Just an update on this thread now that's its been a few months. The LED conversion on my son's car is still working great. I've since done the same to a second sedan, and also swapped the same bulbs into the high beams for one of my 'verts. Good Grief Charlie Brown! HID Bi Xenons on the low beams (and high beams when the shutter opens) + LEDs on the high beams, and it's like having a spotlight when I hit the high beams.

I'll see about getting a picture from the 'vert, and posting here...

Dan B

 

Did you upgrade both bulbs or just the high beams? What about the reflectors?

 

On my son's car, just the low beams... No changes to the reflectors: Took the incandescent bulbs out, put the LED bulbs in using the holders at the top of the thread. The pic was of the low beams.

In my 'vert, the low beams are HID bi-xenon with projectors (aftermarket DEPO buckets with FXR projectors), but the high beams I swapped in the same LED bulbs (with the DEPO stock-ish reflectors). It works fantastic. I'll try to grab a picture this weekend.

Dan B

 

How'd you do the aiming and that calibration? I thought you needed projectors for LED bulbs.
Might just need to do this to my facelift coupe

 

I aim them initially on the garage door. Back the car up ~4 or 5 feet from the door and the 'hot spot' should be even with the height of the lights (about 22-ish inches), and centered left to right as good as you can.
Take the car for a drive. The light spreads out in a cone from the bulb. If you look at the photos a few posts back, you can see darker 'triangles' out in front of the car where the cones do not cover. Its a 'drive a bit, adjust', 'drive a bit, adjust' process using the triangles and how the light hits the road. I've found the center 'edges' of the triangles should generally be pointed straight, and the driver's side (US/Left Hand Drive) angled slights more inwards (away from oncoming cars).

Dan B

 

Post more pics

I just ordered everything you linked cause I am tired of the halogen yellow lights

 

Used the same exact things as Dan, but I didn't end up needing the holders or conversion power lines.

Since the facelift coupe's have projectors, leveling with the cutoff line was pretty easy.

Halogen vs LED color:

Halogens:

LEDs:

 

did you only buy the bulbs then ?

i have a facelift convertible

 

Cool. I outfitted a set of real cheap projectors with LEDs as an experiment, but have not had a chance to test them. That pic with the projectors looks quite promising. One additional thought for the folks using just the halogen buckets: There are a couple little 'tits' that stick out: I found that I had to clip them off in order to get the LEB bulb holders to seat flush.

Pic: These need to be removed (at least, on the three cars I've done so far)...

The bulb holders also have some 'tits' that fit in the two slots opposite the two that are circled in the pic. I had to clip those as well..

A minor detail, but one that would cause misalignment of the LED bulb...


Dan B

 

Cheap Projectors (no idea how well they work, I have not even tested them yet):

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00B21R0TA/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I stuffed the below bulbs in them. The projectors required a little 'kissing' with a dremel to get the LEDs to slide in easily.

Amazon.com

Dan B

 

Hi All!

I know this thread is older, but I have some additional information that isn't specific to the E46. I've since used the same brand of LED bulbs to outfit two more vehicles: My brother's 2011 Kia Soul (H4/9003 bulbs), and a friend's 2007 F150 with some new aftermarket headlights with H1 projectors (bulbs here) built-in (original lights got yellow and had spider-cracks in the lenses: not repairable).

These two vehicles were also a significant improvement - far better than halogen bulbs. In the case of my buddy's F150, on par with the H1 HID bulbs minus the complexity of the ignitors and relays needed to use HID bulbs. The Kia was a direct plug-n-play: a simple bulb swap.

I doubt I'll ever go back to halogen bulbs in any of my vehicles...


Dan B

 

Good review. I will be getting myself LED bulbs soon. I have done similar conversion on my Sorento which original came with halogens then converted to HID and then LED. HID and LED are the best mods ever on any halogen headlights. Outputs are improved greatly and helps a lot at night.

 

i got these bulbs and im not that impressed... is it whiter than halogen? yes but it offers the same output as in.. its just a blurry ? there isn't that clear line of light that i remember having on the bixenons or aftermarket.

ive had them for about 4 months now .. are they worth $60? ehh.. wish the light was 4300k maybe not 6000k

 

4300k to 5000k is the best range to get. Any rating above that is just color and does not give you benefits other than enjoying the color.

LED and HID is the best upgrade of any halogens. I did this upgrade on my previous cars..... it was absolutely great and helps a lot at night. So much safer too.


I have yet to do it on my BM.

 

I finally got around to installing those cheap projectors in my son's car. As expected, the cutoff was horrible, but the output was decent, and we didn't get 'high-beam-flashed' on the test drive, so I'll count it as a win. Turns out they had a small set of halos that clipped onto the projector shroud. I wired them into the high beams (they don't add much light, and we already had a set of halos).

Pics:
Car Off

Low Beams

High Beams

Front head-on low beams

Rear low beams

It was decent enough that I'd do it again...

Dan B

 

So I'm going down the lighting upgrade rabbit hole for my ZHP (halogens), and I'm confused. Why did the OP need the H7 LEDs (which should be a direct replacement, no?), the holders, and wiring adapter parts? What am I missing here?

Thanks

 

Initially, I didn't use projectors. I simply stuffed the LED bulbs into the reflector sockets. The holders are needed because the bulb and fan on the LED sticks out the back of the headlight bucket. I didn't want to cut the factory harness for the wiring, so I picked up the wiring to be able to adapt the LEDs to the stock wiring.

Putting the LEDs in the reflectors does result in ALOT of light, and also ALOT of 'flashes' from oncoming traffic. It depends on your needs and wants...


Dan B

 

As an aside, in all the vehicles, none of the LEDs have failed in the last year. Everything still works without issue, so I guess that answers the 'quality' question for the LEDs...

Dan B

 

No - they don't. The LED lights I used have a connector that looks much like a lego brick: Square, with the + on one side, and - on the other. The adapter wiring has the matching 'brick' receiver on one end, and a connector that matches the car's harness on the other.

Different brand LEDs might have a different connector, so the wiring part might need to be purchased after the LEDs arrive (so you can assess what is needed).


Dan B

 

My wife has an '02 325ix (xi? whatever) with two halogen bulbs per side (no projectors). The current lens covers are miserable (brown, close to sandblasted), replacements are on their way via the smiley blue truck. The current bulbs are... I've splatted lightning bugs that were brighter.

One low beam is dead. Now is the time to shift to LED's. I found this thread, and followed that Amazon links. I'm puzzled about the choice of LED type. I'm also puzzled by what bulb types are in each light assembly.

Are the hi/lo and hi-only lamps both H7 or...? The H7 replacement LED's seem to be hi-only H7's, making me think Bremerd1's conversion didn't get all four light assemblies, but the text seems, to me, to indicate all four assemblies were updated. If I read that correctly, these LED's are only part of the job. Or I need to find hi/lo LED's, too.

(I understand the need for the mounting and wiring adapters - no problems there)

Question one: what bulb types (H7, etc.) are used in the headlight assemblies (no projector)?

Question two: Recommendations for hi/lo and hi-only?

 

At the start of the thread, I only replaced the stock (halogen) H7 bulbs with H7 LEDs in the low beams (the two outside lights). His car was halogen from the factory (no projectors). Since my son didn't use high beams very much, this worked out good. The initial list of parts was to put H7 LEDs into the low beam sockets (a 'direct' replacement for the halogen bulbs). If you wanted to do both high beam, and low beam, you'd need to purchase two sets of bulbs, wiring adapters, and holders (both high and low halogen are H7).

A couple things I didn't touch on in the thread (it didn't cross my mind): The LEDs do flicker/blink: You'll need to use INPA or PASoft to turn off the bulb checking (which causes the flickering), or (if your OCD isn't as bad as mine) it's not fatal - you can live with it (it drove me nuts, so I coded it out).

The LEDs are quite bright. Without projectors, you'll get 'flashed' a lot from oncoming traffic (wasn't a problem for us: nighttime use was rural - the wildlife on the side of the road was a larger issue than oncoming cars). Even cheap projectors reign the glare in, but they'll use a slightly different bulb than a H7.

The LED bulbs will likely not have the same 9006 connector as the BMW harness. I didn't want to cut the car's harness, so I bought the appropriate wire adapter (about 8 inches long, with a 9006 connector on one side, and one that matched the LED on the other. If you look at the photos for the Aukee bulbs linked in the original post, one of them shows the plug peeking out from behind the bulb...

The holders are needed: LED bulbs will have a fan or heatsink on the back, and these replace the L shaped stock bulb holder allowing the fan or heatsink to pass through. There are a couple of 'tits' that stick out on the socket in the headlight. I took a pair of wire cutters, and clipped them off (the aftermarket holder won't sit flush if you don't, and the bulb will be misaligned). Some additional filing/trimming/smoothing for the remaining tit 'lump' may be needed. There is also a pair on the holder (that fit into the two holes on the opposite side of the headlight socket). For the low beams, these line up fine (although I may have clipped mine anyway - I can't remember). For the high beam socket, they do not, and these must be clipped as well. The Aukee bulbs are a real tight fit in the holders because of where the power wire exits the side of the fan housing. It's not super-smooth-going to get them to squeeze in there, but they do fit, and once in, you don't have to mess with it ever again...

A little twisting and adjustment is needed to get the bulbs to line up perfectly vertical, and the aftermarket holders don't grip the headlight bucket quite as well as OEM. A little finesse and patience is required to get it all lined up and seated correctly.

This is NOT something you are going to do easily with the headlights in the car... Removal will almost certainly be needed (if not for the lens replacement, then for the clipping of the 'tits'). I wouldn't try and do this with the headlights in the car.

I have a sedan (different from my son's sedan) that has the halogen headlight buckets with all four bulbs changed out for the Aukee LEDs - swapping all four isn't a problem. I plan on leaving this one as-is (no projector installation is planned).


Dan B

 

im not sure if these where out then but I am doing the led upgrade now and it says that these can-bus decoders will trick the ecu into think it is a regular halogen bulb thus elimintating the light but will this get rid of the flicker?

 

Sigh... mystery solved about why no hi/lo. I continue to think Chris' car uses hi/lo's like our VW T-3 "Westy" (with LED's, of course). Put it in hi, and paint blisters on anything in front of the lights.

Once installed, I'll let Motorcar Makeovers (Blue Bell, PA - tell Scott I sent you - subtle plug? Moi?) code out the check, and do a full-on aiming. Checking alignment is a check item on PA's annual inspection - no hurt there.

I've done HID and LED installations in the Westy and on a BMW K1200RS (bike) (why I gave up on HID's - that delay did not amuse me). LED's, by comparison, are easy. OK, measure twice cut once, RTFM, and think it through. I use adapters on the Westy - at least the 325 gives better places to tuck wires.

The game plan is very much to pull the whole headlight assembly as part of replacing the covers. No worries there. Well, ignoring the one accursed screw hidden in a dark corner. Grrr...

Regarding the little nubbins, my worst problem will be picking the right burr to put in the Dremel tool.

Alright, alright, alriiiight! I know enough to be dangerous! Great thanks for your postings!

Now, off to keep Jeff Bezos wealthier than most third world countries... 😄

 

In the end... fail. The problem isn't the bumps. they seem to be on passible terms with the headlight reflector's collar. Where things came apart was the size of the Aukee fan. It's too short, meaning the power cable comes out well inside the adapter. Hogging out a groove in the adapter collar is, I suppose, workable, but only just. Long story short (pun unplanned), the Aukees are just not going to fit without serious adaptation. My guess is the fan type, size, etc. varies for unknowable reasons. Such is life in Shenzhen, PRC.

 

That is accurate- they were tight. I'm not sure if they change things up (I did two of the cars back to back, and the third one a little later, and the LEDs were all the same). It took some fiddling around with them to get everything to squeeze together and all sit nicely. You could always notch the plastic holders out with a pair of wire cutters or dremel: The power wire was right at the edge of the holder with the parts I used, but if it's far deeper on the ones you have, that may not work. (It could be a difference in the holder brand/mold/design, and not the LEDs...)

Keep plugging away at it - a solution may make itself apparent after a little time. A different brand of LED may do it (plug in a different place), but I can't attest to anything other than the one's I've tried...



Dan B

 

I re-read the whole post, and hit the original links in my first post: If the wires from the LEDs hit the inner part of the holder, try pulling the two halves apart, and notch the inner half so the wires have somewhere to go...It'll take a little bit to figure out where it needs to be notched (so the LED is straight up and down when the holders are mounted in the headlight), but after notching the inner half for the wires, I bet it'll go together a lot easier...

Dan B

 

Right now, the roads are coated with ice. I guess I've got time to grind away, instead of saying s*** it, and going to the dark side (halogen).

Waiting for new LED's isn't an option here. I'm tinkering with my wife's daily driver. Which means she has my daily driver. You see the need to get on with it. [laugh]

 

Was the problem with the blinking LED problem resolved? Is there a CANbus adapter in the power adapter for the Aukee LED's?

Rather than grind down the two posts in the reflector, I'm thinking hard about making (drill or grind) relief holes for those OEM posts. It leaves a way to return to halogen H7's if needed.