GCoop | F1 Autohaüs Halogen Non-Projector LED Angel Eyes Review
 

During my search for an angel eye product for my E46 with the standard halogen headlights I discovered that the kits being offered by the various vendors all had rings of the exact same size. Since the stock halogen headlights Low/High beam reflector bowls are different sizes there would be a gap between the angel eye and the rim of the reflector bowl when using rings of all the same size. Aesthetically this gap bothered me. I had seen CCFL rings that were specifically sized for and perfectly fit the stock halogen headlamps and I have been searching for their LED counterpart ever since. My search culminated in sending out a plea to all the vendors asking for a solution. If interested, you can view the plea thread here. (http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=727053) That plea was responded to by some vendors but they all tried to sell me a product that wasn't what I was looking for. Out of all the lighting vendors in the E46 community Mike@ F1 Autohaüs was the only one that really offered to help get me exactly what I was asking for.

So, if you are like me and have been looking for an LED angel eye kit that is specifically sized for the stock halogen headlamps, I am happy to announce that our wait is over!




Note: In the spirit of full disclosure I must convey that I was given a price on this kit below what you will pay. I was given this price break for two reasons only:

• Being a first/early adopter of this kit here in the U.S. I received a manufacturing sample (No retail box, instruction sheet etc.)
• Also, since I was their first customer a final retail price had not been worked out yet and I agreed to provide end user feedback to F1 Autohaüs about the kit in exchange for a price below what they thought their retail was going to be.

This review WAS NOT a requirement of the price agreement at all. This review is my contribution to the E46 community to provide information so that consumers know what's out there and do not have to go through the same product search pains that I did.
OK with that out of the way let's get on with it.

Product Description/Features

Type:SMD (Surface mount led)
Voltage:12v
Fits: E46 with non projector headlamps only
Color: White ~6000k
Number of LEDs: Low Beam Rings--78 LEDs
High Beam Rings--66 LEDs
Warranty: 1 Year
Price: $99
What you get: 4 SMD LED rings (2-78LEDs@145mm and 2-66LEDs@131mm), Wiring harness with remote on/off with fade, 8 multi toothed clips (2 per ring), Sheet of double sided tape, and 2 wiring T-Taps are also included (not Picured).

http://forum.e46fanatics.com/attachm...1&d=1263265630 http://forum.e46fanatics.com/attachm...1&d=1263265660 http://forum.e46fanatics.com/attachm...1&d=1263265670 http://forum.e46fanatics.com/attachm...1&d=1263265630

http://forum.e46fanatics.com/attachm...1&d=1263265630

Product Performance

In the short time I have had this kit installed (Less than 1 month as of Jan 11, 2010) I have not had any issues with its operation. Installation is exactly like any of the other LED kits currently offered. I had no troubles with installation and, as expected, the rings fit my face lifted E46 with no special modification required. The ring diameters matched my non-projector halogen lights just like I wanted. They look almost as good when they are turned off as when they are on. When the rings are sized like these are it is very hard to tell that the rings are not part of the headlights themselves. You really have to look close. The casual observer walking by your car in a parking lot would never know. As far as brightness is concerned the rings are fine in my opinion. I wouldn't want anything brighter.
As you may have noticed in the product specifications the larger pair of rings have more LEDs than the smaller pair. This is deliberate. Spacing between the individual LEDs on each ring is consistent meaning it takes more LEDs to fill up the larger ring. Unless you count the individual LEDs you would never know as the difference in number of LEDs between ring sizes is not visually perceptible.




Product likes:

• Fitment-Specifically sized rings make the rings appear like they are part of the headligh. No gaps between the ring and reflector bowl rim. :thumbsup:
• LED-None of the drawbacks associated with CCFL technology
• Backing-The rings have a solid opaque backing to prevent light from the LEDs filling the reflector bowls. Some of the other kits I have seen have an adhesive tape style of backing that tends to peel off over time especially with the heat the halogens put on them. That will not happen with this kit.
• Wiring harness-In what has now become industry standard, the kit comes with a wiring harness that integrates the remote on/off fade functionality.
• Brightness-Bright enough for me. I can see well enough with these on to unlock my front door at night with no other light source.
• Good Looks-We've all seen angel eyes on E46s before, but when they are on YOUR car. WOW! Also, looks good even when they are off.
• Compete Kit-Kit has everything you need to install. No running to the store for T-Taps or other connectors.
• Price-As they say-The price is right. At $99 it is one of the least expensive LED kits on the market.
• Warranty-Anytime a vendor stands behind a product they are selling it's a good thing for us as consumers. F1 Autohaüs are offering a 1 year warranty on this kit.

Product Concerns:

• New product-As such with any new product in the marketplace quality and reliability are unknown at this point. F1 Autohaüs are backing up the kit with a 1 year warranty so that makes me feel better. I would think anything that might go wrong is likely to happen within the first year anyways. The 1 year warranty does seem to be the standard among the MyCarr and other similar LED kits at this price point. And For 99 bucks I can't argue. Regarding quality and reliability, I plan on keeping this review updated as time goes on.
• LED Spacing-Up close, and I'm talking less than 5-7 feet here, when the angel eyes are on you get somewhat of a pearl necklace effect where the individual LEDs start to become apparent. It's really no more (likely less) than any other 60+ LED kit out there in my opinion and you have to be looking for it. You might be able to see it on some of my included pictures. Anything over that 5-7 feet and the pearl necklace look fades away. You guys should know how picky I am by now and this really doesn't bother me. I list it as a concern here for those it may bother.
• Fragile-If careis not taken during installation I can see where it might be easy to possibly damage the rings. Especially while installing the clips. I did not have any issues with my rings and having never personally installed other kits this could be the norm for all I know. I have no worries about them now that they are installed. I might just be a nervous Nelly as well. :dunno:
• Color-Currently there is only one choice of color offered (Pure White ~6000k). I hope as time goes by that there will be a more OEM "Yellow" type of color offered.

Final Thoughts

Being the first to try out a virtually unknown product is a little scary and this time was no different. I knew that a very similar product was being offered to our European friends (The vendor wouldn't ship to the US) but I couldn't really find any detailed information about it. Mike@ F1 Autohaüs answered all of my questions beforehand and supplied me with all of the information I asked him for. I am happy to say that after receiving and installing this kit I have no regrets at all. The product has met all of my needs with the sole exception being the "color" offered. Although after installing and seeing them on my car I was really impressed with how they looked. Like I said before its definitely different when it's your car they are on. Fitment was and is more important to me than color and that is the main reason I chose to go with this kit. If rings in the halogen headlight sizes are ever offered by the manufacturer in the OEM "Yellow" type of color I will probably go that route. Until that happens (I'm hoping) I will sport these.

So the real question is now that I have them and know what they are and have to offer-"Would I still buy them?" I have to say absolutely, even with the concerns that I have listed. They are just rings of light you put on the front of your vehicle after all and this kit performs that function the same as any other.

If you have stock halogen headlights and are looking for an LED angel eye kit that is specifically sized for them you should definitely check out this latest offering from F1 Autohaüs. I must say my journey to achieve angel eye bliss has been a long one and I am glad I have finally found a product that I can be happy with.

On to the rest of the pictures:
As you can see I am not a photographer. Please excuse the exposure, aperature setings, etc.
Pre-installation test bench photos
http://forum.e46fanatics.com/attachm...1&d=1263265630 http://forum.e46fanatics.com/attachm...1&d=1263265660 http://forum.e46fanatics.com/attachm...1&d=1263265670
During Installation Lense off
http://forum.e46fanatics.com/attachm...1&d=1263265630 http://forum.e46fanatics.com/attachm...1&d=1263265630
After installation
http://forum.e46fanatics.com/attachm...1&d=1263265660 http://forum.e46fanatics.com/attachm...1&d=1263265660 http://forum.e46fanatics.com/attachm...1&d=1263265660 http://forum.e46fanatics.com/attachm...1&d=1263265660







All photos taken are attached below in no paticular order

Wow, great review. Thanks, forum needs more members like this. PS- I'm stuck with halogens as well:bawling:

wow great review and nice angel eyes

Perfect :thumbsup:

Have you heard something about more yellow color.This rings in more yellow have been asome OEM look to halogen non-Projector headlamps.

wow, amazing review

very nice review :) now im even more excited to receive mine:woot:

after GCoop's initial pictures, I immediately knew these were the answer to my angel eye reservations. Mike at F1 Autohaus has been both prompt and helpful in keeping me updated on my order status (as we wait for the inventory to arrive) - I am expecting them soon and will post up pics as soon as I've got them on the car. :excited:

GCoop, great review! Thanks for all your help as well.

great review man helps all the people who wants angel eyes on their halogens i tried using 80 led angel eyes and they did not fit right on my halogens because they seem to be made for projectors only........now that i know this info as well i will be ordering some soon also :excited:

Amazing! Halogen headlights owners will thank you many times in the future!
The rings look awesome. For some reason some people do not get what "gaps" you are talking about. I agree with you 100%, the "gaps" do not look good. This products solves this problem.

Great write up and pics, will help other members greatly.

Any talk of some oem yellow coloured ones?

Want some for my brother's coupe that has halogens.

Gary, I have no experience with installing angel eyes. I've found Orion V2 DIY instructions on umnitza web site. I imagine, it will be applicable for this kit as well. Is that correct? I have 02 325 sedan. Thank you!

Thanks everyone for all the kind words. Happy to help folks along the way and give back to the community! This community has encouraged me to DIY things, provided me with tons of useful information, and saved me money in the process and this seemed like a good way to repay some of that.


Thanks! Cant wait to see you pics!

Thanks. Post some pics up after you get them on!


Thanks.
Yeah I know what you mean. For some people they are not bothered/notice that gap and no matter how you try to explain it they just cant understand exactly. But everyone is different some it bothers (like me) and others do not see an issue. I guess its all about personal preference.

haha nice
i've been asking for this for months and every vendor kept saying that it's normal
but i fixed my problem by getting p46 later on :P
but good job on the upgrade!

Jonas! :bow: The man that proved to me that these sized LED Angel Eyes actually existed and inspired my renewed search. Without his posted pictures I would still be wondering and waiting. :thanks:

As far as an OEM color is concerned I dont have any information to when (Im hoping) or if this kit will be manufactured in that color.

During my search, before being contacted by Mike@F1 Autohaüs, I even went as far as contacting some of the manufacturers of these kits directly. From what I understood it seemed like these manufacturers had recently added these LED rings to compliment thier established CCFL line. The technology is certianly there for them to do it and I am hoping that as time goes by that the manufacturers will add an OEM color to their line as well.

Hopefully F1 Autohaüs can get us some more solid information on this.

Correct :thumbsup: This kit installs in similar fashion to any other LED kit out there. I used the LED DIY instructions located here http://www.fastm.com/m3/angeleyes.html and had no issues. Im sure the ones you saw are similar and would work just fine.

Nice complete write-up and pictures!

I wonder why this kit does not include resister packs that plug in between the rings and wiring harness like EAS Auroras and Orion V2s have.
I'm not sure what the benefits of the resister packs are, less heat? brighter LED output? longer life? I'm sure they're included for some good reason.

Great review! Much appreciated :bow:

Anyone that needs a set can contact me via PM or e-mail.

Mike you got a PM

Thanks for the order :thumbsup:

Mike I just PM'ed you.