Snake Eyes headlights come in two versions. The 2-way version switches the daytime running light between white and yellow; the 3-way version adds a third colour, chosen from the listing when you order. On an F30, F32, F80 or F82 the housing is also sold by the pin count of your car's headlight connector, and that is where orders go wrong. Pick the colours you will actually run, then count your pins before you pay.
What Snake Eyes means
Snake Eyes is aftermarket shorthand, not a BMW name. It describes a full replacement headlight whose DRL follows the two slim, angled bars of the facelifted G80 M3 and G82 M4 headlight, hence the name. Colour switching is a feature these housings carry, not what the name means; the Ikon-style switchables we also list are a different graphic. Aftermarket taillights carry trade names of the same kind, GTS and CSL laser among them, and the taillight styles post decodes those.
On the F80, F82 and F32, the F8X Snake Eyes switchable headlights are one listing with a version choice, 2-way or 3-way, then a pin count choice. On the G80 and G82 the G80 Snake Eyes switchable headlights carry the same two versions, listed for both chassis with no pin count option.
2-way or 3-way: pick the colours before you order
The 2-way version gives you white and yellow. White is for the road. Yellow copies the motorsport-yellow DRLs BMW fits to the M4 CSL and M3 CS, themselves a nod to GT race cars; the 2-way owners we hear from run white all week and switch to yellow for meets and shoots.
The 3-way version adds one colour, chosen from the listing's option menu when you order. The G80 housing offers amber or red; each listing shows what is offered for your car. Amber sits close to a turn-signal tone. Red is a show setting, for a parked car.
| Option | DRL colours | What you replace |
|---|---|---|
| 2-way Snake Eyes | White, yellow | Whole headlight housing |
| 3-way Snake Eyes | White, yellow, plus one colour from the listing | Whole headlight housing |
| RGB full replacement | Any colour | Whole headlight housing |
| RGB DRL board kit | Any colour | DRL boards inside your factory housing |
Treat the third colour as fixed: you choose it when you order and the kit is not sold with a way to change it. If you want more than three colours, the F80 Ikon RGB headlights are the same full replacement idea with a colour-changing RGB DRL, also sold by pin count. The F80/F82/F32 3-way switchable headlights are the other 3-way housing for these cars, with the Ikon DRL graphic and its own option list, so compare the photos.
How the switching works, and what does not change
A controller supplied with the headlights changes the DRL colour. Depending on the kit that is a module with a wired button, a remote, or a sequence triggered from the car's own controls, such as pulling the high-beam stalk a set number of times. Follow the sheet packed with your headlights, not a video of another brand's kit.
Nothing else on the housing changes when you switch. Low beam, high beam and turn signal are whatever the new housing is built with, and keep their colour and pattern whichever DRL colour is selected. If your car has adaptive headlights that swivel into corners, the switchable housings are not sold with that function; ask us what to expect before you order.
Full replacement housing or an RGB DRL board
A full replacement housing, Snake Eyes or Ikon RGB, is the simpler install: unbolt the factory headlight, plug the new one in, bolt it up and aim it. The connector has to match; that is the whole pin count question. On the F30 and F8X most removal guides have the bumper off or loosened to reach the headlight fasteners, so budget time for that.
An RGB DRL board kit, like the F80 RGB DRL pre-LCI kit, keeps your factory housing. RGBW boards, RGB plus a dedicated white channel for a factory-looking daily setting, replace the DRL LEDs inside the headlight, with a controller and plug-in harness; low beam, high beam and any adaptive function stay as BMW built them. The cost is the install: a sealed headlight has to be opened, worked in and resealed so it does not fog, patient work with heat, not a driveway job. Owners who paid for adaptive LED and want to keep it often go this way.
The board kits are split by headlight generation, pre-LCI and LCI 18+ on the F80, F82 and F32, because the DRL boards inside differ, and the G20 DRL modules are split the same way. LCI stands for Life Cycle Impulse, BMW's mid-cycle facelift; the pre-LCI vs LCI post has the model-year tables and checks.
Why the pin count matters
The connector on the back of an F3X or F8X headlight is not one part. BMW fitted halogen, xenon and adaptive LED headlights across the 3 and 4 Series, and xenon or adaptive LED to the M3 and M4, never halogen, and each package came with its own connector. Later LED units carry their own control electronics, so they can use fewer pins than an older xenon plug, not more. You cannot predict the number from the package or the year; you read it off the plug.
That is why the aftermarket lists these housings by pin count, 6, 8, 9 or 10, matched to the factory plug they are built to accept. Order the right count and the plug goes in and locks. Order the wrong one and it does not mate. Do not plan on an adapter bridging the gap; we do not sell a housing on that promise.
How to count your pins
You need five minutes, a phone and the hood open. Ignition off.
- Find the main connector on the back of the headlight housing, the largest plug on it, with a locking lever or tab.
- Release the lock and pull the plug straight back.
- Look into the face of the harness-side plug and note two numbers: how many positions the shell has, and how many hold a metal terminal. Send both; the photo lets us match the shell shape, which decides whether the plug mates.
- Photograph the plug face in good light, close enough to count terminals from the photo, then the headlight from the front with the DRL lit.
- Send the photos with your year, model and light package: halogen, xenon or LED. If you are not sure, a VIN decoder shows the lighting option on the build sheet: 522 is xenon, 524 the adaptive function added to xenon, 5A2 LED without adaptive, 552 adaptive LED. Send the code and the decoder's wording rather than translating it yourself.
| What to check | Where | What to send us |
|---|---|---|
| Pin count | Face of the main plug behind the headlight | Sharp photo, shell positions and terminals fitted |
| Light package | Build sheet via VIN decoder | Option code and the decoder's wording |
| Headlight generation | Door-jamb sticker, DRL shape | Build month and year, photo of the lit headlight |
| Prior retrofits | Non-factory wiring or adapters at the plug | Photo of the wiring, and what you were told |
Send it through the contact page, to supportjcxsupplies@gmail.com or to @jcxsupplies on Instagram. The check is free.
Ordering for the F30, G80 and G82
The F30 3 Series shares the F8X connector problem and adds a facelift of its own, the lit bar reaching the grille surround on LCI cars with LED headlights. The G80 style pre-LCI headlights for F30 give a pre-LCI F30 the G80 DRL graphic with 2-way or 3-way switching; the listing asks for a photo of your original headlight to match the housing to your car. The F30 LCI switchable headlights, listed for both pre-LCI and LCI F30s, come in yellow and white, or yellow, white and amber. Same rule: photo of the headlight and the plug before anything ships.
The G80 M3 and G82 M4 housings carry no pin count option but have their own facelift question. The G80 sedan took its LCI for the 2025 model year, with a new headlight and DRL shape; the G82 coupe was updated on its own schedule, so do not borrow the sedan's dates. Cars built anywhere near a changeover need checking: build month on the door-jamb sticker, a photo of the headlight with the DRL lit, and whether the car has laser headlights, which differ inside from the standard unit.
FAQ
Can I change the third colour on 3-way headlights later?
Treat it as fixed. You choose it when you order and the kit is not sold with a way to change it. If you may want a different colour later, ask us before ordering or look at the RGB version.
Will Snake Eyes headlights fit if my car has halogen headlights now?
Yes, on a 3 or 4 Series with halogen lights (the M3 and M4 came with xenon or LED), if you order the pin count that matches your halogen connector. Photograph the plug and send both numbers before ordering; do not order the count a friend's xenon car used.
Do Snake Eyes headlights need coding?
Not as a rule, but do not take that on faith. The housing plugs into the factory connector when the pin count is right, but it is not sold with the adaptive swivel function, so a car that left the factory with adaptive headlights should expect a fault for that to be coded out. Tell us the package with the pin-count photo and we will say what to expect before you order.
Is the pin count the same on both headlights?
Normally yes, because the car left the factory with one lighting package. Count one side, but if the plugs look different left to right, say so; it usually means a previous owner replaced one light.
