White Dipped Beam Bulbs + Confused

[CryptoWhale]

Hi Guys,

I have just upgraded the sidelight bulbs to LED which look much better and more modern.. but I didn't realize just how yellow the dipped beam bulbs are, especially now compared to the sidelights, so now I need to upgrade the dipped beam bulbs.

Firstly here is where I am confused.. I've been under the impression that my car has normal Halogen lights and not Xenon.. however when I turn just the sidelights on, they do the auto level movement thing.. I'm not sure why it does this or if this is normal especially as it only happens when i turn the sidelights on. When i then switch the dipped beam on this does not happen. When dipped beam is on they definitely don't look like Xenon and as mentioned earlier they have a yellow tint. I also have headlight washers.

So, do I actually have Xenon or Halogen? And is there any recommendations which bulbs to go for (depending what i have)? I just want the bulbs to be white rather than yellow, so they match the sidelights. Had a look at a few older threads but all the links are dead and there seems to be varied info on what to actually get?

Thanks in advance

 

[dhobbs]

Xenon headlights will/should have the headlight washers so that is a clue.
Also the switch panel inside the car doesn't have the level adjustment.

Failing that, take a bulb out to check.


As for recommendations osram is a favorite choice.

 

[TheDan]

My Z4 has halogens and whenever I switch the car on (with the lights in auto mode) they do a little auto level movement like you're describing. Mine definitely are halogen as I changed the dipped beam bulbs recently.

I went with Philips WhiteVision Ultra and they are pretty white, I now need to change my sidelights to LEDs to match.

I agree with dhobbs though, Osram are a great choice too.

Bear in mind that the more white you go with halogens, the less light they produce (typically).

 

[C4Dman]

Asked a similar question a while back, think it is normal adjustment for halogens, may find abit more info in my post here
https://z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=1795645#p1795645

 

[ARCS]

It'll have H7 on the lense if they're halogen

 

[Jl-c]

Surely the biggest clues are can you see the bulb? Or does it have a lens in front of it ( Xenons ) and does your headlamp switch have two thumbwheels ( Xenons have one )if it is yes to both, they are halogens.

 

[Penelope]

If you have a control on the dash that allows you to manually adjust the headlight height they are not Xenons. These LEDs are infinitely better than the higher rated Halogens that I tried previously. Give correct beam pattern and do pass MOT unlike some LEDs which just splurge light in every direction. Only downside is that you have to modify the mounting clip slightly. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEW-CANBUS-H7-SUPER-SLIM-LED-CONVERSION-CAR-HEADLIGHT-BULBS-KIT-XENON-WHITE-V10/253843680331?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

 

[CryptoWhale]

Thanks for the responses Not had chance to look at the bulb yet, waiting for this snow to bugger off. I'm pretty sure I do have Halogen as I originally was led to believe though, as I have got the two interior adjustment dials and there is no high voltage sticks under the hood.

 

[CryptoWhale]

If you have a control on the dash that allows you to manually adjust the headlight height they are not Xenons. These LEDs are infinitely better than the higher rated Halogens that I tried previously. Give correct beam pattern and do pass MOT unlike some LEDs which just splurge light in every direction. Only downside is that you have to modify the mounting clip slightly. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEW-CANBUS-H7-SUPER-SLIM-LED-CONVERSION-CAR-HEADLIGHT-BULBS-KIT-XENON-WHITE-V10/253843680331?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

These look good, do you have any pictures of them on the car? Are they easy to modify and what would I need to do?

 

[Penelope]

Taken in bright daylight with Exposure on camera reduced massively so you can see... the LED Sidelights are a little bit cooler white balance than I would've liked but the colour temp of the Dip Beam is nice and white.

 

[CryptoWhale]

Taken in bright daylight with Exposure on camera reduced massively so you can see... the LED Sidelights are a little bit cooler white balance than I would've liked but the colour temp of the Dip Beam is nice and white.

They look much better than the standard halogen bulbs! I think I will take a punt on these

I've just found the same ones but it appears these come with adapters, I imagine this means I wont have to mess around modifying the mounting clip

https://www.lightec-autostyle.co.uk/h7-canbus-led-kit-vw-audi-bmw