[w1lq]

I've recently had my E92 pre LCI front and rear trashed in a traffic jam, so I have to do a rebuild.

I've been thinking to do a conversion to an LCI however, I have read mixed things about the headlights. Given that I replace the bumper and the hood.. Will the lights fit and work p&p or is there coding / something else involved? I've already got the AHL headlights and want to swap for the same LCI setup.

[VTECaddict]

You need FRM3 and coding and the eyebrow won't work without some custom wiring.

[w1lq]

Hmmm I drive a 2008 E92 so I should have FRM3 standard. Has anyone described how should one modify the wiring for the eyebrow? (I had the assumption that it would be p&p with a 2008 e92 and it would require coding to sort out the LED errors)

[justalilbit]

I've done the retrofit. You need to upgrade the whole front end to LCI (bumper, kidneys, hood) including the undershield and wheel well covers. Then you need all the LED lights and controllers for the headlights. Looks like you're from Europe, so unless you post a picture of your LCI headlight output pins and car's wire harness, I can't tell you what to do to give functionality to the eyebrow. For NA models, there's only one unused pin so you simply tap the side marker wire and lead it to the unused slot. When the eyebrow is powered it dims the corona rings (for example, when the xenons are on) to prevent blinding drivers at night. If you don't get the eyebrow working the corona rings will be on full power with the xenons, and they are obnoxiously bright at night.

For coding you need to change the build date to an LCI year on the VO, then you need to add $5AK for LED light elements. Good luck with everything. It's expensive but makes the car look brand new.

[VTECaddict]

Originally Posted by w1lq

Hmmm I drive a 2008 E92 so I should have FRM3 standard. Has anyone described how should one modify the wiring for the eyebrow? (I had the assumption that it would be p&p with a 2008 e92 and it would require coding to sort out the LED errors)

FRM3 wasn't introduced until 2010 or 2011. You most likely have FRM2. People have reported flickering problems with the LEDs with FRM2.

[w1lq]

Thanks guys, you are golden.

I have the entire front of my car trashed - including the hood, lights, kidneys, bumper.. so I hope I will manage to cover most of these from my insurance

Good tip with the wheel wells - I didn't know they change. Does the undershield change, tho. I'm browsing realoem and cannot find an element that is not shared with the pre LCI.

Do the LCI wheel wells make the overall space smaller. I'm aiming for beefy wheels so.. I hope I'd manage

[justalilbit]

Originally Posted by VTECaddict

FRM3 wasn't introduced until 2010 or 2011. You most likely have FRM2. People have reported flickering problems with the LEDs with FRM2.

Yeah the FRM3 is necessary because it is capable of sending pure power to the corona rings. If you have anything older than FRM3 or an FRM3 but a pre-lci build date, it sends pulse power to the corona rings to increase the lifespan of the halogen corona ring bulbs. This is what causes rapid flickering when you plug in an LCI headlight unit. As I mentioned though, changing the build date and adding the LED Lighting Elements code will send pure power, stopping the flickering.

Originally Posted by w1lq

Thanks guys, you are golden.

I have the entire front of my car trashed - including the hood, lights, kidneys, bumper.. so I hope I will manage to cover most of these from my insurance

Good tip with the wheel wells - I didn't know they change. Does the undershield change, tho. I'm browsing realoem and cannot find an element that is not shared with the pre LCI.

Do the LCI wheel wells make the overall space smaller. I'm aiming for beefy wheels so.. I hope I'd manage

If the front end is done for, then I suppose it doesn't really matter since you'll be replacing the undershield either way. Just remember there are two kinds, one for the standard bumper and one for the M-Sport. Since you're using realoem you'll be fine

The wheel wells don't add any bulk, though prepare for some very careful, very annoying sessions of trying to pull the covers back to screw in the bumper. (New wheel well covers are stiff as hell and hard to bend like broken in ones are)

[w1lq]

Do you know if the hood hinges have to change for the LCI hood? What hood accessories have to change?

[w1lq]

Just to be a good OP.. I went with the conversion and everything is spot on with some little bumps on the way Worth every penny!

[justalilbit]

Damn the E92 looks good in black. Amazing how much of a difference the conversion makes, isn't it? Looks awesome!