I have the same as your old M5 ones, but orange indicator plastic bit. I like the facelift, but I love how the reverse segment on pre-facelift versions is blended into the rest of the lamp (red ish).
Yes it is possible if you install a bi-xenon projector in the high beam housing and run some relays. You lose flash-to-pass as your ballasts for the high beam housings don't like to turn on/off quickly like all ballasts. You still get high beams as you will be using a bi-xenon projector, but that will only be when your lights are on.
It's the most beautiful m5 color. Also i fixed the vanos unit on an m5 in our shop today and so my boss said I could drive it. Honestly, the greatest car I've ever driven.
Like Ryan said, no need for timing chains. There may be a need for timing chain guides and the chain tensioner. The tensioner may seize up and give slack to the guides. I'm looking into replacing my chain tensioner as it looks to be an easy DIY.
If you're on a budget and don't want to blow extra cash on chrome bulbs when they blow just lightly coat them with a chrome/silver spray paint. I have the same lights on my E38 just doesn't bother me showing the amber bulbs since it will cost 5-10 times as much purchasing chrome ones.
Thanks for a quick reply :) The trouble were with both lights, and all connections were secure. Only the led bars worked on both yeah. But after beeing out there for 1 hour now i figured it out :p And its a bit embarresing.. The cables where connected to the wrong rearlight, just had to switch the cables between the two :p lol.. I where thinking opposite, from within the boot according to the instruction manuel.. :p BUT the most important thing is that NOW it works 100% :D hehe
Hi. Thank you for this video. Very Informative video. With this video I was very confident and did this to my E39 528i preface. Now with the Hella facelift tail light, the car has a more modern look. Thanks again Ryan!
Ahh, I definitely considered an M3 and a couple other coupes (pontiac gto...crap, G35...decent, just not for me, subaru brz...awesome just too slow)even though I'm only 18 I'd prefer a sedan for normal use. There are too many E46 M3's and I know I just wouldn't respect the car as much. They are very easy to find on craigslist, but I'd rather have the M5 sleeper, which is much more unique and rarer. Thanks for the suggestions though!
Ice berg blue? I have never seen or heard of such a thing. That would also be illegal in the United States. Tail lights and brake lights have to be red. You might get along with blue-ish halo bulbs, but blue is still illegal- it's reserved for emergency services here.
Good job, I was wondering if you were able to fix your engine light on since you told me before you are going to show it to your mechanic, if yes what was the reason? hopefully not carbon build up.
Hello :) My car is e39 98 I need to upgrade tail lights. I have the tail lights and I have a ballasts, but I don't have the links .. help me please because in my country we don't have a link. .. show me how to install the links between the ballasts and the old link , and new 6 link thanks :)
Much thanks! I'm really after the taillights and the better Nav because I cannot stand slow electronics. Actually, I can't stand anything that's slow haha ;) My parents are buying me any car to stop me from riding motorcycles. I'm strongly considering this M5, but would you recommend any other similar cars that are standard with a fantastic driving experience? Thanks again! Your car is awesome btw
Hey Andrew, couldn't you find a tail lights out there that could fit right like the old ones already in without need for drilling a new holes or pounding on the metal to make them fit? Thanks.
here again,, i see now the Whole video and yes i need this rear lights for my car , are they still available on the bmw parts? very nice the rear lights , absolutley lovely,, much better than mine ,, i hope to find the same for my car , i had to leave my m5 many years in garage for problem and much work ,,but now it is the time to drive again she called me :-)))
Im getting error message in the dash after installing these. And only the led bar's work normally, the rest dont work :( Any tips ? I followed the instructions 100%
Hello, i have purchased a pair of OEM lights, and they dont fit exactly, there is a piece of plastic on the side og the light that make them nonfitable, i have the ballast and the lights are working properly, do you have any idea how i can make them fit?
What happens if you turn on the left parking light for example? i'm asking this, because on my e39 1996 there are two bulbs for each taillight, they are both lit when you turn headlights on but only one lights up (the outer one) when a side parking light is on. how is this solved? I was told that the light module must be replaced too, which i see here, is not quite necessary. I guess these ballasts do the job, right? :)
Hey!! i got a problem with mine E39 520D from 2003 !! On my dashbord i got alarm that my richt light don't work... so i chekt, and i work i den't chang any thing.... when i start my car i don't any thing, but the 1 sec that i touch my break i gets on.... but the lights work....
Thanks for the reply. Im just after some genuine advice as im also interested in getting an ECU reflash(chipped) done on my 540i. Is this something you would recommend? I know its not necessary being a V8, but just interested. Thanks!
Looks really good! What other differences are there between the pre-01 and post-01 M5's. I'm looking to get an E39 M5 soon. Are there any other tips/advice you could offer me? What's a good price for an '01 with less than 100k miles
@@DearMajesty bummer, they were pretty affordable back then I wish someone answered so we could compare prices but now like 30k minimum, probably 40k : /
@Johnny Chimpo I know, right lol? I've seen plenty of nice E39 M5's well under $30k. You can even find some nice ones under $20k, but they'll have over 200k miles
Is there any way to get this style of light on the e36 ? I love how the facelifted e39 lights look but so far searching through ebay and the internet has been less than fruitful for this style on the e36...
Is it true that when changing rear lights from pre-facelift to facelift, special converters are needed, which are no longer available today, or is it enough to use an adapter in the form of changing the connector block of the lights? I have 1996 E39 and want to install new depo led taillights.
I would avoid Depo at all costs, those lights are bottom of the barrel quality. If you were to use the Hella retrofit kit tail lights (facelift lights designed for the pre 2001 cars) then you NEED the ballasts (voltage regulators) to not burn the LEDs out. If you use a Genuine BMW/Hella 2001-2003 tail light, you can simply change the connector on the car to the facelift plug or use a straight wiring adapter without a ballast/voltage regulator.
It is extremely unlikely that these are ever produced again, unfortunately. There is a case to be made for keeping them original (pre facelift M5) though!
My '99 M5 is the same colour as this an is still on its original lamps, front & rear. now, as the car is around 17 years old and going up in value, I wonder how the lamp upgrade is viewed as in terms or originality ?
+Lewis72 You do have to modify the wiring to retrofit the newer lights... unless you use adapters and modify those to keep the harness in the car stock.
Hey Ryan great video!!! I do have the next question: Which site or where I can get just the two ballast and the cable? I own a 98 528i e39 that I'm looking to upgrade my tail lights, (already have those). Thanks buddy.
Hmm, good question. As far as I know, Hella only made this as a kit. I would contact Hella directly, or Turner Motorsport (where I bought the kit) and see if the other parts are available separately.
I know it's an old video, but I can't find any other one as good as yours, plus looks you know what you're doing. my question is following. have 1998 528I want to install new hella taillamps from 2003 540I car, I know I'll need the plug adapters ( Mfg#: 63120025517, Mfg#: 63120026771) which are backordered till late 2021, what else I need to do, I understand that I need get lcm coded, is that possible with autolgic old bluebox scanner? Would I need anything else? thanks in advance for your response
Question: I just bought the facelifted tails of a junked car but I cannot find the ballast or the adapters anywhere. You got any advice on where to find them?
You do not need (or want, as they'd be very dim) the ballasts if you're retrofitting stock USA facelift E39 tail lights. You can simply splice a wiring pigtail on your wiring harness and plug them in. The ballasts are for the Hella retrofit kit lights only.
Is there any difference between regular hella lights from 200+ model than those from the kit? I mean, I wondering if I will purchase lights from disassembled e39 200+ they will suit to car from '98
Hello. I have just installed on my e39 from 1998 this FL rear lamps with ballasts just like on the video. I have just some problem with the intesity of the LED lights they are not so shiny... instead the Reverse light it's like the dipped headlight, too much light! The other lights are perfectly working. Somebody said me i should buy an LCM III or I should code the intensity of the rear lights... do you have any idea? what should i do? thank you
@@sKyLiNeGT16 Yeah, it wouldn't explain the LEDs I suppose. Maybe you do have a bad LCM, sending too much power to those. But I have never heard of that being an issue.
hey man, i just got a 2000 M5, and i still have my other 540i(2003)...instead of buying a whole kit, i was wondering if you hand any links to where i can get just the ballasts?
***** thx man i appreciate it ...loving the new m5...though i thought there was gonna be a much greater power difference between the 540i and m5, i find them similar, even though the m5 is faster...i guess it must be because of torque(324 for the 540) is not a big of a diff as the hp is...anyways, thx again for the ballast info
***** oh, wait, does my 2003 540i have the ballasts i can just take out and use on the 2000 m5? or does the 2003 540i use something other than ballasts to power the led lights? last question, if i go ebay route, what ballasts am i looking for? if you know that is(wattage, bulb type, configuration...ect)? if not its cool, i appreciate the info anyways
QuebecOffroading The headlight ballasts between a 2003 540i and a 2000 M5 should be identical. Or just search eBay for 2000 M5 ballast, they'll all work.
***** no i wasnt talking about the headlights, was talking about the tail lights, i wanted to try and find the led retrofit kit but with ballasts only as i already have the lights....but i have been looking and i cant find anywhere that sells them alone....thx anyways
Previous owner replaced them with horrible smoked lights. I just got a new set of these hella lights. Hopefully installing them tonight just wanted to make sure. Thank you for the response.
I purchased an 00 M5 with these hella upgrades installed already. Passenger side is slightly failing. I get a check brake light error, and upon investigation, it appears the connector piece from the harness running into the tailight is rusted. It's on the harness and when I viewed the light, there's some urst on the male connector in the tailight. Do they sell the harnesses individually? I only see the entire kit on turners site.
The passenger side tail light corrosion is a common problem on the E39 for some reason. The solution is to replace the end of the car's electrical connection, and clean out the socket on the tail light. Read some articles about cleaning corrosion off of electrical sockets. Then replace the pins in the harness by cutting off the old and soldering/twisting on the new with the correct BMW pins.
The pins are 61130006626. I would order a few more than you need incase some get damaged. Cut off the corroded ones, and put the new leads on the wire. Then make sure the wires go back in the right spot on the plastic connector. I just looked at mine, I don't need a picture.
@@emrekartal9199 I had an issue like that when I first got my set too, with the right light I believe. I contacted Turner (who I bought them from) and they sent me another kit. I think it was the ballast that was bad, so I replaced that and returned the rest of the kit.
So I picked these taillights off a 2003 530i for my 2000 e39 and was wondering where I could only get the ballast/cables and mounting hardware (don't really mind if it has it or not) to do the conversion?
The ballasts are ONLY required if you get the Hella "retrofit kit" lights that Hella made for 1997-2000 E39s. Lights from a 2003 530i will will work without ballasts in your 2000 E39. You may need to code the LCM to "LED tail lights, active" to avoid codes, though. You'll want the inline tail light adapters to adapt the old style plug to the new. Left: bit.ly/2CV7kux Right: bit.ly/2CTtP2V
@@E39Source Thank you for such a quick response! I was about ready to buy the ballast. Unfortunately, the adapters won't ship until November, so I move my search over to eBay.
@@E39Source Just came across your other video about coding and it really is making me second guess installing the lights. I have no knowledge about coding and it seems like a pain from your perspective. However, if I had the chance to take the LCM from that 530i, would that take care of the possible codes? Anything I should look out for?
@@paganiluv9552 The retrofit kit lights will bolt up to and install in any early E39 without coding. The voltage regulators (ballasts) handle everything well. Taking an LCM from a newer 530i would mean coding that LCM to your specific vehicle's VIN and mileage.
@@E39Source I didn't purchase the hella retrofit kit and just took them off an 03' 530i and am going to use the adapters. Would I still be able to code my OG 00' 528i LCM to support those LED taillights?
Hi I bought Led tail lights for my BMW E39 528i and worked well. Yesterday I put a new angel eays Hella headlaights. Headlights are doing well but tail lights now are flashing and worked the auxiliary light also. What is the problem?
They started after the headlights were changed? That is very bizarre. Both of them? Might be an LCM problem, I would find a trusted mechanic to diagnose and maybe double check the wiring (right and left rear lights do not have symmetrical wiring.)
Yes after I installed the headlights. Both off tail lights flashing led lights. I don't know maybe is a problem on the modul for light, mayby for xenon lights modul is different?
