E36 M3 Headlight upgrade

[alex 0]

Ok guys, so i know this has been done to death, and i know you're sick of telling people what to do in this situation but im looking for some guidance.

I want to give the m3 a more "new" sort of look possibly with those blueish/clear headlights (Xenons?), what do you guys reccommend and where would i get some ?

Thanks,

alex

[bimmer boy 21]

I dont know what you have now but some nice new european ellipsoids would be ok, and are a OEM item, or some kind of HID kit, and if your not worried there are lots of aftermarket lights on Ebay for E36's

[MADBMA 0]

are you talking about changing the entire headlight of just the bulbs? just get ya bulbs from repco, they got a big enough range with some lights costing up to $50 each, depends what you want, i got the bluish tinge lights in mine, looks nice and lights up the road quite nicely cost me $25 per bulb, but theres better ones.

[Yuen 16]

are you talking about changing the entire headlight of just the bulbs? just get ya bulbs from repco, they got a big enough range with some lights costing up to $50 each, depends what you want, i got the bluish tinge lights in mine, looks nice and lights up the road quite nicely cost me $25 per bulb, but theres better ones.

It looks nice since it's whiter, but you're losing output because any tint will decrease the amount of light transmitted through it.

alex: Not much of a choice in terms of good lighting which will look newer/nicer than your current setup. I'm assuming your car has the Bosch ellipsoid headlamps which all Euro E36s have, and they're the projector ones, not the parabolic ones? If so, that's about the best one available, it's the best headlight for the E36 and it's a big upgrade for the guys over in the USA

One option that would give you better lighting, and look new, would be the Hella HID setup for the E36. They're the only company that has manufactured a HID setup specifically for the E36. The other HID setups are either retrofits (best result would come from retrofitting Accord Euro HID projectors into ellipsoid headlamps), or HID bulbs in the normal ellipsoid (ie: Bosch) headlamps, which isn't ideal because halogen headlights were not designed for HID, and it causes glare to oncoming traffic. Also, the beam pattern and output will not be as nice as using a true HID projector.

If you're a DIY person, I'd suggest going with the Accord Euro retrofit, the next time you come across an Accord Euro at night, pay attention to its xenon headlights (assuming it got the xenon package).

Also, the Hella HID lights come with angel eyes as well, but it looks a bit weird - the rings are smaller than you'd expect. Still, they'd make your car look a bit newer. Perhaps the simplest upgrade would be to get some blue tinted bulbs, if you think white light makes your car look newer. But I wouldn't do that, you'd be compromising your safety for looks. Plus blue bulbs will NEVER match the colour and intensity/output of real xenon.

[alex 0]

Thanks Yuen, all the info is much appreciated!

Sounds like the Hella HID set up is what i'm looking for, depending on price and availability of course. I'll be looking in to it.

Also does anyone know where to get front, side and back clear indicators as my non evo does not have them, and i reckon it also makes it look more modern

Sorry for the delay in response, but i havent had the net for 2 weeks.

[MADBMA 0]

Also does anyone know where to get front, side and back clear indicators as my non evo does not have them, and i reckon it also makes it look more modern

Trademe!!

[Yuen 16]

Thanks Yuen, all the info is much appreciated!

Sounds like the Hella HID set up is what i'm looking for, depending on price and availability of course. I'll be looking in to it.

Also does anyone know where to get front, side and back clear indicators as my non evo does not have them, and i reckon it also makes it look more modern

Sorry for the delay in response, but i havent had the net for 2 weeks.

No worries Alex I just sold a complete set of clears for an E36 coupe 2 weeks ago on TradeMe. Keep your eyes peeled there though, try to get OEM ones and if you are concerned about setting off the tail light failure error, make sure you get the ones with the same number of pins as the ones you have now (this applies to the tails only). You probably have 8 pins on your M3, the ones that have 7 pins will set off an error on your OBC.

[alex 0]

Cheers guys, thanks for the help once again

[alex 0]

Hey so im looking at getting these clears, has anyone dealt with these guys before? Is it a decent price?

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Trade-Me-Motors/C...on-74080945.htm

Sorry about all the questions..

[Yuen 16]

Hey so im looking at getting these clears, has anyone dealt with these guys before? Is it a decent price?

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Trade-Me-Motors/C...on-74080945.htm

Sorry about all the questions..

In terms of quality, Depo is pretty much the best aftermarket brand you can get. They're of decent quality, many people use them because they offer quite a good price compared to genuine lights. Dnz has Depo clears I think.

I think the price is pretty fair, and they come with bulbs too. Personally, I wouldn't get these because they look a bit ricey, and cheap. I've seen them on a car in the city a few times, they don't look very good. Perhaps if you had a white E36 it would work. I'd get the Depos that look like stock clears, but that's just IMHO to each his own.

[alex 0]

In terms of quality, Depo is pretty much the best aftermarket brand you can get. They're of decent quality, many people use them because they offer quite a good price compared to genuine lights. Dnz has Depo clears I think.

I think the price is pretty fair, and they come with bulbs too. Personally, I wouldn't get these because they look a bit ricey, and cheap. I've seen them on a car in the city a few times, they don't look very good. Perhaps if you had a white E36 it would work. I'd get the Depos that look like stock clears, but that's just IMHO to each his own.

Yeah, i agree mate, i thought they were the clears, not those crystal looking ones, im trying to get the look that you were talking about.

[alex 0]

I've had another idea, sorry to be a pain and ask so many questions, but would getting the clears (Front, side, rear indicators) from a facelift e36 from a wreckers/auto dismantler work just as well?

[Yuen 16]

Do you mean OEM clear and red taillights, clear sidemarkers and clear front corners? If that's what you mean, it's going to make your car look a lot newer that's for sure. If you can, post a pic of your car, easier to see what we're working with

[alex 0]

Ok, hopefully this uploads properly.

I'm even considering some of these for the car, they look really nice, just trying to picture them on the car.

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Trade-Me-Motors/C...on-75999945.htm

Edited November 2, 2006 by alex

[E30stz 0]

Its actually highly illegal to stick aftermarket rice on an M3. Well.. if you put something on that doesnt look stock, people are going to second guess it being genuine. That colour would look mint with clears, have you tried ringing up bmw?

[alex 0]

Its actually highly illegal to stick aftermarket rice on an M3. Well.. if you put something on that doesnt look stock, people are going to second guess it being genuine. That colour would look mint with clears, have you tried ringing up bmw?

I know andy but my intentions are good, i just want what looks best for the m3. Thus why i havent purchased these straight away and im asking for opinions

[E30stz 0]

I've seen these on one of hte aussie guys car and they dont look half bad. Never seen them in NZ and arent on trademe.. maybe worth having a go. His car was black though so may not blend in so well with the blue

here

Edited November 3, 2006 by E30stz

[alex 0]

Aren't they these ones?

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Trade-Me-Motors/C...on-75999945.htm

The same ones i just posted up?

[E30stz 0]

right you are

*hangs head in shame*

[alex 0]

heinous rice

Not if it looks good mate..

[Yuen 16]

I would never go with that sort of headlights especially if I had an M3. Quite sure light pattern will be inferior to the Boschs. And fitment as well. Not to mention build quality.

Alex, the car looks mint, I see what you mean by the car being outdated. The solution would be to get OEM euro clears, if you were to buy them new from the dealer they would cost around $600+. Get clears, the car will look cleaner by lots. Then if you want to take it a step further, smoke them. I have smoked corners and tails on my car now, it adds to the look. On your car it should look damn good. Stealthy and aggressive. That's Avus Blue right?

And for what it's worth, if you still think your Bosch headlights are outdated, it's just because they're dirty. The glass doesn't shine as much as those TradeMe ones. Easy remedy, give them a clean. It will make them look brand new again, and it will sure as hell look better than those aftermarket one piece lights. Stick with factory. Here's how to clean them:

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showt...osch+ellipsoids

[alex 0]

I would never go with that sort of headlights especially if I had an M3. Quite sure light pattern will be inferior to the Boschs. And fitment as well. Not to mention build quality.

Alex, the car looks mint, I see what you mean by the car being outdated. The solution would be to get OEM euro clears, if you were to buy them new from the dealer they would cost around $600+. Get clears, the car will look cleaner by lots. Then if you want to take it a step further, smoke them. I have smoked corners and tails on my car now, it adds to the look. On your car it should look damn good. Stealthy and aggressive. That's Avus Blue right?

And for what it's worth, if you still think your Bosch headlights are outdated, it's just because they're dirty. The glass doesn't shine as much as those TradeMe ones. Easy remedy, give them a clean. It will make them look brand new again, and it will sure as hell look better than those aftermarket one piece lights. Stick with factory. Here's how to clean them:

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showt...osch+ellipsoids

Thanks yuen, you've been a really great help, i'll go to the dealers and sort out some parts, cause the last thing i want is tacky.. i just thought that they may look good.. And thanks for the page on cleaning.. they really do need a clean

EDIT: Yes it is Avus Blue

Edited November 5, 2006 by alex

[Yuen 16]

Thanks yuen, you've been a really great help, i'll go to the dealers and sort out some parts, cause the last thing i want is tacky.. i just thought that they may look good.. And thanks for the page on cleaning.. they really do need a clean

EDIT: Yes it is Avus Blue

No worries man... just keeping the M3s looking good Let us know how it goes!