is it worth the hassle?

[Jlastor]

Im about to order some new Osram HID bulbs from TRS. I saw the zkw-r clear lenses for only $40. I have AL headlights, is the upgrade worth all the labor of replacing the lenses? I mean, id love to get more light output and sharpness. I dont dislike my bi-xenons so if the benefits are only marginal i would rather not disassemble my almost 10 year old headlights. But if the upgrade is noticeable I would gladly do it.

thanks for any input!!

[JupiterBMW]

I swapped the ZKW lenses into the AL Lights


Sent from my hybrid iPhone 4/4S... :shifty

[danewilson77]

I swapped the ZKW lenses into the AL Lights


Sent from my hybrid iPhone 4/4S... :shifty

.......and how different was the light cutoff and output?

[Jlastor]

i just placed the order on the lenses. They are supposed to get here in about 3 days. Ill try the swap Friday if they get here on time and post my results. I hope I dont break anything.

[JupiterBMW]

:rofl

Wow, I started typing that on my phone and never finished it... Somehow I must've hit submit or something... Anyway, to finish what I started, I purchased a set of AL lights to replace my burnt ZKWs. Since I had both sets, I took the time to swap the lenses. To be honest, I can't really say whether or not it was worth it though because my lights were SO bad with the original burnt bowls. When I replaced the bowls, they still weren't 100%, so its really hard to compare.

I will say this. My lights are amazing now, the cutoff is insanely crisp and sharp, even 50 feet away. When I drive down the highway at night, I can clearly see my cutoff, even on cars 2-3 lanes over... I was actually driving a couple nights ago on the highway, and thought it was funny because my cutoff was right at the bottom edge of a dump truck that was ahead and 2 lanes over. The entire bottom chassis and wheels were well lit, but the top was all dark above my light cutoff. It was kind of amusing...

Anyway, not sure if this helps, but I see you ordered the lenses. You won't be disappointed.

[nike001]

I have AL lights with a modified cutoff, and CBI's and they look tons better than normal AL's.

I met up with a friend on bf.c on Friday and he has an E46 M3 with stock AL lights, and there was definitely a big difference between our lights. His lights were more yellow, and a normal non-exciting cutoff, whereas my lights were almost pure white with the tiniest hint of blue.. and a nice thick blue cutoff.

[Jlastor]

nice! glad i ordered them!

changing the topic a little bit. Before placing the order all my searches gave me the same answer. Basically i have a very bright, white light, from one of my headlights (original ballast), and the other headlight (which has a used AL ballast that i bought from ebay) gives out a blueish less bright light. All my searches said it was most probably a bad bulb (the car ran with a bad ballast for over a year). After placing the order now my searches say that it could be the ballast not giving enough power to the bulb. What do you guys think?

[nike001]

One light is brighter than the other?

I too have this, and have swapped ballasts from side to side and even used a different 3rd ballast and it's still dimmer. So I'm not sure there.

[az3579]

What kind of lens did you order? Was it the headlight housing lens or the projector lens? Not the same thing. The projector lens is what gives you that sharper cutoff, and requires full disassembly of the headlight to replace it. The headlight housing lens can be done with the headlight housing still in the car...

[jack.chris328]

Ballasts or ignitors are not going to change the color of the bulb. It will either be on or off if one of those is faulty. New or used. The bulb color will change over time. Normally not to noticeable as both bulbs are used together so they basically wear out together. But if you get a used set of lights or just replace one bulb then they may not be a matched set(different hours on them) and you will notice a different color from on to another. "Normally" the bulb will turn more of a yellow color when it is on the down hill. There is some factors that will add to the deterioration of a bulb such as moisture in the light, or touching the glass upon installation. Then the other reason for different colored bulbs would be different color temperatures. 3000K, 4300K, 6000K, etc. etc.

[Jlastor]

Ballasts or ignitors are not going to change the color of the bulb. It will either be on or off if one of those is faulty. New or used. The bulb color will change over time. Normally not to noticeable as both bulbs are used together so they basically wear out together. But if you get a used set of lights or just replace one bulb then they may not be a matched set(different hours on them) and you will notice a different color from on to another. "Normally" the bulb will turn more of a yellow color when it is on the down hill. There is some factors that will add to the deterioration of a bulb such as moisture in the light, or touching the glass upon installation. Then the other reason for different colored bulbs would be different color temperatures. 3000K, 4300K, 6000K, etc. etc.

Nice to hear this. Cause I hate how my car looks with the passenger side with bueish/purple light and the driver side very bright white light. I must admit that when I bought the car (with bad ballast) I took it to a shop and they troubleshooted the headlight. They could have replaced my bulb in the proces and left installed on that was not originally mine.

[Jlastor]

What kind of lens did you order? Was it the headlight housing lens or the projector lens? Not the same thing. The projector lens is what gives you that sharper cutoff, and requires full disassembly of the headlight to replace it. The headlight housing lens can be done with the headlight housing still in the car...

These are the lenses I ordered
http://www.theretrofitsource.com/product_info.php?cPath=29&products_id=136

Saw a couple of threads of people using them on AL headlights.

[Jlastor]

What kind of lens did you order? Was it the headlight housing lens or the projector lens? Not the same thing. The projector lens is what gives you that sharper cutoff, and requires full disassembly of the headlight to replace it. The headlight housing lens can be done with the headlight housing still in the car...

These are the lenses I ordered
http://www.theretrofitsource.com/product_info.php?cPath=29&products_id=136

Saw a couple of threads of people using them on AL headlights.

[JupiterBMW]

Yes, you did well. Those are correct.

[az3579]

Okay, you ordered the right lenses. :)

[Jlastor]

Got the bulbs and lenses last night and could not hold myself. Got them installed and I must admit the difference is amazing!!! AWESOME light output and great sharpness with great cutoff. My neighbor has a e90 325i with bi-xenons and we compared last night. Mine are much brighter and sharper.

I would recommend this mod to anyone. In a scale from 1-10 (1 being as easy as refuelling, and 10 to difficult to DIY), I would say its about a 5 just because it has a lot of parts per headlight (which have to be handled with care) and some tinkering is needed to get the lens to sit properly. I used a DIY that is on youtube and it was spot on. No other reference needed.