Quick question about AL headlights

[Ridgey]

Hey guys, so of course my ZHP has burned ZKW double xenons. I have investigated my options for retrofitting, or either swapping in AL headlight assemblies. I don't want to mess with retrofitting projectors and hacking up my headlight bezels, so I am going to get some used AL headlight assemblies off the bay. My question is, I found a couple headlights for a pretty good deal. But I'm trying to see if there is a difference between bi xenon or single xenon headlights. I have a passenger side one in my cart that has the line running across the projector bulb, proving it will work for my sedan. However, the drivers side light I'm looking at looks as if it does not have the line across the projector. Do these lines represent bi-xenon? Or does it not matter?

I'm trying to do this right the first time, so I don't have to do it again. Lighting is serious, especially since winter is breathing down our necks.

I have attached pictures. As you can see, the passenger side headlight has the line through the projector, but it's hard to tell if the drivers side has this as well. I emailed the seller and they're checking for me, but I'm trying to find out if I need this line to use my OEM double xenons. The drivers side says "2002 325i" on it, and I'm wondering if they made any changes for the 2003 model year that my car is.

Thank you guys.

Passenger side, with line

28380

Drivers side, no line?

28381

[az3579]

The line means it's an AL projector. It's the one you want.
When you do swap them, you can swap the ZKW "no line" lens onto the AL projector to get a sharper cutoff.

Also, look for a sticker on the headlight housing - this will also indicate which brand it is.

[Vas]

Look at the sticker on top of the headlight. IIRC the AL lights have the yellow sticker.

Also the line across the projector lens is another way to tell that it is not a ZKW unit.

[Ridgey]

The line means it's an AL projector. It's the one you want.
When you do swap them, you can swap the ZKW "no line" lens onto the AL projector to get a sharper cutoff.

Also, look for a sticker on the headlight housing - this will also indicate which brand it is.

Yeah, I know these are AL headlights but I'm asking if all AL headlights have this line across the xenon?

[Vas]

Yeah, I know these are AL headlights but I'm asking if all AL headlights have this line across the xenon?

Pretty sure they do. The lens is also frosted and not clear.

[az3579]

Yeah, I know these are AL headlights but I'm asking if all AL headlights have this line across the xenon?

Same answer... lol
when it comes to the E46 platform, if it's got a line, it's an AL (assuming the headlight is unmodified).

Also, you do not have to worry about single Xenon vs. bi-Xenon because all facelift E46's that had the Xenon light option had bi-Xenons in the U.S.
Non- bi-Xenon lights will not fit your car due to the pre-facelift having a different shape than your car, so that should make it very easy to find the lights you need.

[Ridgey]

That's what I'm looking for. Thank you. It looks like the drivers side I posted will work as I know its an AL from the listing. I just wanted to clarify there were no weird hidden things I need to look for. Will most likely pick these up and swap in my brand new lenses. Nice bright new plug and play lights. Doesn't get better than that aye?


Same answer... lol
when it comes to the E46 platform, if it's got a line, it's an AL (assuming the headlight is unmodified).

Also, you do not have to worry about single Xenon vs. bi-Xenon because all facelift E46's that had the Xenon light option had bi-Xenons in the U.S.
Non- bi-Xenon lights will not fit your car due to the pre-facelift having a different shape than your car, so that should make it very easy to find the lights you need.

[sillieidiot]

Same answer... lol
when it comes to the E46 platform, if it's got a line, it's an AL (assuming the headlight is unmodified).

Also, you do not have to worry about single Xenon vs. bi-Xenon because all facelift E46's that had the Xenon light option had bi-Xenons in the U.S.
Non- bi-Xenon lights will not fit your car due to the pre-facelift having a different shape than your car, so that should make it very easy to find the lights you need.

Just to clarify, that line is only present in the US versions of the headlights only. Also, the shape of the headlight (other than the facelifted coupe) doesn't matter. You can fit a coupe headlight on sedan, prefacelift on facelift and vice versa. What doesn't work is how the corners attach. On facelifted sedans, you use screw in corners.

So you just have to look out for that. If you get a coupe headlight, all you have to do is swap the headlight trims and lenses with your own and you're set.

[az3579]

Just to clarify, that line is only present in the US versions of the headlights only.

Thanks for the clarification.



Also, the shape of the headlight (other than the facelifted coupe) doesn't matter. You can fit a coupe headlight on sedan, prefacelift on facelift and vice versa. What doesn't work is how the corners attach. On facelifted sedans, you use screw in corners.

The shape of the pre-facelift headlight is physically different than the facelift sedan headlights. On the pre-facelift sedans, the curve where the hood is starts up pretty high up the headlight, where the facelift sedan one starts curving more subtly and lower down. The same physical difference goes for the coupe headlight.



So you just have to look out for that. If you get a coupe headlight, all you have to do is swap the headlight trims and lenses with your own and you're set.

The thing is, why increase the cost and complexity of the swap? Those trims (if one can't be found in the same color - if it's Imola, forget it) can drive the cost upwards of $200 for the parts and paint. It's easier (and looks better) to just get a facelift sedan headlight that can be dropped right in.

EDIT: Just saw his sig saying he has an Imola, so you're not going to find a pre-facelift coupe lower trim in that color anyway, so the cost would be more than a sedan set. Cheaper at this point to just buy proper fitting sedan headlights.

[Ridgey]

Yeah I plan on just buying facelift sedan ALs. I don't want to retrofit projectors with questionable quality, and after replacing headlight adjusters in my E39, I'm not too motivated to mess with them too much.

[sillieidiot]

The shape of the pre-facelift headlight is physically different than the facelift sedan headlights. On the pre-facelift sedans, the curve where the hood is starts up pretty high up the headlight, where the facelift sedan one starts curving more subtly and lower down. The same physical difference goes for the coupe headlight.

The thing is, why increase the cost and complexity of the swap? Those trims (if one can't be found in the same color - if it's Imola, forget it) can drive the cost upwards of $200 for the parts and paint. It's easier (and looks better) to just get a facelift sedan headlight that can be dropped right in.

EDIT: Just saw his sig saying he has an Imola, so you're not going to find a pre-facelift coupe lower trim in that color anyway, so the cost would be more than a sedan set. Cheaper at this point to just buy proper fitting sedan headlights.

The black housing that holds headlight bowls and all the guts are physically the same aside from the way the corner mounts as I mentioned. The differences are only in the outer headlight lens. The ones that we always buy and replace, if I confused you on that part. If you replace it (which he stated that he's planning onto with his brand new ones) then there's no fitment problem.

The headlight trims that I was talking about was the inner one that's usually black or titanium. Not the lower headlight trims that you pull out to take the headlights out. You just take it from your original headlights and reuse it.

[sillieidiot]

Yeah I plan on just buying facelift sedan ALs. I don't want to retrofit projectors with questionable quality, and after replacing headlight adjusters in my E39, I'm not too motivated to mess with them too much.

Yeah I understand. I was just giving you more options, in case you find a pre-facelift coupe bixenon headlight that is cheap.

[Vas]

How much are you spending on some used headlights?

Lightwerkz does a quality retrofit using the Morimoto D2S 4.0 projectors at around $500.

[holyc0w]

That's around the price for a used set of AL lights on ebay.

[az3579]

How much are you spending on some used headlights?

Lightwerkz does a quality retrofit using the Morimoto D2S 4.0 projectors at around $500.

I'm not so sure about the pricing anymore. I paid that much and I provided all the hardware to use (including the projectors)...

[Vas]

I'm not so sure about the pricing anymore. I paid that much and I provided all the hardware to use (including the projectors)...

That was a recent quote I got since my ZKW are toast.

Labor rate of $400 plus the cost of projectors.

[az3579]

That was a recent quote I got since my ZKW are toast.

Labor rate of $400 plus the cost of projectors.


I just looked through my receipt and realize I actually paid a bit less. Still seemed a bit high, but that's alright; it was worth it.

$400 for the retrofit
$40 for painting the high beam bowls yellow (because my attempt made them matte, so I provided new internals to mount projectors to and had him paint it - came out perfect)
No tax because I am from out of state :)

Total = $440, with me providing the projectors (FX-R v1.0), reusing my OE bulbs, ballasts, and ignitors.

[Ridgey]

How much are you spending on some used headlights?

Lightwerkz does a quality retrofit using the Morimoto D2S 4.0 projectors at around $500.

I have a couple lights with ballasts, corner lights, and bulbs as well for 400 everything included.