[daveytom66]

Was wondering how much would BMW charge to change my halogens to xenons on a 320si...cheers guys

[Danny.B.]

several thousand


Literally

[daveytom66]

Originally Posted by Danny.B.

several thousand


Literally

Give that a miss then!!!!

[PaddyMcGrath]

If you want to go the OEM route, you're definitely looking at a large bill at the end of it. However, you can go the aftermarket route with tried and tested products for a fraction of the cost. You'll need Projector headlamps first and foremost or else you'll just end up blinding everyone else on the road. These can be got from M-Style but I bought mine from Umnitza in the US as I wanted LED Angel Eyes.

Link : http://www.umnitza.com

Last week, after a lot of research, my girlfriend ordered this HID kit for me as a birthday present. From reading the reviews online, it seems to be one of the only kits that doesn't throw errors or have any problems working with the E90.

http://www.hids-direct.co.uk/hid-kit...its-p-297.html

You would probably need to budget around £550 for the lights & HID upgrade and maybe another few quid for coding the headlights in case the LED Angel Eyes throw errors. It's all plug and play too, no cutting or joining wires. It's a really viable alternative when compared to the main dealer conversion.

I'll be sure to leave an update here when I've the HIDs installed next week!

[Frobius]

But remember that as of April, aftermarket HIDs as above, will be an mot fail. Even if you have the required headlamp wash and auto levelling (no adjuster dial), you still need headlights that have been euro marked as being designed for xenon light use.

As mentioned, the only real way of doing it properly now is the OEM retrofit which again, as mentioned will easily run into 4 figures.

[PaddyMcGrath]

Ah, forgot how strict the MOT can be. There's no requirements here (yet?) for projectors, self leveling or headlamp washers when running HIDs. There's not even mention of them in our MOT equivalent test. Once the lights are aligned and not blue, it's a pass.

[ross86]

very interested in this i was looking at second hand options i,e whats involved and possible i was hoping i could replace the headlamp unit on my e90 320d with another unit im not sure if this is possible though i.e are the plugs the same so on.

[Frobius]

Several things involved in order to do it in line with this years mot changes.

1. Replace headlamp units with xenon ones. Make sure that the replacement ones come with bulbs and ballasts. Most don't.

2. Retrofit headlamp washers. Involves cutting holes in bumper and adding in pump etc afaik.

3. Retrofit self levelling headlights. No idea how much is involved but it's essentially little arms and sensors that connect to your suspension front and back and the wiring to go with it.

4. Remove headlamp adjustment wheel? Not sure on this but cars with OEM xenons don't have them so..

5. Code the car for the above.

6. Get headlamps professionally aligned.

This is the only way that you can get xenons and still pass the MOT that I can see. Arguable you could replace the headlamps themselves with aftermarket Depo branded projector lights and fit a HID kit and in theory, as long as you had the washers and levelling, you should pass. In theory however to pass the mot you need to have light housings that were designed for the wavelength of the xenon light and they need to be certified as such. I'm not sure if a. after market headlights would have such a design and subsequent certification, but moreso b. not sure how an mot tester would be able to tell. I can't see them asking you to prove it if you had all the other parts done.

There are a couple of mot testers over on e46zone and they have it on (obviously) good authority that as the yeast is so computerised, it's not something they can just skip. It's not really worth their testers licence. Also, is seems that although the rules came in on 1 Jan, you won't actually fail until April, just get an advisory. Meant to give people enough time to change their lights over.

Hth?

[xenon]

Yep, after-market HID lamps will definitely fail the MOT:

http://uk.autoblog.com/2012/01/04/ch...are-you-ready/

[Giff]

Originally Posted by The AA

Supplementary restraints

The vehicle will fail the test if any airbag fitted as original equipment is obviously missing or defective.

A seatbelt pre-tensioner fitted as original equipment but missing or that has obviously deployed will be a reason for failure.

Interesting, so aftermarket steering wheels / seatbelts may be a problem.

[xenon]

Originally Posted by Giff

Interesting, so aftermarket steering wheels / seatbelts may be a problem.

If there's no airbag then yes.

After-market seatbelts? People tend to leave the originals in-situ when fitting harnesses, unless you mean something else.

[Giff]

"Track cars" are popular. The steering wheel is replaced and the passenger airbag removed, full cage fitted and multi point harnesses.

If its a later car fitted with airbags and seatbelt pre tensioners then it sounds as though it would fall foul of the new MOT rules. Wouldnt effect my 1967 Mini..

I've not seen any "track cars" fitted with both harnesses and std seatbelts.

[xenon]

You're right - it would be an issue. I've seen a few four-point harnesses fitted where the original belts have been left hanging but if they're removed altogether and the car orignally had pre-tensioners then it would fail.

[jabroni80]

Originally Posted by xenon

Yep, after-market HID lamps will definitely fail the MOT:

http://uk.autoblog.com/2012/01/04/ch...are-you-ready/

They'll only fail if you keep them in for the test!

As usual there's nothing to stop someone disconnecting them before the test and re connecting afterwards. Its the same idea as what people do with illegal number plates and you still see them on the road.

Under the current mot system there's nothing to stop people having hids kits and blinding every other road user!

[xenon]

Originally Posted by jabroni80

They'll only fail if you keep them in for the test!

Well obviously, but hopefully the aggrevation of removing them will deter people from fitting them in the first place.

[jabroni80]

Originally Posted by xenon

Well obviously, but hopefully the aggrevation of removing them will deter people from fitting them in the first place.

No chance. If people go to bother of fitting them in the first place what's the hassle removing them every mot? Plus if they know the tester they can just say they weren't fitted at the time of test.
Dosent matter if they will fail an mot in the future....its not rocket science to get round it. Take a drive anywhere and look at the amount of illegal number plates around do you think all these cars failed there mot? I think not

[Frobius]

Might as well not bother with the mot then...

[xenon]

Originally Posted by jabroni80

No chance. If people go to bother of fitting them in the first place what's the hassle removing them every mot? Plus if they know the tester they can just say they weren't fitted at the time of test.
Dosent matter if they will fail an mot in the future....its not rocket science to get round it. Take a drive anywhere and look at the amount of illegal number plates around do you think all these cars failed there mot? I think not

Changing a number-plate is hardly the same as changing an entire lamp assembly (which on the e90 means bumper removal) if original lights are retrofitted. It's possible I suppose if someone just put an rebased-H7 / D2S bulb in the Mr Kipling reflectors but surely nobody is that pikey in the first place.

[jabroni80]

Originally Posted by xenon

Changing a number-plate is hardly the same as changing an entire lamp assembly (which on the e90 means bumper removal) if original lights are retrofitted. It's possible I suppose if someone just put an rebased-H7 / D2S bulb in the Mr Kipling reflectors but surely nobody is that pikey in the first place.

You say that but the older the e90 becomes the more chav it will become. I was meaning the idiots that try to fit hids kits in they're existing headlights.
Basically tho....if you want to have this type of headlight, and blind other road users the new mot rules will not stop it.