URGENT - Requesting a pair of headlights (any type) for loan [Archive] - BMW E46 330 ZHP For Sale Forum

az3579

12-10-2017, 04:47 PM

So tonight the wiring in my headlights has reached the point where I need to take action. I disassembled the driver's side and found that it is completely unserviceable without a complete wiring overhaul. Unfortunately this is my only car and a rental adds up to a lot of money I'm not looking to spend.

Does anyone have a pair of facelift sedan headlights that I can borrow until I can fully rebuild mine? It doesn't matter if they're halogen or Xenon, as long as they are functional. Local would be best to save on shipping costs (willing to drive up to a couple of hours each way from anywhere in CT), but realize shipping will probably have to happen.

I'm probably looking at anywhere from a few days to a couple of weeks, depending on whether I buy all the right stuff the first time to rebuild both headlights.

Thanks in advance,
Botond

Newjack

12-10-2017, 08:14 PM

Oltorf

12-10-2017, 10:53 PM

I have some ZWK headlights that have bad housings from an accident and burned bowls and no lenses... so in other words not worth anything. However, all the wiring is still in the housing. Do you want it? I only have the driver's side right now, but as soon as i find a ballast for the passenger side, then you can have it.

az3579

12-11-2017, 04:11 AM

I don't know how much it will help, but if you find a cheap set of headlights without lenses, I have facelift lenses I can give you. They are a little pitted but they work fine. Let me know

I have some ZWK headlights that have bad housings from an accident and burned bowls and no lenses... so in other words not worth anything. However, all the wiring is still in the housing. Do you want it? I only have the driver's side right now, but as soon as i find a ballast for the passenger side, then you can have it.

Rob - I can re-use my lenses on whatever headlight I find, so that isn't really an issue. The main concern is a complete functional housing that I can just plug in and use while mine are under the knife.

Oltorf - How damaged are they? Can they be mounted? How badly are they burned, as in, are they still usable at night? I would plan on actually using them. The wiring probably wouldn't do any good since they're just as old and probably flaking as well.

Thanks for the offers guys, I really appreciate it.

san

12-11-2017, 07:12 AM

If mine was a sedan I’d ship them to you, as my car is in storage till the end of winter. Hopefully someone can help you out!

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slater

12-11-2017, 08:15 AM

BP, i've got a set of ALs, fully PnP.

az3579

12-11-2017, 08:19 AM

BP, i've got a set of ALs, fully PnP.

Is that PNP for a car that had ZKW's installed previously? My housings are ZKW. I think someone mentioned that they need some kind of bracket for make them fit; is this correct? This would be a perfect solution for the interim!

What would it cost to ship?

slater

12-11-2017, 08:23 AM

Is that PNP for a car that had ZKW's installed previously? My housings are ZKW. I think someone mentioned that they need some kind of bracket for make them fit; is this correct? This would be a perfect solution for the interim!

What would it cost to ship?

it should be PnP, as i removed them from the Touring and installed my ZKWs from the ZHP. of course, this is AL>ZKW, not the other way around. the bottom of the housing are different.

also, i haven't actually fired them up yet... will do today so i can make sure they still work. :)

shipping would probably be about $35CAD, that's for 3-4 day service from here, with tracking. i can get an estimate later for you when i can get a box and weight and everything.

az3579

12-11-2017, 08:28 AM

it should be PnP, as i removed them from the Touring and installed my ZKWs from the ZHP. granted, i haven't actually fired them up yet... will do today so i can make sure they work. :)

shipping would probably be about $35CAD, that's for 3-4 day service from here, with tracking. i can get an estimate later for you when i can get a box and weight and everything.

That would be perfect - thank you Peter! I may be willing to pay a little more for a faster service if one is offered, depending on how much it is and how much faster. I'm currently paying for a rental car, so the faster shipping might be worth it...
I'm not confident these will fit properly, though. According to Dane's DIY, it says that modifications have to be made to the ZKW bracket to make the ALs fit a car that had ZKWs. The DIY is here (doesn't help that his thread got Photobucket-raped... "Bucket-raped?"):

http://www.zhpmafia.com/forums/showthread.php?8891-BMW-330i-ZHP-My-ZKW-to-AL-headlight-swap-to-include-ZKW-lenses-doityourself

I will have to dig up the Photobucket fix when I get home to see the pics and see if the modifications required for my bracket is going to prevent me from installing my headlights later on. If someone can chime in before I get home later today (after 6PM EST) then I would really appreciate it! That would help Peter with planning. :)

Vas

12-11-2017, 08:42 AM

Can Peter send the correct mounting brackets as well? Ones that are meant to be used with the AL headlights so you wont have to modify the ZKW mount brackets?

I would offer you my ZKW units from my red car but they have really bad burnt bowls

slater

12-11-2017, 08:57 AM

I will have to dig up the Photobucket fix when I get home to see the pics and see if the modifications required for my bracket is going to prevent me from installing my headlights later on. If someone can chime in before I get home later today (after 6PM EST) then I would really appreciate it! That would help Peter with planning. :)

in thinking about it - i didn't swap in the ZKW brackets to the Touring because i sent the brackets to rob with headlight washers he wanted, even though he didn't need them... kinda dumb on my part because i didn't realize at that point that there was a difference in brackets! perhaps rob can remove the washers and send you the ZKW brackets to modify?

i guess, the good news is that even if you do modify your ZKW brackets to fit the ALs, the ZKWs will still fit afterwards. based on the underside of the ZKW and AL assemblies, i'm assuming a small portion of the bracket needs to be ground down/removed.

h2hzhp

12-11-2017, 09:22 AM

Im in the same predicament on my passenger side. I’ve tested the blast and ignighter. Tested good. I then swapped the divers side to the passenger, that worked so I knew the wiring up to the assembly was good. So I’ve narrowed it down to the light assembly. Mine are the factory adaptive. What’s the best
way to do a rebuild and best place to source the parts? It’s sketch driving with the front passenger assembly pulled out. I’m not doing my ZHP Justice... She looks so injured :(

-matt

So tonight the wiring in my headlights has reached the point where I need to take action. I disassembled the driver's side and found that it is completely unserviceable without a complete wiring overhaul. Unfortunately this is my only car and a rental adds up to a lot of money I'm not looking to spend.

Does anyone have a pair of facelift sedan headlights that I can borrow until I can fully rebuild mine? It doesn't matter if they're halogen or Xenon, as long as they are functional. Local would be best to save on shipping costs (willing to drive up to a couple of hours each way from anywhere in CT), but realize shipping will probably have to happen.

I'm probably looking at anywhere from a few days to a couple of weeks, depending on whether I buy all the right stuff the first time to rebuild both headlights.

Thanks in advance,
Botond

az3579

12-11-2017, 10:15 AM

in thinking about it - i didn't swap in the ZKW brackets to the Touring because i sent the brackets to rob with headlight washers he wanted, even though he didn't need them... kinda dumb on my part because i didn't realize at that point that there was a difference in brackets! perhaps rob can remove the washers and send you the ZKW brackets to modify?

i guess, the good news is that even if you do modify your ZKW brackets to fit the ALs, the ZKWs will still fit afterwards. based on the underside of the ZKW and AL assemblies, i'm assuming a small portion of the bracket needs to be ground down/removed.

Are the brackets in question just for the washer pump? I wonder if the modification affects the pump mounting in any way. I do have cold weather package so those pumps are still in there. You said you sent the bracket to Rob - does that mean the bracket can be removed? If so, I can just remove the brackets and install the AL lights, no?

I don't recall what the bracket assembly looks like - I'll have to check it out when I get home.

Im in the same predicament on my passenger side. I’ve tested the blast and ignighter. Tested good. I then swapped the divers side to the passenger, that worked so I knew the wiring up to the assembly was good. So I’ve narrowed it down to the light assembly. Mine are the factory adaptive. What’s the best
way to do a rebuild and best place to source the parts? It’s sketch driving with the front passenger assembly pulled out. I’m not doing my ZHP Justice... She looks so injured :(

-matt

Dunno, man... I'll have to get back to you on this. I'm still developing a parts list, and I'm not sure if it can be shared with the coupe/convertible headlights. It'll suck a lot more for you because you have to bake open your headlight to gut it, whereas mine just has a removable lens.

slater

12-11-2017, 10:18 AM

Are the brackets in question just for the washer pump? I wonder if the modification affects the pump mounting in any way. I do have cold weather package so those pumps are still in there. You said you sent the bracket to Rob - does that mean the bracket can be removed? If so, I can just remove the brackets and install the AL lights, no?

no, the lights mount to the brackets... so you need them. if there's any modification needed, it will simply be for clearance of the ballast box.

Sockethead

12-11-2017, 10:22 AM

Keep me in the loop. I can send you the brackets if needed...

slater

12-11-2017, 10:29 AM

Keep me in the loop. I can send you the brackets if needed...

ahh, so you got the box finally?

az3579

12-11-2017, 10:40 AM

Keep me in the loop. I can send you the brackets if needed...

Well since they're also ZKW brackets, I'm gonna say there's no need for them. I'll just modify mine once I had the information on how. Based on reading, it sounds like it's a simple modification with a dremel tool, which I have.

I think the official word on my end is send 'em if you're able and willing, Peter! Please let me know what shipping options I have for expedient delivery and how much these options cost. I can make myself to be available whenever you go to get a quote, if you'd like... that way you don't have to wait for a response and can ship 'em on the spot. :thumbsup

Sockethead

12-11-2017, 10:46 AM

ahh, so you got the box finally?
I did. sorry for not letting you know. it was sitting in the back of the MDX for a while... I finally opened it yesterday.
I had a hell of a week last week not only fighting sickness but had to go down to Tampa for a couple of days for work...

slater

12-11-2017, 10:48 AM

Well since they're also ZKW brackets, I'm gonna say there's no need for them. I'll just modify mine once I had the information on how. Based on reading, it sounds like it's a simple modification with a dremel tool, which I have.

I think the official word on my end is send 'em if you're able and willing, Peter! Please let me know what shipping options I have for expedient delivery and how much these options cost. I can make myself to be available whenever you go to get a quote, if you'd like... that way you don't have to wait for a response and can ship 'em on the spot. :thumbsup

cool. PM me your address!

I did. sorry for not letting you know. it was sitting in the back of the MDX for a while... I finally opened it yesterday.
I had a hell of a week last week not only fighting sickness but had to go down to Tampa for a couple of days for work...

no worries, man! hope you're feeling better! :cheers

Oltorf

12-11-2017, 11:22 AM

I just modified my mounting brackets this morning. it's pretty easy and doesn't affect how the ZKW units mount. I have one side left to do so if you want to see how to do it I can post up in about 20 min.

edit - actually, make that around 6 pm today. i have all the pictures but i have to leave for work.

az3579

12-11-2017, 04:37 PM

Thanks so much, y'all. Life savers, I tell ya.
I just modified my mounting brackets this morning. it's pretty easy and doesn't affect how the ZKW units mount. I have one side left to do so if you want to see how to do it I can post up in about 20 min.

edit - actually, make that around 6 pm today. i have all the pictures but i have to leave for work.That would be immensely helpful. That would save me from having to go fix Photobucket so I can view pics posted by others. lol

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Oltorf

12-11-2017, 05:49 PM

Thanks so much, y'all. Life savers, I tell ya. That would be immensely helpful. That would save me from having to go fix Photobucket so I can view pics posted by others. lol

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http://www.zhpmafia.com/forums/showthread.php?20989-ZKW-to-AL-Headlight-Swap-Bracket-modification&p=549135#post549135

there you go

danewilson77

12-11-2017, 06:47 PM

My DIY as well, BP.

http://www.zhpmafia.com/forums/showthread.php?p=235511

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az3579

12-11-2017, 07:36 PM

http://www.zhpmafia.com/forums/showthread.php?20989-ZKW-to-AL-Headlight-Swap-Bracket-modification&p=549135#post549135

there you go

My DIY as well, BP.

http://www.zhpmafia.com/forums/showthread.php?p=235511

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Thanks guys.

Dane,
Your DIY is the one I was originally referencing, but oddly when I looked at that DIY through my Google Search, it was full of the Photobucket warning messages instead of the actual pictures. Oddly, now they work fine when I click on the link you provided. That is exactly what I was looking for.

Looking at both DIY's, they complete each other; there's info in both that I need. Thanks y'all. :thumbsup

danewilson77

12-11-2017, 07:37 PM

Thanks guys.

Dane,
Your DIY is the one I was originally referencing, but oddly when I looked at that DIY through my Google Search, it was full of the Photobucket warning messages instead of the actual pictures. Oddly, now they work fine when I click on the link you provided. That is exactly what I was looking for.

Looking at both DIY's, they complete each other; there's info in both that I need. Thanks y'all. :thumbsupYes Sir. That's what I figured.

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holyc0w

12-11-2017, 07:48 PM

Hypothetically if one's wiring were to go bad, where could one could go to get it fixed? As a last resort, are there new parts available to replace wiring?

az3579

12-11-2017, 08:07 PM

Hypothetically if one's wiring were to go bad, where could one could go to get it fixed?
A lot of places won't touch it and will tell you to get a new headlight housing. Those that do touch it would probably charge a pretty penny to do so since it can be time consuming, depending on how bad it is.

You can ask Caesar at Lightwerkz to see if he'd do it and what he'd charge.

I'm doing it myself. I'm tired of spending money on these headlights, so I'm going the DIY route this time. I will see if I can write up a DIY on the full rebuild, which will include new wiring and terminals for the existing connectors.

The headlight saga never ends with this car. First it was the burnt ZKW's, replaced by AL projectors. Then the AL's had non-functioning high beams, so I put in FX-R's. Now the internal wiring is falling apart. Just can't win. lol

As a last resort, are there new parts available to replace wiring?

There are no new BMW parts that exist to replace the wiring. BMW only sells complete headlight units.
I will be sourcing my wiring and terminals online from whoever has the best type of wiring and pricing.

nextelbuddy

12-15-2017, 08:49 AM

A lot of places won't touch it and will tell you to get a new headlight housing. Those that do touch it would probably charge a pretty penny to do so since it can be time consuming, depending on how bad it is.

You can ask Caesar at Lightwerkz to see if he'd do it and what he'd charge.

I'm doing it myself. I'm tired of spending money on these headlights, so I'm going the DIY route this time. I will see if I can write up a DIY on the full rebuild, which will include new wiring and terminals for the existing connectors.

The headlight saga never ends with this car. First it was the burnt ZKW's, replaced by AL projectors. Then the AL's had non-functioning high beams, so I put in FX-R's. Now the internal wiring is falling apart. Just can't win. lol

There are no new BMW parts that exist to replace the wiring. BMW only sells complete headlight units.
I will be sourcing my wiring and terminals online from whoever has the best type of wiring and pricing.

here you go. this should be a direct replacement wire harness kit for both headlights. replaces the internal headlight housing wiring for both headlights. $98 on ECS

https://www.ecstuning.com/b-genuine-bmw-parts/headlight-wiring-harness/61126939279/

az3579

12-15-2017, 09:43 AM

here you go. this should be a direct replacement wire harness kit for both headlights. replaces the internal headlight housing wiring for both headlights. $98 on ECS

https://www.ecstuning.com/b-genuine-bmw-parts/headlight-wiring-harness/61126939279/That is an external harness, not internal. There is no repair harness available from BMW for the internal wiring.

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nextelbuddy

12-15-2017, 10:24 AM

That is an external harness, not internal. There is no repair harness available from BMW for the internal wiring.

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ah ok.

well good luck rebuilding yours then. in my case all of my wires literally all of them had insulation fall off so I had a complete bare wire internal harness lol

I just got some high temp liquid electric tape and was very generous with brushing it onto the wires. left to try over night and was nicely insulated again.

az3579

12-15-2017, 11:41 AM

I just got some high temp liquid electric tape and was very generous with brushing it onto the wires. left to try over night and was nicely insulated again.

This is what I did the last time I took my headlights out, but this time I found the liquid electrical tape was flaking off too.

nextelbuddy

12-15-2017, 12:00 PM

This is what I did the last time I took my headlights out, but this time I found the liquid electrical tape was flaking off too.

man you just have an answer for everything dont cha :grooving

az3579

12-15-2017, 12:40 PM

man you just have an answer for everything dont cha :groovingAfter having to rebuild your headlights three times for various things since buying the car, you tend to have tried a few things here and there...

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Vas

12-15-2017, 12:51 PM

After having to rebuild your headlights three times for various things since buying the car, you tend to have tried a few things here and there...

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That is why it is tempting to buy new headlights all together.

nextelbuddy

12-15-2017, 01:07 PM

After having to rebuild your headlights three times for various things since buying the car, you tend to have tried a few things here and there...

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So here's the deal I think the best way to attack this will be to rebuild the wire harness with brand new 16 gauge wire.... However I have a strong feeling that after two to three years the insulation on that brand new wire you used will you do the same thing as a factory wiring did or do the same thing your liquid electrical tape did. We have no metrics for knowing how long anything last under that heat and stress and for all we know there's nothing you can do because no matter what material you use will just do the same thing after the same amount of time.

az3579

12-15-2017, 01:23 PM

So here's the deal I think the best way to attack this will be to rebuild the wire harness with brand new 16 gauge wire.... However I have a strong feeling that after two to three years the insulation on that brand new wire you used will you do the same thing as a factory wiring did or do the same thing your liquid electrical tape did. We have no metrics for knowing how long anything last under that heat and stress and for all we know there's nothing you can do because no matter what material you use will just do the same thing after the same amount of time.Considering the wire I'm buying isn't supposed to be a biodegradable type of wire like they used from the light factory, it should last a lot longer. That is the hope, at least.

It's labeled as automotive grade TXL wiring, rated for a huge temperature range that exceeds what most of the country would ever see.

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sillieidiot

12-15-2017, 08:17 PM

Honestly, I don't think it's only the heat that really kills it. It's just part of the story. It's more the movement for adaptive/leveling in combination. Cause I mean my angel eyes wires are even smaller (24awg). But since my angels are mounted to the shroud so it never moves, the wires look perfect. And the wires are closer in proximity to the projector than the headlight wiring. At least that is how it looks every time I open up my headlights.

TXL is like the standard wire they use though. Or maybe GXL. Either way, it's only the thickness of the insulation that is the difference. I would try like SRML lol I figure have a more flexible wire with even higher heat and fire resistant would do the trick lol