[js325xi]

Projector90 Headlight Set [PRO90] from jlevistreetwerks
I got my lights install last night. Long Story short:
1)Pretty cheap feel,Cheap plastic and cheap headlight,they shake a lot,again they are cheap made,going over a bumpy road and the lights beam is all over the place,tap the headlight a little and you can see how much they move.
2)for almost $500 dollars i was expecting something a little bit better,guess not.
3)brought the car to a "professional" place to get the lights install.
4)One of the ballast was flickering,it was no good(jlevistreetwerks)offer to send a new one,it will take 3-5 business days or "I" could pay for the overnight.Finally they took some money off for the new ballast i had to buy from the shop installing the lights.
5)We had some minor rain last night,this morning i see some water in the head lights(look at the picture)there's a lot of condensation in the headlights.
6)now the other ballast stop working,so i have only one headlight to drive home tonight.
jlevistreetwerks are close today Saturday 12/10/11. So i will have to wait until Monday to see what they can do or going to tell me.
***UPDATE***
So it looks like i will be sending the defective headlights back. I talked to my mike earlier today and this is what he wants me to do "Remove the headlight from the car remove all of the bulb components so that it's just the housing wiring put the light housing in the oven for about 15-20 mins at 200 degrees this should take care of it best to bake them, and then let them sit outside the car in a dry place for a day or 2 once you've done that shake the light and if water comes out you may need to do it again"

How about the Installation i paid and the time? Like mike from jlevistreetwerks said oh well.Also for more information about this company you can go here http://forums.5series.net/topic/1119...vistreetwerks/. So please Stay away from them or take a chance,a chance that is going to cost you $700+.

[Mark06]

I would NOT recommend umnitza ballists. I have them and have had the same problems as all of you (flicker, random turn off, errors). I was lucky enough to not have the quality problems others seem to have issues with (bought mine from umnitza not jlevi). I would highly recommend anyone that wants to do this mod also spend the extra $40 on a BMW coding cable. All the software is now free on the coding forum and it worked perfectly fixing all errors. I know it's more work and many of you are frustrated because when you buy something that says "no errors" that's what you expect, but this is the only way I have found to fix the problems associated with this mod.

[jaceaholic]

Did you make sure the back covers were fully tightened?

[DistantCube]

Thanks for the update js325xi, did you get a full refund? I'm at a bit of a loss as to what to do, as only one of my headlights has the condensation issue, it's very very frustrating. And my situation is complicated with other factors, such as moving houses and so on. I'm going to take a look at the rear of the housing, particularly where the bulb inserts and see if that's all tight or if there's a gap there. If that's the case, then it's an easy fix, if not, then I might also have to return the light - I hope they don't expect me to pay the shipping from Australia again.

Mark06 - The errors and so on seem to be car manufacture year dependant, but after a bit of reading, errors aren't that big a deal!

[DimSum]

Originally Posted by The_DDub

Did DimSum PM you the answer? I mean this guy seems to know a lot, but he's holding back his knowledge and teasing us potential coders. Not sure why, it's not like sells a conversion kit or anything.

Alright first off I will shed some light into this thread, for you to properly have the car running without coding and HID, you will need a nice HID kit. When I mean nice, it doesn't mean expensive. I have had friends that are running HID fog-lights on their car with no coding what-so-ever. So depending on the way your HID kit draws power, it will either trigger errors or be error-free. If the HID kit is flickering then you would possibly need an error canceler. If you know how to wire it together it should be easy as pie!

I have seen many people run depo headlights without coding successfully. However if you do get your car coded, it makes things MUCH more easier. Errors will be gone, and I am sure if the one doing the coding for you knows what he is doing, will be able to take care every problem related. Last but not least you won't need to run any expensive hid kits.

I don't read any coding threads on the forum, only because nothing on those threads are new to me. I've already lost my PM'ing functionality for helping people regarding coding. Those who are looking for me know where to find me anyways.

[bimmer03231984]

Originally Posted by DimSum

Alright first off I will shed some light into this thread, for you to properly have the car running without coding and HID, you will need a nice HID kit. When I mean nice, it doesn't mean expensive. I have had friends that are running HID fog-lights on their car with no coding what-so-ever. So depending on the way your HID kit draws power, it will either trigger errors or be error-free. If the HID kit is flickering then you would possibly need an error canceler. If you know how to wire it together it should be easy as pie!

I have seen many people run depo headlights without coding successfully. However if you do get your car coded, it makes things MUCH more easier. Errors will be gone, and I am sure if the one doing the coding for you knows what he is doing, will be able to take care every problem related. Last but not least you won't need to run any expensive hid kits.

I don't read any coding threads on the forum, only because nothing on those threads are new to me. I've already lost my PM'ing functionality for helping people regarding coding. Those who are looking for me know where to find me anyways.

You are a genius. I just installed angel eyes and hid kit on my 325i. Somehow I triggered the limp mode and now it won't go pass 20. I'm thinking the hid is the problem because of the flickering you said. It pulls power and my car seems drained. I uninstalled it and went back to the oem headset but still in limp mode. So I just need to recode it with the installed kit and it will work? Thanks.

[Trevendous03]

Coding is by far the best way to go to get rid of errors. No need for re-wiring and no need for hot resistors/cancelers that may further ruin the wiring. Coding is the OEM way to resolve the errors.

Coding = Telling the car what to do
Cancelers = Tricking the car to think it's running the same way it did before

[Bastilla328i]

Oy, I just placed an order to JLevi for the lights.. right at 800 with shipping... Now I am wondering if I should cancel that order and just get the Umnitza's. From all the searching on this forum... seems like they are the best to go with..

Are there major differences other than the brightness? (obviously, I huge +++)

[DistantCube]

I've resolved my fogging/moisture issue. Let me detail the fixes for this in case anyone needs it in future.

Source
There are essentially three places the moisture can come from. In order of most common occurrence first:
1. The rear of the headlight where the bulb and wires are inserted
2. A break in the seal
3. A crack in the housing (Can't do anything about this, need a new headlight housing cover)

Solutions for (1) & (2)
The best way to solve the problem is a step-wise approach, which may end up being more work, but it's the safest approach.

So we start by assuming that the problem is only due to (1). There is a rubber plunger stopper in the rear of the light where the wires come out of. This is easily displaced and allows moisture in. Follow these steps to solve the issue (Note, you will need to remove the headlight partially from the car);
a. displace the rubber stopper from the plastic lip to allow moisture to escape
b. use a heat gun or hair dryer to heat up the front of the light until all the moisture is gone
c. Replace the rubber stopper inside the plastic lip. It looks like maybe it should go on the outside, but it doesn't, the extra slack is to help the seal on the inside.
d. You've probably noticed there's a notch in the plastic lip for some unknown reason that can allow moisture in, so now, get some electrical tape, and go around the lip a couple of times, and try to do this with tension to get a good seal.

At this point you can replace the light, and no more moisture should come from the rear. Please test this before going on to the next step. (See below for test method)

e. Now assuming the above didn't solve the problem, you will need to pull everything apart again, and remove the headlight fully from the car. You will also need to remove the bulbs and wires.
f. Set your oven to 200F, once preheated, put the lights in for 10 minutes, this should soften the adhesive, so when you take them out, push the headlights together to reform the seal.
g. Replace the wiring etc.
h. Follow steps a-d again.

Now test the lights again. This should definitely resolve the issue.

The test method is as follows;
i. With your hood popped up, use a hose or pressure washer to completely drench the lights, come from the back as well. (If you use a pressure washer, don't get too close, as the water can cause damage to the lights and to the rubber).
ii. Turn your car on with the lights on, and leave it running for about 15min while the headlights heat up.
iii. Turn the car and headlights off, and leave it to cool. Preferably this should be done at night when the temperature drops.

At this stage, you should notice fogging and condensation if there is a gap anywhere. Otherwise, congratulations!

[DistantCube]

Originally Posted by Bastilla328i

Oy, I just placed an order to JLevi for the lights.. right at 800 with shipping... Now I am wondering if I should cancel that order and just get the Umnitza's. From all the searching on this forum... seems like they are the best to go with..

Are there major differences other than the brightness? (obviously, I huge +++)

Definitely get the Umnitza's. They retrofit the FX-R projectors on, which is a better projection system for the HID lights - in my opinion it's as good as OEM. The stock projectors (TRX?) on the DEPO headlights are absolutely awful. Take a look through this thread and this thread - there are pictures showing the difference. It's a BIG difference.

Furthermore, Umnitza do a good job of resealing the headlights as the factory seals are pretty average.

I also find Umnitza's support to be amazing. Don't forget you have to option the FX-R projection system.



Sorry to double post, wanted to keep the fog fix separate.

[jaceaholic]

^ +1 go Umnitza FTW ! Check out my recent post