Headlights.

B

baconJazz

Member
 Rotherham
Hi all.

Ive owned my Z4C for two weeks now and I am thoroughly enjoying it in every way. A car I will keep for several more years. There is only one disappointing little niggle as far as I'm concerned , and that is the headlights whether on dipped or full beam do not seem to be up to the standard that you would expect for this type of vehicle . Even after upgrading the bulbs (H7's Philips extreme ) and having the lenses refurbished I'm still not happy with the level of brightness and length of throw.

Is this just me or has anyone else had the same experience .

Are there any other options I could try ?

Thanks in advance. :?
 
They are poor , in fact more woeful than poor :cry: a MR i had with Xenon,s was so poor my wife made me pull over in dark one time to check they were working :oops: halogen or xenon , neither are particularly good & even adjusting the angle of beam doesn't make them improve much .
One Z i had ( E86 ) had aftermarket headlights fitted , these were a massive improvement to driving in the dark & in a midnight blue car i actually preferred them to stock ones with silver insides https://www.instagram.com/p/BwT24WuJ4XZ/



https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BMW-Z4-E84-E85-2003-2008-BLACK-PROJECTOR-LED-HALO-ANGEL-EYE-HEADLIGHTS-E-MARK/400815371352?hash=item5d52753458:g:PhoAAOSww9VXhP3X
 
mr wilks said:
They are poor , in fact more woeful than poor :cry: a MR i had with Xenon,s was so poor my wife made me pull over in dark one time to check they were working :oops: halogen or xenon , neither are particularly good & even adjusting the angle of beam doesn't make them improve much .
One Z i had ( E86 ) had aftermarket headlights fitted , these were a massive improvement to driving in the dark & in a midnight blue car i actually preferred them to stock ones with silver insides https://www.instagram.com/p/BwT24WuJ4XZ/



https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BMW-Z4-E84-E85-2003-2008-BLACK-PROJECTOR-LED-HALO-ANGEL-EYE-HEADLIGHTS-E-MARK/400815371352?hash=item5d52753458:g:PhoAAOSww9VXhP3X
Click to expand...

Well , many thanks for clearing that up ........thought I was going crazy ! :headbang: Guess I'll have to live with them for a while as I know replacing them would be very expensive . Doesn't matter really as the rest of the car is so good ! :thumbsup:
 
I've had a different experience to Mr Wilks.

I found adjusting the beam up made a world of difference. You could say night and day if you like a pun. 🙄

I think it was one full turn of the adjuster wheel for each but my memory could be playing tricks. Quick and easy to see if it improves things for you either way.
 
Morimoto projectors might be the way forward:

https://z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=104600

https://z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=1679911#p1679911
 
Jamie25 said:
I've had a different experience to Mr Wilks.

I found adjusting the beam up made a world of difference. You could say night and day if you like a pun. 🙄

I think it was one full turn of the adjuster wheel for each but my memory could be playing tricks. Quick and easy to see if it improves things for you either way.
Click to expand...

The adjustment helps of course but it doesn't make them even halfway as good as they should be for a xenon & i know its not a age thing as i had a 2002 Lexus Sportcross for a short time , when i started that car up pointing off my drive each & every house in the cul de sac was illuminated :) they were about the best car headlights ive ever driven behind :P
 
After 3 years I has got used to the feeble Halogen headlights on my E86.

But earlier this year I changed my daily 3 Series for one with Bi-Xenons and there is quite a difference!

I'll try adjusting them up a bit 1st and see how much difference that makes.
 
mr wilks said:
The adjustment helps of course but it doesn't make them even halfway as good as they should be for a xenon & i know its not a age thing as i had a 2002 Lexus Sportcross for a short time , when i started that car up pointing off my drive each & every house in the cul de sac was illuminated :) they were about the best car headlights ive ever driven behind :P
Click to expand...

I'd agree, they're far from dazzling. My previous car was an R53 JCW and the Z4 lights are dim in comparison. That said, the adjustment took it from dangerous to acceptable in one cheap and quick twist of a wheel.

I think a lot of current cars headlights are far too dazzling. Great for the driver but not so good for the oncoming traffic. Maybe it's just my eyes getting old.

Is also possible mine were ill adjusted in the first place as nothing was mentioned by the MOT station after I'd moved them up a turn.
 
Jamie25 said:
mr wilks said:
The adjustment helps of course but it doesn't make them even halfway as good as they should be for a xenon & i know its not a age thing as i had a 2002 Lexus Sportcross for a short time , when i started that car up pointing off my drive each & every house in the cul de sac was illuminated :) they were about the best car headlights ive ever driven behind :P
Click to expand...

I'd agree, they're far from dazzling. My previous car was an R53 JCW and the Z4 lights are dim in comparison. That said, the adjustment took it from dangerous to acceptable in one cheap and quick twist of a wheel.

I think a lot of current cars headlights are far too dazzling. Great for the driver but not so good for the oncoming traffic. Maybe it's just my eyes getting old.

Is also possible mine were ill adjusted in the first place as nothing was mentioned by the MOT station after I'd moved them up a turn.
Click to expand...

I'm a little confused :? . What is the adjustment on the head lights that everybody is mentioning ...........the only adjustment that I know of is the little "wheel" to the right of the steering wheel on the dash board. (0 1 2 )........is this the same thing ? If so , I've played around with it and it doesn't seem to make any difference worth mentioning. :?
 
Pretty sure on my 03 plate there were no tools needed as there's an adjuster wheel on the rear of each light.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom