Which Xenon HID Kit for E53 facelift?

[TheHerd]

Hi guys,

I have just bought a 2006 BMW E53 30d Sport and loving it!
I've been searching the forum for recommendations on which Xenon HID kits are worth buying and installing but I'm only coming across complete headlight cluster upgrade or Xenon bulb installation threads.

Apologies if I've missed a thread so please direct me to a thread if one exists.

I am looking to install a Xenon HID Kit to my facelift X5 that currently has halogens, my questions are as follows:

Can you upgrade both the high beams and low beams? If so, is there a kit with ballast and canbus that does both?
Which kits have you guys installed and give a recommendations on?
Is there really any difference between, 6000, 8000 and 1000 globes? I've read that they progressively get more blue but is there any improvement in effectiveness too?
I'm planning to upgrading the angle eyes to white bulbs and fogs to xenon look alike too in order for them all to match, any recommendations?

Thank you all in advance.
Hopefully I can contribute in the future as I enjoy my X5.

Regards
Ryan

[X5Sport]

You will need a lamp and ballast per bulb.  Most kits do not offer a direct build swap as the lamp base is different.  You will need 'S' type bulbs for the projector headlamp and 'R' type for the high beam as it is a reflector unit.  You will need to cut the lamps about.

HIDS Direct and HIDS4U are good sources for reliable units.  Do not buy cheap bulbs as the light output can be out of position giving poor focus.  Osram 'Xenarc' bulbs have a good write up.

Standard OEM HID bulbs are 35W D2S and 55W replacements are commonly used.

You can place them in high and low beam positions (using 'S' and 'R' correctly) but bear the following in mind.  As they are arc lights they take a few seconds to warm up.  Repeated 'hot' starting as you would do on high beam will considerably reduce the overall lamp life.  It's a pain but is a fact of life due to the evaporation of the metal salts and repeated 'firing' of the igniter that 'starts' each bulb.

Standard lamps are around 5,000°K or just below.  The higher you go, the more violet the colour and the less sensitive your eyes become to the output.  Human eyesight is 'centred' on green and as you go away from that colour so you lose the ability to see.  Going much above 6,000°K is a waste of money.  The light out also falls as you go higher.  The higher temperature also increases the UV output dramatically which is fine for a sun bed but won't do the plastic lenses on the front of the lights much good in the longer term - they will go cloudy.

[TheHerd]

Thank you very much X5Sport.

Based on your input I suspect it's better to got for a 6000 HID Kit for headlights and standard halogens for the high beams. Saves money and probably more practical for the application.

Do you have any recommendations on the best suited high beam and fog halogens that'll work well with the 6000 HID Kit from HIDS Direct?

What exactly do you mean by "You will need to cut the lamps abouts."?
Does that mean some trimming around the bulbs to get them to fit into the projector housing?

[X5Sport]

Several folks on here have fitted kits and will no doubt be along to answer that query.

By trimming, yes I mean you may have to cut the bulb seat areas in order to fit HID bulbs.  They use different lamp bases to halogens.

[Horizon]

I fitted a 55w  6000k slimline ballast HID kit from HIDS Direct. They are as good as Xenons. Slight blue tinge to the light. Didn't bother with the high beam. Or fog lights,
Dipped beam ones are easy to fit, all you need is a 25 MM hole saw. Drill a hole in the back of the headlight at the side of the large access cap. Fit new bulbs/ HIDS push the wires through the 25 MM hole that go to the ballasts which fit nicely onto the.two lugs beyond the headlights.
Make sure you get the wires from the original bulb the correct what round ( brown is earth/ negative ) and away you go, easy DIY job.
I also fitted LED Angel eye bulbs too so the rings wer White also. Easy 2 min job too.
I've still got the hid kit and led Angel eyes somewhere as I thought they would fit my next Beemer, but the 3er has Xenons and different angel eyes, Typical

[TheHerd]

Thanks Horizon.

Which LED Bulbs did you buy for the Angel Eyes?

[Horizon]

It was a while ago when I bought the LED Angel eye bulbs. There loads of posts about different bulbs and wattages, but the way the E53 headlights were designed it not possible to get the side markers as bright as the LCI E70's I got some 80w ones for the 3 series and the inner ring is a lot brighter than the outer one.
The light is passed through light tubes inside the lamps, so it's not projected too well.
So in my eyes don't break the bank and go for the expensive ones, as the difference is minimal " in my eyes "
I'm sure others won't agree.
HIDS direct sell via EBay. I don't live too far from them so I just call in for my stuff when in Manchester.

[X5Sport]

I completely agree.  There is nothing that I have seen that justifies the ridiculous sums of money for what is all too frequently a product that fails to deliver what it says.  Artfully created photoshopped images in 'optimum' lighting that supposedly shows super bright angel eyes must be treated with a truckload of salty scepticism.

You will not get anything to match the E70.

[X5-D-Sport]

HIDs direct are a sure bet...

get the 55Watt kits... and ensure the colour temperatures are no higher than 6,000 kelvin.
The colour temperature above 6K just goes Blue to Purple & is Not a good light on the roads.

4.3k is the warmest HID colour & a more natural soft light...
6k is a much crisper frosty WHITE light & excellent for poorly lit roads & country lanes... as well as normal road use.

HID's Direct have a fab web site & all their items carry a 6 month warranty, which they will honour without quibbling.

the light kits are literally plug & Play.

[robsey29]

For the angel eye markers the best i have found are the mtec v3 bulbs pricey but the brightest i have found and a very good heatsink, i have them fitted to my e39 m5 and they are over 2 years old now and still going strong.

[Raj]

As others have suggested try HIDS-Direct and get their 55w slim ballast kit (4300k). It is all plug and play with no need to cut bulb holders etc. You may need to drill the back of the headlight casing to make a hole for the wiring to go through (can't remember exactly).

I've fitted the same kit to both my foglights (show use only) and swapped my standard xenon bulbs/ballasts for the same 55w kit.

[jagr]

I fitted these to my X3 for both dipped and main beam:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/361201358354? ... EBIDX%3AIT

[X5-D-Sport]

I have 3 sets of HIDs spare...
from "HID's-Direct"  they are a straight fit to the existing loom...
no wiring chopping or mods... just Plug & Play.
these have the Ballast resistors built into the loom of the power modules already, so no worries about that.
These are 55Watt units... and give an amazingly high light output.
Colour Temperature of 5000 Kelvin, which is a nice crisp white light, not the silly Blue colour.

I have a set/pair of each for Mains Dips & Fogs... H1 H4 & H7 - for X5 frontal ligjting.
£30 for each set, each with New bulbs if youre interested - ad located in the forum main page BUY/SELL.

[TheHerd]

I know it's been a while but I wanted to give you all an update on my progress so far.

Starting with the LED Markers (Angel Eyes), after reading a lot I decided to go with Horizon and X5Sport's suggestion of not spending loads of £££ on Angel Eyes.

I went with the £9.99 JAMBO Direct fit 5W High Power 6000K Diamond White Q5 LED Angel Eyes from Amazon.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00U6UWX5E?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s00

Extremely easy to install and although not terribly bright (as expected) I am happy with them so far.
Here are some photos in different light conditions so that you can gauge for yourself.

Before:


After:


One of each:


Random different light shots:








LED vs Stock:




Now let's see how long they last. If they die early I'll get a set of the more expensive recommended LEDs.

[Horizon]

They defiantly make a big difference from the yellow looking halogens.
I have a set of LED angel eyes and 55w slimline 55w HIDS removed from my E53 when I PX'd it.
I saved them incase they would fit my next BMW, but when I got the 3 series it had Xenons and the angel eyes were H8's on it too.
All boxed up, so any one who lives locally to me can have them for nowt, as we say oops Norf.