[CoCo_F30]

How expensive did everything cost for you to make the transition? What are the best websites to gather the parts at the best prices?

Post up people

[CoCo_F30]

Any help would be awesome

[Outlaw 06]

Originally Posted by CoCo_F30

Any help would be awesome

Have you considered replacing all four of the car’s 55 watt, 1,400 lumen OEM H7 bulbs with 65 watt, 2,100 lumen Osram H7 bulbs? They’re 50% brighter than OEM and they make a huge difference at night. Buying four bulbs is also a lot cheaper than converting to Xenons or LEDs. It's definitely worth considering.

[CoCo_F30]

Originally Posted by Outlaw 06

Have you considered replacing all four of the car’s 55 watt, 1,400 lumen OEM H7 bulbs with 65 watt, 2,100 lumen Osram H7 bulbs? They’re 50% brighter than OEM and they make a huge difference at night. Buying four bulbs is also a lot cheaper than converting to Xenons or LEDs. It's definitely worth considering.

No I haven't, do they still have the look and appeal of HID and Xenon?

[Outlaw 06]

Originally Posted by CoCo_F30

No I haven't, do they still have the look and appeal of HID and Xenon?

They have the "look and appeal" of halogen bulbs that sufficiently illuminate the road in front of your car at night (unlike the OEM halogen bulbs).

[Bob in IL]

Originally Posted by Outlaw 06

Have you considered replacing all four of the car’s 55 watt, 1,400 lumen OEM H7 bulbs with 65 watt, 2,100 lumen Osram H7 bulbs? They’re 50% brighter than OEM and they make a huge difference at night. Buying four bulbs is also a lot cheaper than converting to Xenons or LEDs. It's definitely worth considering.

BMW sells something called a high performance replacement bulb, are they similar to these?

[McBride]

HID kits themselves are relatively cheap. IIRC you want to be looking around the £80 mark for a good quality kit from a reputable supplier. You can get them cheaper but they will often come with cheaper ballasts etc which in the long run don't last as well and with some cars play havoc with the canbus. (Not sure if this is an issue with BMW)

If your keeping your standard halogen headlight units make sure you but H7r bulbs which cut down the glare a bit for oncoming cars.

The expense comes when you start changing the headlight for a projector style unit. I had a HID kit in my old car before buying OEM projectors, the difference in beam pattern and visibility at night is unbelievable. The light output as you can imagine was still the same but the projectors focused the light much better into places where it was needed.

[CoCo_F30]

Originally Posted by McBride

HID kits themselves are relatively cheap. If your keeping your standard halogen headlight units make sure you but H7r bulbs which cut down the glare a bit for oncoming cars.

The expense comes when you start changing the headlight for a projector style unit. I had a HID kit in my old car before buying OEM projectors, the difference in beam pattern and visibility at night is unbelievable. The light output as you can imagine was still the same but the projectors focused the light much better into places where it was needed.

Thanks! Could you give me a list of what I need in order to complete this project? Lol

[mbfanos]

Originally Posted by CoCo_F30

Thanks! Could you give me a list of what I need in order to complete this project? Lol

http://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=938803

[McBride]

Originally Posted by CoCo_F30

Thanks! Could you give me a list of what I need in order to complete this project? Lol

Ive added a bit more info to my original post for you.

I've not fitted one to a BMW, however I would of though it would be the same. Most HID kits come as a complete kit and will include 2x bulbs, 2x ballasts and the required wiring to fit it your existing wiring loom. They don't always include bulb holders which you will need.

Other than that you really only need the tools to strip the front of the car and some tie wraps to secure the ballasts in place in the engine bay.

[Adamr916]

Working on this right now, after its ask said and done, I'll be about $2,000USD total in parts, that's only because I'm having a hard time tracking down a used set of Driver modules.

[Jorrd93]

Originally Posted by McBride

Ive added a bit more info to my original post for you.

I've not fitted one to a BMW, however I would of though it would be the same. Most HID kits come as a complete kit and will include 2x bulbs, 2x ballasts and the required wiring to fit it your existing wiring loom. They don't always include bulb holders which you will need.

Other than that you really only need the tools to strip the front of the car and some tie wraps to secure the ballasts in place in the engine bay.

Before reading up on HID kits I did an installation. Was really simple, and I put the ballasts in the headlight mount (? not sure of the term ... just in the area when you open the cover for to access the lights) which caused them to overheat and shut off intermittently. This caused me to google about HID overheating, which lead me to find out they're prone to electrical fires and are illegal!

I'm not going to tell you not to fit them because that's your decision but read up first - and I don't know where in the engine bay you should mount your ballasts but make sure they will have plenty airflow if possible.