huyuci

Originally bought


Changed my headlights




Was going to have clear bra installed, but then I thought, for about the same cost, I could vinyl wrap it to another color I also like. After a few years, I'll have a new car again. For all the "critics" out there, the wrap isn't perfect since I did it myself. But it cost me a fraction of what I was quoted, so I'm happy with what I got.

DBOC205

I mean it's difficult to tell from the photo but it looks just like a white paint job .. well done on the wrap job. I know from first hand experience, that stuff isn't easy to do. Got any close-up pics of where you had issues?

bartola

Are you kidding me?... Vinyl is hard to work with, you did an awesome job, how long did it take you?. BTW, white looks good. I remember your post on the lights, good write up!!!

Lego

Very nice. How much did it cost? Can you take it to a car wash?

taccongtu

AMAZING job! Did you have to notify the DMV of the color change though?

huyuci

I had my bro fooled when I told him I bought another one. He was checking out the car closeup
and only then he noticed something odd about some of the edges that I didn't do a good job on. But he just thought it was a bad paint job. So if you're standing 3 feet's from the car, you would not be able to tell

huyuci

Thank you. I have a full time job, plus all the family duties. So I could only do it when everyone has gone to bed. It took me a bit more than 2 weeks. It's my first time ever working with vinyl, so there was a lot of mishaps, things that took longer than they should. I did one section at a time, so a lot of time, I was driving around with the car half black half white. I think I got stared at as much as I would being naked :-)

huyuci

Depends on the brand of the vinyl, but it's about $500. It's supposed to last a few years, so I don't see why you can't take it to a car wash. I usually hand wash mine, but now I don't have to worry about scratching while washing it.

huyuci

Thanks. I don't think it's necessary since the change is not permanent

pandabenz300

why didnt you just get a white one with the led headlights straight from factory? wouldn't it have been cheaper?

huyuci

Very good question. The short answer is, I should have. Here comes the long answer. I did set out to buy a white one, a base model. But when the saleman showed it to me, being a base model, it didn't look so good. I was disappointed by it (mistake #1). Then I was researching on YouTube and saw this German guy taking delivery of his new black c300, and it was really, and I mean really shiny. So I decided to go black. I was so focused on the color and the wheels, I forgot about the headlights. By the time I realized white is really gorgeous, I was too blind by a good deal that was offered (20% off), I didn't back out. I was given the option to change to a different white car at the last minute, but that also meant adding another 7k to the price, which I wasn't ready to swallow. The rest is trying to make up for my shortcomings.
Black is not bad though. But keeping it shiny is a pain. I have it washed one day and it'd be dusty the next. And if not cleaned the right way, all the tiny scratches would show up. My previous BMW was black. The BMW before that was also black. I guess the saying is true, once you go black, you can't go back :-)

E3E3

Looks great! Well done.

I really like the white with the multispoke rims. Enjoy!

E

Boudicca

Huyuci, you are one brave and persistent dude.

Lego

How much are the LEDs? OEM?

bwoodbmw

this car is a transformer... are the headlights still functioning properly without throwing any codes or (apparently not) starting the car on fire?

huyuci

Hahaha, you gave me a good laugh. The lights are still fine. They haven't burn out yet. They are not as bright as OEM, I guess, but they still look good. I step out of my car after I start the engine to admire them every now and then.

bluefang08

Were the headlights plug n play?

If not what modifications did you have to do to get them work?

huyuci

Yep they are OEM. I just replaced the led bulbs with eBay led. I found the lights on ebay for $500, but I was able to talk the guy down to $300, so all in all, it was a very good deal.

huyuci

No, it wasn't plug n play. The wiring is incompatible, plus the LED lights require ECU to operate. It took me about a month to gut out the led bulbs and to figure out which wire goes to which. I then replaced with ebay leds and rewired the headlights' harness to match with the car's headlight connectors