Installed euro ellips, low beams are weak!

[91 318is]

Finally installed my euro ellips and installed new H1's in the low beam, just some sylvania's from advance auto. Anywho, I know the headlights could probably stand a aim, but they aren't putting any light out. They're aimed pretty close, close enough to where I could think it would put something out. When I'm driving, you can barely tell the low beams are on. The highs work fine though.

Any ideas?

Is there an write up on how to aim the headlights?

[Motorsports]

Check your ground.

[e30serg]

Here you go:

http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/aim/aim.html

[91 318is]

Check your ground.

never had a problem with the sealed beams, but I'll check it out.

Here you go:
http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/aim/aim.html

thanks

[cabin]

If you bought them used, your reflectors may be dull.

Check out this thread on bf.c

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=874747&highlight=reflector

[smonkbmw]

if you had sealed beams, which im guessing that since your name is 318is you did. you may have the wrong 2 wires out of the 3. try your wiring again. im almost positive thats what it is.

[ethirtydavid]

if you had sealed beams, which im guessing that since your name is 318is you did. you may have the wrong 2 wires out of the 3. try your wiring again. im almost positive thats what it is.

the wrong 2 wires? you mean of the 3.., 2 need to switch position?

[ethirtydavid]

btw
let me have your elips.. ill get them working and send you a thank-you card when i'm finished..

[smonkbmw]

the wrong 2 wires? you mean of the 3.., 2 need to switch position?

yeah that too lol

[91 318is]

If you bought them used, your reflectors may be dull.

Check out this thread on bf.c
http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum...ight=reflector

hmmm, I may have to go that route, although I can't buy euro reflectors at my local dealership can I?

I also read somewhere that I can get the refelctors rechromed, is this true?

I don't think I wired it wrong as I used this online writeup, plus the wires are the same color as my factory one.

http://bmw.e30tuner.com/articles_eurolight.php

[cabin]

You can get the euro reflectors from the dealer, that's where he got his (he's a good friend of mine).

You can also get them rechromed, but from some of the quotes I have seen, there's really no reason to go that route as the price is fairly compareable.

How bad is the output? Unless they are really dim, I doubt it's your wiring. Remove the 3 screws holding the projector to the low beam. Pull out the projector and inspect the condition of the reflector. These headlights are known are known for the reflectors becoming dull, I mean at best, they are from an 18 year old car.

[91 318is]

I got the lights aimed today, had a buddy do it for free, didn't help though. If I had fog lights on the car, they'd work better then my low beams, that's how bad it is. I gonna ohm the grounds tomorrow to see if there's excessive resistance.

I'm also willing to bet it's the reflectors. I thought you couldn't get euro parts from the US dealer because some aren't DOT approved?

[91 318is]

removed the projectors today, think I may have found the problem, you be the judge. Also checked the grounds, less then .5 ohms







Also, the metal tabs for the cutouts, are they suppose the same? Meaning they are cutting light off in the same direction? I would have thought between the passenger and driver side, they would have been different.

Looks like I'm going to the dealer this week and get new ones.

[///M42 sport]

This is a problem people seldom bring up. Everyones so excited about buying used smilies for $200 from euro then they overlook the fact that lights are around 10yrs old or more. I bet smilies are about $20 from the junkyards in europe. I wish the sellers would at least check the reflectors before they resell them for more than 100% profit. I've know when all said and done, it would have been CHEAPER for my to buy NEW smilies instead of restoring the old ones I bought. To break down the cost of restoring, about $8/ adjusting screw so about $64-$96 depending on how many screws you want to replace. Then cost of new reflectors I'm guessing $100+/side. Then cost of restoring lenses $20?. So $200 for lights, $200 for new reflectors, $64-96 for screws. Even after this you still left with pitted lenses. This makes the $500 for new lights sound like a deal.

Oh yeah and dont listen to the BS that replacing the halogen bulbs w HIDs will solve your lighting issue. My reflectors were mildly pitted. After installing HIDs, I only made the output comparable to my sealed beams!!!!!! I'm resorting to my aluminum foil getto fix for now which seems to work well.

[91 318is]

Well I guess I should have researched more before I bought used headlights. Although the little reading I did, I don't recall coming across a thread about dull reflectors.

If I would have known that they dull out and new one's are another $200, I probably would have bought new smoked hellas.

Anyways, we have 3m aluminum tape at work that I'm thinking of trying out to see what that does. Otherwise I guess I'll have to get new reflectors.