Facelift e46 touring headlamp cover replacement

[NiceCupOfTea]

180000 miles have taken their toll on my headlamps and they have a haze on them. They're only halogens so candles in comparison to most of the cars on the road. I know there are kits to clean them up, but it seems there are replacement covers that are cheap enough and relatively easy to fit.

Couple of questions: are any old ebay replacements OK or are there fit/finish issues? Don't want steaming up lights or God forbid the goldfish bowls that my e36 lights turned into with condensation. Haven't priced up genuine BMW...

Also, while fitment looks straightforward, the video I watched he had issues with the headlamp washers and broke the cover. Is this likely to be an issue?

A side question - how practical to retrofit xenon lamps to my car? I've seen kits like this:

https://www.retrofitlab.com/en/car/bmw-3-e46-1998-...

which look pretty comprehensive, but would they pass UK MOT? If I understand it correctly they need auto levelling (seem to remember a sensor needs to be fitted somewhere) and washers (which I have), but also a new LCM (or at least a recode). Not sure I can be bothered with the hassle, but nice to know if it's doable...

[NiceCupOfTea]

Thanks Helix. Do I have to remove the cover from the washer?

Any preference for replacements, or generic eBay?

[NiceCupOfTea]

Thanks, very helpful. £50 each is pretty steep, generic are £25 a pair! How much are the BMW ones?

[NiceCupOfTea]

g3org3y said:

I'd buy a 3M headlight polishing kit and a set of Osram Nightbreaker Laser bulbs (but I'm tight).

Already got some decent Philips Xtreme bulbs in but I thought at £25 a pop it would be easier to replace lenses than spend a few hours with wet/dry and toothpaste

[NiceCupOfTea]

Wow - bit rich for my blood. Will try a cleanup kit or cheap lenses first I think...