High-beam wiring

The new car has some odd wiring for the high beams that I'm not happy with.

On my old car I did the H1/H4 Euro lens conversion and loved it. The outboard headlamps have a dual filament Lo/Hi H4 bulb. The inboard lamps have a single filament H1 bulb. Only the outboard lenses light up on low-beam. When switching to high-beam the outboard lamps switched to high, and the two inside lamps came on high. With all four lenses lit up high on high-beam it turned the night into day.

This new car has an HID conversion on the low beams. They're truly awesome on low-beam. But when I switch to high-beam, the outboard low-beam lamps switch off completely and only the two inner high beams come on. And the high-beam lamps are feeble yellow compared to the HID low beams. These high beams are useless. I'm better off staying on low-beam all the time.

Do HID lamps not have dual Lo/Hi filaments?

Otherwise, if I stick some better bulbs, and/or better lenses, on the inboard high-beam lamps, I'll just rewire it so the HID low-beams stay on all the time even when I switch the inboard high-beam lamps on.

The HID low-beams are certainly superior to the H4 low-beams I had before, but not if it means that I have to give up high-beam performance.

i think you should get HIDs for the high-beams also.

Quote
Ferdinand
The new car has some odd wiring for the high beams that I'm not happy with.

On my old car I did the H1/H4 Euro lens conversion and loved it. The outboard headlamps have a dual filament Lo/Hi H4 bulb. The inboard lamps have a single filament H1 bulb. Only the outboard lenses light up on low-beam. When switching to high-beam the outboard lamps switched to high, and the two inside lamps came on high. With all four lenses lit up high on high-beam it turned the night into day.

This new car has an HID conversion on the low beams. They're truly awesome on low-beam. But when I switch to high-beam, the outboard low-beam lamps switch off completely and only the two inner high beams come on. And the high-beam lamps are feeble yellow compared to the HID low beams. These high beams are useless. I'm better off staying on low-beam all the time.

Do HID lamps not have dual Lo/Hi filaments?

Otherwise, if I stick some better bulbs, and/or better lenses, on the inboard high-beam lamps, I'll just rewire it so the HID low-beams stay on all the time even when I switch the inboard high-beam lamps on.

The HID low-beams are certainly superior to the H4 low-beams I had before, but not if it means that I have to give up high-beam performance.

New car?, I think I might've missed something. So what gives Ferdy?

Quote
rkj
New car?, I think I might've missed something. So what gives Ferdy?

check the community forum...

There are a number of ways around this. The best solution would be to replace your Xenon's with BiXenon's that will function as high and low beams. HID's don't have filaments, but the BiXenon's have a moving reflector that alters the light for high and low beams. You could also put Xenon High beams in, which would really brighten things up. Check your wiring before anything though as BMW changed things between years. Once you determine which wiring you have that will determine the best course of action. You may just want to set it up so that your current lights stay on, which should be very easy.

Quote
Ferdinand
The new car has some odd wiring for the high beams that I'm not happy with.

On my old car I did the H1/H4 Euro lens conversion and loved it. The outboard headlamps have a dual filament Lo/Hi H4 bulb. The inboard lamps have a single filament H1 bulb. Only the outboard lenses light up on low-beam. When switching to high-beam the outboard lamps switched to high, and the two inside lamps came on high. With all four lenses lit up high on high-beam it turned the night into day.

This new car has an HID conversion on the low beams. They're truly awesome on low-beam. But when I switch to high-beam, the outboard low-beam lamps switch off completely and only the two inner high beams come on. And the high-beam lamps are feeble yellow compared to the HID low beams. These high beams are useless. I'm better off staying on low-beam all the time.

Do HID lamps not have dual Lo/Hi filaments?

Otherwise, if I stick some better bulbs, and/or better lenses, on the inboard high-beam lamps, I'll just rewire it so the HID low-beams stay on all the time even when I switch the inboard high-beam lamps on.

The HID low-beams are certainly superior to the H4 low-beams I had before, but not if it means that I have to give up high-beam performance.

I haven't read this whole thread but there's a glitch in your wiring Ferd, all four lamps should be lite on high beams. I did the modification on my high beams; you have to alter the bulb mounting and run the higher wattage bulbs on the inside lamps. It was an easy swap/upgrade. Peter gave me the site, I can email him if you'd like. Also, when I finally changed out my pecked out lamps for better ones things brightened up even more.

What kind of lamps did yours come with?

Quote
rkj

Quote
Ferdinand
The new car has some odd wiring for the high beams that I'm not happy with.

On my old car I did the H1/H4 Euro lens conversion and loved it. The outboard headlamps have a dual filament Lo/Hi H4 bulb. The inboard lamps have a single filament H1 bulb. Only the outboard lenses light up on low-beam. When switching to high-beam the outboard lamps switched to high, and the two inside lamps came on high. With all four lenses lit up high on high-beam it turned the night into day.

This new car has an HID conversion on the low beams. They're truly awesome on low-beam. But when I switch to high-beam, the outboard low-beam lamps switch off completely and only the two inner high beams come on. And the high-beam lamps are feeble yellow compared to the HID low beams. These high beams are useless. I'm better off staying on low-beam all the time.

Do HID lamps not have dual Lo/Hi filaments?

Otherwise, if I stick some better bulbs, and/or better lenses, on the inboard high-beam lamps, I'll just rewire it so the HID low-beams stay on all the time even when I switch the inboard high-beam lamps on.

The HID low-beams are certainly superior to the H4 low-beams I had before, but not if it means that I have to give up high-beam performance.

I haven't read this whole thread but there's a glitch in your wiring Ferd, all four lamps should be lite on high beams. I did the modification on my high beams; you have to alter the bulb mounting and run the higher wattage bulbs on the inside lamps. It was an easy swap/upgrade. Peter gave me the site, I can email him if you'd like. Also, when I finally changed out my pecked out lamps for better ones things brightened up even more.

What kind of lamps did yours come with?

haha rick, the text you quoted answers your question. he has HID headlights in the low beams.

I think these cars came with Hella's and bosch units, the ones on my car are sealed lamps in their buckets, although I think you can do a teardown if you're careful. I just replaced my complete units and then put killer bulbs in there.

My favorite's are the hella replacements for the older style buckets, these lamps came right out and are nice to deal with, but I had the others in stock soo...

yes, but his were replaced with an HID setup.

I guess I don't know what those are. I thought it was just bulbs.

they are bulbs paired with a ballast of some kind to output a greater amount of light. i don't really know how it works, but it is the superior type of headlight right now. i bet ferd knows how they work, though.

You mean a ballast, like in a transformer?

HID's as they are called, stands for High Intensity Discharge. They use bulbs that do not have a filament, but rather are filled with Xenon gas. There is usually a ballast with a built-in ignitor. They work by exciting the Xenon gas in the bulbs, which produces the light. They are similar to florescent lights. HID's draw less power than Halogens, produce more light and have a considerably longer lifespan; an all around better solution. The only drawback is the cost; however, over time they have come way down in price. You can now buy a HID conversion for just about any vehicle for little more than the cost of all the BS aftermarket bulbs like PIAA super whites etc. These bulbs that you see advertised as being "Xenon filled" are not true HID's, and don't produce anywhere near the amt. of light a true HID system produces. Also, for anyone considering them, they are offered in a number of different temperatures. The temperatures are quoted in the kelvin scale. Generally they offer a 3000k, 4300k, 6000k, 8000k, 10000k & 12000k. The 4300k are what BMW and other manufacturers use for their OEM HID systems. The reason is that they give off the most usable light. The others peak outside of the visible range, and are generally bought by the civic etc. crowd that think it's "cool" to have purple lights. I have installed kits in both my Jeep and my Land Rover, and I just ordered a set for a friend's wife's Sequoia because he loves the ones I have, and like me, can't stand driving a car without them after having themg. No pun intended, but the difference between HID's and Halogens is...well, Night and Day!