Sorry I haven't been able to reply - I can spare weekends but my weekdays are a solid 8-6 workday. This weekend I'm planning on replacing my LCAs, and since nothing seems to go right for me the first time, I'm sure it'll take me time. I summarized the E46 situation before, but the bulk of the story is pretty dense.
In short - "E46" projectors don't really exist...it's what we call Bosch Automotive Lighting's projector mounting and bowl dimension standards first introduced on - you guessed it - the E46 3 series. That means they have lots and lots of versions over the 2 decades they've been using those standards. AL's consistent dimensioning is a big reason why our stock halogens (also an "E46" variety) are so easy to swap out. Pretty much every headlight with an
AL logo on it is using the "E46" standard in one form or another.
There are some designed for D1S, D2S, and D3S - some with twist-on plastic clamps, some with split twist-ons, a bunch with integrated clamps (look for the octagon!), the varieties go on...
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Gen 1 (as I call it) is aluminum with a vapor deposited aluminum finish, comes in single
and bi-xenon flavors, and was mostly found in
D2S form, but also came in two D1S flavors: Split-ring
(1) and metal holster
(1) (2) Lots of early models had single-xenons, which are easy to distinguish due to their lack of a shield solenoid and associated PCB
(1) (2)
The single xenons we don't give a crap about, but they are on
Late D2 Audi A8,
Late E38 BMW 7 series, and
maybe W220 Mercedes S-class.
The glorious, all-powerful bi-xenons can be found on quite a few things. The D2S ring versions are on:
This list is not exhaustive, but the ring ones seem to
predominantly be on the actual E46 3 series.
The D1S metal holster versions may not be more common, but were found on (from what I can tell) not only more models, but more recent ones, too:
- E70 BMW X5 (1)
- W221 S-class (1) (2) (3)
- 06-11 Cadillac DTS (1)
- E90 3 series (1)
- W204 C-class, B6 & B7 Audi A4 (1)
- Mid-late L322 07-12 Range Rovers
There are a few one-off varieties that use the "E46" dimensioning and guidance, but are otherwise custom designs. The Ford Explorer bi-halogens and Fiat 500 projectors are the best examples I can think of. Some other random GM cars use E46 dimensions, as well.
Gen 2 is what is still in use on cars you can find on dealer lots today. The Germans have also expanded their territory, as this design is on many more American cars than the early models. Since AL decided to make a one-piece bulb holder and integrate it with the projector, they come in all kinds of tasty xenon flavors, from D1S and D2S to mercury-free D3S and D4S. All that changes among them is a small notch on the bulb holder to accept a particular base. The big change with this gen is the bowl geometry and construction - the bowl is a bit fatter and made of
SiAl - Silumin. The vapor deposited coating is also thicker and localized to the reflector bowl, giving the exterior a distinct, raw cast finish.
The better bowl geometry, thicker layer of aluminum, and sheer age factor mean these ones are likely to be the best and most durable of the bunch. Luckily, these also seem to be the most common on Ebay. They're just never labeled "E46" if you look to buy them. Try and search for the cars listed below with "projector" in your search term:
- KL Jeep Cherokees (1)
- Most? Lincoln MKXs (it even comes engraved!)
- R56/F56 Mini Coopers and probably other Minis since 2007 (1)
- Cadillac XTS (1)
- W205 C-class 2014+
- B8 Audi A4/S4 (1) (2) (3)
- W166 M-class possibly also W164?
- X166 GL-class
- PF Dodge Dart
- 6G Camaro, 16-18 (1)
In fact, even Volvo has their own one-off version of the gen 2 E46
(1), which you can find on
all 08+ S40/V50s with xenons. It has a shorter lens cradle with a
much more convex lens. Shame they dropped these so quickly, as these projectors are really, really nice - widest beam pattern and sharpest cutoff of all stock E46 designs I've seen.
