DIY DDE in a E46

[Rooz]

Step 1: Get all your stuff ready...



Step 2: Take the corner turn signals off by unscrewing them from the top



Then you can just unplug them



Now we're going to start take the headlights apart...

Remove the lower colored match trim by pulling it away from the front of the car...



Then remove the weather strip...



Now remove the plastic cover by unlatching it, fairly easy so far (notice there is 3 latches on the top one on the inner sides and 3 on the bottom...)



Now remove the silver trim panel, BE VERY CAREFULL DO NOT FORCE THIS!

Notice how it is attached....



Then simply pull it out....



You are now done taking the headlight apart :

[Rooz]

Next is putting the DDE's on and getting them ready for wiring...

We're going to make our way from outside DDE's to inner one, so first starter put the dde's on the headlights.

I suggest not handling the rings, but only the top portions where there is more plastic present, hence less chances to break them



Now simply twist the wires up



Do the same thing for the high beams



Now it's time to run the wires through the headlights (I removed the factory air box to give me more room, for a DIY on how to do that refer to THIS)



On the high beams you'd want to run them through the inner plastic layer, it makes it a tad bit easier to get the cover back on (notice before and after and outer layer run)

Before



Outer



Inner



Now just so that the wires don't go everywhere, simply "temporarily” plug them up to the ballasts



This portion might be only needed on facelifted models. I needed to slightly trim off the silver trims so that they wouldn't hit the outer DDE's fairly easy to do and it's kind of one of those "shave as much as needed" type of deals.... here's my driver side one when I was done

[Rooz]

Now we're going to wire the DDE's up

I slapped the driver ballast underneath where the factory HID's are and the passenger on the windshield washer fluid tank...

Notice how everything is wired





And here's how I ran the wires back to the ECU box...



This is the wire that you need to "tap into" for the remote turn on.



The just run power...



Ground....



Then put the headlights back togethere

And you'r done

[RSF5]

Damn those things look gorgeous! The only thing I really though might be trouble would be tapping into the ECU wire for remote turn on, I really wouldn't want to screw that up, how did you do it exactly?

[Rooz]

I took a blade and unvelaed the cable.

Then I took a toothpick and made an opening in the wire where I fished the remote turn on wire into it then welded it on.

[habbie]

or you can use a t-tap connector.