Headlamp Units - Xenon/Halogen Swap?

[Number5]

Can anybody clarify, perhaps from experience if headlamp units are interchangeable ?

Basically, purely for aesthetic reasons, I want to take the headlamp units (just the casings, not the actual electrics or bulbs) from one car and swap with the other.

Car A:
Moded Pre facelift with Xenon lamps

cropped light.JPG (5.94 KiB) Viewed 524 times

Car B
Post Facelift with clear hockey sticks & Halogen lamps.

crop.JPG (7.52 KiB) Viewed 524 times

Can i just retract the bulbs, drop the front bumpers, swap the units over, and then fit the bulbs back in again.

My concerns are:
1) Are the Halogen & Xenon bayonet bulb fittings the same ?
2) Are there any mounting bracket differences in pre and post facelift units
3) Are there any difference in heat tollerences between the casings, or any other preventative factors ?

I dont want to spend hours taking it apart only to put it all back again !

[kis]

Don’t think the units themselves are the same. The internals surely differ?

[mac27040]

they might look similar but if your changing from halogen to xenons, then you will need to replace the LCM unit, install the self leveling sensors on the suspension and sort the wiring out, also xenons need headlight washer jets.

If you are going from xenon to halagon first question is why as the halogen lights are crap for visibility, xenons not much better!!. then not sure about the headlight leveling issue again as the Halogen LCM has a wheel to adjust the headlights.

[ErrErrminator]

There are internal differences. Last year I bought what I was told was a halogen facelift unit, but upon opening it up it was clear that it was quite different to another one I already had. In the end I managed as I had another unit, so managed to swap out the bits I wanted, but it wasn’t straightforward.

[Number5]

they might look similar but if your changing from halogen to xenons, then you will need to replace the LCM unit, install the self leveling sensors on the suspension and sort the wiring out, also xenons need headlight washer jets.

If you are going from xenon to halagon first question is why as the halogen lights are crap for visibility, xenons not much better!!. then not sure about the headlight leveling issue again as the Halogen LCM has a wheel to adjust the headlights.

No I'm not upgrading or downgrading either car. I just wanted to change the headlamp units for aestheitic reasons as my Alpina has split & modified non OEM light units (darkened and with halos but still Xenons) so I wanted to pinch the OEM units from another a facelift Zed I have.

I wasnt changing the workings behind at all, I just want to use the housings

[kis]

If you’re going to open anyway just swap the bits you need? So keep the base xenon and swap the clear hockey indicator and black headlight shroud bit... then glue it back together.

[Number5]

If you’re going to open anyway just swap the bits you need? So keep the base xenon and swap the clear hockey indicator and black headlight shroud bit... then glue it back together.

I'm trying to avoid opening the units. I basically just want pull the bulbs out the back, swap the housings from car to car and push the bulbs back in.
My existing lights mist up in the wet where they were split to insert the Halo's (not that it goes out in the wet if I can help it)