facelift black inner xenon headlight

[philbo909]

I'm feeling a change from the silver inner xenon on the coupe, I think they stand out a bit too much against the sapphire black.
so am on the hunt for some black inners like on this car for sale thread- http://www.z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=41&t=99190
my currents lights-
Am I right in thinking they were only on the lower size engines? (I know my old 2.0 had black inner halogens)
any help on where I could find some please?
got the feeling I'll be ringing up breakers to see for a long time and the ones on ebay are extortionate

 

[rally-chris]

As far as I'm aware the only black inner version of Z4 Xenon was the adaptive version - Hence they are very rare and expensive, and could be a pain to retro fit?

Chris

 

[thanatu55]

Paint them. Mine were black, I painted them in graphite with plasti-dip spray paint. It's a subtle but effective difference, and most people can't quite put their finger on what it is that makes the front stand out from the usual Zed's.

It means having to split open your headlights with a dremmel though if you want to do anything in there. I also saw some carbon fiber 'inners' on ebay. Same deal you need to split your headlights to replace them.

 

[philbo909]

Paint them. Mine were black, I painted them in graphite with plasti-dip spray paint. It's a subtle but effective difference, and most people can't quite put their finger on what it is that makes the front stand out from the usual Zed's.

It means having to split open your headlights with a dremmel though if you want to do anything in there. I also saw some carbon fiber 'inners' on ebay. Same deal you need to split your headlights to replace them.

I really didn't want to split them, now I'll have to weigh up if it's worth it...
Is it just a carefully does it job where you dremel a very fine cut as neatly as possible? What glue do you use to stick them back on?
Not a job for a daily I bet

 

[thanatu55]

I did it over the course of a day. It's a case of slowly bit by bit cutting along the seam where the clear plastic front meets the black of the headlight backing.

It really isn't as bad as you think, but it's that commitment to do it which is the hard part. I did it to retrofit halo's in a halogen facelift set of lights. I sealed them back up with black silicone and once fitted back on the vehicle you would never know they've been tampered with. Like I said, the hardest part is taking that first cut, once you're committed the rest comes naturally.

A lot of headlights have certain methods that make it easier to split, such as leaving them in an oven for a while. The Zed doesnt have this luxury, the only way into our's is a dremmel and a little patience.

I am not skilled in the slightest, I'm nothing special when it comes to DIY etc. Anyone can do it, it's all about that bit of bravery and trust in yourself.