Total HID and Angel Eye Conversion Info Thread!

[Substream]

OK, I searched the forums for HID and angel eye info for hours and all I could find were little bits of scattered information here and there. I still have lots of questions, so I thought I'd start a total HID and angel eye thread. I thought I saw one of these parked, but I guess not! Sorry if a thread like this already exists. Hopefully we can accumulate lots of good info here for people considering HID conversion!

Alright, here are my questions:
1. BRAND - Who's the best? And who makes BMW's OEM HID lights?
2. KIT OR PIECES - Is it best to buy a whole kit by one manufacturer? Is it better -- or, for that matter, even viable -- to piece a kit together with parts from different manufacturers? e.g. Hella ballasts with Depo projectors or something? (still not really sure who makes what)
3. TEMPERATURE - This one was pretty easy to research, but I'll include it anyway. What do the Kelvin temperature ranges look like? I hear 6,500K is good for a slight blue tint and a lot of light? I don't want anything too colorful or "ricer" looking :-p
4. BULB TYPE - I see that different kits offer different kinds of bulbs. Some with H1, others with other kinds. Is there a standard bulb to use, or a best bulb to use?
5. AUTO-LEVELING - I see this advertised all the time. Is auto-leveling the feature that prevents that awful flickering-headlight thing you see on cars with cheap HID kits all the time? If not, what exactly is auto-leveling? Is it usually standard? How important is it?
6. BI-XENON? - Is this just a fancy name for low + hi beams or what?
7. ANGEL EYES - I see all kinds of these advertised too. What is the best lighting method for these? I see xenon ones, LED ones, etc. Also, again, should these come with your headlight assembly, or should you buy them separately in order to get the best brand of everything?
7. PRICE - Finally, what can I expect to pay for a GOOD HID conversion kit with angel eyes? I'm not talking about this $100 a kit ricer stuff, I want a real, high-quality HID kit.

Sorry if these are noob questions, I know next to nothing about HID at this point. Also, sorry again if something like this already exists.
I'd appreciate all the info you can give me! :) Thanks.

[ESMcBlurM3]

Check the lighting sub-forum. All of this is covered in a sticky there I believe.

[anotsostealth]

Haha. I love how every "noob question" is answer like " go to this forum/thread" or "search it". Not actually shedding some light on the subject.

I think this would be a good official thread to have answered (like this). Ya there are a bunch of little tid-bits here and there but to someone who is new to this, its not as easy as you think. I'd like to know this information as well. In a LAYOUT like this.

[ESMcBlurM3]

Haha. I love how every "noob question" is answer like " go to this forum/thread" or "search it". Not actually shedding some light on the subject.

I think this would be a good official thread to have answered (like this). Ya there are a bunch of little tid-bits here and there but to someone who is new to this, its not as easy as you think. I'd like to know this information as well. In a LAYOUT like this.

Alright...

I apologize for pointing the OP in the direction of a subforum to where experts can better answer his questions.

[anotsostealth]

You want to take a guess at how many times I've had a question or concern about my car, got on here, searched it (first), STILL confused, then posted a thread asking about what im confused on and got the answer "go search it".
Every time.

And i dont think im the only one who this has happen to. We "noobs" see the search button, we know what its for and use it. But again. Its not as easy as you think.


Edit-I apologize. I was just really tired of all the "elders" on this forum not contributing to the question asked. Just wondering ESmcblurM3, did you read any of the op's post???

[anotsostealth]

And heres the awesome part. 55 people have viewed this thread and nobody has said anything. Are they just to busy or does everyone have the same opinion?

[mpoweraz]

nice

[Petrucci]

Go with ZKW or Bosch headlights. Angel eyes aren't a must now a days. 55 watt HID bulbs 4300k through 6000k look great.

Here's my set up.

-ZKW headlights
-Prolumen HID 35watt 6000k bulbs
-Predator Chromium Angel Eyes
-40mm Stoneguard

-ZKW foglights
-Prolumen HID 35watt 6000k bulbs
-40mm Stoneguard

Pics:

http://img151.imageshack.us/img151/3595/parkinggarage40cf7.jpg
.
http://img219.imageshack.us/img219/2557/parkinggarage33jz7.jpg
.
http://img444.imageshack.us/img444/346/mountlemmon119oo4.jpg

[anotsostealth]

So how do you keep they ebay ones from glazing over.

Petrucci...dood, give me your rims...haha I love those.

[Substream]

Check the lighting sub-forum. All of this is covered in a sticky there I believe.

hah wow, I apologize, I totally forgot there was a lighting subforum :embarrasm I reposted this same thing over there. Thanks!

[anotsostealth]

Like, after about 4-5 years or so, the lights start to glaze over. Little cracks form like inside the lens and its close to impossible to clear back up. Just the cheaper the lights are, I was assume this process would happen faster. I can take pix of the mini at home tomorrow if you still dont understand.

[ESMcBlurM3]

Like, after about 4-5 years or so, the lights start to glaze over. Little cracks form like inside the lens and its close to impossible to clear back up. Just the cheaper the lights are, I was assume this process would happen faster. I can take pix of the mini at home tomorrow if you still dont understand.

The stock plastic lenses do start to fog/haze. However, I've never seen the glass on bosch's, zkw's, or depo's ever permanently haze.