HID Fog Lamps for the 1996-2000 BMW E39 5-Series (Excluding M5)

[PJB]

Very detailed, great write uP!

Great write -up. This needs to be a Fcuking STICKY!!!

Ahhh...
The master at work!
Amazing write-up/ DIY!
Thanks again PJB!
Jason

Damn dude. This write-up is awesome bro. PJB you are my F'ng hero! I did a complete half-assed job and going to redo the entire setup following these instructions. Thanks a million man.

Thread subscribed for later, nice write up and pics.
I was searching for a thread like this last friday, whatdoyaknow!

Fuggins Wheat

Hey thanks guys I'm glad it looks like it's going to help some people out. This is not a rare mod, but also not common. For whatever reason, it's doesn't receive a lot of talk time, and like I said hopefully it helps out the new generation of e39 owners as well as the long time owner who hadn't seen it discussed before.

LOL @ Fuggins Wheat!


.

[PJB]

Top notch work here.
Thanks you for sharing this contribution for the rest of us.

thanks for that right up man, you just solve a problem i was having with mine.

Thanks guys... what problem were you having? It might take less than my "cure-all" configuration.

[KMFDM26]

Thanks PJB,

I'm going to try out those radio shack resistors to see if they'll work more efficiently than my ebay resistors do. If I had to throw a precentage on the table, I'de say they only work 70% of the time.

[Orxan4ik]

why isnt this in DIY section already, WTF???

[javaco888]

awesome write-up bro... i've been meaning to put HID's on my fogs for quite a while... still debating if i should just take them from my other car or just get a new set...

so is it necessary to have those resistors to not get the warning lights? i figured it would just be plug and play...

[dgz32]

Excellent writ-up and pics

great write up for sure .. I guess im one of the lucky guys with a 1998 with no error message ..

but i do have a question .. does anyone know if the after market error cancelling would work for hella ballast .. im looking for a quick plug and play ..

I have the units in the pic (from DDM) and they are def PNP for my Hella ballasts. Did the trick for me.

[Jo@EuroDyne]

no wonder i haven't seen u in a while! u've been busy! great write up! =)...by the way, where did u get those lights? =) i do recognize those darn AEs =P

[Gumbi4u]

Superb writeup man! Epic!

[FP5241]

in b4 lock..

[PJB]

Thanks PJB,

I'm going to try out those radio shack resistors to see if they'll work more efficiently than my ebay resistors do. If I had to throw a precentage on the table, I'de say they only work 70% of the time.

That's interesting. I figured since the Hella, after market, and ebay error-canceling devices all look the same they should all use the same or similar components. I guess maybe a difference in the quality/specifications of the components themselves (better-made capacitor, higher power capacitor, etc.) makes a difference. If I were to do it over, I'd still rather buy something than make it now that I know it works, but I guess I'd avoid the bottom of the barrell stuff.

[m5hoot]

how do they function in true foggy conditions? Wouldn't that bright a lamp reflect excessively off the fog? Excellent write-up guy!

[PJB]

awesome write-up bro... i've been meaning to put HID's on my fogs for quite a while... still debating if i should just take them from my other car or just get a new set...

so is it necessary to have those resistors to not get the warning lights? i figured it would just be plug and play...

Thanks. The warnings are iffy, but general flickering problems on start up are prevalent on many cars. If you read over the thread the e39 just has issues with HID fogs. It was the start up nonsense that I wanted to correct with the electronic configuration.

Excellent writ-up and pics
I have the units in the pic (from DDM) and they are def PNP for my Hella ballasts. Did the trick for me.

Thanks and good to know that the costlier error-canceling devices work! KMFDM26 is having issues with his ebay devices as described in post #28. I guess that the different price tiers between vendors reflect different tiers of quality, at least at the low end.

no wonder i haven't seen u in a while! u've been busy! great write up! =)...by the way, where did u get those lights? =) i do recognize those darn AEs =P

Thanks Jo and you know I couldn't have done any of this without the help of EuroDyne! HID fogs and EuroDyne LED angel eyes, such a lethal combination!

Superb writeup man! Epic!

Thanks Ken! I remember what you've said about getting LED angel eyes to change it up, then going back to OEM to change it up, and basically flip-flopping and never being content with one configuration. I'm in the same position! However, I'm only doing it with angel eyes and not changing my wheels every month to the tune of hundreds of dollars!

how do they function in true foggy conditions? Wouldn't that bright a lamp reflect excessively off the fog? Excellent write-up guy!

Thanks for the compliment, guy! I don't know yet how they function in really foggy conditions, being that I live in sunny southern California! Although, I'm fully aware of the debate between 3000K (yellow) fog lamps and 6000K/8000K (blueish) fog lamps. However, in addition to any certain color that the lamps put out, they also help because they're low and close to the ground, and point downward to illuminate the road just in front of the vehicle. They shine under the fog that wafts a few feet above the ground.

That being said, I do want 3000K fog lamps because I feel that the yellow color will help more than the white/blueish color, but I plan on upgrading to an M-Tech bumper eventually and will likely put that temperature in there. The M-Tech bumper takes a different bulb size. The 1996-2000 e39 bumper H7-size bulb is a very common size for the low beams in other vehicles so it made sense to get 6000K now and put it into another car later. And I'll install it responsibly, too, I won't just pop it in and blind other drivers.

[bunty83]

IF you Use 50w Ballast with 50w Hid Bulbs . you are not need Capacitor.
i bought the 50w Hid kit from ebay. no warning lights come on on the dash. if you use 35 w hid kit light warning light turn on on dash.
so it better just buy 50w hid kit it is only $3 more than 35w kit. save lot of time, money and work.
but nice write up by the guy

[JackEatsEmoKids]

IF you Use 50w Ballast with 50w Hid Bulbs . you are not need Capacitor.
i bought the 50w Hid kit from ebay. no warning lights come on on the dash. if you use 35 w hid kit light warning light turn on on dash.
so it better just buy 50w hid kit it is only $3 more than 35w kit. save lot of time, money and work.
but nice write up by the guy

My E39 does not throw a warning light when the fogs go out, I don't think any E39 does.

I had my HIDs in the fogs just plugged in, worked 90% of the time, but you had to have the fog light switch on first before starting the car. They one day, they stopped working and I ripped them out.

[jecain]

...wow in depth much?! intense write up. very nice

[PJB]

IF you Use 50w Ballast with 50w Hid Bulbs . you are not need Capacitor.
i bought the 50w Hid kit from ebay. no warning lights come on on the dash. if you use 35 w hid kit light warning light turn on on dash.
so it better just buy 50w hid kit it is only $3 more than 35w kit. save lot of time, money and work.
but nice write up by the guy

My E39 does not throw a warning light when the fogs go out, I don't think any E39 does.

I had my HIDs in the fogs just plugged in, worked 90% of the time, but you had to have the fog light switch on first before starting the car. They one day, they stopped working and I ripped them out.

The reason for capacitors is what JackEatsEmoKids said. In order to get the HID fogs to work I used to have to do a silly routine of key in ignition position II, then parking lights on, then engine one, then fogs on. If I didn't do this they wouldn't turn on at all, and even doing this wouldn't work every time. I couldn't turn on my HID fogs if the car was already running, which is silly. If I suddenly needed my fogs while driving I would've had to pull the car over then shut it off and on again. The configuration with the capacitors eliminates this nonsense, made them function properly and has made them very reliable.

...wow in depth much?! intense write up. very nice

Thanks brah!

[BimmerBreaker]

Am I the only one who thinks this mod is totally disrespectful and inconsiderate to other drivers? Enjoy blinding everyone else on the road... ill keep my HIDs in my projectors where they belong.

[faruqster]

thanks for your unnecessary input blackxs. thanks a lot for the guide PJB, you know your stuff.

[PJB]

Am I the only one who thinks this mod is totally disrespectful and inconsiderate to other drivers? Enjoy blinding everyone else on the road... ill keep my HIDs in my projectors where they belong.

BMW has an OEM HID fog lamp retrofit that I linked to in the first post, maybe you didn't check the link? From the schematic, it appears that the OEM fog lamp housing is still used, meaning that HID bulbs don't necessarily belong in projectors. They're common in projectors, yes, but OEM HID is not exclusive to projectors. In fact, the OEM D2R bulb is an HID bulb explicitly designed for use in Reflector (a.k.a. non-projector) headlamp housings - hence the "R" in D2R.

Also, the fog lamps have a vertical cutoff that cuts off the light above a certain height. if you read Post #9, you'll note that I adjusted the cutoff a few times over a week. I noted my reflection in cars in front of me while driving, parked in front of (unoccupied) office buildings to see the reflection of the front fascia of my car, and went to parking lots and viewed my fogs from a distance when illuminated. I took care to make sure they're not aimed in a direction that blinds other drivers.

Furthermore, if they're aimed too high then they appear brighter than OEM HID low beams, and that actually doesn't look good. From an aesthetic point of view, the fogs should appear as bright or slightly dimmer then the HID low beams to look their best.

Finally, fogs aimed too high point right into fog and blind the driver. The manual says fogs should point at the ground where there is no fog, because fog floats a few feet off of the pavement. If they point at the ground they're not pointing at oncoming cars, and you can't blind someone by pointing light AWAY from them.

I'm totally with you on being responsible, and am annoyed when I see cars with an HID kit popped into reflectors that turn the headlights into floodlights. I took care on this mod to make sure I wasn't doing the same and wouldn't have done it otherwise. Funny, too, because some old lady flashed me once before this mod when I had only my OEM HIDs on. I guess she thought they were high beams. That was the only time I've ever been flashed, it hasn't happened once after the mod and I use the fogs all the time.

thanks a lot for the guide PJB, you know your stuff.

Thanks brah couldn't have done it without input from other members though!

[dbiMMer10]

this is something I've posted on yesterday...

or here: http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum...7#post20628087

[xpcgamer]

So tha caps can still throw a Bulb out warning? Are they there only to prevent flickering? I am getting another HID kit to slap in tonight.

[martyoh]

PJB, Great write up! Thanks.
I have some questions about your Angel Eye.
1. On one of your picture describing the Fog HID mod, I saw a back picture of angel eye that is not original. Are you happy with your angel eye in terms of brightness and color temp?
2. I am getting "Check Side Light" warning occasionally from dash computer after setting angel eye remote/Daytime running lights function using wiring harness connected directly to battery, but using original angel eye (2002 525i and 2003 530i) both are exhibiting this problem. another parts where there is taped around in circle (see the picture) below. Is this another Radio Shack capacitor mod to counter the "Check Side Light" Error message by chance?
3. If you have post about your angel eye setup, please let me know.
Thank you in advance.

[XDewa2008]

Great write up PJB!
I relied solely on this DIY to install my 4300k bulbs, and I couldn't be happier!

[PJB]

PJB, Great write up! Thanks.
I have some questions about your Angel Eye.
1. On one of your picture describing the Fog HID mod, I saw a back picture of angel eye that is not original. Are you happy with your angel eye in terms of brightness and color temp?
2. I am getting "Check Side Light" warning occasionally from dash computer after setting angel eye remote/Daytime running lights function using wiring harness connected directly to battery, but using original angel eye (2002 525i and 2003 530i) both are exhibiting this problem. another parts where there is taped around in circle (see the picture) below. Is this another Radio Shack capacitor mod to counter the "Check Side Light" Error message by chance?
3. If you have post about your angel eye setup, please let me know.
Thank you in advance.

Hey sorry for the late reply.

1. You are correct about my angel eyes. I have OEM headlights from a 2003 M5, but the angel eye bulb is aftermarket. I'm happy with the color temp (about 6000K) but not the brightness. It's not the fault of the aftermarket bulb though. Due to the geometry of our generation's angel eyes, there is a limit to how bright they can get. You can unplug your OEM low beam HID bulb and hold it inside of the angel eye bulb socket, and your angel eyes will not be as bright as you think. They actually won't be much brighter than the brightest and most expensive angel eye bulbs, the Angel iBrights. It's just because the very first generation angel eyes on BMWs were on E39s, and they were purely cosmetic. Since then, BMW has adapted them to serve as the DRLs, which is why late model and current generation BMWs have very bright angel eyes, especially those around the high beam. That's also why aftermarket angel eyes made from CCFL (fluorescent tubing) or arrays of multiple LEDs look brighter - because they're not using the same fiber optic method BMW uses. Also, due to the physics of how light behaves, the wavelength for cooler LED colors (6000K) simply doesn't appear as bright or travel as far as the wavelength for halogen (4300K). So, while technically they are just as bright with a cooler color angel eye bulb, they look a little dimmer. I switch between the aftermarket and OEM bulbs every few months as the mood suites me.

2. I would think that, yes, this is a resistance issue. I have a 2000 E39, so I can't attempt to replicate and fix this error myself, but if you return one of your angel eyes to the stock configuration, then use a simple ohmmeter/ammeter to check the current on either side, you can figure out from there what the problem is, and I'm pretty sure some simple components from RadioShack or AutoZone will get rid of the error for you. And in the picture, my car won't have any mods to counteract the "Check Side Light" error due to the fact that my 2000 E39 won't give that error in the first place.

3. My angel eyes themselves are stock, and I have an aftermarket LED bulb powering them. The temp is around 6000K and they match my OEM HIDs in terms of color. They're not on right now, because at the moment I'm really enjoying the contrast provided by OEM amber angel eyes and OEM HiD projectors. The aftermarket bulbs are a prototype from a local manufacturer/vendor who was doing some engineering and testing on their own product before it went to market. I went to their facility a few times so they could check fitment and errors, and they let me keep a pair for my troubles. They're sturdy and well-built, but they have that funny chrome tube that is about the size and shape of a Chapstick.

Great write up PJB!
I relied solely on this DIY to install my 4300k bulbs, and I couldn't be happier!

Glad it worked out for you brother!

[fullthrottle540]

Great info - however i highly recommend AGAINST using chinese tools - they have a tendency to strip out screws & bolts.