XBimmers | BMW X1 Forum - View Single Post - Pulled the trigger on Aftermarket X1 Xenon Headlights

spoolinX1 · 07-08-2015, 10:54 AM

In early May, I decided I didn't want to deal with the errors anymore that were being tracked down to the ballasts being wired directly to the factory bulb harnesses. I decided to convert the entire setup to relay direct to the battery post. It has been over two months now and everything has been absolutely perfect since the day I made the switch.

I called many suppliers and talked with them on the phone. Xenon depot really knew their stuff. Their Xtreme kit has an extremely low initial draw.

Here's exactly what I ordered from xenon depot (KBcarstuff.com):

Error eliminator - Part number - RFix - Low Beam Failure Fix - $15.99

Ballast, bulb and relay kit - Part number XT-H7 - H7 Xtreme Digital HID Conversion Kits [HID Color:5000K] $154.99

$25 off Coupon Code DSC-49 ToyotaNation SUPER SALE!! [XT-H7] -$25.00

The light color is amazing. A little crisper white than my neighbor's OEM BMW xenons. Not blue at all. Matches the corona rings perfectly.

One thing to note is that the Error eliminators get EXTREMELY hot and they can not come in contact with any sort of wiring or plastic. Believe me, I touched one after it had been on for about 5 minutes and I wouldn't describe it as anything less than extremely hot. Definitely enough to melt the coating off of wires and right through rubber hoses. I zip tied them in place on each side of the vehicle without having anything come in contact with the heat sinks.

Here is where I tapped into the 12v terminal under the hood. The O-shaped terminal at the end of the relay is the perfect size to fit onto the bolt of the terminal. You don't need to make any modifications to the relay wiring or the terminal in any way. Make sure you unhook the negative cable from your battery in the trunk before tapping into this - It's a tight space and you're very likely to touch metal while tightening or loosening the nut on the 12V+ terminal. Each ballast has it's own designated in-line fuse.

Here is the RF Eliminator zip tied on the driver's side (Notice how it is not touching anything plastic or rubber):

Here is the RF Eliminator zip tied on the passenger's side (Notice how it is not touching anything plastic or rubber):

There are plenty of bolts on bolt sides of the car that you can use as for your ground. Just make sure you get nice clean metal with no paint on it. I used one from the air box and one from the power steering reservoir.

Clean installation. All wires are hidden except for what you see in the photos above. Ballasts are double sided taped to the underside of the headlights. Accessible from the inner fender well access door. The relay wire to the driver's side headlight could technically have used about 3-4 more inches in length in order for it to be a completely flawless run with the radiator wiring along the frontside of the car. Ultimately you can still make it look pretty darn good.

07-08-2015, 10:54 AM	#31
spoolinX1 Private First Class 38 Rep 133 Posts Drives: X1 Join Date: Feb 2015 Location: New York iTrader: (0)	In early May, I decided I didn't want to deal with the errors anymore that were being tracked down to the ballasts being wired directly to the factory bulb harnesses. I decided to convert the entire setup to relay direct to the battery post. It has been over two months now and everything has been absolutely perfect since the day I made the switch. I called many suppliers and talked with them on the phone. Xenon depot really knew their stuff. Their Xtreme kit has an extremely low initial draw. Here's exactly what I ordered from xenon depot (KBcarstuff.com): Error eliminator - Part number - RFix - Low Beam Failure Fix - $15.99 Ballast, bulb and relay kit - Part number XT-H7 - H7 Xtreme Digital HID Conversion Kits [HID Color:5000K] $154.99 $25 off Coupon Code DSC-49 ToyotaNation SUPER SALE!! [XT-H7] -$25.00 The light color is amazing. A little crisper white than my neighbor's OEM BMW xenons. Not blue at all. Matches the corona rings perfectly. One thing to note is that the Error eliminators get EXTREMELY hot and they can not come in contact with any sort of wiring or plastic. Believe me, I touched one after it had been on for about 5 minutes and I wouldn't describe it as anything less than extremely hot. Definitely enough to melt the coating off of wires and right through rubber hoses. I zip tied them in place on each side of the vehicle without having anything come in contact with the heat sinks. Here is where I tapped into the 12v terminal under the hood. The O-shaped terminal at the end of the relay is the perfect size to fit onto the bolt of the terminal. You don't need to make any modifications to the relay wiring or the terminal in any way. Make sure you unhook the negative cable from your battery in the trunk before tapping into this - It's a tight space and you're very likely to touch metal while tightening or loosening the nut on the 12V+ terminal. Each ballast has it's own designated in-line fuse. Here is the RF Eliminator zip tied on the driver's side (Notice how it is not touching anything plastic or rubber): Here is the RF Eliminator zip tied on the passenger's side (Notice how it is not touching anything plastic or rubber): There are plenty of bolts on bolt sides of the car that you can use as for your ground. Just make sure you get nice clean metal with no paint on it. I used one from the air box and one from the power steering reservoir. Clean installation. All wires are hidden except for what you see in the photos above. Ballasts are double sided taped to the underside of the headlights. Accessible from the inner fender well access door. The relay wire to the driver's side headlight could technically have used about 3-4 more inches in length in order for it to be a completely flawless run with the radiator wiring along the frontside of the car. Ultimately you can still make it look pretty darn good. Last edited by spoolinX1; 07-08-2015 at 02:40 PM..
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