Anyone delt with HIDworld?

[red89mx 0]

Hi All

Had one of the E46 330's low beam HID's fail on me today.

Pottered into Repco and the Navara HID 35w D2S bulbs were $240 each...not a pair (Philips $700 each). I walked out and decided to do some research b4 ponying up .

Quick research on net suggest doing both bulbs at once as colour changes with use and if one replaced then would look strange.

I want the best light for driving , dont care re the colour "look" so want to stick close to OEM spec 4300k or therabouts.

Looks like a pair of replacement bulbs can be got from HIDworld.com for $50 USD with free freight? Has anyone used these guys before? At approx $75 NZD it is not too much of a risk.

Who else is recomended? - happy to buy in NZ....not happy with $500 though.

Cheers

Alan

[elmarco 56]

Yes, replace both at the same time if you can. I would try your local auto electrician, Transport Wholesale or BNT as well. And make sure that whatever you get has E markings on them.

[red89mx 0]

E markings?

Out of curiosity fired the lights up this evening and both were working fine again.

Had the lamp out warning a few weeks ago as well but after checking latter in the day everything was working ok again.

Want to be able to rely on the lighting - so will investigate a permanent solution.

When checking the lights noticed the plastic "Lens"? of the lights showed a little cracking (seemed internal) and minor discolouration (from the heat?). Would be good to replace these units as well - are they available or do you need to mortgage a Kidney.

[elmarco 56]

E markings are certification markings. Normally an E with a number (like (E4)) in a circle - this will be moulded into or laser marked onto the base, and shows the item meets the legal requirements (the number designates the country that has certified them - 1 being Germany, 4 Netherlands, 17 Finland etc). Your headlamps will have them on either the lens or the housing, as will tyres, exhausts, brakes, seatbelts, airbags and other safety or legally mandated systems.

If the lights are working now, it might not be the burner itself - it could be a ballast, computer, faulty of loose lead (they operate in the region of 20,000 volts at startup) or even a low battery (although you would probably have trouble starting it if this was the case)... Might be time to seek an expert opinion before shelling out mucho dinero.

As for the lens cracks, they sound more like chemical attack to me - there shouldn't be enough heat in a 35W HID burner to damage them. Polycarbonate is extremely sensitive to chemicals and also yellows with UV exposure (HID emits very high levels of UV, as do crappy halogen bulbs - another good reason to get quality bulbs). Normally there is a clear coating on the lens to protect them, but if someone has used harsh chemicals trying to remove bugs or tar etc you may have a problem. If I remember correctly, these lamps are glued together - so changing them will be a pain in the arse. Might be worth trying Ray (HellBM) or Brent (Hartage535i or similar) to see if they have any spares. And yes, you may have to mortgage a kidney depending on what's wrong (which is why they are still a high priced OEM option after 15 or so years in the market and not standard equipment).

[hybrid 1039]

A dead HID bulb will show itself as slow flicker on start up a few weeks before it will totally die. This is a sure fire sign to get your order in from the states before it totally dies. I use DS2 @ 8000k. I got em for about 220 landed from the states.

Also, unplug and plug all your connections after the balast as the connections can get 'crusty'

I have it happen time to time.

[red89mx 0]

Ta Hybrid

Going into JK southern in the morning to sort out the oil light. Grabbed some DS2 4300 from HID world....but may need to go for better units. At $75 NZD not really botherd.

Who did you get your HIDs from?

[hybrid 1039]

Who did you get your HIDs from?

http://www.jlevistreetwerks.com/

[red89mx 0]

Ta

See they are comparable to HIWorld at $45 USD (not sure what the freight is).

Just need to get the front covers and gassgets and checked at Jonnos and need doing. The 2001 models seem to be replaceable and not baked on.

[jojowx 0]

you could always have a go at this guy http://www.cjs-power.com/ they specialise in HID's in Auckland. Pretty cheap too. if you dont want to wait from the US.

Edited July 16, 2010 by TW bear driving BMW

[red89mx 0]

Ta TW - bulbs arrived today seem to be typical kamakoosa packaging so will see how they go. Will not be too worried as long as they do not cause other issues.

Main prob now is sourcing the headlight lenses/covers (my model has replaceable lenses).

Pelican parts have 2 different Plastic lense covers for HID and non HID (plus another for ZKW's), Bavauto have 1 plastic cover that they confirmed with BMW (USA) fits both HID/Xenon and halogen).

Part number from my searching via realOEM.com is 63 12 8 380 189 (last 7 digits of my cars serial is FJ77303 - makes it a November model).

The lady from BMW parts in NZ said there unit was glass - although looking at parts catelogues the term "Glass" may be used in a generic manner rather than as a a specific compound.

My existing lenses are Bosch (plastic I am sure) and show signs of damage in the front of the HID bulbs......may just be age. I think I am willing to pay a premium for glass over plastic so may go for the NZ sourced covers as the options ofshore are a little confusing.

[elmarco 56]

You need the correct ones for HID headlamps as the UV produced by the burners can damage normal PC. I wouldn't think there was a glass version - the whole industry had shifted towards polycarbonate lenses at that point (much simpler manufacturing, less expensive). However, the projector lens may be glass (which might be what she was referring to).

Must admit I am surprised that the lens covers are replaceable - I am pretty sure mine are glued on (and this is standard with modern headlamps).

[red89mx 0]

The Coupes and post facelift 2003 were glued on I think.