Replacing ZKW bi-xenon with Magneti Marelli (aka AL) headlight assembly

[dpark]

So I am the original owner of a 2004 e46 330i sedan with the ZHP option.

As with many others I suffered from the burnt bowl issue (still don't understand how this was not a recall issue for BMW...)

A couple of years ago I did the Clemsone46 burnt bowl retrofit. It took a while to install, lots of lost knuckle skin, but in the end it worked and the cost was way less than buying new (AL) headlight assemblies, and I was not interested in the other retrofits out there as they did not seem plug and play.

Here is that thread: http://www.zhpmafia.com/forums/showthread.php?19695-Replaced-ZKW-burnt-bowls-today

So fast forward 2.5 years and I found a thread that MM was basically AL which is supposed to be the other OEM supplier for e46 bi-xenon headlights. I found one for the passenger side (new) on ebay for $425 shipped and decided to take the plunge.

Here are the highlights:

1. The headlight was NOT plug and play. There was a whole new "bracket" on the MM/AL bottom of the assembly that needed to be removed. And a "box" on the bottom of the MM/AL assembly that interfered with the headlight mounting area. I had to dremel material away to make the MM/AL headlight fit.
2. MM is AL, at least that is what the sticker on the headlight assembly says
3. The MM headlight came with all the screws needed (did not have to reuse any screws from original assembly)
4. The MM assembly did NOT FIT FLUSH with the side turn indicator lights and there is a gap between the headlight and turn indicator
5. The MM headlight beam did not require any adjusting, the self leveling capability worked fine
6. The MM assembly came with bulbs, but I swapped out with an OSRAM Nightbreaker and it was noticeably brighter than whatever the D2S stock bulb was that came in the assembly
7. The Clemsone46 retrofit was still OK after 2 years, but it didn't compare to the brightness or beam consistency of the MM/AL headlight with either the OEM bulb or OSRAM bulb

Photos are all on my phone so going to post from there back to this thread with all the steps I took.

There are numerous threads and youtube videos on pulling the headlight assembly so not going to repeat those steps for brevity.

[dpark]

Ok so when the MM headlight arrived it was in a nice sealed box

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200823/61ff07c5dbfb3f81853445082793f7c6.jpg

And the sticker on the headlight indicated it was AL and included the bulbs

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200823/aeda0b705a74419a93360ab719c82784.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200823/b8a68a5963a7e89bb0217721431bfa4f.jpg


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[dpark]

Here is the starting point for light output. If u look back on my Clemsone46 thread the light output looks pretty similar.

The inconsistency of the lower part of the beam is still there

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200823/f9babf9ddfdf2ddfc38be70b5e989da1.jpg


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[dpark]

Here is the MM/AL assembly on top of the OE ZKW headlight.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200823/e70ed48acf2193cfc3ad5b0cf3bfe2dc.jpg


And here is the ZKW light as I pulled it out. If you zoom in on the lower right of the white sticker the ZKW is between the BMW logo and the US letters.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200823/69276d0a6c2d70ab7ff4250d4baaed96.jpg


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[dpark]

So the only thing I needed to pull off the old assembly was the lower part of the body colored te where the headlight washers go.

I tied these off years ago as they leaked like crazy and gave up trying to find the leak.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200823/b5984a9e1135a757c51c35094188ca4f.jpg


Attached it to the new light assembly and ready to reinstall

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200823/6631bc501e140496b9fb7e0da6b29a16.jpg


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[dpark]

So here is the new light output with whatever the D2S bulb that came in the MM/AL assembly.

A significant improvement over the Clemsone46 burnt bulb replacement which was still more than acceptable IMHO.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200823/49f15b5b8120a8d00bbe1c39717dd436.jpg


Notice how the irregularities under the new bulb beam are gone and it extends even to the area under the driver side light.


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[dpark]

So now I replaced the D2S bulb with the Osram Nightbreakers that I have been sitting on for a while.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200823/3d11a6f74fa783ea1befa97fe3ee00ef.jpg


The Nightbreakers were noticeably brighter IMO.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200823/efa73730e14668805bd0c1396d0b0bca.jpg


The spot of the main light was bigger and really extended the width of the beam. If you look under the driver side beam you can see a ripply light than angles down and to the left that was not there with the stock D2S bulb.


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[dpark]

So was really jazzed at this point and started to fully reassemble the headlight into the car and could not get it to fit quite right (didn’t notice when I was just testing the stock and Osram bulbs

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200823/52cf7def17b31571f8991e0ae6298e90.jpg


I thought I was just not finding the correct angle for reinstalling but the issue was a bunch of plastic on the bottom of the assembly.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200823/5ce8b61889820b513ad5878cd779a99d.jpg


I had to pull the whole thing back out and turn it over and look at them side by side to figure out what the deal was.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200823/6d2ada473c1aa8ffcdeaa577e80920b0.jpg

Here is the original ZKW assembly

And here is the MM/AL assembly

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200823/c5d3ceaba280fd22755724d99702a86a.jpg


Since this was supposedly an OEM headlight I was not thinking I needed to do anything significant to make the new headlight fit.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200823/0bc9c519505d0f5a6b6e6f3a96b14520.jpg

Took a few minutes but I figured out that all this plastic on the bottom was a removeable bracket. I was thinking I would have to cut it off [emoji1]. Whew.


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[dpark]

So home free right? Sadly no.

Reinserted the headlight but now it fit on the side closest to the kidney grills but did not fit on the side closest to the side of the car.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200823/ffd819116f4fbc51a21e042c082f98b1.jpg

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200823/26723cf629aac00031daa651ed28e07e.jpg

The headlight was sitting up too high on one side.


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[dpark]

So the new issue is that there is a “box” protrusion on the MM/AL light and it is built into the headlight and interferes with a plastic “shield and skid plate” that protects the headlight washer.

By feeling around under the assembly from where the turn signal should be, I determined/hoped that I could “cut away” enough plastic to allow the headlight to properly fit.

I marked the area with masking tape.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200823/89573cba8bbbac94aee5a7b794fb986d.jpg

There was nothing underneath the plastic where the blue tape is so I decided to break out the dremel tool and start carving away.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200823/096939dc2bd8cf3799d1f7a58ac1946f.jpg

The material I removed was quite a bit.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200823/42a4b7e03e13481718ff993f4403f4c5.jpg

Not the cleanest job, but it got the job done.


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[dpark]

I guess I got lucky and now everything seems to fit [emoji1]

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200823/94b204a7b241a59202968bb539d2bc7f.jpg

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200823/fee0134de2fb405f898d1e0c3e83c2c9.jpg


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[dpark]

At this point I really thought I was home free, but not to be.

Turns out there is something about the MM/AL headlight that is causing a 3/8” gap on the outside than the ZKW headlight. I do not know if it is an actual headlight assembly size difference or an installation issue.

The turn signal on the driver side (where the original ZKW light is still there) fits tightly against the headlight

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200823/627bfd0831e35c68a252aa8118e9da4d.jpg


But on the passenger side, once I got everything back together, there is a significant gap between the headlight and turn signal, and there is nothing I can do about it.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200823/2496e2b9bdac99267b0e810d082da338.jpg

I tried loosening the headlight bolts to shift the assembly to the left but there was no “give”. The gap cannot be closed.

Not really happy about this at all but it is what it is.


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[dpark]

So here is the finished photos from the front.

The gap really can’t be seen if you don’t look for it but it will drive me crazy for a while.

I didn’t replace the headlight washer cover yet as my anal-retentive nature may make me try again to close the gap even though I am pretty sure there is no hope.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200823/77e2bf26331f98167b66fe57905e9cc5.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200823/ba466f2dd05f83514271530fb0e7081e.jpg


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[dpark]

Last two photos to compare to the Clemsone46 fix.

The MM/AL assembly definitely puts out more light especially with the Osram bulb.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200823/cbc550fac27a76f0a59651a828493a5d.jpg


And the light on the road is even better than before.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200823/b5db18c8ab7c67512a04ac054c791b6a.jpg

The headlights really fills out the road (compare it with the photo from my other thread) and the irregularities from the repaired burnt bowls are no longer visible even though one of the headlights is still ZKW because of the brightness and width of the MM/AL light with the Osram bulb.

So now on the lookout for the matching driver side assembly if I can get it for a good price.

If someone is interested in buying my ZKW passenger side headlight with the Clemsone46 bowls send me a PM, but I was planning on waiting until I replaced my driver side and could sell a matching pair.


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[Will]

Nice work! That difference in light output is surprisingly substantial!

Thanks for documenting so thoroughly and sharing with us.

[Prestovie]

Dang what an effort! I became less and less amped up about doing something similar the more i scrolled through your posts LOL. Either way nice work, crazy that people buying new vehicles are getting more light output than that from factory, I’ve adjusted to having my fogs on at all times and wearing glasses at night


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[PdZHP]

So the new issue is that there is a “box” protrusion on the MM/AL light and it is built into the headlight and interferes with a plastic “shield and skid plate” that protects the headlight washer.

By feeling around under the assembly from where the turn signal should be, I determined/hoped that I could “cut away” enough plastic to allow the headlight to properly fit.

I marked the area with masking tape.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200823/89573cba8bbbac94aee5a7b794fb986d.jpg

There was nothing underneath the plastic where the blue tape is so I decided to break out the dremel tool and start carving away.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200823/096939dc2bd8cf3799d1f7a58ac1946f.jpg

The material I removed was quite a bit.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200823/42a4b7e03e13481718ff993f4403f4c5.jpg

Not the cleanest job, but it got the job done.


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I think the bracket that was removed from the new headlights should have been replaced with the bracket that you dremeled. It's easier to remove the bracket fron the car, attach to the headlight and reinstall. This may be causing the fitment issues.

[dpark]

I think the bracket that was removed from the new headlights should have been replaced with the bracket that you dremeled. It's easier to remove the bracket fron the car, attach to the headlight and reinstall. This may be causing the fitment issues.

Aha! Did not even consider this path!

Not too hard off a task to try that out assuming I can figure out how to remove the existing bracket that protects the unused headlight washer without breaking something.

IIRC, there is wiring that does connect to the existing ZKW bracket near the front where I stopped dremeling. I am not sure how much play there is to take it out to connect to the MM assembly.

A project for next weekend...


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[johnrando]

Interesting! Thx for the detail.

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[dpark]

So of course AFTER I did my swap, I found several posts on mafia detailing the same issues I went through

Like this one: http://www.zhpmafia.com/forums/showthread.php?20989-ZKW-to-AL-Headlight-Swap-Bracket-modification

Doing exactly what I did, dremeling out plastic from the ZKW mounting bracket to make the MM/AL headlight assembly fit properly.

However, no one else seemed to complain about the gap between the assembly and the turn signal. I wonder if it is just me and how I installed the MM/AL assembly. I did try to "shift" it to the left (passenger side) to close the gap but could not get it to move the 3/8" necessary to fit flush against the turn signal.

[dpark]

One other note from other ZKW/AL threads was that the ZKW lenses were better than the AL ones. I can't imagine that the ZKW lenses could improve on the light on the road from what I posted above. The light from the MM/AL light with the Osram bulb is fantastic. I will not bother to swap the ZKW lens into the AL housing.

[Oltorf]

So here is the finished photos from the front.

The gap really can’t be seen if you don’t look for it but it will drive me crazy for a while.

I didn’t replace the headlight washer cover yet as my anal-retentive nature may make me try again to close the gap even though I am pretty sure there is no hope.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200823/77e2bf26331f98167b66fe57905e9cc5.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200823/ba466f2dd05f83514271530fb0e7081e.jpg


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There should be little plastic rails on the headlight that the corner lights slide into that holds them tight against each other. From what I recall, you can remove the 1 corner light screw, take out the corner lights, and then slide it back in so they’re in the rails and there’s no gap. It’s pretty easy. I’ll take pics of mine if you need it.

[dpark]

There should be little plastic rails on the headlight that the corner lights slide into that holds them tight against each other. From what I recall, you can remove the 1 corner light screw, take out the corner lights, and then slide it back in so they’re in the rails and there’s no gap. It’s pretty easy. I’ll take pics of mine if you need it.

This isn't the issue. My corner light "hook" does slide properly into the "nut" on the assembly. But I still have a gap.

[Oltorf]

This isn't the issue. My corner light "hook" does slide properly into the "nut" on the assembly. But I still have a gap.

Are you talking about the hook that gets screwed down from the top or the rails that connect the corner light to the headlight where the gap is?

[Oltorf]

This isn't the issue. My corner light "hook" does slide properly into the "nut" on the assembly. But I still have a gap.

The corner light attaches in 4 places.

Peg that fits into the hole:

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200826/e6d9f0947621a5d23d8741d877700cb6.jpg

This little rail that fits into....
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200826/7ceaed66f07db43c1b4da8d5a9bfae8d.jpg

This rail on the headlight :
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200826/3128865d9f5e52b62ab71642f881666b.jpg

There are 2 of them. One on top and one on bottom.

And then the U shaped backer that gets screwed down from the top.

I just took mine out and put it back in in about 3 min to get these pictures so it’s an easy fix.

[Thatguy_JZ]

Good info in this thread especially with the pics. That's a little more detail to some of the other stuff that's been covered in the past. I've been sitting on a pair of used AL's but they're just not quite perfect enough for me so I've been thinking about buying a new set of MM's like this to run.

I haven't heard of them having any fitment issues with the corner lights. Maybe when you have time pull everything back out and try to refit it. My car came with headlight sprayers and I deleted them because they're kind of pointless and just make it more of a pain in the ass to work with the headlights.

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[dpark]

The corner light attaches in 4 places.

Peg that fits into the hole:

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200826/e6d9f0947621a5d23d8741d877700cb6.jpg

This little rail that fits into....
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200826/7ceaed66f07db43c1b4da8d5a9bfae8d.jpg

This rail on the headlight :
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200826/3128865d9f5e52b62ab71642f881666b.jpg

There are 2 of them. One on top and one on bottom.

And then the U shaped backer that gets screwed down from the top.

I just took mine out and put it back in in about 3 min to get these pictures so it’s an easy fix.

I don’t see the rails you are talking about. The corner light cleanly fits in the pinhole and the u-hook also fits in the assembly nut you access from the slot in the engine well fender.

It is just very odd why there is a gap.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200827/51d59572e16cbb5075361b903acf6ce2.jpg


https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200827/218e06008eb6d47d34414535dceb77d1.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200827/7c7529787a4a595be53fca4c5897d6ae.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200827/b3cccc74f3291db0881e3912bfd12e39.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200827/9ef3a1497982add215dacb4b8d5d288a.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200827/7bc2b7b6b590e76b35f67072c80af2a4.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200827/dbb2359b7b6bb3571e7eedf6d7ea9b1f.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200827/cd806ed90f716847cef0340a1cd41efa.jpg

It really makes no sense. Everything goes in smoothly. I am not forcing anything. When I compare how things fit on the drivers side vs passenger side, everything looks the same except for the gap.

At this point I will probably just get some shower door glass rubber stripping and use it to fill the gap and call it a day.


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[AM1GO]

37153The answer is in your #5 picture, you missed the rails on the headlights where the corner lights slide in that’s why there is a gap. This is brand new headlight in my post, but you can see the rails...

[AM1GO]

And here is the reason you might want to modify your brand new AL headlight. Bottom one - new unmodified MM/AL, top - MM/AL with ZKW lens, and cutoff shutter reflector. Both of them have bulbs swapped to osram xenarc cbi 6000, although it’s hard to tell on the unmodified one due to not so clear lens as comparing to ZKW.

[sillieidiot]

One other note from other ZKW/AL threads was that the ZKW lenses were better than the AL ones. I can't imagine that the ZKW lenses could improve on the light on the road from what I posted above. The light from the MM/AL light with the Osram bulb is fantastic. I will not bother to swap the ZKW lens into the AL housing.

It will be better. The ZKW lenses are clear vs. frosted lens of AL. It'll result in a sharper cutoff and a slightly brighter hotspot.

You were supposed to use the bracket that you took off on the headlight with the headlight lol and take off the one that you dremeled.

These are the rails that we are talking about. I circled the areas to look for directly from your own pictures. There's one on the top and bottom of the corner lights where it touches the headlight lens.

Red = rails/guides on headlight lens
Green = prong on corner housing

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50283935513_ee8ecaca4b_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2jBqjap)
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50283935468_c50071d901_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2jBqj9C)

If you can't see it still, here's how you would put in those corners. You just align the fork end so that it will slide pass the nut, but don't push it all the way yet. Start pushing the corners of the corner housing towards the headlight lights, you'll feel it go into the rails that we are talking about then you can push it the rest of the way. I think you're trying to align it to the fender of the car, what you should be doing is aligning it with the headlight. If you see a gap to the fender, adjust the headlight position.

[sillieidiot]

And here is the reason you might want to modify your brand new AL headlight. Bottom one - new unmodified MM/AL, top - MM/AL with ZKW lens, and cutoff shutter reflector. Both of them have bulbs swapped to osram xenarc cbi 6000, although it’s hard to tell on the unmodified one due to not so clear lens as comparing to ZKW.

It depends on what you want the light to do though. If you want it to look pretty and the light to be only useful in city driving environments, then having a nice sharp cutoff with color is nice. But if you're driving around in pitch black all the the time, like mountain/back roads driving, you are going to want to have a soft cutoff. You see less (distance wise) when you have a sharp cutoff.

[Oltorf]

It will be better. The ZKW lenses are clear vs. frosted lens of AL. It'll result in a sharper cutoff and a slightly brighter hotspot.

You were supposed to use the bracket that you took off on the headlight with the headlight lol and take off the one that you dremeled.

These are the rails that we are talking about. I circled the areas to look for directly from your own pictures. There's one on the top and bottom of the corner lights where it touches the headlight lens.

Red = rails/guides on headlight lens
Green = prong on corner housing

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50283935513_ee8ecaca4b_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2jBqjap)
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50283935468_c50071d901_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2jBqj9C)

If you can't see it still, here's how you would put in those corners. You just align the fork end so that it will slide pass the nut, but don't push it all the way yet. Start pushing the corners of the corner housing towards the headlight lights, you'll feel it go into the rails that we are talking about then you can push it the rest of the way. I think you're trying to align it to the fender of the car, what you should be doing is aligning it with the headlight. If you see a gap to the fender, adjust the headlight position.

Thanks for the pictures. I was going to take some with the rails marked. Those are the ones I was talking about.

[dpark]

Thanks for the additional info. Will open her back up and give it a try.

Do you know how to safely/easily/properly remove the ZKW bracket that I dremeled out?

[sillieidiot]

Thanks for the additional info. Will open her back up and give it a try.

Do you know how to safely/easily/properly remove the ZKW bracket that I dremeled out?

Yes, it's just the 2 screws on the bottom. When you remove the headlight trim, just look behind it and you'll see 2 screws. They should be the same ones that hold the headlights. One of them should be right near where the headlight washer pump should be. If you look on the bracket you took out (on the MM headlight originally). It's the 2 square openings. Use that as a reference.

[AM1GO]

It depends on what you want the light to do though. If you want it to look pretty and the light to be only useful in city driving environments, then having a nice sharp cutoff with color is nice. But if you're driving around in pitch black all the the time, like mountain/back roads driving, you are going to want to have a soft cutoff. You see less (distance wise) when you have a sharp cutoff.

Yes, there are such theories, but in this instance I know exactly what I am doing. I already did 4 other sets (MM/AL), this is the last one. Light improvement is unbelievable, the best light I ever had on any of my cars (E46s with stock new ZKW, stock new AL, halogen modded with Mini H1 projector, e82 stock and Acura MDX stock) and also comparing to what I see around on the roads. It’s not just pretty, it’s functional. I have few cars and can compare stock to slightly modified to extensively modified in various conditions (on and off road).

But, you don’t have to mod. It’s your choice. Especially butchering brand new headlight is not easy mentally.

I have a bunch of headlights and I am trying things, my next project will be installing G5-R projector in a ZKW housing I have laying around.

Cheers.


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[AM1GO]

Thanks for the additional info. Will open her back up and give it a try.

Do you know how to safely/easily/properly remove the ZKW bracket that I dremeled out?

Since you have headlight washers you will need to swap those to new brackets, removing them is not easy but with some persuasion can be done and then they just slide back in into new brackets.


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[fredo]

Since you have headlight washers you will need to swap those to new brackets, removing them is not easy but with some persuasion can be done and then they just slide back in into new brackets.

I dont have headlight washers. Does this makes the install easier ? Hopefully i wont need to swap or dremel out any parts.

[AM1GO]

I dont have headlight washers. Does this makes the install easier ? Hopefully i wont need to swap or dremel out any parts.

If no washers, and you had xenon from factory, than its plug and play, 2 bolts each side.

If you convert from halogen you will be missing leveling wiring (need dummy plugs or leveling retrofit) and coding.


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[fredo]

If no washers, and you had xenon from factory, than its plug and play, 2 bolts each side.

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Correct, no washers and Xenon from factory. I appreciate the info. :thumbsup

[AM1GO]

Correct, no washers and Xenon from factory. I appreciate the info. :thumbsup

Seen it before, 2 times, factory xenon and no washers, strange initially as I thought all factory xenon mandating washers.

So 7 bolts total (corner light, 4 to take off headlight and 2 for the bracket). Can be done in 10-15 mins. Careful with the strip underneath the headlight, easy to brake the tabs as they are brittle due to age.


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[OrientBlauZHP]

Seen it before, 2 times, factory xenon and no washers, strange initially as I thought all factory xenon mandating washers.

So 7 bolts total (corner light, 4 to take off headlight and 2 for the bracket). Can be done in 10-15 mins. Careful with the strip underneath the headlight, easy to brake the tabs as they are brittle due to age.


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Headlight washers are part of the cold weather package - that’s the only way to get them. You can have heated seats and no cold weather also. But, cold weather gets you headlight washers, heated seats, ski pass though and something else, maybe fold down rear seats?

Also, Xenons were an option also. So, you could have cold weather, but no Xenon.


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[sillieidiot]

Yes, there are such theories, but in this instance I know exactly what I am doing. I already did 4 other sets (MM/AL), this is the last one. Light improvement is unbelievable, the best light I ever had on any of my cars (E46s with stock new ZKW, stock new AL, halogen modded with Mini H1 projector, e82 stock and Acura MDX stock) and also comparing to what I see around on the roads. It’s not just pretty, it’s functional. I have few cars and can compare stock to slightly modified to extensively modified in various conditions (on and off road).

But, you don’t have to mod. It’s your choice. Especially butchering brand new headlight is not easy mentally.

I have a bunch of headlights and I am trying things, my next project will be installing G5-R projector in a ZKW housing I have laying around.

Cheers.


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Nah, that's not what I'm talking about. It does make the light brighter that's for sure. But it changes how you see the environment. That's what I mean when I say, it's how you want to use the light. When you have a sharp cutoff and bright light on one side, what happens is that the dark side becomes really dark. You eyes have a harder time adjusting to everything outside the light. If you have the same bright light, and have a soft cutoff, you actually see a bit more off the cutoff because of the transition being gradual.

People just don't understand how to use light. They just see bright, wide, pretty cutoff and are like OMG this is the best. For the most part it's fine. Until you are in a situation where the light is actually working against you.

But as far as swapping the clear lens, I would totally recommend though. It's fairly easy to do. You already have the parts, no brainer imo. It does make the cutoff slightly sharper, but it's fine. Modding the cutoff for color though, it's up to you. it doesn't add anything useful. If anything, it just annoys other drivers/pedestrians lol

The G5-R projector is a pretty nice projector. It's most similar to the Bosch/AL projectors in that they like to throw the light farther down the road than they are wide. Of course, it's way better than the Bosch/AL projectors with it being newer and all. I need to get on with my retrofit too. But I keep changing the projectors I want lol Will never get that done lol

[AM1GO]

Nah, that's not what I'm talking about. It does make the light brighter that's for sure. But it changes how you see the environment. That's what I mean when I say, it's how you want to use the light. When you have a sharp cutoff and bright light on one side, what happens is that the dark side becomes really dark. You eyes have a harder time adjusting to everything outside the light. If you have the same bright light, and have a soft cutoff, you actually see a bit more off the cutoff because of the transition being gradual.

People just don't understand how to use light. They just see bright, wide, pretty cutoff and are like OMG this is the best. For the most part it's fine. Until you are in a situation where the light is actually working against you.

But as far as swapping the clear lens, I would totally recommend though. It's fairly easy to do. You already have the parts, no brainer imo. It does make the cutoff slightly sharper, but it's fine. Modding the cutoff for color though, it's up to you. it doesn't add anything useful. If anything, it just annoys other drivers/pedestrians lol

The G5-R projector is a pretty nice projector. It's most similar to the Bosch/AL projectors in that they like to throw the light farther down the road than they are wide. Of course, it's way better than the Bosch/AL projectors with it being newer and all. I need to get on with my retrofit too. But I keep changing the projectors I want lol Will never get that done lol

I understand what you mean by environment, I get it, but I do not experience any loss of visibility into sides or upfront, I can see plenty, I would say more than before but that’s subjective.

Here is one more, AL with ZKW lens on the left, and AL with ZKW lens AND modded for better cutoff on the right. Both with xenarcs 6000. You can see crappy cut off in original and an area of blue intensity, I wanted to make it more universal. It does not affect functionality as far as I can tell, and I like it more.

As far as blinding others... that might be an issue, I make sure headlights are aligned properly or you get a lot of angry yobs.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200831/670c1dfa1739413e2181125478c33cb9.jpg


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[sillieidiot]

I understand what you mean by environment, I get it, but I do not experience any loss of visibility into sides or upfront, I can see plenty, I would say more than before but that’s subjective.

Here is one more, AL with ZKW lens on the left, and AL with ZKW lens AND modded for better cutoff on the right. Both with xenarcs 6000. You can see crappy cut off in original and an area of blue intensity, I wanted to make it more universal. It does not affect functionality as far as I can tell, and I like it more.

As far as blinding others... that might be an issue, I make sure headlights are aligned properly or you get a lot of angry yobs.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200831/670c1dfa1739413e2181125478c33cb9.jpg


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The RV shield is there to reduce the blue light over the cutoff and reduce the glare coming from the center. That's why you see the blue off to the sides of the cutoff. So I mean even if they are properly aimed, they would still blind oncoming drivers lol If you're aiming them even lower, then it defeats the whole purpose of the mod in the first place. You can see some glare in your picture on the right side. Did you cut the RV shield or bend it down? I actually take the time to drill it out, cut the shield then flatten it and reattach it. I find that it reduces the glare the comes out of the little squirrel hole in the middle.

I don't really need to see pictures of the cutoffs. I mean I have done these mods lol I know exactly what they look like.

[AM1GO]

The RV shield is there to reduce the blue light over the cutoff and reduce the glare coming from the center. That's why you see the blue off to the sides of the cutoff. So I mean even if they are properly aimed, they would still blind oncoming drivers lol If you're aiming them even lower, then it defeats the whole purpose of the mod in the first place. You can see some glare in your picture on the right side. Did you cut the RV shield or bend it down? I actually take the time to drill it out, cut the shield then flatten it and reattach it. I find that it reduces the glare the comes out of the little squirrel hole in the middle.

I don't really need to see pictures of the cutoffs. I mean I have done these mods lol I know exactly what they look like.

I drill them out, cut flat and reattach using rivets


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[holyc0w]

I just did this swap on the passenger side. I also had an alignment issue, and a huge gap with the turn signal. Was about to call it a day, but decided to unscrew everything and try to fit the headlight again. It worked, but the rear screw had to be left off.

[AM1GO]

I just did this swap on the passenger side. I also had an alignment issue, and a huge gap with the turn signal. Was about to call it a day, but decided to unscrew everything and try to fit the headlight again. It worked, but the rear screw had to be left off.

The misaligned turn signal is typically because you missed a slot for it in the headlight. Look at the headlight carefully there are placed for turn signal. Easily can be seen if fitted both off the car.


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[cakM3]

The misaligned turn signal is typically because you missed a slot for it in the headlight. Look at the headlight carefully there are placed for turn signal. Easily can be seen if fitted both off the car.

+1

[holyc0w]

That's the main takeaway. First part is to make sure the headlight portion is seated properly.

[cakM3]

That's the main takeaway. First part is to make sure the headlight portion is seated properly.

There's not much to do here. The headlight assembly slides in and is secured by 4 screws (two on top and two underneath the headlight lens)... the corner light should fit once the headlight assembly has been secured.

Of course you can keep the four screws loose on the headlight assembly, slide the corner light in place then tighten the four screws on the headlight assembly to secure it and then take out the corner light so you can reinstall the lower headlight trim back in place and then reinstall the corner light again.

I myself have never had to do it any other way than slide in the headlight assembly and secure the four screws, reinsert the lower headlight trim and then slide in the corner light and secure it.

This is a relatively simple process in my opinion...


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