Bi-Xenon downgrade to Halogen/Single Xenon

[Leemarty6]

As the title read is this a straight swap? I can only find info for upgrading Halogen to Xenon.

I have a 2007 3.0si coupe which was involved in a collision... in short a write off but soon to be track car (road legal) .

Can the headlights be downgraded to the Halogen/Single Xenon from the earlier or lesser specs models?

It's proving more difficult and out of budget then I thought to replace.

Appreciate your knowledge or a driver bi-xenon headlight or alternative suggestions

 

[mjennings23]

The PFL lights are also bi-xenon but from what I've read they use a different wiring pin layout, so unless you're comfortable with rewiring the plugs I'd suggest you stick with that you have?

 

[mac27040]

The PFL lights are also bi-xenon but from what I've read they use a different wiring pin layout, so unless you're comfortable with rewiring the plugs I'd suggest you stick with that you have?

Wrong!!

you can get none xenon version headlights, however relating to xenons the PFL have the older looking style xenons using the inner bulb for flash to pass. It was upgraded on the FL version and the inner bulb was removed and replaces with a halo ring for side lights and the outer xenon was use for low, high and flash

 

[mac27040]

dont think you can downgrade as the Facelift version uses just the outer light for low beam, high beam and flash, the pre-faclift uses outer light for low beam but uses the inner light for high beam and flash. you would need to rewire the sockets

 

[Monaco84]

yes it can be done. Need re-wiring! Maybe flashing of the LSZ

 

[mjennings23]

The PFL lights are also bi-xenon but from what I've read they use a different wiring pin layout, so unless you're comfortable with rewiring the plugs I'd suggest you stick with that you have?

Wrong!!

you can get no xenon version version headlights, however relating to xenons the PFL have the older looking style xenons using the inner bulb for flach to pass. It was upgraded on the FL version and the inner bulb was removed and replaces with a halo ring for side lights and the outter xenon was use for low, high and flash

Well its not 'wrong' is it, as the PFL cars use the single xenon bulb for both dipped and main beam. The halogen is only used for flashing, and that can be changed via coding to the xenon if required.

 

[Haro]

You need to understand the difference between bi xenon and single xenon. Bi xenon use one bulb for both dippef and main beam with a shield ala FL, single xenon uses outer for dipped beam, inner is h7 halogen for main ala PFL.

 

[mjennings23]

You need to understand the difference between bi xenon and single xenon. Bi xenon use one bulb for both dippef and main beam with a shield ala FL, single xenon uses outer for dipped beam, inner is h7 halogen for main ala PFL.

And again, the PFL has bi-xenon lights. The halogen is NOT used as a running main beam, it is ONLY used for 'flash' functions i.e. pulling the stalk forward. Thats it. Because halogen bulbs are faster to ignite than xenon. Thats the reason.

Source for this? I have a PFL sat outside my house with factory fit xenons. Guess what? The halogen doesnt ignite when the headlights are on and you swap to main beam. The shutter on the dipped beam drops. Bi-xenon.

I do wish people would do their research before calling out correct information as false.

 

[parabolica]

You need to understand the difference between bi xenon and single xenon. Bi xenon use one bulb for both dippef and main beam with a shield ala FL, single xenon uses outer for dipped beam, inner is h7 halogen for main ala PFL.

And again, the PFL has bi-xenon lights. The halogen is NOT used as a running main beam, it is ONLY used for 'flash' functions i.e. pulling the stalk forward. Thats it. Because halogen bulbs are faster to ignite than xenon. Thats the reason.

Source for this? I have a PFL sat outside my house with factory fit xenons. Guess what? The halogen doesnt ignite when the headlights are on and you swap to main beam. The shutter on the dipped beam drops. Bi-xenon.

I do wish people would do their research before calling out correct information as false.

I would check your halogen bulbs are working then. Full beam on my 2003 PFL ignites the halogen AND raises the shutter on the xenon.

 

[mjennings23]

You need to understand the difference between bi xenon and single xenon. Bi xenon use one bulb for both dippef and main beam with a shield ala FL, single xenon uses outer for dipped beam, inner is h7 halogen for main ala PFL.

And again, the PFL has bi-xenon lights. The halogen is NOT used as a running main beam, it is ONLY used for 'flash' functions i.e. pulling the stalk forward. Thats it. Because halogen bulbs are faster to ignite than xenon. Thats the reason.

Source for this? I have a PFL sat outside my house with factory fit xenons. Guess what? The halogen doesnt ignite when the headlights are on and you swap to main beam. The shutter on the dipped beam drops. Bi-xenon.

I do wish people would do their research before calling out correct information as false.

I would check your halogen bulbs are working then. Full beam on my 2003 PFL ignites the halogen AND raises the shutter on the xenon.

Yup, working fine for flash functions as designed! There wouldn't be much benefit to having halogens running alogside a xenon main beam due to them being both dimmer and wih a worse 'throw', so seems a bit odd if thats the case. Perhaps the coding has been changed in either one of the cars at some point, or being a 2004 it might be coded a bit different. Either way I can say for certain that the halogen bulbs turn on for 'flash' only and the xenon shutter is actuated for full beam headlights.

 

[Flyingfifer]

oddly enough ive been wanting to do this in reverse! I have the xenons on my 2006 coupe but I was looking to fit the headlights from a Z4MC (with stock AEs) I was wondering if it was a straight swap as well or if wiring etc was needed

 

[mmm-five]

oddly enough ive been wanting to do this in reverse! I have the xenons on my 2006 coupe but I was looking to fit the headlights from a Z4MC (with stock AEs) I was wondering if it was a straight swap as well or if wiring etc was needed

I thought the headlight was the same for both the M and non-M coupe?

 

[mac27040]

Z4 high beam / flasher non xenon wiring diagram for 2006+

 

[mac27040]

Z4 high beam / flasher xenon wiring diagram for 2006+

 

[mac27040]

Z4 low / high beam / flasher xenon wiring diagram for -2005

 

[mjennings23]

Z4 low / high beam / flasher xenon wiring diagram for -2005

So you've found proof that the PFL does have bi-xenons, thanks for clarifying your earlier error in claiming my comment was wrong.

 

[mac27040]

Just because newtis repeats the same diagrams doesn’t mean the prefacelift actually had bi-xenons, PFL had mono xenons where as the facelift had bi-xenons

Mono xenons had a separate inner bulb for flash. Bi-xenons did away with that inner bulb. I had mono xenons but upgraded my headlights to bi-xenons

Stole this from the other forums lol, but this was my understanding of it.

Pre-facelift, orange indicators, black inners - Halogen
Pre-facelift, orange indicators, black inners - Xenon
Pre-facelift, orange indicators, silver inners - Halogen
Pre-facelift, orange indicators, silver inners - Xenon

Post-facelift, white indicators, black inners - Halogen
Post-facelift, white indicators, black inners - BiXenon
Post-facelift, white indicators, silver inners - Halogen
Post-facelift, white indicators, silver inners - BiXenon

Black inners for the smaller engined cars, silver for the 3.0/3.2

 

[mjennings23]

It's not a repeated diagram, its specific to the prefacelift which has both bixenon running lights and a halogen for 'flash to pass', both serving separate purposes. I expect the reason they were changed in the facelift was cost saving in all likelihood, why use two bulbs when one does the same job.

 

[mac27040]

The reason they had mono xenons with a halogen bulb for flash to pass was the halogen was quicker to ignite. It wasn’t till 2005 before the bi-xenon was introduced.

 

[mjennings23]

Yuo dont seem to be getting this. It uses the xenon bulb with a shutter in the projector, which is in place for the diped beam and drops when you turn on the main beam running lights. That is the very definition of a bi-xenon light. Feel free to do your own research to verify this, they use a Hella E44 projector housing, which is a very commonly used model in German cars and has a solenoid actuated shutter.

It doesn't matter if they use a different bulb for 'flash', a lot of cars these days use xenon running lights but have LEDs for flashing as they ignite instantly.

The wiring diagram you posted literally has bixenon written on it, and is exactly how my car (bult in March 2004, so well before this imaginary 2005 change) functions. The apearance was updated for the facelift, so assumedly they decided it was also a suitable time to drop what was considered a surplus part. After all, saving £5 per item in mass production adds up very quickly.