Headlights Question - Braymond get in here

[m3f_355gts]

These are ZKW






This is essentially the look im after, but I wanted to confirm whether there are specific xenon/HID bulbs i should get for the best look.


I am avoiding angel eyes (im over them) and just want a clean retro-90s OEM euro look, with the xenon added touch.


appreciate the info - thanks

[m3f_cblock]

if you want ZKW's with an HID retrofit like you posted above I'd follow Nathan's retrofit. They are absolutely awesome.



http://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/sh...o-ZKW-housings

[m3f_Braymond141]

Bosch >


I don't do ZKW so I can't help.

[m3f_Jim E.]

Bosch:











You will need to get the euro connector to get the rest of the lights working.

[m3f_JitteryJoe]

Bosch >



I don't do ZKW so I can't help.

Which Bosch. Do you do conversions? I'm looking for new headlights.

Thanks,

--Joe

[m3f_M_Parallel]

Bosch >



I don't do ZKW so I can't help.

You make it sound like they are inhiritely different.



What am I missing?

[m3f_fiveightandten]

These are ZKW...


This is essentially the look im after, but I wanted to confirm whether there are specific xenon/HID bulbs i should get for the best look.


I am avoiding angel eyes (im over them) and just want a clean retro-90s OEM euro look, with the xenon added touch.


appreciate the info - thanks

I'm not sure what your background information is, but it sounds like you're not aware of what you're looking at.


The pics you posted are of Jeff's car. Those lights are indeed ZKW's, but they have Acura TSX HID projectors retrofitted into the ZKW housings. The inner low beam lens is also removed. So that's the "look" that you're seeing.


His retrofit was done years before there were kits you could purchase. I did the same retrofit in my car around the same time. When we did this, we had to just make it work. There was no DIY, no kit, no instructions. I went to Home Depot and bought some sheet metal and hardware. I fabricated mounting brackets, made everything work, mounted, and aimed. He did the same.


Everyone's retrofit was a little different. Jeff removed the lens and cut the bowl apart from the ZKW. I'm not knocking his work, but if you look close in there, you can see the jagged edges of the plastic. You're seeing half of a ZKW mounting bowl and half of a TSX projector bolted to the back of it. I went a different route and removed the chromed bezel from the bowl, then remounted that around my TSX projector to cover the dirty work. See the pics below.


There is absolutely no contest between running HID bulbs in stock ZKW (or Bosch, or Depo) headlights and running real HID projectors like you see in Jeff's car and mine below. The difference is night and day. One is a small step up from the stock halogen, and the other is a completely different world of output.


There are kits for this now. I don't have any experience with them to recommend any. Doing a retrofit from scratch is a lot of work. It's not difficult to do, but it's difficult to get proper results. You have to have a high level of attention to detail to make something that looks good, is aimed properly, is reliable, and 100% functional. There's a lot of work involved.


Anyways, sorry for the bad pics, but this is all I could find quickly. I can get you better pics if you're interested:







Here's the light output of a TSX retrofit. These are my car...

more in this thread:

http://www.m3forum.net/m3forum/showp...2&postcount=21








Hope that helps.

[m3f_355gts]

I'm not sure what your background information is, but it sounds like you're not aware of what you're looking at.



The pics you posted are of Jeff's car. Those lights are indeed ZKW's, but they have Acura TSX HID projectors retrofitted into the ZKW housings. The inner low beam lens is also removed. So that's the "look" that you're seeing.



His retrofit was done years before there were kits you could purchase. I did the same retrofit in my car around the same time. When we did this, we had to just make it work. There was no DIY, no kit, no instructions. I went to Home Depot and bought some sheet metal and hardware. I fabricated mounting brackets, made everything work, mounted, and aimed. He did the same.



Everyone's retrofit was a little different. Jeff removed the lens and cut the bowl apart from the ZKW. I'm not knocking his work, but if you look close in there, you can see the jagged edges of the plastic. You're seeing half of a ZKW mounting bowl and half of a TSX projector bolted to the back of it. I went a different route and removed the chromed bezel from the bowl, then remounted that around my TSX projector to cover the dirty work. See the pics below.



There is absolutely no contest between running HID bulbs in stock ZKW (or Bosch, or Depo) headlights and running real HID projectors like you see in Jeff's car and mine below. The difference is night and day. One is a small step up from the stock halogen, and the other is a completely different world of output.



There are kits for this now. I don't have any experience with them to recommend any. Doing a retrofit from scratch is a lot of work. It's not difficult to do, but it's difficult to get proper results. You have to have a high level of attention to detail to make something that looks good, is aimed properly, is reliable, and 100% functional. There's a lot of work involved.



Anyways, sorry for the bad pics, but this is all I could find quickly. I can get you better pics if you're interested:









Here's the light output of a TSX retrofit. These are my car...

more in this thread:











Hope that helps.

this is perfect-looking.. whether its Bosch or ZKW.. very helpful indeed; didnt realize all this. I'd be interested to duplicate the look you've accomplished here.



so:



1. Get Bosch

2. remove inner low beam lense

3. which bulbs do you use? (for that setup pictured)

[m3f_355gts]

if you want ZKW's with an HID retrofit like you posted above I'd follow Nathan's retrofit. They are absolutely awesome.



http://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/sh...o-ZKW-housings

oooooo these are spot on





thank you kindly - highly appreciated

[m3f_355gts]

Bosch:











You will need to get the euro connector to get the rest of the lights working.

FFS... lots involved just to get the damn car looking as it did off the lot, in Munich back in 98?

[m3f_M_Parallel]

Yes Hella was but maybe not with upper end cars. There are lots of old OE Hella lights on ebay.de



They also make a projector ZKW style and those god awful angel eye style.

Wouldn't call an E36 an upper end car, since it was BMW's entry model.



Whatever the case, no E36 came off the line wearing Hellas. ETK confirms this.



Hella units/spare parts would be listed otherwise.



Now I haven't checked like Asian spec or whatever, maybe some markets got them. ETK should show it then. But no EU E36 came with Hella's.

[m3f_LockDots]

OEM = Original Equipment Manufacturer. Meaning only manufacturer marks are present.



OE = Original Equipment. This would have manufacturer marks and BMW stamps, plus a price hike.



Hope that clears that up. ECS is listed correctly.

I looked into it some more. The one's they're listing as "European BMW" look to be the H7 Parabolic Reflector style whereas the ones listed as "ZKW" are the H1 Projector style.



That being said, I think I'll be ordering a set of Bosch/AL/MM this weekend.

[m3f_Braymond141]

Wouldn't call an E36 an upper end car, since it was BMW's entry model.


Whatever the case, no E36 came off the line wearing Hellas. ETK confirms this.


Hella units/spare parts would be listed otherwise.


Now I haven't checked like Asian spec or whatever, maybe some markets got them. ETK should show it then. But no EU E36 came with Hella's.

Wrong again.


Within the E36 chassis, an M3 is certainly more upper end than a 316. That is what was meant. At no point in this discussion was another chassis being talked about.


I told you to go look up headlights on ebay.de. If you had, you would have seen the hundreds of current and completed listings for old OE Hella headlights off compact E36s. Even the ETK lists this, just without any branding in the description. Glass, adjusters and your favorite H7 option.


Breakdown: http://bmwfans.info/parts-catalog/E3...for_headlight/

Part 63128353543 was found on the following E36 vehicles:


3' E36, 316g, Compact, M43, MANUAL, EUR, (CH11) : Headlight

3' E36, 316i 1.6, Compact, M43, MANUAL, EUR, (CG11) : Headlight

3' E36, 316i 1.6, Compact, M43, MANUAL, EUR, (CG12) : Headlight

3' E36, 316i 1.6, Compact, M43, AUTO, EUR, (CG21) : Headlight

3' E36, 316i 1.6, Compact, M43, AUTO, EUR, (CG22) : Headlight

3' E36, 316i 1.9, Compact, M43, MANUAL, EUR, (CS11) : Headlight

3' E36, 316i 1.9, Compact, M43, MANUAL, EUR, (CS12) : Headlight

3' E36, 316i 1.9, Compact, M43, AUTO, EUR, (CS21) : Headlight

3' E36, 316i 1.9, Compact, M43, AUTO, EUR, (CS22) : Headlight

3' E36, 318tds, Compact, M41, MANUAL, EUR, (CJ51) : Headlight

3' E36, 318tds, Compact, M41, MANUAL, EUR, (CJ52) : Headlight

3' E36, 318ti, Compact, M42, MANUAL, EUR, (CG51) : Headlight

3' E36, 318ti, Compact, M42, MANUAL, EUR, (CG52) : Headlight

3' E36, 318ti, Compact, M42, AUTO, EUR, (CG61) : Headlight

3' E36, 318ti, Compact, M42, AUTO, EUR, (CG62) : Headlight

3' E36, 318ti, Compact, M44, MANUAL, EUR, (CG71) : Headlight

3' E36, 318ti, Compact, M44, MANUAL, EUR, (CG72) : Headlight

3' E36, 318ti, Compact, M44, AUTO, EUR, (CG81) : Headlight

3' E36, 318ti, Compact, M44, AUTO, EUR, (CG82) : Headlight

3' E36, 323ti, Compact, M52, MANUAL, EUR, (CG31) : Headlight

3' E36, 323ti, Compact, M52, AUTO, EUR, (CG41) : Headlight

3' E36, 323ti, Compact, M52, MANUAL, EUR, (CT31) : Headlight

3' E36, 323ti, Compact, M52, AUTO, EUR, (CT41) : Headlight

[m3f_M_Parallel]

Compact huh? Maybe, the link you posted does, funny enough, not list the brand, like it does for the other models.


I'd have to see a Compact to confirm they used Hella.

[m3f_355gts]

"E36 headlights"