Replacing ZKW bi-xenon with Magneti Marelli (aka AL) headlight assembly
So I am the original owner of a 2004 e46 330i sedan with the ZHP option.
As with many others I suffered from the burnt bowl issue (still don't understand how this was not a recall issue for BMW...)
A couple of years ago I did the Clemsone46 burnt bowl retrofit. It took a while to install, lots of lost knuckle skin, but in the end it worked and the cost was way less than buying new (AL) headlight assemblies, and I was not interested in the other retrofits out there as they did not seem plug and play.
Here is that thread: http://www.zhpmafia.com/forums/showt...nt-bowls-today
So fast forward 2.5 years and I found a thread that MM was basically AL which is supposed to be the other OEM supplier for e46 bi-xenon headlights. I found one for the passenger side (new) on ebay for $425 shipped and decided to take the plunge.
Here are the highlights:
1. The headlight was NOT plug and play. There was a whole new "bracket" on the MM/AL bottom of the assembly that needed to be removed. And a "box" on the bottom of the MM/AL assembly that interfered with the headlight mounting area. I had to dremel material away to make the MM/AL headlight fit.
2. MM is AL, at least that is what the sticker on the headlight assembly says
3. The MM headlight came with all the screws needed (did not have to reuse any screws from original assembly)
4. The MM assembly did NOT FIT FLUSH with the side turn indicator lights and there is a gap between the headlight and turn indicator
5. The MM headlight beam did not require any adjusting, the self leveling capability worked fine
6. The MM assembly came with bulbs, but I swapped out with an OSRAM Nightbreaker and it was noticeably brighter than whatever the D2S stock bulb was that came in the assembly
7. The Clemsone46 retrofit was still OK after 2 years, but it didn't compare to the brightness or beam consistency of the MM/AL headlight with either the OEM bulb or OSRAM bulb
Photos are all on my phone so going to post from there back to this thread with all the steps I took.
There are numerous threads and youtube videos on pulling the headlight assembly so not going to repeat those steps for brevity.
