FCP Now Selling Euro Headlights

[95airmax]

Count me in for a set of these when they're available.

[SpaghettiM3]

I can vouch for Brett's harness, have them on my euro lights. Takes 5 seconds to install both.

[JitteryJoe]

I have a pair of these in my car. Work great and very well made.

[Bimma360]

I have the nipple glass Depos, with a HID retrofit from the hid retrofit source. Light output is fantastic and I wouldn't go to any other type of headlight, unless I could carry over my retrofit parts. With that said I am super curious if I could buy these H7's, and swap over my HID retrofit kit (probably with some modification) along with the Depo lens I had a glass shop cut a hole in for the projector.

The retrofit parts I am sure I could make happen... where there is a will there is a way. But not sure of the lens is the same size.

[MParallel]

Why would you the H7 units then? For the outer housing?

[Bimma360]

Yup. Just for the better build quality overall, and beam adjustment. And b/c it looks like they are half the price of the H1's too. My DEPOs were complete crap to adjust. I got them dialed in where they should be, but still. As you know, the HID retrofit uses completely different projectors, so as far as I am concerned it doesn't matter if the base units are H7's or H1's, the low beams are going to get completely ripped out. And since I already have the modified ellipsoid headlight lenses, there really isn't anything else needed. Its just a matter if I can make it work in the H7 units.

[Westopher]

Hmmm. You have my attention. I would love to swap over to OEM housings and outer lenses and keep my drilled inners and HID projector retrofit.

[MParallel]

Just wondering, do you guys drive a lot in the dark? Or maybe I should ask, need better than what the original lights put out?

I know light technology has come a long way, specially now with those LED/Laser/Matrix units that have more tech inside than all my cars combined, but driving in the dark myself, I don’t feel like driving blind i.e. I’d prefer to keep my lights 100% factory.

[Bimma360]

For me personally, its b/c I want to and I can type of thing. I've always been an OEM+ kind of guy, and if something can be improved from factory I don't shy away from doing it. Even the US spec plastic lights were fine at night, and I drove on them daily for many years. But the HIDs are 10 fold better in light output, look a lot better, and the car still looks OEM. For me there are no drawbacks, so why not.

[sirhodjibob]

Does anyone know if these Bosch H7s clear the Dinan intake?

[MParallel]

For me personally, its b/c I want to and I can type of thing. I've always been an OEM+ kind of guy, and if something can be improved from factory I don't shy away from doing it. Even the US spec plastic lights were fine at night, and I drove on them daily for many years. But the HIDs are 10 fold better in light output, look a lot better, and the car still looks OEM. For me there are no drawbacks, so why not.

Fair points. I've been doing the OEM+ thing since 2006. But I always have a reasoning what I find acceptable and what must stay 100% factory. Which admittingly, is complete irrational. But I know it instantly. Example: I'm perfectly fine with my 2006+ interior mirror upgrade, which adds a useless, yet cool digital compass and the flat led at the bottom of the housing is a nice feature, as I can now tell from 100 yards away if the car is locked. The factory led in front of the gearstick does not allow this and you have to walk back to the car.

With the headlight, I did a HID conversion on my 328 with ZKW H1 units. It was trendy then and I thougjht it was cool back then, but I didn't find the actual light output to be any better. And as these units were never designed for HID bulbs, it comes as no surprise. And while I neatly had the ballasts placed out of sight (I hate when people just stick them to the strut towers) I still had the extra wiring come out of the units. It also messed up the check control function, which I didn't like either. Something must have fried, as I returned to stock H1 bulbs, but check control still throws an error.

Looks wise, don't know, I kinda like both. Maybe if you could have a modern day LED/Laser/Matrix type of internals stuck into the factory houdsing, using the factory harness, I would consider it.

[cypher448]

Does anyone know if these Bosch H7s clear the Dinan intake?

I think some modification is required. I’m curios too because I just bought H7s and have a Dinan carbon fiber intake

https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/s...there-any-hope

[Bimma360]

Fair points. I've been doing the OEM+ thing since 2006. But I always have a reasoning what I find acceptable and what must stay 100% factory. Which admittingly, is complete irrational. But I know it instantly. Example: I'm perfectly fine with my 2006+ interior mirror upgrade, which adds a useless, yet cool digital compass and the flat led at the bottom of the housing is a nice feature, as I can now tell from 100 yards away if the car is locked. The factory led in front of the gearstick does not allow this and you have to walk back to the car.

With the headlight, I did a HID conversion on my 328 with ZKW H1 units. It was trendy then and I thougjht it was cool back then, but I didn't find the actual light output to be any better. And as these units were never designed for HID bulbs, it comes as no surprise. And while I neatly had the ballasts placed out of sight (I hate when people just stick them to the strut towers) I still had the extra wiring come out of the units. It also messed up the check control function, which I didn't like either. Something must have fried, as I returned to stock H1 bulbs, but check control still throws an error.

Looks wise, don't know, I kinda like both. Maybe if you could have a modern day LED/Laser/Matrix type of internals stuck into the factory houdsing, using the factory harness, I would consider it.

Yeah we all have our preferences. My interpretation of OEM+ might not even be as OEM'y as others haha. Did you just install the HID bulbs in the H1 projectors, or did you do a full retrofit using actual HID projectors and DS2 bulbs, etc.? The light output at least in my experience is not comparable to stock. I screwed my ballasts to the inside of the bumper, so they are out of sight. Also the wiring harness you can purchase along with the retrofit parts, look OEM enough too. I'd snap you a pic, but my hood release cable is broken, and that's now my latest project haha.

[MParallel]

Just stuck in the H1 bulb. I knew this was anything but ideal, but full proper projector builds were not a thing back then and I had no intentions to pioneer it.

I also had the ballasts inside the bumper.

[TodoRojo]

Fair points. I've been doing the OEM+ thing since 2006. But I always have a reasoning what I find acceptable and what must stay 100% factory. Which admittingly, is complete irrational. But I know it instantly. Example: I'm perfectly fine with my 2006+ interior mirror upgrade, which adds a useless, yet cool digital compass and the flat led at the bottom of the housing is a nice feature, as I can now tell from 100 yards away if the car is locked. The factory led in front of the gearstick does not allow this and you have to walk back to the car.

With the headlight, I did a HID conversion on my 328 with ZKW H1 units. It was trendy then and I thougjht it was cool back then, but I didn't find the actual light output to be any better. And as these units were never designed for HID bulbs, it comes as no surprise. And while I neatly had the ballasts placed out of sight (I hate when people just stick them to the strut towers) I still had the extra wiring come out of the units. It also messed up the check control function, which I didn't like either. Something must have fried, as I returned to stock H1 bulbs, but check control still throws an error.

Looks wise, don't know, I kinda like both. Maybe if you could have a modern day LED/Laser/Matrix type of internals stuck into the factory houdsing, using the factory harness, I would consider it.

Brett has a diy for exactly this. I’m going to be attempting it with the 2.0 version of the LEDs in a month or two.