gbjules

can anyone please tell me what i need to buy to replace my hallogens with xenons?
I dont mind buying it all from a dealer (parts) and taking them to a specialist.
My car is an April 05' 523i (uk) , I dont need self levelling or wash as these are not required under law on aftermarket xenons.
Can any one please help before I simply give up and p/x for an Audi?

Howitzer

I believe your best bet is to replace the entire headlight units themselves. Otherwise you will not get the self-leveling, adaptive headlight feature.

ukamath

If you don't want leveling or the adaptive fuction its not that complicated to do. You need to purchase a new or used headlight housing left and right. The ballast and the xenon bulb and ignitor. The D2S bulbs include the ignitor. There are some wiring modifications which are pretty simple and most techs should be able to take care of this. The headlights themselves are like $1000+ each new but you can pick them up used for under $200 each (ebay).

ukamath

I forgot about the easiest option is to get a xenon retrofit kit which is basically replacing the bulb in the current housing with a xenon bulb and to add a ballast. However this doesnt look as nice (no projectors) and is not legal. You can probably do this under $200.

gbjules

the 1st option sounds good to me! units here are ?624 each, with labour its still a lot cheaper than changing cars,
thanks.

mag75

Just FYI, the dealer is going to tell you either a) this retrofit cant be done (which is a lie) or b) that you need a new LCM (light control module). This runs around $500 in addition to the new headlight units. There is a way around replacing this and is a lot cheaper but takes doing a little wiring...ie adding a capacitor. This isnt the hardest task ever but if you arent that handy with a soldering gun then you might have to purchase the new LCM.

Let us know how it goes.