Q: How to get rid of Xenon headlights

[funcrew]

I've been trying to get educated on E30 headlights, but honestly I don't understand the buzzwords on all these lighting posts. The threads in this sub-forum assume a base level of knowledge that I don't have.

My '92 cabrio has xenon lights badly installed by the PO, plus (minus?) one missing inboard headlight for cold air to the engine. PO does not have any of the stock stuff anymore.

I want to put the '92 headlights back to stock or near-stock condition. What do I need to buy to get there? A used set of US ellipsoids? New reproductions on Ebay? How much would I expect to pay for that? How can I tell that what I'm buying will be complete with nothing else needed? What can get for my Xenons that are coming out?

Any other advice?

Thanks

[gearheadE30]

What do you mean by badly installed? Hacked wiring or just crappy ballasts (the little boxes plugged in-line with the wiring) and bulbs? If the Xenons are OK but not name-brand or anything, you could probably get $50 or something, although that price will vary with amout of use and the shape they are in. Basic Xenon kits on Ebay go for around $50.

If you know anything about wiring and the stock ellipsoids are in OK shape, you can just remove the bulbs and ballasts and put in the original 9006 bulbs (I think that is the right number...). I don't know enough about the wiring to tell you how to do that in detail, however, as I've never owned an e30 that came with ellipsoids.

[funcrew]

What I mean by badly installed is this:
1. Wiring looks crappy; some kind of electrical box bouncing around loose in the engine bay, wire routed in front of the valence into a turn signal, why hack up an otherwise nicely done car?
2. Poor function; in the immortal words of P.J. O'Rourke, "one headlight was grubbing around for earthworms and the other searching the sky for UFO's.
3. The color sucks.
4. In short, the bone-stock headlights on my '89 are better on all counts than the xenons on the '92.

[smonkbmw]

pull it all out of the vert.

reinstall with proper US elipsoids, 9005/9006 plugs. use a true HID kit i.e. prolumens, apexcone in a 5k color temp (pure white). and youre good.

[E30_fiend]

Ellipsoids pop up in the for sale section like once a week. The range from 100 to 200 depending on condition. Pick up a set of used ones in good shape and install them. Ditch the shitty HID the PO had and buy a set of previously mentions good quality hids.



Taylor

[Aptyp]

you got HIDs (box), not xenons, and pics of what you're talking about.

[///M42 sport]

If your gonna get a set of used ellipses. Just be aware that the reflective housing can sometimes be faded which severely affects light output...which case you might as well have purchased new lights to begin with.

[funcrew]

Thanks to all for your input. It turns out the reason the lights were so badly aimed is that both low-beams had bulbs that didn't quite fit the headlight sockets; they were jammed in there at an angle, so the bulb element wasn't centered in the reflector. This also hosed the sockets, so between that and the missing high beam, I'm pretty much starting over. I already have a set of 4 new 9005/9006 halogen bulbs that fit the OEM connectors, so I will just need to replace the glass assemblies.

If your gonna get a set of used ellipses. Just be aware that the reflective housing can sometimes be faded which severely affects light output...which case you might as well have purchased new lights to begin with.

After reading these responses, I was planning to buy used US ellipsoids on Ebay; how common is the reflector fading problem?

[funcrew]

Ebay smileys & 9005/9006 bulbs?

Thanks to all who replied. To clarify, I'm looking for good headlights that will work with 9005/9006 halogens; not interested in upgrading to any HID or other aftermarket bulbs.

These Ebay smileys say they will work with US halogen 9005/9006 bulbs. However, I don't see how the bulbs can physically twist into the back of the headlight housings - there's a bunch of Euro electrical equipment there already.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/BMW-E30-SMILEY-ELLIPSOID-PROJECTOR-EURO-Headlights-M3_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trkparmsZ72Q3a552Q7c39Q3a1Q7c66Q3a2Q7c65Q3a12Q7c240Q3a1318QQ_trksidZp3286Q2ec0Q2em14QQhashZitem200247625977QQitemZ200247625977

Can someone explain how these work with 9005/9006 bulbs? Thanks.

[Van Westervelt]

Those are Depo JUNK. DO not buy those unless you want to replace them in a year. You need a set of US ellipsoids. You will not find any smiley lights that have a 9005/6 wiring setup. Some new smiley setups will come with a wiring adapter that plugs into the 9005/6 and into the Euro/Smiley housing.

[DaveSmed]

+1 on the last post. Avoid those.

What is the motivation behind the bulb choice if you don't mind me asking?

The factory connectors on your car should be of the sealed beam variety, which mean a H4 setup would probably be your best bet.

What are you looking for when all is said and done? Would you prefer an ellipsoid style light?

If you are simply after some excellent halogen lighting and have no preference on the ellipsoid look, a set of Cibie CSR lights might be the ticket.


All depends on what you want though, thats one good thing about an E30, a ton of headlight choices.

[funcrew]

+1 on the last post. Avoid those.

What is the motivation behind the bulb choice if you don't mind me asking?

The factory connectors on your car should be of the sealed beam variety, which mean a H4 setup would probably be your best bet.

What are you looking for when all is said and done? Would you prefer an ellipsoid style light?

If you are simply after some excellent halogen lighting and have no preference on the ellipsoid look, a set of Cibie CSR lights might be the ticket.


All depends on what you want though, thats one good thing about an E30, a ton of headlight choices.

Thanks for the warning (both of you) - I'll steer clear of the El Cheapo smileys. I do prefer the ellipsoid look & am returning the car to a less hot rodded visual style; thus no HID lights.

The car is already wired for US ellipsoids, but the PO removed one high beam and thrashed the sockets (where the 9005/6 bulbs bayonet in) on the lows. I'm just concerned from a previous poster on this thread that the reflectors on used ellipsoids might be degraded & not work right. I'll continue to look on Ebay and try to find some nice ones.

I know you R3V veterans can get anything for cheap, but as a non-junkard-rat, what should I realistically pay for nice US ellipsoids?

[DaveSmed]

The problem isn't so much pricing out the ellipsoids, its mainly in telling the nice ones from the not so nice ones. I plan to solve this issue by buying NEW ellipsoids, but thats a $500 option. (But you get the smoked euro ones, very cool)

The only way to tell is disassembly of the low beam headlight, and the USDM ones are fitted with anti-tamper screws just to make life a little harder.

Given the already butchered wiring, I'd just get what you want and install it correctly. The Euro lighting pattern is preferable to the US pattern, but if you would rather not have a smiley, the euro non smileys have been popping up recently. You also gain a city light.

Me? For around $160 or so, I got a set of nice Euro smilies with Euro grilles with some cool looking M stripe decal on them. I disconnected the parking light wire from the front turn signals so now they only function as a turn signal and the city lights serve as the front parking light (as is for the euro spec cars) and I am pretty happy with the look. I added the BMWCCA badge. I am getting smoked ellipsoids soon though, after my engine stuff gets worked out.

[Van Westervelt]

A decent set of US ellips you will pay 100-150.

For a nice set of Euro lights you will pay 150-250.

Nothing is wrong with an HID setup, but having one that is a lower temp like 4300k, or 5000k will avoid the "look" you are trying to stay away from.

[itsbrokeagain]

my ellipsoids are all sandblasted to hell. I was contemplating new ellipsoids because I want brand new headlights, but as long as the Euro smileys arent in that bad of shape, I think I might pick up a set...