ULTIMATE HEADLIGHT UPGRADE: FX-R projector retrofit in progress, with pics

eneka1 · May 12, 2009

wow looks really nice..i just might do it someday when i get the time. after having xenons on our e46 and light on the ody always seem dim..

Arnel · May 12, 2009

eneka1 said:
wow looks really nice..i just might do it someday when i get the time. after having xenons on our e46 and light on the ody always seem dim..

Thanks. And BTW, DO IT!

We had an 01 330i w/xenon, and the output was narrow with soft cutoff. The FX-R projectors (or TSX, LS430, SC430, TL, RX-AFS, S2K) are all much better than e46. You won't be disappointed.

djmdx2 · May 12, 2009

Again, great post. The shroud doesn't look that bad. Nice cutoff. I gotta do this soon.

Arnel · May 12, 2009

djmdx2 said:
The shroud doesn't look that bad.

You don't think so? I'm 50/50 on it, but I was fine with it at 12am last night when it was a cold 45 deg in the garage, and I wanted to finish

.

I just got back taking a late night cruise to admire the new cutoff. It appears in my haste, I did not get the aiming perfect...the cutoff slopes clockwise by 2-3 degrees. Looks like it's coming apart regardless, and I've got to remove all the goop I dabbed over the screws/nuts to hold them in place.

I can see why some retrofitters will charge $600-800 to do this. My e36 M3 headlights were much easier to work on.

mik911 · May 14, 2009

Very impressive work!!
That cutoff is da bomb.
You should offer a 'kit' or converted assemblies. I'd buy one.

Arnel · May 14, 2009

mik911 said:
Very impressive work!!
That cutoff is da bomb.
You should offer a 'kit' or converted assemblies. I'd buy one.

Thanks for the kind words. Funny, I was thinking the same thing. Wife just lost a great job making good $ working from home, and I need to supplement income

. I used to install alarms and remote starters on the side 15-20yrs ago for $100 profit for 2-5hrs work. Now that I've done this, I know the 2nd one will go much easier than the 6hrs it took for only 1 side. I'm thinking 4-5hrs total and it's fun to do.

The problem is after factoring in all the costs involved, and time spent, people would either not want to spend the $ for what I'd need to charge to make it worthwhile, esp after factoring in how easy it is to break a headlight while baking & separating, or drop a projector, potentially eroding any profit. I think I'll stick to my day job, and leave this to the professional retrofitters

lamw001 · May 14, 2009

Very nice write up. I just installed a set of plug and play. Even though it doesn't has lots of hot spots but the distribution is really uneven. Your post inspires me to consider this retro...again!

Nice retro!

One question if I may ask: I just noticed you are using bi-xenon projector. Does it mean you are not using your OEM high beam then? If that's the case, is it bad for flicking the high beam?

Thanks

famman · May 14, 2009

Nice writeup! The output looks nice! It certainly seems to be a lot of work. I'm glad that you got it all figured out. One side down, one more to go!

thelinux · May 14, 2009

Nice retrofit. Only if you could find a larger shroud so that you could cover all the original reflector.

Arnel · May 14, 2009

thelinux said:
Nice retrofit. Only if you could find a larger shroud so that you could cover all the original reflector.

I was thinking of stopping by Home Depot to pick up a plumbing part to do exactly that, but for some reason it doesn't bother me too much. An e46 bezel might work, but the design doesn't match as well IMO.

thelinux · May 14, 2009

Arnel said:
I was thinking of stopping by Home Depot to pick up a plumbing part to do exactly that, but for some reason it doesn't bother me too much. An e46 bezel might work, but the design doesn't match as well IMO.

So how did you cover the back of the headlight? I mean did you do anything to water proof it?

Arnel · May 15, 2009

thelinux said:
So how did you cover the back of the headlight? I mean did you do anything to water proof it?

Nothing yet, and I'm open to suggestions.

I think Ceyung mentioned his is not sealed, but if you look at Noyu's (I'm probably misspelling both usernames) retrofit pics, his are sealed. You will notice Noyu is in Canada and the harsh elements have corroded his battery. Ceyung in TX may not have this problem.

I will probably have to seal mine somehow. I've heard people mention a plumbing cap. I would have to make a hole for the AMP/D2S connector, and how would I seal it so that I can open it later to change bulbs? Again, suggestions welcome.

thelinux · May 16, 2009

I am thinking to put some rounded PVC pipe and cover it's end with infinity/nissan (already water proofed from factory) ballast. It has round rail with rubber gasket, so ti could be a perfect fit. (I am doing this on honda accord.)

So this way, I can keep both projectors and ballasts safe from water. The challenge is to make this actual pipe. The size of hole on headlight housing and round rail on ballast are different. I have to get two different sizes of pipes and join them. Also need to figure out how to cover this pipe with ballast so that I can easily remove ballast to access the bulb if I need to.)

Noypi05 · May 17, 2009

Interesting........please keep us posted.........thanks

Arnel · May 17, 2009

lamw001 said:
One question if I may ask: I just noticed you are using bi-xenon projector. Does it mean you are not using your OEM high beam then? If that's the case, is it bad for flicking the high beam?

Thanks

Sorry, I overlooked your post because it was edited after the fact.

I do not have the bi-xenon solenoids hooked up yet. I suppose I can either not use the OEM highbeam, or use both.

As for flicking the highbeam, I've read a few posts about it. The general consensus is that it will shorten lifespan of your HID ballasts and bulbs, and if not using a harness, it stresses the OEM wiring. However some OEM cars are setup to flash HID's. With the current dramatic drop in prices of HID equipment, I personally am not too concerned. Although I often use my highbeams, I don't "flash" them too much to pass. Here in the Midwest, I found it often leads to roadrage

.

BTW, if the lowbeams are already on, it won't hurt to flick the highbeams since the bulbs/ballasts are on anyway, as it's just moving the shield (though you probably know this).

And lastly, I've seen a diagram on HID planet using bosch relays so that it won't illuminate lowbeams when you flash your highbeams. Again, I'm not too concerned to go through the trouble.

Arnel · Jun 18, 2009

retrofit complete

Update:
Finally finished the other side, replaced 35w ballasts w/55w Apexcone, and wired the high beam solenoids for bixenon output. The output is amazing. In fact, in poorly lit areas (like the park I took pics in) it made it even more difficult to see areas not illuminated from my FX-R's because of the sharp cutoff and amount of brightness below the cutoff. I can see why manufacturers started making fresnel lenses to soften cutoff's and better disburse light. I prefer the very sharp cutoff though...exactly what I wanted.

Output shots (canon SD790 w/tripod, some slow shutter shots 1-3sec, 80iso)

quad high's

Arnel · Jun 18, 2009

aim looks low, but I'm climbing a hill

eneka1 · Jun 18, 2009

that looks sweet...

k23a1 · Jun 18, 2009

Nice, the way it should be done.

chiody · Jun 18, 2009

Excellent results, thanx for the pics....

ULTIMATE HEADLIGHT UPGRADE: FX-R projector retrofit in progress, with pics

eneka1

Arnel

djmdx2

Arnel

mik911

Arnel

lamw001

famman

thelinux

Arnel

thelinux

Arnel

thelinux

Noypi05

Arnel

Arnel

Arnel

eneka1

k23a1

chiody

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