[Tyrrelll]

Hi guys! This is both an introduction and a request for some advice..

I've recently purchased a 2005 E90. Really pleased with it so far, i've been an Audi owner for the past 5 years so its nice to have a change and i'm definitely favouring this.

Anyway, I was informed that the previous owner had Xenons retrofitted which were working absolutely fine until today I noticed that only one of the dipped lights is working. Now I have no idea if these have been fitted by BMW or the previous owner himself. The ballast says SpeedLight HID on them, has anyone heard of this brand before? I have no idea what bulb I need to purchase for these.

What are my options? I'm not sure if my local dealer will touch them if they are not OEM? I'm happy to attempt changing the bulbs myself but obviously want to ensure that I purchase the right bulbs. I am aware that is may not be the bulb so have been advised to test the working bulb in the drivers side first to see if that works.

[Tyrrelll]

I am having problems with one of my xenons not working, it flashes as soon as I turn on but fails to power up. Bulb or ballast issue I am not sure but i'm not even sure if these are genuine HID's or aftermarket ones as I think the previous owner fitted them himself. Can anyone help me out? would he have needed to change the actual headlight as well?

Thanks in advance

[Dark_Knight_335]

Aftermarket for sure. Just by the color alone, and xenon/ HID angels. Hard to tell from the pics if the OEM headlights were retained, but it appears not, as the amber sections seem to be missing or deleted.

Definitely doesn't look like any setup I've seen....Jeff? Marc?

[amullo]

Those are aftermarket HID/Xenon ballasts, thats for sure. The headlamps Im not so sure on.. looks like either aftermarket or modified, unless pre LCI halogens had projectors.

[marketmaster]

aftermarket all the way around. Headlights and xenon

[Delta0311]

100% aftermarket.


You said one bulb is doing this? If that's the case take the ballast from the good bulb and connected it to the one that flickers. If it lights up fine then you have a bad ballast (which is what I'd bet my money on). If it still flickers then it's the bulb.

[Tyrrelll]

Originally Posted by Delta0311

100% aftermarket.


You said one bulb is doing this? If that's the case take the ballast from the good bulb and connected it to the one that flickers. If it lights up fine then you have a bad ballast (which is what I'd bet my money on). If it still flickers then it's the bulb.

Thanks for the advice, i'll give it a go tonight. Would a replacement ballast be a big job do you know? I assume if I needed to replace one side its best to do both while i'm at it?

[Delta0311]

Originally Posted by Tyrrelll

Thanks for the advice, i'll give it a go tonight. Would a replacement ballast be a big job do you know? I assume if I needed to replace one side its best to do both while i'm at it?

Few minutes worth of work, depending of how easy it is to get to the ballast. You would just unhook the old ballast and connect the new one. You mind as well do both, especially if the aftermarket ballast kit comes in pairs.

[raceyBMW]

I would say it's not necessarily aftermarket headlight, euro headlights didn't get the orange corners like we do here in the U.S. though they do look modified. Definitely aftermarket bulbs though.

[E92-Lighting]

200% aftermarket

[amullo]

Originally Posted by raceyBMW

I would say it's not necessarily aftermarket headlight, euro headlights didn't get the orange corners like we do here in the U.S. though they do look modified. Definitely aftermarket bulbs though.

Like the man says. We dont have the Orange corners in the EU and this car is in the UK.

The headlights DO actually look like early "Non Bi-Xenon" Xenon headlights.
Those had projectors on the Xenon-lowbeam and reflector highbeams with halogens that actually work (like the old e46). BMW did away with them later, since they could probably save money by going with a bi-xenon version. I wonder if this car might have been a Halogen headlamp equipped car that had these Xenon headlamps retrofitted and someone decided to do it "on the cheap" and use aftermarket ballasts/bulbs.

OP!
Do you have your VIN number? Its easy to check if the car came with xenon or halogen headlamps from the factory.. Just input your VIN here http://www.bmwarchiv.de/vin/bmw-vin-decoder.html
That might give you a clue about the best way to solve the problems your having.

[TheYsrOne]

2007 E90. Does anyone know the color temperature or "k" of a stock Xenon HID on my car? I can't see to find it anywhere.

[bd5400]

Originally Posted by TheYsrOne

2007 E90. Does anyone know the color temperature or "k" of a stock Xenon HID on my car? I can't see to find it anywhere.

4300K is the stock temp for pretty much all (if not all) factory xenon headlights, regardless of brand.

Also, if you're planning on replacing a bulb, replace both at the same time as the color will change as the bulbs age. Using a single new bulb will mean your headlights won't match each other.