Replacing ZKW bi-xenon with Magneti Marelli (aka AL) headlight assembly

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Originally Posted by AM1GO

And here is the reason you might want to modify your brand new AL headlight. Bottom one - new unmodified MM/AL, top - MM/AL with ZKW lens, and cutoff shutter reflector. Both of them have bulbs swapped to osram xenarc cbi 6000, although it’s hard to tell on the unmodified one due to not so clear lens as comparing to ZKW.

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It depends on what you want the light to do though. If you want it to look pretty and the light to be only useful in city driving environments, then having a nice sharp cutoff with color is nice. But if you're driving around in pitch black all the the time, like mountain/back roads driving, you are going to want to have a soft cutoff. You see less (distance wise) when you have a sharp cutoff.

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Originally Posted by sillieidiot

It will be better. The ZKW lenses are clear vs. frosted lens of AL. It'll result in a sharper cutoff and a slightly brighter hotspot.

You were supposed to use the bracket that you took off on the headlight with the headlight lol and take off the one that you dremeled.

These are the rails that we are talking about. I circled the areas to look for directly from your own pictures. There's one on the top and bottom of the corner lights where it touches the headlight lens.

Red = rails/guides on headlight lens
Green = prong on corner housing

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...8ecaca4b_b.jpg
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...0071d901_b.jpg

If you can't see it still, here's how you would put in those corners. You just align the fork end so that it will slide pass the nut, but don't push it all the way yet. Start pushing the corners of the corner housing towards the headlight lights, you'll feel it go into the rails that we are talking about then you can push it the rest of the way. I think you're trying to align it to the fender of the car, what you should be doing is aligning it with the headlight. If you see a gap to the fender, adjust the headlight position.

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Thanks for the pictures. I was going to take some with the rails marked. Those are the ones I was talking about.

Thanks for the additional info. Will open her back up and give it a try.

Do you know how to safely/easily/properly remove the ZKW bracket that I dremeled out?

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Originally Posted by dpark

Thanks for the additional info. Will open her back up and give it a try.

Do you know how to safely/easily/properly remove the ZKW bracket that I dremeled out?

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Yes, it's just the 2 screws on the bottom. When you remove the headlight trim, just look behind it and you'll see 2 screws. They should be the same ones that hold the headlights. One of them should be right near where the headlight washer pump should be. If you look on the bracket you took out (on the MM headlight originally). It's the 2 square openings. Use that as a reference.

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Originally Posted by sillieidiot

It depends on what you want the light to do though. If you want it to look pretty and the light to be only useful in city driving environments, then having a nice sharp cutoff with color is nice. But if you're driving around in pitch black all the the time, like mountain/back roads driving, you are going to want to have a soft cutoff. You see less (distance wise) when you have a sharp cutoff.

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Yes, there are such theories, but in this instance I know exactly what I am doing. I already did 4 other sets (MM/AL), this is the last one. Light improvement is unbelievable, the best light I ever had on any of my cars (E46s with stock new ZKW, stock new AL, halogen modded with Mini H1 projector, e82 stock and Acura MDX stock) and also comparing to what I see around on the roads. It’s not just pretty, it’s functional. I have few cars and can compare stock to slightly modified to extensively modified in various conditions (on and off road).

But, you don’t have to mod. It’s your choice. Especially butchering brand new headlight is not easy mentally.

I have a bunch of headlights and I am trying things, my next project will be installing G5-R projector in a ZKW housing I have laying around.

Cheers.


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Originally Posted by dpark

Thanks for the additional info. Will open her back up and give it a try.

Do you know how to safely/easily/properly remove the ZKW bracket that I dremeled out?

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Since you have headlight washers you will need to swap those to new brackets, removing them is not easy but with some persuasion can be done and then they just slide back in into new brackets.


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Originally Posted by AM1GO

Since you have headlight washers you will need to swap those to new brackets, removing them is not easy but with some persuasion can be done and then they just slide back in into new brackets.

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I dont have headlight washers. Does this makes the install easier ? Hopefully i wont need to swap or dremel out any parts.

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Originally Posted by fredo

I dont have headlight washers. Does this makes the install easier ? Hopefully i wont need to swap or dremel out any parts.

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If no washers, and you had xenon from factory, than its plug and play, 2 bolts each side.

If you convert from halogen you will be missing leveling wiring (need dummy plugs or leveling retrofit) and coding.


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Originally Posted by AM1GO

If no washers, and you had xenon from factory, than its plug and play, 2 bolts each side.

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Correct, no washers and Xenon from factory. I appreciate the info. :thumbsup

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Originally Posted by fredo

Correct, no washers and Xenon from factory. I appreciate the info. :thumbsup

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Seen it before, 2 times, factory xenon and no washers, strange initially as I thought all factory xenon mandating washers.

So 7 bolts total (corner light, 4 to take off headlight and 2 for the bracket). Can be done in 10-15 mins. Careful with the strip underneath the headlight, easy to brake the tabs as they are brittle due to age.


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