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2002 E46 M3 - LED Angel Eyes installation

11K views 25 replies 4 participants last post by  bio10155 
#1 ·
Hey guys,

Now, I know there's millions of guides out there on telling you how to install these, but all of them seem to be the U.S. version of installation - i.e. with no sidelights. Since our UK cars do have side lights - is it possible to wire them up using the power source from these i.e. just take the bulbs out and feed the wires to the sockets...? The U.S. tap their power from the 12v+ and the trigger wire from the DME (ECU) to be always on. However, I wish my Angel eyes to be switch activated on the dashboard. If I can use the sidelights as the power source, how can I get them not to signal a fault if the resistance is not there? Also, by making the angel eyes my new sidelights - is it legal as a substitute or do I still need the bulbs in for MOT?
 
#2 ·
No prob to wire to the existing sidelight wires, that's how I did mine, just remember it's not what you think when you wire from the inverters, the red wire doesn't go to the brown of the sidelight! Had no warning light problems with mine.
Never heard of mot probes either, I know members off here who have passed mots with angel eyes fitted.
 
#12 ·
Martyn the LEDs dont have inverters like the CCFLs do, and they are not
the leds dont take there supply from the side lights, they are relay driven and the supply is taken from the battery, triggers switch the relay on and off and this is what controls the angel eyes, so in theroy the trigger can be connected to anything that can be switched on and off and you can control the angel eyes through that :)
 
#3 ·
Hi there, please elaborate on the intervers, and the wiring - all I need to know is which wire goes where when connecting the LED wires to the side light socket - so you didn't have a fault warning with your LEDs, can you tell me which ones you bought please?
 
#4 ·
The wires going to the existing bulb holder are brown and black, the angel eyes come complete with inverters, the wires from the inverters connect to the wires on the bulb holder, red from inverter to black on bulb holder and black from inverter to brown on bulb holder.
I got mine from BMStyling.co.uk
 
#8 ·
They last longer, don't suffer from cold start, and overall brighter according to the pictures I have seen from various modifiers. Anyway, let's start from the beginning again...to my questions...do you know if they can be wired into the sidelight sockets or do they need 12v to run?
 
#10 ·
Hi there - The only reason why I'm going for LEDS is because I've seen the new SMD high output versions - with the 72 LEDs - they are exceptionally brighter than any CCFLs. I guess if they were any different than those ur probably right in choosing the other.
 
#11 ·
i have umnitza angel eyes, they are 60 Leds and they are F***** bright lol

they are brighter than ccfl by far, i have had to dim mine for night time they are that bright:
http://www.bimmerforums.co.uk/forum/f3/how-to-dim-your-umnitza-angel-eyes-t51504/#post423749

so you are reffering to triggering you eyes from the side lights as oppossed to the ECU,
i will assume you have umnitzas, as you havent said in your thread
So you have a relay, and a loom, with two wires that go to the angel rings and two more wires for triggering,

i can remember colours of the top of my head, but one is white and one is yellow,

one of the wiires will pick up the relay and the other will just feed the lights from that supply, if you touch one on a positive 12v supply you will hear the relay pick up, this is the one you want

you need to run that to your side lights, once you find the side light you need to tap into the +ive cable (not the brown)

now when your side lights are on the relay will pick up and your eyes will come on

if i have confussed anything please ask,

i have a link in my sig of how i wired mine, but i wired mine to run from the ecu, but wiring from the side lights will not bring up an errors in the way i described, you talk of removing your side light bulbs.... that will bring up and error i have left mine in
 
#14 ·
Hi there - Thank You for your info. Much appreciated. It seems there is different configurations in how to wire these up...your method seems more appropriate - as I can keep my side lights to add high powered LEDS to them. So I take it the +ve to tap into from the sidelights is the Blue then... as I can only see brown and blue - anyone wish to confirm to me on this??
 
#16 ·
yup jus tuck it away,

it is important that you get the two triggers the correct way round, because one lifts the relay and the other just feeds the lights

ummmm, i fort the side light colurs was green with a black stripe (ive attached a pic)

easy way to check turn side lights on, un plug the one you think is the side light if the side light goes out that is the one you want :)
brown is deffinatly negative tho

Have you insatalled these yet?
 
#17 ·
on my head lights there are five plugs,
so looking at the drivers side head light,

on the outside there is the indicator, then along from this there are three plugs
then at the top under the black metal bar that runs along the top is a plug that is for the side lights
 
#18 ·
No I haven't installed them as of yet - I've got an M3 so it maybe different in wire colourings - but to make sure - yep I will unplug it :) Thanks for all your help. I will let you and others know how I wire the lights up - It may seem I will opt. for the DRL configuration as I want to choose to have the highputput LEDs as my sidelights as separate circuit.
 
#20 ·
nice,

how are you going to wire them up as side lights?

mine run as DRL but i use a dimming circuit to dim them at night because they are too bright for night time they light up the road lol
 
#21 ·
I'm going to keep my sidelights in the end - I'm getting some quad-set high power SMD LEDs 7000k for the purpose. I'm still unsure how I will go if I want them as DRL or triggered off from switching the sidelights on all together. I'll decide when I test them out to see the brightness... I'm going to play with my GT1 tomorrow - can't wait :)...and don't worry - I'm not going to do any programming that i don't understand - lol!
 
#22 ·
LOL nice

you could always run them off of anouther switch, in the drivers side glove box or something, all you would need is to run one of the triggers to the glove box put a switch then find a +ive 12v feed, maybe from the back of the radio

well i wired mine as DRL and i installed a switch so i could turn them off and a dimmer so they dim automatically when the side lights are on

http://www.bimmerforums.co.uk/forum/...04/#post423749

hope that helps

let me know how it goes or if you want anything else
 
#23 ·
I got a question unrelated to the Angel eyes - as saying today I played around the GT1 - WOW - so wicked, I've managed to upgrade my SMG software and perform clutch calibrations! But it was a bit challenging to take in all the terminology to say the least. Can anyone help me in telling me how to switch off/on Terminal 15 and Terminal R? I need this done to re-initialise the rain sensor. Is switching off terminals 15 and R literally putting the key to the off and on position?
 
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