E36 + E36 InPro Upgrade

E38

E46

E53

Others

When performing the initial pretest, please be careful with the rings of the product.  Make sure to lay out all the product contents so that all the wires are untangled and are not within a close proximity of objects that may damage them (i.e. heavy tools, falling debris, etc.).

Locate the black ballast (the one with the red and black lead coming out from one side, and the 4 white leads ending into connectors on the other side).  Because your rings have been pre-connected with the appropriate pins for you, please take each pair of pins from the ring and insert them directly into the plug-and-play connectors with the white wires running into them. Repeat this with the second ring.

Carefully carry the the rings over to your positive battery terminal. Take the negative lead, and connect to a ground point (solid metal), and the red lead to the positive terminal.  At this point, both rings should light up. If they do not, then you have not correctly connected the product OR you may have not completely touched a good ground point. 

Repeat this with the other two rings with the second black ballast.  If all the rings light up (as they should), then you do not have any defects in the product and you may proceed to the section specific to your car.

Please consult your owner's manual for how to remove the headlights from the car. Or use the existing documentation on www.umnitza.com. As the first step, remove your lights from the car and remove the four metal band clamps and then carefully pry
open the four plastic clips (2 on each end) as shown. This will allow you to pull the outer glass cover off of the headlight housing.

The procedures outlined here apply to every headlight called a "EURO" headlight for the E36 - this includes InPro, DJ Auto, Depo, Hella, and BOSCH, but a ZKW is used for demonstration.  DEPO/DJ Auto are almost identical to ZKW and thus do not require a separate section. While the InPro does require it's own section.

Using a knife or box cutter cut through the silicone around each inner lens so that it can be removed. You can clean the old silicone off by hand when the glass is removed. REMOVE ALL SILICONE as much as possible BEFORE removing the lenses, it will make cleanup much easier.  Note: Finger prints are not a good thing on the inner lenses or the inside of the outer bezel. Remember to clean them off before reassembly with alcohol.

Opposite the side where the clip makes an inverted "L" shape and is shaped more like a slanted off ramp, insert a flat-headed screwdriver and pry the lens up and out of the opening - the best method to prevent any breakage is to simultaneously PUSH DOWN on the side where the inverted "L" shape is located while PRYING GENTLY UP on the opposite side. Do not under any circumstances break either of the small retaining clips. If the glass does not want to come out, it is advisable to heat your outer cover a little to let the plastic become more pliable.

After removing all 4 lenses, clean them inside and out to remove oils and fingerprints. Handle them by the edges to prevent additional stains. Place them where they cannot fall. Replacement lenses are in VERY short supply.

Each DDE Lightning Plus™ ring has a small peel and stick adhesive pad on the mounting point of the ring. Use a knife point or pick to lift protective paper backing off of the glue area. Do not place and reattach the glue point, they work best when put in place and not lifted off. If the peel-and-stick adhesive does not attach, stop and clean the glass again. The adhesive pads may have lost their adhesion, in this case a small coating of silicone under each mounting point will be required. DO NOT PANIC. This method works just as well as the original adhesive, but takes longer to set. If you do need to put silicone under the mounting pads, tape the ring into position and let it set for about 30 minutes before continuing. In cool temperatures, bring the lenses indoors for warmth to cure. Even with the mounting point adhesive pads working perfectly, you SHOULD place a small drop of silicone under the very bottom of the ring to cushion it from vibration.

Center the ring on the lens and push VERY GENTLY at ONLY the mounting points to adhere the ring to the lens. Take care that no point on the ring or the mounting points is outside of the edge of the glass. This would prevent it from being reinstalled and probable breakage. The bottom edge is particularly important. When reinserted, the ring should not contact the outer black bezel.
Keeping the ring 1/8” above the bottom of the lens is best. Tape the ring in place and set aside. Repeat the above procedure for all 4 rings. Let them set while we do some more electrical prep on the headlights. This will give the glue plenty of time to set up.

Remove the dust cover to the high beam side of the ellipsoid. The rings get their power from small power ballasts. The black ballasts will receive their power from the 12V running to the city light. The DDE Lightning Plus™ take the place of the city light.

If you do not feel comfortable soldering, read ahead a few steps and use the Add-a-Tap connectors instead. Using wire cutters, cut the brown and gray wires going to the city light bulb in the bottom of the light. DO NOT cut the brown wire leading into the main ground point just above the pliers below, otherwise the system will not work.

7

Using wire strippers, strip back ¼” of insulation on the brown and gray wires now left free. The remnants of these wires on the city light socket will not be reconnected. They can be left un-terminated, though for precaution it's always wise to tape off loose wires with electrical tape.

8

Slip a small piece of shrink wrap over each of the leads just stripped. Note that in the provided package are 2 pieces about 3 inches long in your hardware bag. Cut one of these pieces in half and slip a half over each wire. The other 3” piece will be for the other light. If you are soldering your connections, cut the two male quick disconnects off and strip the insulation back to twist the black and red leads to the brown and gray leads. Red = Gray POSITIVE. Black = Brown NEGATIVE.

9

If you are soldering, heat each twisted wire pair with the soldering iron and touch some solder to the wires. It will melt and flow onto and into the wires forming a permanent bond.

10

For the solder method only, use a heat gun or common hair blow-dryer to warn the heat shrink so that it contracts or SHRINKS around your soldered connections to form an insulated watertight covering.

11

Repeat for both headlights and leave the power ballasts outside of the headlight at this time. Set the headlights aside for awhile and return to working on reinstalling the lenses with the rings into the outer bezels.

Note: Soldering is the most electrically sound method. If you do not feel comfortable soldering, you can leave the
wires uncut and use the 4 Add-a-Taps to these wires and just plug into them. This will work acceptably but is more subject to vibration and damp conditions.

Examine the inside of the bezel. Note the vents along the top of one side (ZKW example) we can feed the black power wires from one ring through these. On the other side, we have one of 2 options: a) use a drill and 1/8” bit to drill routing holes at the corner of the lens opening as shown, or b) run the wire through the existing vents.  For method "a.", the downside is drilling a hole into the headlight and then cleaning the debris out. For method "b.", the downside is the wires are harder to pull through increasing the chance of breakage (and they are shorter when ultimately pulled through leaving little room for error). Make the the SAME choice on both lenses.

Choose one lens. Note on it at the perimeter if it has a notch in the circumference. This notch corresponds with a locating ridge on the bezel where the lens will lay. Locate the proper opening to mount it (low beam have a clear 3/4 circle with refracting ridges at the bottom). This is a good place to have a helper to hold the lens with ring face down (by the edges, no fingerprints).

Straighten the wires and note if you have the left or right wire so that you can feed it up under the edge of the black plastic and
UPWARD from INSIDE. See the picture to see an example of the method of feeding the wire from the inside, upward. Feed the wire up and through the hole. It may take some patience to get the wire with small connector under the lip of the bezel. A helper holding the lens makes this much easier. If a helper isn’t available a soft pad would work, as there is enough slack in the wire. DO NOT PULL ON THE WIRE IF THERE IS NO SLACK.

Don’t set the rings down on a hard surface. Hold them up by hand or on a soft surface! Repeat this process on the other wire for this lens. Now, CAREFULLY pull the wire upward as you also lower the lens back into place. You always want to have slack on the wire so you do not put pressure on the point where the wire attaches to the ring. As the lens gets near fitting back into its mounting, ensure the wire is pulled up nearly taut, but not quite. DO NOT PULL ON THE WIRE IF THERE IS NO SLACK.
 

Set the ‘low’ side of the lens into place first. Check slack on the wire. You do not want to leave a lot of slack which might be visible. But the wire should have some left at all times to keep strain off the wire attachment point. DO NOT PULL ON THE WIRE IF THERE IS NO SLACK.

Step 14 - 16

14

Let the lens sit up on the clip and remove excess slack on the wire to the high side. DO NOT PULL ON THE WIRE IF THERE IS NO SLACK.  Leave some slack. When inserting the ring, make sure to insert the ring under the inverted "L" shaped clip first, then gently push the lens down past the retaining clip on the other side. Again, DO NOT try and pry the mounting clip. The lens will pop by it just fine.  Prying on the clip can only make things harder by breaking it. Repeat for the other three lenses. It's advised to have a warm bezel where the plastic is more pliable and less prone to breakage. Once all the lenses are reseated, apply judicious amounts of silicon to ensure that the glass lenses do not move during normal driving.  Let set for 15-30 minutes in a warm climate.

15

Once the lenses are all back into the outer bezels, the headlights can be reassembled. Feed the wire pairs from the rings up and over the reflector mounting bracket and out through the rear access cover of the high beam headlight where we made our ballast electrical connections previously. Be VERY careful not to put ANY pulling pressure on the wires from the rings. Have a helper assist you in holding the bezel in position with slack in the wire as you feed them out the back of the headlight. DO NOT PULL ON THE WIRE IF THERE IS NO SLACK

16

Once you get all four wires out the back of the headlight on the high beam side, you can reattach the bezel to the main headlight housing. Push it closed until the plastic clips on the end all reattach or "click" into place. Once complete, check the wiring again and see that you know which two wires make a ring pair. Keep them separate as shown.

Step 17-19

17

Now it is time to insert the electrical pins on the ring wiring into the connector shells. This is by design. Otherwise the connector would be too thick to fit through the vent openings discussed above. Carefully note the orientation of the connector in the picture. There is no polarity on the wires. Either one can go in either side of the connector. But there is a small metal barb on the connector. It isn’t visible in the picture, but it must point UP when inserted into the connector, when oriented as shown.

18

If the barb on the connector pin does not seat completely, you may need to push the pin in a bit farther. Needle nose pliers work well. But you can do it with finger pressure.

19

Once both rings have their pins inserted into the connector shells. Plug them into either white output of the power ballast. Repeat for the other rings.

The ballast stores just inside the cavity on the high beam side of the headlight. Replace the dust cover at this point. Replace the metal band clamps on the top and bottom of the headlamp. That's it.

Note: When reinstalling your headlights, pin two of the barrel connector is used to power the city lights. Almost all owners have these connected to their parking light hot wire (grey with purple stripe on driver's side, grey with yellow stripe on passenger side). As shown, this installation is transparent and will be powered by the previously installed city lamp wiring. You may want to connect the wiring to the lights outside of the car to test your connections. Reinstall your headlamps and turn your parking lights on to power up the DDE Lightning PLUS™ Thank you once again for your purchase. Please call or send email to info@umnitza.com if you have any questions.

This installation begins exactly like that of the E36 ZKW Installation. The removal of the headlight requires 4 metal clips be removed. Please consult your owner's manual for how to remove the headlights from the car. Or use the existing documentation on www.umnitza.com. As the first step, remove your lights from the car and remove the four metal band clamps and then carefully pry open the four plastic clips (2 on each end) as shown. This will allow you to pull the outer glass cover off of the headlight housing.

Once the cover is removed, note the location of the wedge bulbs.  They will be connected by a wiring sheath, which STILL connects to the headlight.  You will not need this wiring sheath, and can cut both the lead to these bulbs and remove the wiring sheath altogether.

Place the bear DDE Lightning Basic ring directly inside the InPro lens as shown below.  This is done to ensure that the proper fit and orientation of the ring is determined.  It will be necessary, due to the tight tolerances to use high-temperature silicone or bonding epoxy at the 2 wiring tips of the rings AND the center point of the bottom of the ring.  The "beads" of silicon should NOT be more than a single drop.  It is advisable to place a 50gram weight on the ring at this point to properly seat the silicon/ring into the lens. 

Please allow 20 minutes for the silicone to set properly.

Once the ring has been properly seated, begin by routing the wires from the rings through to the back of the headlight. Ideally, all your wires will be routed towards the high beam side of the headlight: a) due to proximity b) due to greater depth to place ballast inside the headlight and c) due to great access to the city light wiring that you will use to power up the DDE Lightning.

At this point, in section 5.0, the Steps 5-11 & 17-20 will serve as the guides by which you may complete the installation of the InPro headlight.

Once completed, your results should look like the pictures below.

Please note the type of headlight on your vehicle.  There are only 2 types. 95-98, and 99-2001. Each is Predator OEM or Chromiums™ system is compatible, but has slight nuances for installation.  Both headlights are removed in almost exactly the same way.  Please consult your owner's manual for details beyond what this guide provides you. The headlight removal was done on an 98 E38 model. For the most part, all the steps are identical to the 99+ E38s.

Removing the headlights requires that the turn signals are removed first.  To do so, a circular plug will need to be pulled out (towards the edge of the fender rail), this plug will reveal the Philips head screw that holds the turn signal in place. The plug is visible in the picture below as being below the "v" in "above".

Additionally, you will need to remove the plastic tab that the weather stripping (covered by the word "this" below) is attached to.  This plastic tab takes some manipulation to remove as it has a lip that rests into the fender. Once removed, both the little plug and the plastic tab will allow you clear access/view to the Philips screw that holds the parking light.

The order of removal is non-essential. The idea is to remove the bolts and then comfortably slide the headlight out of the car without damaging any key components.  At this time, it is a good idea to disconnect the wiring harness from the back of the headlights. It disconnects by placing the hand under it, and pushing up, then pulling out.

A-C| To disengage the top part of the headlight, first remove the screw holding the clip in place. The clip can be seen on pictures A and C. In order to make it easier to remove, please loosen the top most 10mm nut, but do not completely take it off. These clips are easily lost inside the engine bay, ensure that this does not happen by either removing them entirely at the time of the headlight removal or not unscrewing the nut.

D-H| The lower trim panel, the body color metallic trim piece below the headlight (visible on the two pictures above of the E38 headlights) slides in the direct of the grill. Use a soft tipped screw driver flat blade and gently pry the trim piece towards the grill. Once there is a finger's gap, push the trim piece with your finger and remove.  Once the trim piece is removed, 3 important final elements are revealed.  First, the T20 (T15 for 99+ E38s) Torx bit opening (E & F) are revealed.  A thin screw driver like that shown in Picture G may be required to gain access to the two Torx bolts.

Finally, the headlight has a plastic tab that inserts into the fender. Looking directly to where the fender connects to the headlight (H), use a flat head screwdriver to push (in the direction of the grill) the plastic bracket out of the fender.  At this point, the headlight is ready for removal.

A - Remove the trim piece surrounding the headlight. This is likely to have been down already when you removed the headlight from the car. It's necessarily only if you want to keep the parts separate on the headlights. It does not affect the install.

B - Proceed to remove all the holding clips. There are 8 (3 on top, 2 on the bottom, 1 on each side of the headlight).  Do NOT PANIC if there are only 6 or 7, these clips are essential, but if one is missing, it is ok.

C - Shows technique for the removal. It's useful to place your finger on top of the clip to prevent them from flying off.

D - Shows the underside of the headlight. You must remove this before you can gain access to the clips under the headlight.

E - Shows the Torx bit necessary for E38 95-99 headlightss T20, for 99+ the Torx bit is T15.

F - Shows clips moved.

G - Technique for removal of the outer glass cover.

H - Shows weather stripping of outer glass cover. These are $6 from Bekkers.com or any other dealer and it may be a good time to replace yours for better weather proofing if your fall apart during install <-- very unlikely.

I - This is the inner trim that holds the plastic lenses in place. On 95-98 headlight, this trim piece is held only by 3 T20 Torx screws.  On 99+ headlights, it's a bit more tricky and requires delicacy.  If you have a 99 headlight, there will be one screw holding this trim piece in place and 3 TABS that are easily broken if pulled too hard (Picture L shows their location).

J - Shows Projector and Carcass of headlight

K - Shows the lens holder removed. The lenses need not be removed for this installation, but it's encouraged.

L & M - Show location of the tabs that must be gently pried out.

A

Bc

EF

GHI

JKLM

The rings you have received are either Predator Thinline™ or Predator OEM or Chromium™.  Since Plus installs with minimal effort, we will focus on Enhanced (as it requires a little trickery).  If you follow the instructions for Enhanced, you will be able to install Plus.

The top of the trim piece (the chrome edge) is flexible, but the ring diameter is a fraction too large at the very edges of the diameter of the ring.  GENTLY HOLD THE RING AND DO NOT BEND IT. Grasp the ring at the very tip and use a nail file or sand paper to file down the very tips as shown in the second picture below.

Upon completing that step, the rings can be test fitted into the opening. If you find that you didn't file down enough, file a little more. Take care NOT to file the wires or the ring itself.  Alternatively, you can take a pair of snips and just take off 3mm of ring at the very edge.

Upon test fitting it once more, you can proceed to dab 3 beads of silicon (1 at each tip of the ring on the flat barrel section, and 1 at the bottom dead center of the ring.  Take care NOT to over apply glue, the rings will friction fit into the lens opening already.  When in doubt, the trim piece that holds the lenses CAN and SHOULD be pulled up 2mm to allow it to sit on TOP of the rings.

To allow easier maneuverability, the wires can be run between the top of the lenses and the trim piece chrome lined top. TAKE GREAT CARE TO NOT OVER PULL THE RINGS!!!!  The top of the lenses will act as a strain relief for the re-assembly in Step 6.

Allow the Silicon or High Temp Adhesive to dry and secure the rings onto the lenses.  At this point, it's a good idea to proceed to Step 7 for the wiring completion. YOU ARE ALMOST FINISHED

Run the wires from the rings in parallel, be careful not to cross them or twist them and make sure to mark the pair of wires from each ring. Reassemble the headlights and run the wires out the back of the low beam side (both sets).

Now it is time to insert the electrical pins on the ring wiring into the connector shells. This is by design. Otherwise the connector would be too thick to fit through the vent openings discussed above. Carefully note the orientation of the connector in the picture. There is no polarity on the wires. Either one can go in either side of the connector. But there is a small metal barb on the connector. It isn’t visible in the picture, but it must point UP when inserted into the connector, when oriented as shown.

If the barb on the connector pin does not seat completely, you may need to push the pin in a bit farther. Needle nose pliers work well. But you can do it with finger pressure.

Once both rings have their pins inserted into the connector shells. Plug them into either white output of the power ballast. Repeat for the other rings.

Step 7 - Electrical Completion and Test

A - Black lead goes to big 19mm ground bolt on shock tower.

B - RED or YELLOW lead runs to positive battery terminal on engine bay, Relay is mounted using the 10mm bolt that secures the clamp on the ATF reservoir.  The relay bracket acts as just a washer and has no material affect on the clamps strength.

C - It is a good idea to use a drill or dremel to carve out a small hole to allow the cap of the positive terminal to fit flush when closing on top of the RED or Yellow positive wire.

D - The ECU location is just in front of the passenger and require a T30 Hex or Torx to remove the top panel

E - Shows a little closer look of the ECU

F-I - Shows one of the 4 bolts holding the panel respectively per image

J - Shows the wire to tap.  This is a SOLID red wire. It will turn on with ignition and turn off with ignition.  You may also use another red wire with white stripe.  This is for DRL type operation only.  Use the blue T-Tap to close over this wire and insert the spade connector from your harness (it will have a burgundy insulating end on it).

K - Shows the routing of the wiring harness's longer lead.

L - Shows the completed connection between the black ballasts and the wirines harness.

ABC

DEF

GHI

JKL

Step 8 - Enjoy.

Please note the type of headlight on your vehicle.  There are only 3 types and up to 9 different styles. Those styles are shown below. The 3 types are: halogen, xenon, and bi-xenon. The 5 styles are: 2002+ Facelifted Sedan with Washer Nozzle, Facelifted Sedan without Washer Nozzle, Regular Halogen with Washer Nozzle, Regular Halogen without Washer Nozzle, Xenon with Wash Nozzle, Xenon without Washer Nozzle, Bi-Xenon with Washer Nozzle, Bi-Xenon without Washer Nozzle, and 2004 Headlights (which are not compatible at this time).  Additionally, while the coupe's headlights and sedan's vary in minor differences, the changes are insignificant for this installation. Note: Pre-2001 Turn Signals require pushing a retaining clip down to remove, while post-2001 require unscrewing one Philips screw.

REMOVAL OF THE HEADLIGHT FROM THE CAR IS NOT REQUIRED. HOWEVER IT FACILITATES MORE A MORE CONTROLLED INSTALLTION

Bixenon & BiXenon w/ Washer
 

2
Upon opening the hood of the car, note the location of the turn signal.  There are 3 main styles of turn signals with 2 main release mechanisms. Shown below is the most common Philips screw mounted turn signal - this comes in the post 2001MY cars for most of the headlights shown above.  Model Year 1999-2000.5 will have a push down tensioned clip to remove. This clip is found in the same location as the screw and just requires a gentle push to release.

The first step to make is to pull the lower trim piece off of the front of the car. This can be really easy on new cars, or can be particularly difficult on older, longer used cars due to the plastic "seating" more permanently.  To start, pull on the inside of the trim piece located nearest to the kidney grills.  Pull out towards you, be firm.  You will hear a total of 4 clips coming out, the first one will be loud, the next two will be softer and are located just under the lower clips of the headlight, and the 4th clip will be the loudest and most difficult (order: inside grill to outside fender).

Upon pulling the trim piece, do not detach from fender unless your car is a 2002 Sedan Facelift model. Shown below is a non-facelift model.

Note: See 2a - 2d for detailed pictures of removal of lower trim piece with washer system.  The washer system requires no special care, but does require some preparation.  Place towel under washer nozzle/washer trim, pull from behind released trim piece to pull free the washer trim and nozzle, then just pull on the washer nozzle with some force (you may twist gently).  Upon removing the washer nozzle there is a 50% chance that the washer fluid reservoir will begin to drain out, this is normal.  DO NOT RELEASE THE WASHER PLASTIC HOSE UNLESS WEARING EYE PROTECTION.  Gently release hose taking care to either cover the opening of the hose or stepping to the side to prevent water from spraying you.

4
Upon opening the hood of the car, note the location of the weather trim piece on top of the headlight. It has 5 soft plastic clips that attach onto the headlight. With firm but gentle pressure, pull on the trim to free it from the top of the headlight. 3 on top, 2 on the inside of the headlight - towards the grill.

5
At this point, all the 7 clips (dual stage) holding the headlight are visible. Begin by either using finger pressure or light pressure with your flat-head screw driver to raise the clips from the top of the headlight.  The 7 clips are: 3 on top, 3 on bottom, and 1 on the inside facing the grill.  NOTE: At this time, it's a good idea to notice the alignment tabs that are located on the inside towards the grill, at the bottom center, and on the outside towards the fender. These tabs will allow you to safely and tightly reseat the headlight's outer lens once again.  Once the lens is removed, take this opportunity to fully clean in with appropriate plexi or glass cleaner and set aside.

6a & 6b
Revealed at this point are the 4 clips that hold the inner "beauty ring" into place. Carefully begin prying the beauty ring with your flat head screw driver or use finger pressure to remove.  For more detail, locate the installation video on www.umnitza.com in the Install Video's section. If a password is required, contact info@umnitza.com. Do not grab the inside of your beauty ring, this will leave un-washable fingerprints, especially on titanium or silver trim.

With the headlight bare, begin installing the mounting clips onto the bevel of the headlight. DO NOT PULL ON THE WIRE IF THERE IS NO SLACK & DO NOT FLEX THE RINGS. Exercise GREAT CAUTION when mounting the clips onto the headlight's inner bezel.  Leave the wires alone at this time. Once the first clip is on partially, slide the second clip on part way also. Now, moving both sides at once and handling only the clips, center the ring over the lens. For either bi-Xenon or regular Xenon, the rings need to be installed until the raised rim of the reflector housing snaps into the first selector groove on the ring clips.If you push or pull on the ring itself, it will break. Work only on the clips.

7a
On the high beam side (or both, for halogen only lamps), the ring clips will be installed farther onto the reflector housing; to the second clipping position on the side CLOSEST TO THE GRILL.  Note on some Xenon housings the top of the reflector housing is angled and one clip goes on to the second position and one is installed on the first position. Look at the leading edge of the housing from above to see if you have an angled reflector or not. On halogen only lamps, the housing is straight across and the second clip position is used on both sides. Careful! Getting the clip past the first locking position to the second would require excessive force to achieve by just pushing on it. Use a small flat blade screwdriver to pry open the clip and simultaneously push it over the ridge to the second locking position. Remember to push ONLY on the clips, never the ring.

7b
On many, it will appear that the rings are smaller than the surround on the high beam side. This is by design. Once the beauty ring is placed back onto the headlight, the fit will be exactly as on the low beam side.

Remove the dust cover from the back of the high or low beam. Since almost every style of headlight defers in terms of rear design, the following description is generic. If there is a rubber dust cap covering the headlight in back, you may remove this to fish the wires through.  At this point, all the Steps 5 and 17-20 from the E36 Install Guide above are pertinent and the same for the E46 Installation.  The only difference is that there is no city light wiring to attach to.  "Fish" the wires through the opening shown here. While it is shown to only go out the back of the high beam side, you may use the low beam harder dust cover if you would like to more securely hold the wires in place.  THERE IS NO DRILLING REQUIRED, THE COVERS WILL FIT OVER THE THIN GAUGE WIRE. DO NOT PULL ON THE WIRE IF THERE IS NO SLACK.

10

Now it is time to insert the electrical pins on the ring wiring into the connector shells. This is by design. Otherwise the connector would be too thick to fit through the vent openings discussed above. Carefully note the orientation of the connector in the picture. There is no polarity on the wires. Either one can go in either side of the connector. But there is a small metal barb on the connector. It isn’t visible in the picture, but it must point UP when inserted into the connector, when oriented as shown.

11

If the barb on the connector pin does not seat completely, you may need to push the pin in a bit farther. Needle nose pliers work well. But you can do it with finger pressure.

12

Once both rings have their pins inserted into the connector shells. Plug them into either white output of the power ballast. Repeat for the other rings. DO NOT PULL ON THE WIRE IF THERE IS NO SLACK.

13
Time to assemble the headlight.  It is important to note that while all headlights appear to be the same, they are not created equal. Most headlights will have some nuances that will require slight variations from the instruction set.  For example, MOST beauty rings are easily re-seated onto the 4 clip locations at the corners of the headlights.  If the top of the beauty ring is seated too close to the rings or the clips, you will have 3 options: a) reposition CAREFULLY the rings to the left or right slightly, b) reposition the actual headlight aiming (not advised unless you know what you are doing), or c) insert ONLY the lower two mounting clips of the beauty rings and leave the top clips partially inserted (preferred).  Using the latter method, there is no long term adverse effect to the headlight or beauty ring.

14
When re-inserting the outer lens there are 3 VERY IMPORTANT steps to follow: a) ensure that each of the mounting tabs (shown in picture 1) are properly positioned to fit BETWEEN the plastic guides of the headlights, b) position the lens straight on, do not attempt to do one side first and then the other, c) ensure that the locking clamps (all 7) completely clip over the lens brackets.  It is particularly easy to break the plastic guides on the headlights in step "a", so take great care that they are lined up before pushing firmly.  On step "c", make sure that 2 "clicks" are heard because the lens brackets are 2-stage locking.  PLEASE BE CAREFUL, AN IMPROPERLY SEALED HEADLIGHT WILL LEAD TO DAMAGED INTERNALS. THOUGH IF THESE INSTRUCTIONS ARE FOLLOWED IT IS HIGHLY UNLIKELY.

15
Locate the PnP™ wiring harness and uncoil it. The harness contains all the necessary preventative measures to ensure operability with the electrical components of the automobile. However, no express or implied warranty is given if installation is performed by a non-qualified technician. There are three mounting locations for the power box: a) a 10mm stud on the inner fender of the car on the passenger side, just below the front battery jump starting post (THIS IS THE PREFERRED APPROACH); b) the windshield washer 10mm bolt (shown below) BUT DO NOT USE c) inside the passenger well where the right hand drive steering wheel would be (THIS METHOD IS THE MOST HAZARDOUS BECAUSE THE RED/YELLOW POSITIVE WIRE IS PINCHED BY THE WEATHER TRIM WILL LIKELY lead to sparking or worse fire). Best shown in the second picture below, the box has a metal bracket through which the 10mm screw is inserted to secure it. In the picture, follow the red/yellow wire downward in the picture. It is behind and below the shock tower and the remote battery post. Put the ground lug eye lug and relay over the stud and reattach the 10mm nut. Tighten snugly.

Then remove the 19mm nut on the battery post. CAUTION! The post has un-fused connection directly to the battery. Touching your ratchet to metal such as the hood or fender WILL lead to arcing. Remove the battery connection in the trunk or use extreme caution not to let your tools touch metal and this connection at the same time. Install the red/yellow, fused power supply connection and retighten the battery post nut. To keep the connection looking as OEM as possible, it's a good idea to use a little dremel or drill to create a hole 1/8" hole in the cap, to allow it to close securely over the red/yellow wire. 

Wiring Synopsis:

RED/Yellow - Positive Terminal

Black - 10mm bolt holding the round air intake into the exhaust (shown below)

Red w/ Spade - Trigger wire - to ECU shown below in 17b

Red/Black Pair with opposite bullet connectors - Ballast

16a
Routing the harness to the headlights is the second of three steps.  Driver's side wiring (power and ground) is the longer of the two sheaths coming out of the box. It is recommended that the wiring take the same path as that of the OEM wiring. This means you may have to pull off some of the rubber gaskets to snake the wire through it. 

16b
Remove the cover of the wiring tray the runs in front of the firewall and above the engine.  At this point, it is a good idea to measure out exactly where the wire will enter this wire tray and where it will exit, and remove the extra bulk of the wire sheath to ensure fitment of the wires into the tray.  DO NOT REMOVE THE WHOLE SHEATH, only the section from the beginning of the entry to the wire tray to the exit.  All along the way, it is a good idea to use wire tie wraps to secure the wire.

16c
For the passenger's side, the wire can run directly along the fender, down by the windshield washer fluid reservoir.

Each of the leads can only be placed into the black ballast (shown in step 18) one way. Additionally, since there is no polarity on the wires, it doesn't matter which one connects to which lead.

17
The final step of the wiring harness. There are 3 choices that are recommended: a) fog light connection, b) ECU box connection or c) internal switch. 

17a
Option "a" is by far the easiest, but requires that your fog lights be on when your DDE™ brand product is working. On some cars, this may require the removal of the headlight to access.  Please consult your owner's manual for details on how to gain access to this location.

17b
Please see involves opening the ECU box located directly in front of the driver's windshield.  It is held in place by 4 HEX bolts. DO NOT DROP THESE BOLTS! Then, split out the red with white stripe trigger wire from the wiring sheath and wrap the excess into a tight circle.  You may put this excess into the open well, OR simply leave it free outside the ECU cover.  Use the provided "t-tap" to connect to the RED WITH YELLOW DOTS wire. Then, just take the "male" lead from the trigger wire and connect.  This wiring will allow your DDE™ product to stay on with key position set to 1 and whenever the car is operating and then turn off 10 seconds after the key is removed. 

17c
Option "c" is by far the most technically complex but provides the most value added installation.  In order to do so, you'll need to run the red with white stripe wire THROUGH the firewall opening into the cabin.  To do so, remove the kick panel below the steering wheel.  If you are unsure how to do these steps, consult a professional.  Once the wire is run into the cabin, you may use a 12V DC switch and get power from the 12V cigarette lighter wire.  AS ALWAYS CONSULT A PROFESSIONAL but requires that your fog lights be on when your DDE™ brand product is working. Please consult your owner's manual for details on how to gain access to this location.

The final step after all the wiring is completed is to connect the ballast to the wiring. You may secure the ballast with the provided double sided tape to the underside of the cross beam OR just to the back of the headlight. And test.

The X5 headlights are a single piece unit, unlike most of the other cars shown here. This means, that not only are the side blinkers integrated into the headlight, the headlight itself is actually sealed.  These seals are only "softened" to allow the disassembly of the headlight by placing the headlight inside an oven at 200° for 15 minutes. 

The X5 headlights are removed in much the same way as the E46. They have 2 mounting bolts at the top, and 2 mounting bolts behind the lower section of the headlight.  Either a T25 Hex Bit or a 8mm socket will remove these. BE SURE NOT TO DROP THESE INTO THE ENGINE BAY.

Once the bolts are removed, in exactly the same manner as the E46 lower trim piece removal, place your finger at the edge of the lower trim piece of the X5.  Pull from behind, this trim piece should easily pop out. In order to remove the headlight, you do not need to completely remove this lower trim piece. The second picture shows the trim piece completely removed.

Bake in the oven at 200° for 15 minutes. Use oven mitts to remove headlight from off of the cookie sheet that it was placed onto.  Unscrew the one screw at the back of the headlight near the side marker, and gently pry open the clips from the side marker towards the high beam side of the headlight. IF YOU ARE UNSURE AT THIS POINT, CONSULT A PROFESSIONAL<--- MAIL IN SERVICE IS AVAILABLE. WHEN COMPLETED, THE HEADLIGHT SHOULD LOOK LIKE THE HEADLIGHT YOU SEE BELOW.

With the cover removed, the wires from the rings can fit in between the glass lens and the plastic bevel that holds them. On the high beam side, there is enough tolerance that you can gently push on the high beam lens cover to reveal just enough room to squeeze the wire through. On the low beam side, this will require the removal of a clip, momentarily, to free up enough room for the wire to fit.  In order to reach this clip, the side reflector MUST be removed. It's like a jig saw puzzle, there is only one easy way to remove it, requiring slight bending of the reflector (not a flimsy piece, but be careful).

Once the wires are routed and hidden, the next step is simply to peel the high-temp adhesive backing and position it firmly in the center of the lens, with evenly spaced sections to either side of the ring and the bottom.  It is advisable to mount the ring as close to the exact center of the light as possible.

As an optional item, to more firmly secure the ring and prevent any additional harshness due to vibration, it is also advisable to place a small bead of silicon just under the lamp (picture 2) in the bottom center of the ring.  It is additionally advisable to place a 50gram weight on the ring to allow for the adhesive to fully integrate onto the lens.  Depending on the strength and type of silicone, it is advisable to wait 20-40 minutes for this to set if you use the bead of silicon in the bottom of the ring.

Route the wires out the back of the headlight, through the back of the high or low beam dust cover. This is easiest to do with a set of needle-nose pliers and a flashlight. There is no cutting, drilling, or headlight modification for the routing of this wire.  Steps 8-10 of the E46 Guide will guide you through the task of putting the wires into their plug and play adapters.

Because the majority of the instructions are similar to the E46 details provided above in steps, 15-17, some of the duplicate points have been left out.  On the E53 production units (none were available at time of documentation), the power wire (shown below as the red/yellow one) will be twice as long to allow for the mounting of the wiring harness lower down towards the front of the car.  Any 10mm bolt will do as a mount for the relay.

In the case of the E53, the location of the positive terminal is opposite of the E46, but the same information still applies. Take the longer wire run of the wiring harness and run it across to the passenger side.  To ensure a cleaner install, you may want to undo some of the brackets that hold the air filter and run the wiring inside that, or use the provided tie-wraps.  Please ensure no slack is present on the wires.

Pull out the red with white stripe trigger wire, and connect to the ECU shown below. 4 T30 Torx Bolts hold the cover in place. BE CAREFUL NOT TO DROP THESE BOLTS. Finish by securing the provided blue t-tap to the red wire with white tracer for DRL operation.  If you choose to connect to the fog lights so that the system is only on when you switch the fog lights, please consult the wiring diagram on the E46, the red with white stripe trigger wire will connect to the positive wire of the fog lights (remember brown is ground).

Re-install everything in reverse order. Be careful not to bend the clips