Halos and HID's
 

I'm going to open this question up to the group since I am sure many are wondering the same thing. I see a lot of posts on HID & halos, but there doesn't seem to be a theoretical discussion on what is the best method to implement these on our cars and what one would expect to pay. I have an 2004 530i and a 2006 M Roadster which both have beautiful Xenon projector headlights and halo rings. Both are extremely sexy ... I just love the look. I need this on my ti!!!.

Let me cut to the chase. I'll pay $500 for a nice setup HID projector setup with halo rings --- maybe even a little more. What I don't want to do is spent $500 and get junk like I am sure many are getting from ebay. Rather than spew anything more about the research I have done, I would like to see what others have done. I would be greatly indebted to those who provide pictures of the upgrade, product vendors and prices that were paid. Thanks, in advance.

I can't provide pictures but ddmtuning.com has great prices, great products and great customer service. They will most likely have what you're looking for.

Thanks, DaedHead!

Just for informational purposes (for others who may stumble across this thread): For about $275 you can completely upgrade your lighting system including corner markers with stealth bulbs, and new headlight assemblies with 6k HIDs (55W ballast) and DDE Ultra HD halos. I was really prepared to spend a lot more based on what I saw with ZKW lights!

David,
go for the DEPO Projector 36 (P36), they look very close to how the newer cars look. The Halos illuminate Halogen "yellow" and you can upgrade to Xenon HID's on the lights, but the H7 bulbs that come with them work/look just fine. I have these on my car and they look really nice!...Although I got them from a vendor on ebay and not ddm, less than $200 shipped... I posted the link on the thread about "will these fit my 97 ti" on ebay listings thread.:biggrin:
I'll make it easier for you....here's the link

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/BMW-E...ht_6019wt_1360

http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/l...j/IMG_3732.jpg

http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/l...j/IMG_3094.jpg

http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/l...j/IMG_0903.jpg

http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/l...j/IMG_0904.jpg

Here are some shots of installed Depo's with CCFL (OEM) style Halos/AE's. Depo's have good quality ellipsoids, great projector lenses, and a glass front lens, unlike factory plastic...

The next step up from Depo's are euro ZKW's... Anyone got a pic of them?

These are the DEPO P36 that I posted from ebay...I Just took these Pics with my phone so quality is not the greatest...
http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/j...o/IMG_0019.jpg
http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/j...IMG_0022-1.jpg
http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/j...IMG_0024-1.jpg
http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/j...IMG_0025-1.jpg
The Box They Came In On!...
http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/j...IMG_0027-1.jpg

No offense Yoda, but I don't think your halos look good. They seem like they are lit from 6 led's. Wolfers Halos look much better to me. But Wolfer's corners....
just my $0.02

Anyone have thinlines? Post Pics!

These pictures were taken today at 11:45 am !... with my PHONE... Not a 10 Megapixel Camera...
The Halos are not CCFL or LED's, they are lit up by I think 3 Halogen Bulbs (or at least you can see 3 hot spots from where the light comes from) These are IMO the closest you can get to OEM Look of the NEW lights on 3 series. CCFL's and LED's light up BRIGHT WHITE, not Halogen "Yellow", any BMW out there with Factory Halos and Xenon Lights light up like this and not bright white halos with bright white HL. If you are looking for OEM look then these are the ones, if not then go ahead and get some other lights and install CCFL's on them.

That's what my Depos looked like when I got them on Ebay. I ended up gutting those halos and installing CCFL halos with ballasts.

Yeah, I didn't really care for the clear corners (lower 2 pics), but they came with the Depo lights... I installed them, and then took them off a month later, so they are gone now... (Maverick has them!) Currently the car has blacked out corners (top 2 pics). When I get bored with those, I have some lightly smoked corners to swap in...

I have another set of headlights (Apexcone) with the 30 led pearl necklace halos installed and 4500K HIDs waiting to go in the other car, just waiting for a slightly warmer day...

OP, You have several options for Halo's

You can go with the OEM look (Posted above by yoda). You could do CCFL, then there's 30 something LED versions and 60 something LED versions. The last 3 options are more of a true white halo, rather than the yellowish tint that OEM has.

Your options for projector housings, Bosch, Hella, ZKW, DEPO, Apexcone, Projector36 and DJAuto(If they're still around).

ZKW's are cream of the crop, OEM Manufacturer for BMW
Hella's are very hard to come, but also an OEM manfacturer
Bosch, another OEM Manufacturer

I highly recommend DEPO (4th Generation version).
As for Halo's, if you're looking for a nice bright halo during the daytime, the 60 LED halo's are your ticket.

For color temp of your HID, 6K @ 55w or 5K @ 35w will give you a white, with a hint of blue. Nothing excessive.

I'd also recommend getting Lamin-X to offer some protection against debris getting thrown against your lenses.


Some vendors to check out:

http://www.umnitza.com/index.php?cPath=450_484_26_89
NOTE: DDM has ~ 8 Day backup of orders
http://www.ddmtuning.com/headlights.html
NOTE: DDM has ~ 8 Day backup of orders
http://www.understeer.com/onlinestore-lighting.shtml

If I were to get the 60 LED AEs, what happens when one of the LEDs goes out? Is it an easy fix or would I be sending the entire assembly in under warrenty?

Hey guys I order the 55W - 8000k Apexcone HID's for my P36's, Hope they look and work as described!...:biggrin:

Alright guys...
just finished installing my Apexcone 55w 8000k HID's.... Now gotta wait for the sun to come down and see the difference....

I can tell right now the color temp is so much whiter than the H7 that came with the P36, and I thought they were pretty white in temp...:smile:

For you guys looking to have the OEM Look on your e36 compared to todays BMW's with Xenon and Angels. My set-up is DEPO P36 with Apexcone 55w 8000k HID's, here's a close up pic of how they look...BTW they are Bright as hell...:biggrin:
http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/j...o/DSCN1754.jpg
The picture was taken at 5pm, No Flash and 800 Exposure.