LCI Lights Retrofit
03-09-2008, 09:53 AM
#1
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My Ride: BMW 545iA Black Sapphire
Model Year: 2005
Engine: 545i
This has been 10 months in the making ! since the group buy of the rear LCI taillights last summer and discovering later they would not work alone and that BMW was only releasing this as a full retrofit, I've had time to appreciate the front headlights as well and really like DRL function. Ultimately, I liked more and more the distinguished new look and settled on doing the whole shabang.
Front install: as per BMW wire diagram, cut away old plugs and connect to new ones...no sweat no problems.
EDIT: confirm front wiring HERE
Rear install: straight bridging of the old plugs and wire foward via the side inner door guards and footwell the 2 additional wires to the new LCI LM. Here make 2 pin wire swaps - no problems.
Note: we discovered later the plug & play REAR plugs from BMW are flawed as to the wire color match.
When connecting these plugs to your old, you need to confirm green to green, brown to brown...and so on...(mine had on both sides 2 pins going to the wrong color!) other than this, the plug & play is good.
LM programming: it's recommended your car has the latest CIP, Progman will want to FIRST update anything else it considers essential and only then allows you to proceed to conversion/retrofit programming. 5 hours the first try, unsuccessful and then again. The actual LM coding/programming takes like 1 min. What a procedure just to get to this stage !!
Yeah, the result is lovely, full LCI fuctionality, yes including the soft on and off when unlocking and locking...etc.
Very nice.
Front install: as per BMW wire diagram, cut away old plugs and connect to new ones...no sweat no problems.
EDIT: confirm front wiring HERE
Rear install: straight bridging of the old plugs and wire foward via the side inner door guards and footwell the 2 additional wires to the new LCI LM. Here make 2 pin wire swaps - no problems.
Note: we discovered later the plug & play REAR plugs from BMW are flawed as to the wire color match.
When connecting these plugs to your old, you need to confirm green to green, brown to brown...and so on...(mine had on both sides 2 pins going to the wrong color!) other than this, the plug & play is good.
LM programming: it's recommended your car has the latest CIP, Progman will want to FIRST update anything else it considers essential and only then allows you to proceed to conversion/retrofit programming. 5 hours the first try, unsuccessful and then again. The actual LM coding/programming takes like 1 min. What a procedure just to get to this stage !!
Yeah, the result is lovely, full LCI fuctionality, yes including the soft on and off when unlocking and locking...etc.
Very nice.
03-09-2008, 09:58 AM
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My Ride: BMW E60 530i , Silver with leather Air Con iDrive 17" Breyton Rims with Dunlop Sp Sport tyres (M-Tech Bodykit and rims WANTED)
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Toyota Celica 1.8 VVTI, Lagoon Blue, Air Con, 16" Standard alloys with Kuhmo KU31, EBC Green Stuff
Congrats Andy! 1000times better!! Will do mine later this year!
03-09-2008, 12:06 PM
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My Ride: BMW E60 520d SE Saloon M47 2.0dTitanium Grey II, Grey−Dakota Leather, Visibility Package, Media Package, Through Load System, Lumbar support − fr seats, Automatic Air Conditioning−Advanced, High beam assistant, Hi−Fi Loudspeak
Model Year: 2006
What did the entire install set you back by? Also did you need new LCMs? Where did you buy the cableset for this front because in the UK its not available anywhere yet.
03-09-2008, 12:33 PM
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My Ride: BMW 545iA Black Sapphire
Model Year: 2005
Engine: 545i
Bruce, I had the entire install done at my contact in Germany, headlights + LM also. The rear LCI lights are from the GB here.
New LM2 is a must.
The cable set is readily available over here, why the scarcity in the UK mate ?
New LM2 is a must.
The cable set is readily available over here, why the scarcity in the UK mate ?
03-09-2008, 12:38 PM
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Andy,
Your headlight wiring loom...was it the same color specs as the LCI conversion manual? About the taillight plug--you had to take out two pins and put them in the correct position?
I noticed as of 1/08--they changed "LCI Retrofit" to an "LCI Conversion" and made some changes to the typos in the TIS manuall. Why in the manual it states only for car "03/05" or later? Isn't your car built in '04?
Your headlight wiring loom...was it the same color specs as the LCI conversion manual? About the taillight plug--you had to take out two pins and put them in the correct position?
I noticed as of 1/08--they changed "LCI Retrofit" to an "LCI Conversion" and made some changes to the typos in the TIS manuall. Why in the manual it states only for car "03/05" or later? Isn't your car built in '04?
03-09-2008, 12:53 PM
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My Ride: BMW 545iA Black Sapphire
Model Year: 2005
Engine: 545i
Andy,
Your headlight wiring loom...was it the same color specs as the LCI conversion manual? About the taillight plug--you had to take out two pins and put them in the correct position?
I noticed as of 1/08--they changed "LCI Retrofit" to an "LCI Conversion" and made some changes to the typos in the TIS manuall. Why in the manual it states only for car "03/05" or later? Isn't your car built in '04?
Your headlight wiring loom...was it the same color specs as the LCI conversion manual? About the taillight plug--you had to take out two pins and put them in the correct position?
I noticed as of 1/08--they changed "LCI Retrofit" to an "LCI Conversion" and made some changes to the typos in the TIS manuall. Why in the manual it states only for car "03/05" or later? Isn't your car built in '04?
The rear, at first the rears didn't work correctly and before chucking out the LM, we made a basic check of everything. During the check for loose connections, I saw that 2 wires did not correspond to the color on the car's wire loom - very basic mistake from BMW. They must have hundreds of those kits on the market.
Correct, Progman showed "conversion" during the coding. Nothing was specified with regards to age of my car apart from the requirement for a new LM.
03-10-2008, 05:13 AM
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My Ride: Jan 2006 E63 650i Sport
.
Options:
Sport version (includes: sport-seats, sport-suspension, M-Sport steering wheel, Anthracite headliner, Shaddow Line), Saphire Black, Black Dakota Leather, Anthracite Maple Wood trim, Steptronic Auto, Xenons, NAV-Professional with Voice Control, TV, CD-Changer, Bluetooth, Logic7, Head-up Display, Comfort Access, Seat Heating front, Auto Dimming & Folding Mirrors, Extended Auto Air Conditioning, PDC.
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Mods:
Spacers 5mm front & 15mm rear
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Wheels:
20" Alpina Softline (Classic) with Dunlop Sport Maxx non-RFT (255/35/20 & 285/30/20)
I'm jealous now... you get to have the LCI light enhancements AND the pre-LCI M5 Trunk Finisher! (...sorry, had to let that moan out 
)
Good work mate, looking good
)Good work mate, looking good
