[oonowindoo]

Originally Posted by JUSTIN808

I have the Led Lighting package on my 435i.

It lights my dark street better then my 2011 550 HIDs. with LED lighting package all headlight bulbs are LED and when switched to on position all 4 headlight pods illuminate not just the two outside pods. Package comes standard with the high beam assist.

I wouldn't have ordered my car this way but I bought what was on the lot and glad it has it now.

It's obviously brighter, moves faster and more when tracking the road (no lag), nicer looking and obvious to others at night (all 4 pods illuminate as noted above)

The system does seem more complicated and expensive to make. I also wonder if one bulb burns out if the entire light needs to be replaced as there is no way to replace one of the leds yourself.

is it worth $1900? no one can answer that for you. I rarely see the LED lighting package in my state so I would say most here don't think its worth it. Which is fine by me. This makes mine special.

I am no lighting engineer but i believe the reason why all 4 pods in LED light up is because they needed all 4 pods in LED to provide equivalent output as HID.

Based on my understanding that LED light pattern is very straight forward and therefore you will have a lot of "dead spots" on the road without some kind of projection (Audi/Lexus uses projector with their LED) and BMW decided to use the traditional reflector.

In other words, it takes 4 of the BMW's LED headlight to provide similar output, that is why it was needed. It does not mean 4>2

Personally i like the color of LED but i hate the look of the housing when the lights are not on. It basically looks like a Halogen reflector headlight with a bar in the middle.

More expensive and complicated to produce? i am not sure about that. LED technology itself is not expensive and the concept is not new either (LED flashlight, LED TV and LED bulbs everywhere). The only reason why car makers are charging a premium is because it is new in headlight.


Not all HIDs are not the same just as not LED headlights are not designed the same.

The Best HID i have owned is from my S2000.

I do not have enough experience with all kind of cars with LED headlight but i would assume LED + 8+ projectors (Audi/Acura) will provide better lighting range than reflector type (BMW).

[Pauleebe]

Originally Posted by oonowindoo

I am no lighting engineer but i believe the reason why all 4 pods in LED light up is because they needed all 4 pods in LED to provide equivalent output as HID.

Based on my understanding that LED light pattern is very straight forward and therefore you will have a lot of "dead spots" on the road without some kind of projection (Audi/Lexus uses projector with their LED) and BMW decided to use the traditional reflector.

In other words, it takes 4 of the BMW's LED headlight to provide similar output, that is why it was needed. It does not mean 4>2

Personally i like the color of LED but i hate the look of the housing when the lights are not on. It basically looks like a Halogen reflector headlight with a bar in the middle.

More expensive and complicated to produce? i am not sure about that. LED technology itself is not expensive and the concept is not new either (LED flashlight, LED TV and LED bulbs everywhere). The only reason why car makers are charging a premium is because it is new in headlight.


Not all HIDs are not the same just as not LED headlights are not designed the same.

The Best HID i have owned is from my S2000.

I do not have enough experience with all kind of cars with LED headlight but i would assume LED + 8+ projectors (Audi/Acura) will provide better lighting range than reflector type (BMW).

You've said basically what I was going to.

Also not sure why they didn't opt for LED projectors. As for the cost, I think BMW is just recouping their initial R&D or whatnot on the initial adopters. HID/Xenons were very expensive at first, too.

I like the LED's, but after having a loaner with LED's back to back with my HID/Xenons, I wouldn't say that LED's are at all worth the cost. Yes, they seem "brighter" during daytime, but don't illuminate any better or reliably than HID/Xenon's.

I'd jump for them if HID/Xenon's were standard on all BMW's, and LED's were a $1,000 or less option.

[RoundelM3]

Originally Posted by Ze4eMCe

Thanks for the input- I know the area well and there are more DPSF than CPSF
Deer per square foot > than Cats per square Ft.!!

That's entirely accurate - even during the daytime, there are numerous deer lying in front lawns all over Fair Oaks Ranch neighborhoods. My wife used to have to drive through there on her way to and from work, and many times had to stop to let deer cross in front of her - at intersections!

One thing about the effectiveness of the headlights for detecting deer and other animals - as one other poster mentioned, you need a lot of "peripheral" light to spot the herds of deer that loiter by the side of the road (especially along 3351/Ralph Fair Rd) on cool nights and early mornings. Without a good set of fog lights to illuminate to the immediate right and left of the front end, the main headlights aren't as much of a factor. It was frustrating to me when they removed the fogs on the F30 335i M-Sport package; driving at night in that area required a very heightened sense of awareness, since they tend to wait until you're right on top of them to make their move across the road.