View Single Post
      12-04-2019, 02:44 PM   #4
No one
Major
1037
Rep
1,340
Posts

Drives: F21 118i
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: Undisclosed

iTrader: (0)

Quote:
Originally Posted by gtate44 View Post
Can I just ask.. why can't you swap them over for oem xenon ones? Would hella ones not work? I'm wanting to buy the actual headlight units not just replace the bulbs
Wow. It looks like you've got so much to learn to satisfy your curiosity even without getting any close to technical details! I'm sorry, I couldn't help it.

Those are totally different technologies. Everything but the mechanical aspects of fitting/fixing is different. Both electrics (different voltage...) and electronics (Bi-Xenon is the same bulbs are used for both low and high beam, the throw angle is set appropriately. Load light throw angle correction is automatic over manual, headlight washers are mandatory for Xenon in most markets.). Additional equipment like road clearance sensors (for load angle adjustment) is expected. The operating computing unit(s) must be programmed appropriately (this may be not only coding some parameter values but a different version of software to support those).

You may know not the Xenon/halogen bulbs are totally incompatible (by the way, Xenon bulbs replacement must be done by a specialist unlike halogen, see the manual ) and so are the headlight units' electrical connectors (I do presume it, unless there are universal interfaces ), but you could notice the number of lights in the headlight units (Bi-Xenon makes it one less to halogen, DRL and sidelights are one for Xenon, two for halogen, the vanity "eyebrows" Xenons have) difference. It matters, of course. (Well, in case of uniform connection interface there could be all the necessary control/conversion stuff in the headlight unit to level those differences but it does not seem to be the case. Many wanted Xenon retrofit, but who got it? Hardly anybody. At a cost below the car replacement. )

This is a briefest answer without any technical details I don't know. Yes, you can replace halogen units with the Xenon ones and no, they won't work.
Appreciate 0