The (nearly) Complete BMW E46 ZKW Headlight DIY Retrofit & Tips
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- Опубликовано: 13 окт 2024
- Time links to sections at the bottom of the description.
I spent about 40-60 hours over a 3 month period retrofitting a set of ZKW headlights with The Retrofit Source's Retro-Quik kit, and installing them on my E46 ZHP sedan that came with halogen lights from the factory.
This was one of the hardest projects I've done on my car, especially since I couldn't really find any good DIYs and TRS's product comes with almost zero instructions. I think TRS unfarily markets this product as plug-n-play with only "some trimming required." That's a vast understatement of the modifications needed to your headlights AND through own product. Overall, I think the actual products that ship are of high quality. I just wish that they would improve their directions and marketing of the product.
I made this video to do two things:
1.) Provide a real user review of TRS's product, and;
2.) Create a DIY that covers almost all aspects of any BMW E46 headlight related problems.
The only (common) thing that I don't cover in this video, is retrofitting AL headlights to a factory ZKW car. It's quite easy, and there's lots of DIYs out there, so I decided not to cover this.
Sections:
1.) 00:12 - Intro & backstory
2.) 00:53 - The Retrofit Source's Retro-Quick kit product overview
3.) 01:31 - TRS's entire installation guide
4.) 02:20 - Installation of the bracket provided in the kit
5.) 03:37 - Cutting and trimming of the OE ZKW bowl
6.) 07:24 - Reviewing the installation of the projector to the OE ZKW bowl
7.) 09:11 - Final bolting of the projectors to the bowl
8.) 09:52 - Final assembly
9.) 10:57 - Installation of Xenon bulb
10.) 14:19 - Mounting the shroud to the projector
11.) 18:31 - Rewiring ZKW wires
12.) 21:04 - Adapting bi-Xenon high beams to a halogen car (title incorrect in video)
13.) 22:56 - Concluding halogen to bi-Xenon conversion
14.) 23:57 - Vertical alignment problems
15.) 24:45 - Final results & thoughts
Here are links to what I purchased to complete this project:
The Retrofit Source Retro-Quik ZKW Repair Kit:
www.theretrofi...
Wireloom harness / electrical tape:
www.amazon.com...
Heat shrink tubing:
www.amazon.com...
20 Gage dark green wire:
www.wirebarn.c...
20 gage red wire:
www.wirebarn.c...
20 gage white wire:
www.wirebarn.c...
20 gage grey wire:
www.wirebarn.c...
18 gage brown wire:
www.wirebarn.c...
18 gage yellow wire:
www.wirebarn.c...
Alright I just finished this project and I'm drinking a beer to celebrate saving $2500 on new headlights.
I did one at a time so I would have one for reference while figuring out this project. The bulk of the time was spent figuring out the set up - seriously this took me forever. With it all figured out, the second one went MUCH faster. I essentially did what you did in the video - I cut out notches in the housing for the screws, as well as the edges of the torx bolt holes. I had to cut the top 'ears' off of the new projector. I also filed down the bracket at the bottom of the projector on both sides.
It looked like the spacers you got in your kit we much shorter than mine. Mine were way too long to fit the projector, through the housing, bracket, and then fit the nut on the back. So I ended up not using the spacers. Just bolted through the projector, housing, and bracket. I was able to get mine pretty flush with the shroud; this was a relief after much trial and error.
Epoxying the shrouds to the projector was dumb, but also easy enough. Sucks as you're going around trying to work fast (because of setting epoxy) but also not getting anything on the lens of the projector. I ended up not dealing with the high beam wiring. If that becomes a problem I'll take them back out and fix it. My halogen high beams still work.
I also replaced my the headlight lenses with the AL ones (cheaper and supposed to fit). They fit the headlight fine, but they don't look right on the car. It's odd - I thought the molding was all the same, but I guess not. If this bothers me I'll bite the bullet and buy the more expensive ZKW lenses.
Last note: the light output is great. While this project is a total pain in the ass, it's very much worth it. I cannot believe how badly my bowls were burned; they may have been the worst I'd seen when looking at other poster's photos. It should be criminal for BMW to allow such a shoddy product on the road.
Thanks again for your video here. It would have been even more difficult without it.
Glad it helped and thanks for the update. It is pretty amazing that BMW has got away with not doing a recall on these ZKW units.
The kit you got is specifically made for and E46 with bi-xenons and ZKW bowls. Like I have. I just replaced one side, and it took a while because I was learning how to do it, but there wasn't really much drilling and modifying to do. Just drilled two holes in the reflector bowl and bolted it in.
Thanks for the comment. I've talked to a few other people who have said the same. I've also talked to people who have had as much trouble as I have. I wonder if Morimoto/TRS changed their product at some point. It's also possible I have no idea what I'm doing.
I just did this modification. I had to do a ton of modifications to get the projector to sit flush to the housing. Thanks for the tutorial definitely helped!!
hey man thank you so much for this. I purchased the kit last week for my ZHP and I'm waiting for it to arrive. As i've researched more about this project, it's hard to believe how much information is out there but it all feels so incomplete. Maybe i'm overthinking it. Either way, really appreciate your effort here. I'll be referencing this video as I attempt this project in a week or so.
Since I made the video, I've seen some pictures from people who have purchased a new kit, and some of them look like TRS has updated the product...and some not. Confusing yet again. But I'd be interested to hear what you think of the kit.
@@crazzy88ss My package was delivered today and on first look it doesn't look like mine are any different than the ones you have. I'm waiting on some new lenses to be delivered since mine are faded (car has 188k miles), but I should be giving this project a shot this weekend. I'll let you know how it goes.
You could have used the OEM reflector ring without gluing it. With the addition of a semi-circular piece of sheet metal to the reflector ring as follows:
1. Get a piece of 16 gauge sheet metal.
2. Measure the circular distance from one side of the top of the lens arm, to the top of the other lens arm, add about 3/4" to the total.
3. Cut a piece of sheet metal about 3/4" wide by the length you determined.
4. Bend the metal piece in a semi-circle so it fits flush along the back edge of the reflector lens housing.
5. Trim the piece to fit as closes as possible to the same shape as the metal housing.
6. Hold the piece in position and trim the length so it overlaps the side of the housing by 1/2".
7. Secure the piece to the hosing on both sides with a small pair of needle nose vice grips.
8. Drill a 1/8" hole through both pieces and secure each side with a short pop rivet.
9. Install the reflector and mark the locations of the original 2 side retaining snaps on the sheet metal ring.
10. Cut out a notch with a dremmel for the tooth of the snap ring and install it.
In steps 3 and 6 the width/length may need to be wider, or shorter, trial and error will determine the size you need.
so i am running into some of the same issues you were running into but a little different. the previous owner retrofitted some junk all in one units. in so doing they clearly have cut a connector out of the cars wiring harness. this connector seemingly would have been the solenoid shutter control when activating high beams. There looks to be a bundle of wires that they cut and taped up. Herein lies my problem, I have no idea which of those wires would control the solenoid activation when flipping the stalk forward to activate high beams. any chance you might be able to tell me which wires you plugged into or tapped to get shutter activation?
My car was originally wired for halogens, so I'm not sure my advice will directly work for you.
I split the high beam wire to two, so when I set the high beam on or flash-to-pass, it activates both the halogen flash-to-pass and the Xenon shutter.
www.theretrofitsource.com/high-beam-splitters-A-SPLTR?quantity=1
Splitter: 9005M to 9005F / 9006F
@@crazzy88ss I got it working the way it should be working now..I traced down the bundle of wires the previous owner cut the OEM ballast connector off...using a volt meter traced down the wire that activated with the stalk pushed forward..works like a charm..no light errors etc.
Is it morimoto is better than original projector
Instead of cutting out the plastic for the 6 small screws, why no just remove one at a time, insert a small flat washer just thick enough to keep the screw from protruding the back plate, then re-install with a dab of Loctite 242.