Headlight issue - OCD sufferers look away now!

[PboroRyan]

Hi all,
A couple of weeks ago I bought a beautiful 3.0 e85 which I unfortunately cannot drive for another couple of weeks for insurance reasons, hence it's sitting tucked away in the garage. Because of this, I've had to resort to looking at pictures of it while I count down the days till I get in the drivers seat. Tonight, I noticed this...

The headlights are different! From what I can tell, the drivers side is a standard Z4 headlight (silver inside) while the passengers is a Halogen unit (grey inside), is this correct?
And secondly, because I'd never be able to live with this and I prefer the look of the grey halogen light, would this light make them match?
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Bmw-z4-e85-e86-headlight-OS-2003-03-2009-58-/111990567019?hash=item1a1328706b:g:SvAAAOSwv~xXD5Tq

I don't want to spend £160 and find out one of my lights is some kind of aftermarket units.
Help appreciated, thank you!

 

[ben g]

That ebay headlight will fit, providing you have halogen headlights.

3.0's came with the silver headlights, whereas the lesser engined Z4's had black inners. It appears your Z4 may have had a bump at some point and it's been repaired with wrong parts for the model. It could also have had a simple headlamp issue, of course.

 

[PboroRyan]

Thanks for the reply.
So is the darker headlight somewhat inferior, i.e the silver is a HID or anything like that? Or are the lights exactly the same and the only difference is the insert colour?

 

[srhutch]

Thanks for the reply.
So is the darker headlight somewhat inferior, i.e the silver is a HID or anything like that? Or are the lights exactly the same and the only difference is the insert colour?

Same lights, just different inner colour.

 

[PboroRyan]

Cheers for the help. I couldn't leave that now i'd spotted it! Thankfully no signs of accident damage under the bonnet, under the sills, under the front bumper etc, all the shut lines are flush and paint is all the same shade. thanks all!

 

[85genius]

Headlight condensation is a common problem so probably the reason for the replacement light

 

[Mr Tidy]

Phew - fairly simple answer thankfully!

Hope you can enjoy the view from the driver's seat soon - it will be great!

 

[cj10jeeper]

Your car looks like a 3.0 from the grille colour so you should seek out a silver inner headlight. If not everyone will consider it a lower engine model, or been in a crash and lights replaced.

Double check they are not xenon though (single adjuster wheel on light switch, yellow decals under bonnet are 2 easy checks), especially as you have washers which all xenon and only a few halogen have....

 

[PboroRyan]

Thanks for all the replies! It is a 3.0, but I don't like the look of the silver headlights, I think the grey inners suit the car much better imo, especially when one of the first things I play to do when it's on the road is black kidneys. Unfortunately I'm not at home to check and have already ordered a new light, so hopefully the new one will be the same! Worst case scenario it won't and I'll have to re-sell it!

Apart from the type of bulb, what are the differences between halogen and Xenon in the z4? I saw one thread talk about self levelling?

 

[cj10jeeper]

Thanks for all the replies! It is a 3.0, but I don't like the look of the silver headlights, I think the grey inners suit the car much better imo, especially when one of the first things I play to do when it's on the road is black kidneys. Unfortunately I'm not at home to check and have already ordered a new light, so hopefully the new one will be the same! Worst case scenario it won't and I'll have to re-sell it!

Apart from the type of bulb, what are the differences between halogen and Xenon in the z4? I saw one thread talk about self levelling?

That's your choice of course on colour of inners.

Xenon is much more than a different bulb, being a totally different headlight unit with bulb, ballast and ignitor and a different wiring loom. It also connects to self levelling on 2 of the suspension arms and a different LCM (light control module) In essence not interchangeable.

 

[PboroRyan]

That's your choice of course on colour of inners.

Xenon is much more than a different bulb, being a totally different headlight unit with bulb, ballast and ignitor and a different wiring loom. It also connects to self levelling on 2 of the suspension arms and a different LCM (light control module) In essence not interchangeable.

Ahh okay, thats really helpful, thank you!

 

[PboroRyan]

Another thing - Once the new headlight arrives, will the lights need to be professionally adjusted? I've read about lights being self adjusting or something,will this be the case?

 

[cj10jeeper]

Another thing - Once the new headlight arrives, will the lights need to be professionally adjusted? I've read about lights being self adjusting or something,will this be the case?

The answer is 'yes' but you can get it about right against a vertical wall, such as carpark or garage. TIS manual and MOT handbook )online have spec.

Self adjusting 'no'
Xenon - you set static levels using the 2 knurled adjusters behind the light. The 2 level sensors on the suspension then feed the system data to maintain the lights at that level and adjust for any load using step motors.

Halogen - manual setting and manual adjustment using the knurled wheel on the LCM that adjusts using step motors

Often misunderstood is the cycling at start up where headlights point down then up to a level, which is on both halogen and xenon, is just the step motors resetting to the correct static level.

 

[PboroRyan]

Brilliant, thanks for all your help! Turns out my lights are halogen, so shouldn't be too much of a hassle to adjust them to about the right height.