I have a 2001 BMW 530i and the driver side halos (big one) comes on when I turn the switch to the middle but then when I turn it all the way for the headlights it does not work. The passenger side works just fine. Does anyone know how the halos are powered? Just looking for some help before I have to buy a whole a unit. Thanks for any insight.
Yes, they have a single bulb per side. They're easily accessible at the headlight unit.. take one out and leave it wired.. try your lights again and see if it dims.
You can get LED upgrades that will be brighter (they just replace your old bulbs) and you can then select different tints to match your HID's. I just installed CCFL's on my 2000 540iA Sport and am very happy with the results. I'll be reinstalling them in front of the glass lenses since someone on BF.c showed me how much cleaner they look. It seems that the ribbed lenses cause a bit of distortion to the AE... Added "race mesh" (OSH black vinyl gutter guard to be exact) to cover up all the fugliness behind the kidney grill. I can't stand seeing the aux fan and it's nasty "grill". Whaddya think?
I love the idea of putting the mesh behind the grill. The aux fan really shows on sunny days. I've noticed this in 740s as well, but instead of the fan you see two support bars instead. I might give this a shot this weekend. How difficult was it? Any tips?
Very easy job...get the black poly Gutter Guard from your local OSH or Home Depot (I started with aluminum but it was too obvious so I switched to black poly cause it's really cheap) and some clear temp resistant RTV silicone adhesive (gasket maker works fine). You should remove your grills (much easier to fit for install but be careful about breaking all the clips), overlay a precut piece of mesh over the back of the grill housing and trim with sharp scissors. I cut mine as close to the edge as possible so the pieces practically fall into place (not too loose though as you want a bit of resistance to hold the piece without adhesive). Then use the adhesive on the back of the slats (sparingly on four or more) and then simply slide the mesh into place being careful to align it properly before pressing it into place. Ta da...you now have a much nicer looking grill. BTW, I also did the lower bumper's gaping hole as well and it looks fantastic too! The great thing about doing this is that the Gutter Guard mesh is so abundant and inexpensive, if you have problems, you can just do it again! Let me know how yours turns out...
Looks awsome!!! Did you replace the whole light assembly? Is there a kit for the cat eyes? I have a 2000 528i and would love to change to what you have. Please let me know how to go about doing this. Thanks, LOS
Thanks... If you are referring to my setup...thanks! I just replaced the clear plastic housing that covers the front of the headlight assembly with DEPO covers w/clear corners for about $100 and I added the CCFL AE's from eBay later for $55 + $10 shipping (then everyone started selling them for $50 incl. shipping). All-in-all, a pretty easy DIY IMO so you can make it happen. The main thing you'll notice is that your bimmer looks newer and that's a good thing for very little time and money IMO. As I stated earlier, I'm gonna relocate the AE's to the front of the glass to eliminate the distortion from the ribbing on the lenses. I ended up hardwiring my radar detector instead cause I've been needing to do that...it's awesome. The AE's still look really good even though they're behind the lenses for now but I will definitely be moving them soon. Feel free to pm me or post here if you need more help...GL.
