Convert Xenon to LED (as a fogging headlight workaround!)

[ianmuk]

Hi all,

I have seen a few posts about converting Halogen to LED - but i am considering converting my Xenon to LED (cant find anything on that in any posts?!).

I have a problem with my front drivers side light that keeps fogging up and i have to keep replacing the Ballast - which is a pain in the butt to do ... no matter what I do I can't stop the damn light fogging up and failing after a while (I live in Manchester - so rain is not my friend!).

I have seen these on fleabay and am considering if I could install and it would remove the need to replace the ballast every 6 months!
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/303988832656


Does anyone have any experience with this (or similar kits to convert Xenon to LED)?
Any ideas if these would suffer the same fate as my Xenon's when the light fogs up?
Does anyone have any magic fixes to fix the annoying damp in my headlight as an alternative?

Failing that if anyone has a spare drivers side light that I could take off your hands ... fleabay does not seem to help unless i want to pay £700!!
(Halogen are available - but Xenon - not so much!)

Thanks in advance!

Ian

 

[roblightbody]

In terms of fogging up, are there vent holes, and are they clear? I've read elsewhere that people mistakenly block these, but they're crucial to balancing the humidity inside the light with the outside

 

[ianmuk]

In terms of fogging up, are there vent holes, and are they clear? I've read elsewhere that people mistakenly block these, but they're crucial to balancing the humidity inside the light with the outside

Thanks!
Do you know where these are so that I can check?

I was considering drilling a small hold into the bottom of the light too ... so maybe that will work (assuming the other vent holes are already open)?!

 

[Chris_D]

You may encounter a problem come MOT time.

 

[ianmuk]

A Quick update on this ..

after a long any very frustrating exchange with the seller of the items i linked to, i have found that these cant be fitted to a Z4 Coupe with xenons (I assume the same lights are on other z4's with zenons).

to back to plan A of drilling some holes in the lighting housing o let the water out and air in ...

You may encounter a problem come MOT time.

Thanks Chris - this is also what i was afraid of - i am failing the MOT now (when its due in December!) with 1 light - so don't want to have another reason to fail it!

 

[Chris_D]

A Quick update on this ..

after a long any very frustrating exchange with the seller of the items i linked to, i have found that these cant be fitted to a Z4 Coupe with xenons (I assume the same lights are on other z4's with zenons).

to back to plan A of drilling some holes in the lighting housing o let the water out and air in ...

You may encounter a problem come MOT time.

Thanks Chris - this is also what i was afraid of - i am failing the MOT now (when its due in December!) with 1 light - so don't want to have another reason to fail it!

Not sure about HID to LED conversion being an MOT fail but it's certainly the case for Halogen > HID/LED.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/special-notice-01-21-headlamp-conversions/mot-special-notice-01-21-headlamp-conversions

Your best bet is to disassemle and refurb both headlights if necessary. It's not too complex but does require removing the front bumper and the plastic panel under the bonnet to access the headlights. It's well-worth investing the time. I had a similar recurring condensation issue with one of my lights which ended up with moisture leaking below the headlight and taking out the ballast which sits directly under the headlight. Typical bonkers Z4 design feature!
Suspect this may also be your issue.
Don't start drilling holes before you've cancelled out replacing the gaskets on the rear cover panels and unblocking the 2 vent holes on each headlight unit.
I did a thread on refurbing my headlights around last October which may give some useful pointers if you can find the thread..

 

[kis]

Drilling holes isn’t a good solution IMO. The light comes with 3 vent holes already. It should self ventilate. If it doesn’t then you need to find the cause of the problem. Rather than drill holes…

Have you checked the unit thoroughly for damage? The black case is very prone to cracking and/or breaking.

Secondly have you replaced the rear access cover? The rubber deteriorates over time creating a poor seal where water can ingress.

On a tangent slightly but what condition is your wheel arch cover? This protects the unit from the majority of water and dirt. If it’s damaged or missing the access cover then that’s probably attributing to the problem.

 

[ianmuk]

Thanks Chris_D and Kis,

I will take it apart this weekend and try to find the vent holes - I did not see these last time I took it apart, so I will take a closer look this time (@Kis - any idea where these are roughly?!).

I replaced the seal last time I took off the rear cover (got a cheap back off fleabay - but it was for the other side in the end so I just used the seal from it, so i hope this is not the cause of my problems!)
Access cover on the wheel arch is all ok.

@Chris_D - thanks for the nod on your other post oh headlight refurb... here for reference to anyone else that comes here ... https://z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=1784144#p1784144

Also, related to this topic is this post as it shows how to get the bumper off ... https://z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=15250#p15250

fun times ahead if the weather holds off this weekend long enough to take it apart and dry out the casing!!

Thanks again!

 

[kis]

I will take it apart this weekend and try to find the vent holes - I did not see these last time I took it apart, so I will take a closer look this time (@Kis - any idea where these are roughly?!).

Here’s a pic from online. I’ve circled the ones. I’ve also circled another headlight on the picture to give you an idea where the last one is, it’s right in the corner.



It’s worth noting that all 3 of these should have the rubber grommets.

I replaced the seal last time I took off the rear cover (got a cheap back off fleabay - but it was for the other side in the end so I just used the seal from it, so i hope this is not the cause of my problems!)

Was it used?

 

[ianmuk]

@Kis - thanks for that, its really helpful!

hopefully the Gromit's are there - if not i guess they are not easy to some by ... time to search the parts catalogue if need them!

Was it used?

- it was new - so i hope its ok :|

 

[kis]

@Kis - thanks for that, its really helpful!

hopefully the Gromit's are there - if not i guess they are not easy to some by ... time to search the parts catalogue if need them!

Was it used?

- it was new - so i hope its ok :|

Grommets can still be bought AFAIK. Ironically the dealer is probably cheaper with small bits like those.

If the cover was new then this should have sorted your issues. Are you sure internally it was fully dry before refitting?

 

[Zulu4]

Are you sure internally it was fully dry before refitting?

This is a good point. Water can sit in the bottom of the unit. If it was not fully dried out, or you fitted it together again on a warm, high humidity day, then when the temperature drops the condensation will come out of the air trapped in the unit. (Ask me how I know )

 

[Ewazix]

If the unit is sound with no cracks or leaks around the joints, seals and caps are renewed, vents clear and all is re-installed after a thorough dry out then it will be fine. Thousands of these units are running around without permanently fogging (but they all do a little at certain times).

I also doubled-down on the new seals with a little silicone grease to keep them supple.