E30 Zone

i need to get some more hid's as the old set i have one side no longer works.

the kit i have is the kind where the bulb holder bezzels have been replaced,



can i get a similar kit so i can just plug the same type bulbs in ?

i don't know the maker though and can't find any kits with the same looking bulbs so it looks like i have to change the rear of the lights back to e30 ones and get a different kit.

so what ebay kits or kits from anywhere else should i get ?

are these any good and does anyone have them ?

the cheapest i can find lol.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BMW-E30-E36-H ... 27c42a19e4

I got the ones with the slimline ballasts in 5000k.. they were easy to fit and seem to be the doodads! and the instructions made sense! (not a baffling translation..)

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/370447565542

Just buy replacment bulbs, mine where £8 + post. Make sure there h1 fit. Plugs are all the same. 4300 still white.

Check the relevant fuse by changing it before you invest in new ones. I've discovered that the inrush current of these kits, when firing up from cold, puts a considerable strain on the fuse, that can eventually fatigue it, and leave an almost invisible break in the wire.

+1 I have blown more fuses in the 3 years I have HID's fitted then any other car without them.

aha this might help me too, what fuse numbers?

just installed HID in mine yesterday, 4300K.
amazing transformation, perhaps better than shortshifter

just replace fuse 13 and 14 with 20A fuse and you are fine

Now I wan't to kick myself in face because I drove 4 years with those shitty lights

magpie wrote:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BMW-E30-E36-H ... 27c42a19e4

8k will be a bit blue/purple.

4.3k is the closest to good white light or 6k.

Are your HID's going to be pass through its mot or do the new bulb holder bezzels change the beam to the necessary pattern?
Itll obviously be fine if you're friendly with your mot tester though!

This helps me out - I fitted a kit last week and they worked fine till today. The right hand one seemed less bright than the left, then went out. It came on again after I switched the lights off and then on again. Do I need to just change the fuse or send the kit back and ask for my money back?

Tom_Maverick wrote:I got the ones with the slimline ballasts in 5000k.. they were easy to fit and seem to be the doodads! and the instructions made sense! (not a baffling translation..)

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/370447565542

The HID's on my E34 have been on for 3 years now, I recently changed to the above slimline and they were worse than the old ones which ive now put back on

The old ones seem to have lost the projection they had, I polished the lens's up with G3 and it made no difference.
Sounds like I need to fit new fuses!

cro320 wrote: just replace fuse 13 and 14 with 20A fuse and you are fine

I'd limit that to a couple of 10A fuses, if I were you!
20A is way over the top, and puts the loom at risk. It's only the inrush that's a problem. When lit, HIDs take less current than the original H1s.

moza15 wrote:Are your HID's going to be pass through its mot or do the new bulb holder bezzels change the beam to the necessary pattern?
Itll obviously be fine if you're friendly with your mot tester though!

If they're adjusted properly, HIDs should pass the MOT test with a near perfect beam pattern.
8K bulbs are pushing your luck with the MOT man though.

i should be getting my 55W 6K kit tomorrow hopefully.

Dont mention fuses!

8k are too blue imho, even 6k are pretty borderline. if i was buying a set today i wouldnt go any higher than 5k, the exact given figures seem to vary between kits, i've seen 4200, 4300, 4500, 4800 advertised

i've had standard cheap ebay H1 kits in both e30 and e36 for several years, never had a duff fuse, never had to adjust the beam, and theyve always given a perfect crisp cutoff. in what must be thousands of uses i've had no more than a handfull of failed ignitions, and when they have happened, turning them off then back on has always fired the lazy one back into life.

Brianmoooore wrote:

cro320 wrote: just replace fuse 13 and 14 with 20A fuse and you are fine

I'd limit that to a couple of 10A fuses, if I were you!
20A is way over the top, and puts the loom at risk. It's only the inrush that's a problem. When lit, HIDs take less current than the original H1s.

thanks mate, will replace them with 10A ones

DanThe wrote:

Tom_Maverick wrote:I got the ones with the slimline ballasts in 5000k.. they were easy to fit and seem to be the doodads! and the instructions made sense! (not a baffling translation..)

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/370447565542

The HID's on my E34 have been on for 3 years now, I recently changed to the above slimline and they were worse than the old ones which ive now put back on

The old ones seem to have lost the projection they had, I polished the lens's up with G3 and it made no difference.
Sounds like I need to fit new fuses!

how odd.. I bought these as a colleague of mine has had the same ones in his jeep for the last couple of years and they seem to be very reliable! I've had them in for a few months and I've had no problems so I guess we'll see!
I opted for 5000k.. and they passed the MOT, after a chat with my MOT man he said that if I hadn't had functioning wash/wipe headlights then they would have failed.. you should also have self levellers really but he used his discretion on that.. he also said that anything over 5000k is a fail as it isn't classed as 'white'.. but I guess it depends how friendly your MOT man is!

That page says it's from an IVA manual, is that the same as an MOT manual?

Just that it's been discussed on here before and I'm sure the MOT only requires wash and self levelling to be functioning if fitted.

worth a read..

http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech ... sions.html

and basically over the next year I'm led to believe all the laws and guidances will be brought into line and it'll be controlled a lot more stringently and be a lot more black and white... in short.. step away from the 6000k's! (who wants blue headlights anyway? ) and if you don't have wash / wipe / self levelling lights or suspension then basically your porked.. which is kinda good as all the crappy civic's running around with 8000k kits installed and a stupid toy dangling from the tow-eye will be forced to sort it out rather than blind me via the rear view mirror..

Tom_Maverick wrote:worth a read..

http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech ... sions.html

and basically over the next year I'm led to believe all the laws and guidances will be brought into line and it'll be controlled a lot more stringently and be a lot more black and white... in short.. step away from the 6000k's! (who wants blue headlights anyway? ) and if you don't have wash / wipe / self levelling lights or suspension then basically your porked.. which is kinda good as all the crappy civic's running around with 8000k kits installed and a stupid toy dangling from the tow-eye will be forced to sort it out rather than blind me via the rear view mirror..

just bare in mind he has a shop selling lighing products and probably know's he can't compete with cheap chinese ebay hid kits

we know that technically retrofitted hids are on dodgy ground, but the reality is, as long as you stick to sensible colours and theyre set up correctly there's no way, from a quick glance, that anyone would know whether theyre brighter whiter bulbs as sold by every motoring accessory shop in the country, or an aftermarket hid kit. and the chances of getting pulled over for it are slim to none.

of course, like any 'mod' drive like a cock, of give the police an excuse to pull you over and there's a chance they'll go over your car with a fine tooth comb and may pick up on the hids.

personally i will continue to use hids in my cars, but i hope they do crack down on poorly fitted / incorrectly setup / stupid coloured hid conversions on cars with unsuitable headlights.

sod the MOT, it's 5 minutes to switch between HID and H1 Halogen - and far safer to drive with correctly set up HIDs.