MINI Cooper Torchstar LED High Beam / DRL Conversion Review/Install
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- Опубликовано: 18 фев 2015
- Tired of yellow daytime running lights? Step by step mechanic's eye view of installing an LED/DRL high beam kit on a first generation 2002-2006 MINI Cooper S.
Buy the LED headlight kit here:
amzn.to/1GHhuZ8 or amzn.to/1Gadf4R - be sure to select appropriate type for your vehicle (H7 for 1st gen MINI high beam)
Color temperature: 6000K
Watch the lights in action here:
• Torchstar LED Highbeam...
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Thanks for the review and sharing your legwork! Added to my wishlist!
aaaaannnnddddd purchased. only 14 left. wonder how quick they will go. thanks mod mini! seeing someone else do it first gives me a ton more confidence in doing it as well. i should be doing a pulley swap sometime in the next week or so (16% WMW kit). wouldn't even try it without your vid.
chaunster Good luck with the pulley swap!
thanks for your informative videos, I've been thinking of upgrading my headlight bulbs with h7 led bulbs, wasn't sure about clearance but you've just proved it can be made to fit. thanks.
+scotsiain1970 Thanks, and thank you for your support!
how do you feel bout the solid crank pulleys
how do you feel bout the solid crank pulleys
Nice.Lots brighter.
Cool...thanks for the vid. Puttin them on my shopping list. I don't like the yellow dlr's either.
Hey that's great!...I was just looking at my lamps and thinking I'd like a cooler daytime / high beam lamp over the stock warm one....hadn't considered looking at LED's
IslandJCW Hey. I tried a fancy Sylvania bulb, it was a bit whiter in high beam mode but made no difference during daytime running light mode. And I'm pretty sure a Xenon kit won't work in DRL mode.
I LOVE your videos - so informative and easy to follow. I actually used your walkthrough on my non-S R52 clutch replacement. What a lifesaver! I plan on doing this as well, but my headlights have some other issues. The auto leveling carriage on the passenger side keeps coming off the balljoint inside the housing. Also, the side to side and (most importantly) the height adjusters don't have any effect on the headlight aim when turning them. I would like to tear these apart and at least try to fix them before replacing them with a cheap chinese facsimile of our headlights. Have you ever thought of doing some internal headlight work? Did you paint your lights red inside or were they done that way when you got them?
Thanks to you, I change oil, fuel filter , spark plugs, engine support metal and alternator
awesome mod!
Todd Pettit - I can't respond to your comment directly, but yes, they are a direct bolt on part, no modification or coding required. Be careful not to break the headlight washer clips. They are very easy to break. Tail light replacement with LED - that would be a custom mod and it will work fine, but you will need LED ballast resistor to avoid hyper flashing. Don't get cheap LEDs, they are dimmer and not safe.
I know it's been a while for this video, but do you have a recommendation for the low beam? My wife's 03 is having issues where the lights will come on and then one will go off at some random point later. Turn them off/on and it comes back but it's not safe. Is there a good reliable upgrade/replacement to make sure the lights always work? I'm not sure if it's in the light or some other part of the circuit and don't want to spend a bunch of $$ to replace something that isn't the problem.
Thanks for all the good info and quality vids.
Great video. Question: you don’t get any errors by using LED for the high beam? Does the led must have that ballast to not get the error?
How do you activate/turn on the Day Time Running Lights?? 2005 Mini
THANKS !!
+Mod Mini, great video and spot on set of instructions! Was just wondering if you knew the bulb sizes for the ‘05/‘06 minus that come with standard projector headlights? Any info would be appreciated as I’m struggling to find the info online.
I don't know, just take one out and look at the bulb. It will say on the bulb. H7 or H9 or H11 or something like that.
Just ordered these for my car.
How long have you had these on now? Any issues?
BTW do you know how to adjust the head lights on this car? I find on my passenger side my Highbeam/day time running lights is pointing a bit down compared to the other side, but my lowbeam HID is fine and level on both sides. Is there a separate adjustment for each or are they both linked?
You need to have xenon Light r53 for this installation or not ?
I have a 2003 mini cooper S pre-facelift. Is it possible to replace the lights with the post facelift lights. Also is it possible to replace the tail lights with LEDS?
I did that, very easy to swap and you can actually see where you're going after👍
hey i have a 2005 mini cooper s R53 which ones should i buy?
What head lights are those with the red that’s 🔥 plz send link
Nice, but why not Xenon kit?
Did y alligned the lights or just threw new balbs on?
I just bought H7P50TB's thinking they were headlamp bulbs as they appear to be referred to in many videos and when I ordered them from Rock Auto. Are they not fog lamp bulbs? I thought they were to cheap to be true at $8 each. I was after the more expensive headlamps. Fog lights work and do the brights so can you tell me then which ones a guy needs for low beams. Thanks
How do you get the DLR mode activated? I'm n the UK and when I asked locally about coding it in I was told it wasn't possible. Also got a facelift
In a comment below, you mention below about LEDs for replacement on front parking lights. I replaced mine recently with LEDs recently and really like the bright white look. I have a 2005 R52 and when I first power up the car, I get a series of blink blink blink blink from the new lights. When I turn off the car, there is a slight glow from the bulb on the passenger side. After a while, the glow subsides and it goes out. Any thoughts on something like this? Thanks so much for an awesomely helpful channel!!
+Sam Sladen Sounds like you need to install a load resistor. It should pull down current that is causing the flicker.
I just got my first mini R53 and Love watching your videos to learn more about working on these cars. I just did the same LED upgrade to my High beams. But the LED flickers for a couple of second at car starts up and then it will turn off. Is that normal?
i have the same on other LED bulbs in my '04 R52. This is (as far as i know) because of the electronics checking if the lights are OK, For led this results in flickering due to the low power needed to turn them on....
I have the union jack custom tail lights (LED) and LED front lights in the bumper, and these flicker when i start the car a couple of times....
This is the reason i am not upgrading to LED high beams....
For the rear lights and fronts it is not a big problem, but high beams, no i dont want these to flicker each time i turn on the car :)
Hi... how do you search for those leds.. cant find them.. any specific name? To fit mini
I live in the Coeur d Alene area and have some questions about our Mini's (2002 and 2003 both S). Would you consider exchanging e-mails? or someother method to keep it private. Thanks, Bruce
Hello is the h7 for both low and high beam?
Do they do this kit for the r56 2007
I just bought these projector headlights. I hope the installation is pretty easy. Still confused on how the projector itself works. How did you color your projector red? It looks so good. I would love to do mine white to match my color scheme
The projector part is the HID xenon lamps that came with the car. I took the headlights apart and painted those parts.
I'm not a mechanic , but I like your work and want to learn
Exacty my experience with LED's... they are brighter to look at but... they don't throw as much light..
Mod Mini, where do I buy these?
Can you fit a the complete headlight from a. 2005. To. 2004 the plug looks the same
many thanks mini mod , you could recommend a scanner I am from the city of México
I ordered this LED High Beam / DRL Conversion from Torchstar. They told me it was discontinued and wanted to know if I would like the first generation of this model. I agreed not knowing till they showed up that they had long wire mesh tails on them for cooling. There is no way to get all that into housing and if you leave off dust cove wire mesh tails will be smashed into the inner fender when hood/bonnet is closed. These wire mesh cooling tails get pretty hot and I wouldn't want them pressed up against my plastic inner fender.
Barry Benson Torchstar is telling me the same thing. Thanks for the info. I will tell them to cancel my order. The installation is pretty clean here; if I can't have that, I don't want the new style with the braided heat sink.
Do you still need the stock ballast if you use this kit? I couldn't tell exactly where you were plugging it in, before or after the stock ballast.
I am replacing the high beam bulb, which is a standard halogen bulb that doesn't use a ballast. I don't touch the low beam xenon with ballast.
Watched video, well, just like I do all of your vids, placed order and just installed today. I couldn't stand the yellow DRL look, now they are nice and cool and are quite close to the color of the xenon! Thanks for posting this up MM. Worth every penny of the $96 they cost me (paid for Priority shipping lol) 10 min install including the dust covers fitting which would have been a deal breaker for me. Don't hesitate, if you hate the warm DRL's in your MINI, pull the trigger, you won't be disappointed! BTW, *****, just out of curiosity, did you hook up the red to the white or the brown? I installed it Red/Brown and Black/White as most times white is the neutral.
Joe McClure Thanks for the 'review comments' - I think I hooked the same as you, but I suspect they can be plugged in either way and there is a rectifier circuit inside the ballast to correct polarity.
I figured as much, just thought it might be good info for others who may question it as well. Keep the great videos coming *****!
Hello Mod Mini,
I am hopefully picking up a GP1 shortly, and they all come with halogen headlamps. I currently have a 2005 R53 with the OEM xenon lamps. Do you have any experience upgrading the OEM halogen lamps for improved light output when not using the high beams? I am very afraid the OEM halogens are going to be terrible in comparison to the xenon lamps.
Thanks for you thoughts and great videos.
+TheManPedal I've only installed these on the high beam position.
Do you have a suggestion for parking light bulbs to match the color of the headlights?
Any decent quality white LED 9006 bulb would work?
***** That seems to be the fog light bulb? I'm talking about the bulb that's separate from the turn signal.
MJO23DAN
Sorry, I meant 194. These should be bright enough: amzn.to/1whC4vt
love the channnel love the work. how did you joey mod the headlights ? Do you have a video on the process?
I'm going to give these a try when they are back in stock. I have watched many of your videos. I have a 2002 mini cooper r50. I have a question that is not related to the headlights. Yours are some of the most detailed and informative videos, so I thought I'd ask you for your thoughts.
I am trying to do a front bumper cover swap from the 2002 euro style (large license plate) to the type S model front bumper cover. Everything swaps perfectly, however, it does not fit flush. The fog lights seem to be the only thing in the way/. The fog light housing seems to have a couple of settings/ slots, but the other slots would need to be drilled out. Are you familiar with any of this? I cannot find anyone at any of the mini shops who knows. I'm just trying to avoid completely removing my fog lights, or going through the drilling out and resetting process if there is something else causing the issue. I'm pretty sure I do not need to swap the metal bumper itself. I'm a local washington state resident. Cheers
You have to adjust where the foglight are mounted on the radiator core support. There should be a second position if you study it. If not, it's possible that the second position does not exist on an R50 core support.
thanks for the video I have fews questions 1-for my mini 2006 R52 that H7 for the high beam? How about he low beam? 2-what approx. high beam & low beam Watt for headlight?
Low beam is Xenon. I don't know how many watts.
I want to install his on my 2003 mini s. In your video u have two links. One has the lights you show in your video and the other link has the lights by its self. I just want to do the low beams. What light type and which link do I use.
Thank you
Victor.
Victor Colon I don't know if this would be the best mod for low beam position. You may blind oncoming traffic. I'm not sure but I think low beam position for a non-Xenon R50/R53 is an H7 bulb. Just pull out one of your current bulbs to confirm, it will say something like "H7" or "H11" on the base.
how did you get the xenon cover colored and the chrome ring from the light?
Google "Joey Mod" - bake the headlight in oven until sealant gets soft. Pry apart, paint and then put back in oven to soften sealant and reassemble. This does not work with 2002-2004 headlights - the glue is harder than the plastic on those ones. Works fine on the later projection style headlights.
Hi my passenger headlight is dropped all way down, reflecting only few metres in front of the car. Do I need to change whole unit or is it only leveler sensor or something else? It's 2005 cooper s convertible. Your channel is very usefull I have done lot of things myself and saved lot of money. Thank you for all!
Lukas Balazovjech Just one of two headlights? Never seen that before. Broken or incorrectly calibrated adjustment bolt? Bad leveling mechanism? Something broken or loose inside headlight? If both headlights are low, it the headlight leveling sensor wiring connection (on left front control arm) might have come loose.
***** Yes nearside headlight only, sorted this today. I watched headlights when they switching on and off, there was some movement but looked like something is holding lens... I took whole headlight off the car and from inside I discovered lens is off the ball joint on the end of the adjustment bolt. Pushed it back to place and it's all working now. Will try to set up after dark against wall or something... Thanks for help anyway!
Lukas Balazovjech Good to know. I'll remember that.
Hello from Scotland,
Will this kit work on a copper s r53 that just has the regular bog standard headlights i.e non xenon
We have a 2008 cooper s convertible (sidewalk) and we hate the current headlights
Regards, Robert
+Robert Mcnaught If they are H7 bulbs, they should work.
Are these lights plug and play or do you have to splice in to the headlight harness?
They just plug right in. Super clean install.
I have an 2007 mini r52 convertible it has the xenon housing. But i don't have the drl setting in my high beem bulb. How do i set them up to have drl ?
Have the dealer configure it for you, or use NCSExpert or SSS (BMW/MINI dealer software) these can be found online - like pulling teeth to configure and figure out how to use)
Do u have any advice my 04 mini s after I replaced the brakes an rotors the signal lights stopped working an on the flashers only the right front flashers blinks but not when I turn on the signal light an they all turn on but none of them blink or have power to the blinker bulb.
Probably unrelated. Check ground wires and perform a diagnostic scan with a whole car scanner.
What you say about these for example? PHILIPS D2RCV ? $75 CAD
I have a 2006 R53. The manual calls for H9, but the links you provided only say H7. Will H7 work for my needs, despite the book saying I need H9? I know the whole wattage hierarchy kind of gets turned on its head when you throw LED's into the mix.
+CarverGeeker You need to use the right form factor bulb for your application. Try this one maybe? amzn.to/1TmLcZj
Thanks. You're once again an invaluable resource among the MINI community. :-)
Hi I just bought a mini copper hot chili s 2006, I went in a ugly road and my both leds stopes working, when I turn them on it sound like tsssss and the inferior lights don't turn on, just the inferior lights, what do you think that can be the problem?
Blown fuse or burned wire...
The kit u posted in description is different than the one you put on the car.
Antonio Principe It looks like they are either sold out or no longer offering the H7 kit. Maybe check back in a couple weeks?
Ok, thank u. BTW awesome channel. It's very helpful.
Does it work for 2006 mini without xenon light?
Uknowlovely If it is H7 bulb type, I think it will. Amazon is pretty generous about returns if it doesn't fit - you just pay return shipping.
I have a 2005 Mini Cooper Convertible and there are no DRL's at all. My understanding is that this is a computer setting but I don't want to go to the dealer (unlike the '07 and higher Cooper these settings aren't available with menu buttons or anything). Are there any aftermarket OBDII tools available for me to make this change?
wrxnofx It's a computer setting. If you are handy with computers, you can get a D-CAN cable and make this configuration change using a tool called NCSExpert or a dealer based tool called SSS. It's fairly complicated how to configure and use the tool. if DRL is the only setting you want and your time is valuable, it might be cheaper to pay the dealer to do it.
will these for the base models as well?
sorry, not sure.
Is this a Spec-D housing? does it come with the red projector lens bezel, or was it added? who makes the bezel?
Are you referring to the headlights themselves? They are 2005-2006 OEM projector Xenon headlights. I took them apart to paint the inside.
Actually my 2004 r53 has the factory xenon HID system, but they're not Projectors, I would like a dual halo projector LED (I assume LED refers to the Halo rings) headlight housings for my HID. I was also interested in the red bezel in the housing in the video.
Did you have any over-heating issues after putting the dust cap on? I'm looking to do this to my car and I have dust caps on mine. I don't want anything to get damaged by heat problems or anything.
In addition, since you are also in a German car, did a fault for headlights get thrown on your dash?
Colton Jones I've had the lights in there for a couple months so far with no issues. The 2002-2006 MINI does not do burned out bulb detection so no codes.
***** Thanks for the reply! For some reason I thought they did have the bulb-out warnings.
Colton Jones 2007 and later MINIs do.
Those red eyes undrr the hood? What are they and where can i get them lol *****
Esteban Lozada They are angry eyes! I got them here. www.etsy.com/listing/162651412/under-the-bonnet-eyes-stickers-for-first
Would work with 2012 R56 Mini One??
Different platform. This video is for gen 1, your car is gen 2. I don't know if it is the same.
did you get a check light bulb? I want to do it but it might throw a error code??
Andrew Khoune The Gen 1 MINI doesn't check for burned out bulbs so it won't throw error codes. Check the product description but I believe it is engineered to be error code free.
*****
mines a 07
Andrew Khoune Gen 2 MINIs throw errors for bad bulbs. I suspect it this bulb is error-free but I have no way of checking as I don't have a Gen 2 MINI laying around.
@ModMINIRUclips I'm trying to replace a rear wheel bearing but the hub/bearing I got had the wrong size hole for the wheel studs. How do I know which bearing to order or what size my wheel studs are?
A Gravel The 2002-2005 cars have 12mm wheel bolts. The 2006 has 14mm wheel bolts. A parts listing may or may not specify the correct hub for your application but they might show or specify the hole size. Measure your wheel bolts with a caliper and you have your answer. If you ordered the 14mm holes by mistake, you could also just get bigger wheel bolts for that axle. It's an upgrade.
***** thanks a ton! I thought about the caliper idea but couldn't find one in my dad's farm shop. Love the youtube channel the videos have been a great help lately. I did the torchstar led high beam upgrade but unfortunately one light was brighter than the other but I emailed them about it and I'm sending them back to get the problem sorted out. Thanks again and keep on motoring!
Hey i have a 2004 mini cooper s and it has the stock hid kit do you know how to delete the stock hid kit and convert to led??
Xenons are going to be brighter than all but the most expensive LED kit. you'd have to replace the entire headlight housing.
Mod MINI thanks (:
I don't have HID like you do. Mine uses H7 bubs in low and high beams. What are your thoughts on using these in both levels?
BigSteveRealtor You may blind people if you use this bulb in the low beam position. It is very bright.
+Mod MINI What would you recommend using in place of this bulb in the low beam position if it is to bright?
+EB Fitness I'm not sure, I don't have experience swapping the low beam. My car has Xenon and I have no problems with it.
+Mod MINI alright, thanks for your time. I'll just look around then
My project has come loose and it just shakes around inside the housing. Can I disassemble the housing and reattach the projector some how
No experience with that.
Thanks I actually took it apart and it was very easy to reattach the projector
Hi there, were you able to install the dust cover finally ? So it is pretty dirty inside ?
+a Dust cover installs with no problem. It is not dirty inside because there is a dust cover!
+Mod MINI cool how did you do that eventually ? I would like to install the same light !! Could you share with us ???
+a I thought I showed everything in the video above and purchase details are in the description.
+Mod MINI I thought you weren't able to install coz at 4:33 you are still holding the dust cover :)
+a That's the cover from the other side.
Headlight is that you have on your car? I just bought 2004 Mini Cooper S but dont know much about it. My Cooper dont have projectors like yours
I upgraded to the 2005-2006 style headlights.
+Mod MINI plug and play or you had to modify it to get it to work right?
Xenon to Xenon, no modification required.
Will this fit the 2006 GP
Uncertain. This model may be no longer available. Check bulb type and read reviews closely..
@@ModMINI yes it seems it's no longer being made :(
I did this and now my lights flash every time I switch on the car? Also the adaptor is plastic not metal, looks like theyve changed the design for the worse!
+Juan Marquez That's different from my experience. Send them back if you're not happy, Amazon has excellent customer service.
I've got an 11/2004 build 2005 R53 with the projector xenons but don't have the DRL feature. How did you code that in?
Dealer can do it, or you can use NCSEXPERT software and an appropriate USB-CANBUS cable.
1.57 "don't do this when the bulb is hot" DDDEEERRRRR!! And don't eat yellow snow.
I have a pre facelift 04 with xenon hids. I was wondering if the facelifted xenons are a plug and play conversation?
+5150 Failure High beam position is H7 on the pre-facelift as well I believe. Don't touch the Xenons - they are better than any aftermarket LED you could find.
thank you...have you seen the demon eye mod dont to a mini befor?
+5150 Failure What is that?
projector housing can be made to glow in any color
+5150 Failure I don't know anything about that, but it is very risky to open up the pre-facelift headlights - they use a very hard glue that cannot be softened with heat - they have to be cut open with a Dremel - type tool which makes it very difficult to reseal them correctly and keep water out.
The links on Amazon no longer provide the lights, do you have another source
That brand is probably no longer available. You'll have to search for equivalent ... here's a canned search link: amzn.to/2H4QwS7
HI I know this video is a few years old but I am hoping you would see this anyway. Where did you get the projector headlights from? I have the HID's on my Mini but they are not projector.
See video description. Product link was put in there.
I'm not talking about the Day time running lights kit, I'll talking about the projector lights for the low beam.
@@kamalanidefretias9538 Do you mean the headlight housings themselves? Get at a junkyard or used off ebay.
so... i installed these lights. now they flicker/strobe when i turn the key on for about 5 seconds. and then function fine. not sure whats up. i dont have the DRL mode installed.
ruclips.net/video/YFzDkF2wQMQ/видео.html
That's typical with LED bulbs; I think it's because there isn't enough resistance to tap away leaked current. You can try putting an LED bulb resistor across the + and - terminals - it should draw away the current and prevent the flickering. amzn.to/1GyArdj
I added a set of DRL LED and upon start up, they flicker for a few second. Does yours do this?
They do this unless you put a load resistor
Mod MINI thanks for the response. Does it hurt the bulb for that few seconds that it flickers or can I just leave it?
How much
Vicente lerdo Purchase link is in the video description (again here for your convenience): amzn.to/1Gadf4R
Mod MINI
Thanks , scan the car and what are the most common sensors
+janai garcia It honestly could be anything. A car should not go into EML mode. Something that shouldn't break, has broken. You need to read the codes
How have these been holding up on your car?
+James King So far so good. They seem just as bright as before. I use them more for the white light as daytime running lights than as high beams, though.
the solution may be changing a sensor or it may be another solution? mechanical corrupt in Mexico and if you do not understand stolen, let me explain
He drove slowly and active EML and stopped the car and speed off normally run it can be ?
+janai garcia You need to read codes and find out what is wrong. EML means ECU is getting sensor readings that are completely out of range and cannot calculate air/fuel ratio. It is dangerous to continue driving the car until fixing.
EML sensor mini cooper is active and not accelerating normally turn it off and run
+janai garcia Huh? An LED light swap should not cause EML light to come on.
in Mexico invent mechanical problems to make more money, I appreciate your explanation
It is the butterfly sensor
Disregrad
MINI Mod ok , I'll take you to a mechanic to fix the problem