the Xenon conversion myself since it still uses the same headlight lens.

Does your lights when you turn them ON, come on full brightness all at once or does it glow brighter gradually for a few seconds?

Sorry for some any questions.

Simon

 

They seem to come on quick, and then the auto leveling feature moves/rotates which in turn makes the light shine out. As far as Xenon goes, there is only one brightness, you can't get or buy different wattages of Xenon. On the Mini the Xenon is mounted in the top of the headlight and the high beam is a separate standard halogen bulb that is mounted below. When the high beams are selected, the Xenon's stay on and the halogen bulb is lit.

 

no problem simon,
first of all, I think the factory xenon is worth the upgrade when you get them as you buy your MINI. It's brighter and clearer. They came with the self leveling and the washer/sprayer, you can see the sprayer in my close-up picture (have you try the link?) it's the small curve on the headlight ring.

I don't think that they just replace the bulbs on the factory, I think they replace the whole housing and mechanism, etc.

I don't think that the aftermarket xenon is any better than factory xenon because you won't get the self leveling feature and the washer/sprayer. Also the effect is different, right?? when I turn them on (factory xenon), they do glow brighter gradually and calibrate itself (self leveling)... very cool effect....

I love my xenon...

 

Are they H.I.D. lights? Just like the ones on the BMW's? They have that white/blue color to them?

 

Xenons are H.I.D.

The system includes

The xenon lamp, the ballast, the auto-levelers, and the washers. At $500 as a stand alone option or $1250 as part of the sport package they are a bargain. You would never be able to retrofit xenons for anywhere close to that price.

 

You can take a look at whats involved in retrofitting Xenons here: http://www.bridger.us/mini/howto/Xen...%20Washers.PDF

I would strongly recommend just ordering the factory xenons. You'll end up spending much more if you want a very professional job. If you just want a blue/white light look buy some $14 aftermarket bulbs - if you want true xenons it would probably be best to go with the factory setup.

>>So helmi,
>>
>>They look like the regular headlights. So they only put in Xenon bulbs and ballast.....correct?
>>Most other manufacturers' xenon lights have a semi spherical ball shape lens and will look physically different to their regular HALOGEN headlights.
>>If this is the case then I'll be better off doing the Xenon conversion myself since it still uses the same headlight lens.
>>
>>Does your lights when you turn them ON, come on full brightness all at once or does it glow brighter gradually for a few seconds?
>>
>>Sorry for some any questions.
>>
>>Simon

 

got em also...
worth the $$$'s

Peace,
D

 

There are several problems with retro fit kits like the one from HID4LESS

That first point is the big problem, because it results in a poorly focused beam pattern that doesn't have the crisp cut offs that an OEM xenon would have.

The MINI halogens are really respectable lights, but if you want the xenons (which I would recommend), then get them as original equipment on the car.

 

Gabe, I just cracked up looking at those instructions! I thought "I could take my computer apart and put it back together before I could ever do this" !

I think a person would have to have God given mechanical talent to do it! Of which I do not have any - Not one drop of mechanical talent in my blood!

 

Austin:
Yeah I'm all for saving some cash and doing mods yourself but IMHO there's no question in this case - you should order xenons from factory if you want them. I'm not sure who would want to tackle those instruction on that pdf.

Dave:
Is the self leveling law now in effect? I hadn't realized that. It would seem that most other true xenons (mercs, porsches, etc) don't have the same leveling system BMW uses. I say this because I've found their systems more blinding than those of BMW products and have always attributed that to incorrect lighting angles while driving. On another note I thought I heard that it will be madatory to have washers on xenons in a couple years.


>>Gabe, I just cracked up looking at those instructions! I thought "I could take my computer apart and put it back together before I could ever do this" !
>>
>> I think a person would have to have God given mechanical talent to do it! Of which I do not have any - Not one drop of mechanical talent in my blood!

 

Thank you all for your help!

Special thanks for the guy who posted the installation manual of the Xenon. I'll comfirm my order tomorrow since it seems a worthwhile option!

Cheers!


Simon

 

Th whole concept of retro-fitting the xenons gets my blood boiling! Allow me to explain...

While my MINI was on order (way back in April '02) and I was following her progress in the Owner's Loung everyday I noticed the Xenon lamps suddenly drop from the order. I contacted MINI customer service immediately upon seeing them drop from my order (pre-build) to find out what was going on. They assured me TWICE that they were still going to be installed. I challenged them the first time, but accepted their explanation after the second time, and continued waiting - fully expecting the xenons to be installed.

After I took delivery of Molly, sans xenons, I contacted customer service again to find out why they had lied to me and to see what they were going to do about rectifying the problem. After 2 months and many emails in which I very clearly expressed frustration/confusion/anger/etc. I was able to wrestle out a little bit of free MINI merchandise (they did not offer it) and was assured that the person who had told me the incorrect information had been fired (not what I wanted to hear - that someone lost their job).

Although that had appeased me at the time (can't believe I'm so easy sometimes), the first time I saw another MINI on the road with the xenons, I was CRUSHED all over again.

Upon seeing these retro-fit instructions - it appears to me that the dealer should be able to install the xenons. It has been many months since all this occured, but I am now wondering if I have a case to make against MINI - and can get them to have the xenons retro-fitted to my MINI, free of charge?

In reading some of your comments against retro-fitting, I am also wondering if you are referring to DIY retro-fits or not? Thanks for your thoughts....

 

Got news for ya DiD: The Honda S2000 does NOT include either of the following:
>>[*]auto levelers aren't included (required by law for xenons)
>>[*]headlight washers aren't included (required by law for xenons)

What's strange is that the S2000 comes with auto-levelers and washers in all other markets except the USA, strange isn't it! Is the S2k an exception, somehow?

 

My thought is that once you've received some sort of consolatory merchandise they will be much less likely to go for a retro fit of xenons.

It's also worth nothing that these instruction came out in late summer/early autumn and there's a very good chance that people at MINI didn't know about them or the possibility of retrofitting xenons. If that's the case they really can't be blamed for not offering the option.

That being said I do understand your anger about this situation. If you should take this problem up with MINI I would appreciate it if you didn't mention the site that you downloaded the instruction from. I'd rather not have the wrath if MINIUSA come down on me - further you might now want to mention that you saw this thread on MCO either.

best of luck.


>>Th whole concept of retro-fitting the xenons gets my blood boiling! Allow me to explain...
>>
>>While my MINI was on order (way back in April '02) and I was following her progress in the Owner's Loung everyday I noticed the Xenon lamps suddenly drop from the order. I contacted MINI customer service immediately upon seeing them drop from my order (pre-build) to find out what was going on. They assured me TWICE that they were still going to be installed. I challenged them the first time, but accepted their explanation after the second time, and continued waiting - fully expecting the xenons to be installed.
>>
>>After I took delivery of Molly, sans xenons, I contacted customer service again to find out why they had lied to me and to see what they were going to do about rectifying the problem. After 2 months and many emails in which I very clearly expressed frustration/confusion/anger/etc. I was able to wrestle out a little bit of free MINI merchandise (they did not offer it) and was assured that the person who had told me the incorrect information had been fired (not what I wanted to hear - that someone lost their job).
>>
>>Although that had appeased me at the time (can't believe I'm so easy sometimes), the first time I saw another MINI on the road with the xenons, I was CRUSHED all over again.
>>
>>Upon seeing these retro-fit instructions - it appears to me that the dealer should be able to install the xenons. It has been many months since all this occured, but I am now wondering if I have a case to make against MINI - and can get them to have the xenons retro-fitted to my MINI, free of charge?
>>
>>In reading some of your comments against retro-fitting, I am also wondering if you are referring to DIY retro-fits or not? Thanks for your thoughts....

 

I might take my situation to the manager at the dealership and see if I can get them "in my corner." Who knows.

I tend to think similarly about the points regarding the previous "settlement" and the instructions probably coming out after the situation played out.... But I still want the silly xenons - and I still feel that I should have already had them without all this fuss.

I will be careful not to implicate anyone on the .pdf - I recall reading at MINI2 many months ago how it was obtained, so it does seem to be a little bit of a gray area.

 

Keep us all posted. Best of luck!

>>I might take my situation to the manager at the dealership and see if I can get them "in my corner." Who knows.
>>
>>I tend to think similarly about the points regarding the previous "settlement" and the instructions probably coming out after the situation played out.... But I still want the silly xenons - and I still feel that I should have already had them without all this fuss.
>>
>>I will be careful not to implicate anyone on the .pdf - I recall reading at MINI2 many months ago how it was obtained, so it does seem to be a little bit of a gray area.