[bimmergal81]

Hey guys -

I recently purchased a brand new 2014 328d xDrive. I had a hard time finding a car that had everything I wanted so I compromised in order to pickup the car the same day. My car has all but the lighting and sports package. It has the tech pkg, cold weather, park assist, premium etc. I used to drive a Lexus prior to this and had gotten used to HIDs/Xenon lights. I am now stuck with halogens and am trying to upgrade it to something whiter and brighter without losing performance. Any ideas on the options out there. I love everything about my car but the lighting is awful... We live in a wooded area with absolutely no street lights. I am in Boston suburbs and six months out of the year, my morning and evening commute is in the dark! I need functional lights that also look awesome!

I checked Amazon and found Philips Diamond Vision H7 to be a good fit. However, I am concerned that it runs at 5000k. From what little reading I have done, it looks like the higher the color temp, the lower the output is. So, I guess I will not go with that. I was hoping to purchase Philips Crystal Vision Ultra H7 at 4300k but Amazon says that it will not fit my car. I don't understand why it wouldn't fit but am reluctant to make a purchase that will not fit the car. I am guessing as long as it is H7, it should fit just fine. Please advice.

BTW - I did ask about getting Xenon lights retrofitted but the dealership does not want to deal with it as massive amount of labor involved in rewiring everything and said they'd have to void any warranty. Their techs have apparently never done this on 2014. With 2014, they apparently changed everything. I got the same response from two separate dealerships. An independent BMW specialist in Hudson, MA quoted me 4,500 dollars (conservatively) and said that he won't be able to get adaptive lighting to work at all. He will need another few hundred to drive to BMW and update software code etc. I don't want to spend upwards of $4K for this. Not worth it. I can't do it myself.

No aftermarkets until the warranty runs out in 4 yrs otherwise BMW will VOID the warranty on electrical wiring they said. So... running out of options and hoping Crystal Vision will be alright. Thoughts?

Thanks in advance! I just joined the forum so I will post a picture of my car soon. It's an awesome mineral gray.

Thanks all.

[RSnic]

Here are a couple of thoughts for your consideration. First off, I too wish I had gotten Xenon lights, but, as the saying goes, that train has left the station.

Your observation about the higher the Kelvin, the less distance and light you get out of the lights. From my research, the OEM bulbs are about 3350K and are not very good in my neighborhood with plenty of trees and not so good street lights. I personally tried to stay under 5000K so I don't lose too much lighting, though the color is great. I have changed out my OEM bulbs:

• Foglights (H8, 35 watts)). I went for MTEC MT481s which are 4350K -- pretty nice white
• Low & High Beams (H7, 55 watts). I opted for Sylvania Silverstar Ultras, which are 4100K and give you a lotmore distance; additionally, have used this brand on previous cars and have very good fortune.

BTW, though some do not like it, you may want to code your Foglights to be "cornering lights" -- that is, when turning at slower speeds, the turning side fog comes on. I have found this quite useful in my neighborhood.

I also ran into the same problem with my car not being listed , but think if you stay with the same wattage and mounting socket, you should be fine

I'd avoid putting LEDs or HIDs in your headlights as they are not properly shaped to project the light adequately.

Hope that helps

[bimmergal81]

Thanks!

I will be purchasing the SilverStar Ultra!

Did you also replace you daytime running lights? If so, what did you use for that?

Thanks!

[bimmergal81]

Okay - I have purchased Sylvania Silverstar Ultra H7 for my low and high beams, MTEC 2X Super White H8 for the fog lights and iJDMTOY Xenon White Error Free PW24W LED Replacement Bulbs For BMW F30 3-Series for the DRLs. Let's hope the LED fits and looks nice.

I will post the pictures when it is installed. Thanks for the input.

__________________________________________________ ____________

[jlaspire]

Any pics yet?

[K320]

Did you test the PIAA?

[RSnic]

Originally Posted by bimmergal81

Thanks!

I will be purchasing the SilverStar Ultra!

Did you also replace you daytime running lights? If so, what did you use for that?

Thanks!

Sorry for my tardy reply as I was out of town for a while.

I have replaced my standard incandescent DRL PW24W bulbs with LEDs; I am using iJDMToy 10SMD2835 running at 6000K (which makes them a little blue-white); quite honestly, was a good deal on eBay and after a couple of months so far so good.

Have attached bulb chart that I use -- have found it quite handy

Hope that helps

[zmanH2]

Originally Posted by bimmergal81

Okay - I have purchased Sylvania Silverstar Ultra H7 for my low and high beams, MTEC 2X Super White H8 for the fog lights and iJDMTOY Xenon White Error Free PW24W LED Replacement Bulbs For BMW F30 3-Series for the DRLs. Let's hope the LED fits and looks nice.

I will post the pictures when it is installed. Thanks for the input.

Updates?