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Bi-Xenon Bulb Replacement

16K views 17 replies 10 participants last post by  meinbills 
#1 ·
Lately, I've been noticing that the passenger side Xenon Bulb is emitting a slight purplish hue when compared with the driver side HID bulb (actually, it's been happening for the past year or so, but now it's getting worst)

I'm searching for a set of replacement Bulbs, Philips 85122 D2S is one option, but i'm not sure if it'll fit the Bi-Xenon setup, will it ??

car is a 2005 330XI Bi-Xenon

Thanks a bunch
 
#2 ·
D2S is the correct bulb for your car... I replaced mine with Phillips 85122+ (5000k) bulbs and love them. The purple/pink that you are seeing is the bulb color shifting as it is reaching the end of its useful life.

The bi-xenon function is just a shield the moves inside the light housing to refocus the xenon light when in high beam mode.
 
#3 · (Edited)
As already stated, 'D2S' is simply the bulb style number. The newer E90 cars use a D1S bulb, something different. Any bulb you buy will need to be a 'D2S bulb. Aside from that, you'll need to select the temperature rating of the bulb you'll want, also known as the Kelvin rating. OEM is 4200K, which is essentially pure white, no blue. The 4200K does have a touch of yellow to some, but it still looks great. As the temperature rating number goes up, the color of the bulb gets more blue. 12000K is the highest I've seen, its a blue/purple light. But, keep in mind that the luminosity goes down as you get up that high. Most people go with either a 4200K or 5000K for a crystal white/ice white color, while still maintaining as much light output as possible.

The bi-xenon function is just a shield the moves inside the light housing to refocus the xenon light when in high beam mode.
Technically, not really... As for the bi-xenon assembly, it is a 'shield' (technically its called a shutter). When you operate your high beams, a small solenoid actuates the shutter to move it out of the way of the light. The shutter basically blocks some of the light output until you activate the high beams. Then it swings down and out of the way, allowing for more light output, at the top of the beam. When I did my ZKW retrofit, I was able to learn how the shutters work, and its actually pretty cool.

Good luck with your lights.
 
#4 · (Edited)
different bulb part numbers for different headlight brands ( ZKW or AL ), didnt know which xenon bulbs to get

this might sound really stupid, i tried a quick search but got no where, is there a thread that explains how to find out which headlights i have ?

and why is there a different xenon bulb for ZKW and AL ?? ( http://realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?model=EW53&mospid=47726&btnr=63_0550&hg=63&fg=05 )

Edit: the same light that is emmiting the purple hue is now flickering, i'm assuming it's dying... or should i check for something else as well (it flickers maybe 5 times a second, really fast, not noticeable unless you stare at the light reflection off of a wall)
 
#5 ·
this might sound really stupid, i tried a quick search but got no where, is there a thread that explains how to find out which headlights i have ?
First, look for the manufacturer's sticker on the top of the headlight assembly. It is obscured by the black painted metal reinforcement, but look carefully and you may see the manufacturer's logo on the sticker.

Second, look at the low beam projector lens. If it has a frosted appearance and has a horizonal line milled across the center of the lens, then you have AL headlights. If the lens is crystal clear and has no line, then you have ZKW headlights.

The logo on the clear headlight cover is not a reliable indicator of the headlight manufacturer, as there is some interchangeability between covers.

The note that a particular bulb isn't suitable for ZKW headlights seems to be a quiet acknowledgment by BMW NA of the ZKW projectors' tendency to burn up when exposed to the heat produced by a typical D2S bulb.
 
#6 ·
after searching some more, i found out that i had to look at the rear cover of the headlight assembly (engine compartment side) to see if i have AL written on the black plastic cover (if so, it means i have the AL brand, otherwise, it would be the ZKW), and i do, so I have the Automotive Lighting (AL) brand of Bi Xenon headlights ...

now, why are there two different Part Numbers listed for AL and ZKW bulbs ( Is it a voltage / wattage issue ? ), do i need to get the AL specific bulbs (by the way, they both say D2S when checking RealOEM : http://realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?...50&hg=63&fg=05 ) or can i just get a set of Philips 85122 D2S 5000K bulbs from eBay ??

I need to buy a set as soon as I reach a verdict ... any helps would be great, I'm about to loose the passenger side light
 
#7 · (Edited)
#9 ·
just to follow up, i got the Bulbs that SPDSKTR suggested above (5000K), and they turned out excellent, I've been using them for a couple of weeks now, i really cant tell the difference (except they are much brighter than the old ones, and have the same colour temperature)... thanks a lot for all the help
 
#10 · (Edited)
If you want the best legal lighting possible, go with the Osram 66240CBI or 66240SVS (about the same brightness, but the latter is 4500K instead of 5000+K). The Philips 85122XV1 is also looking to be quite promising, but the jury's still out on them. All of the above should be significantly brighter than 85122+s. I wouldn't go with a Chinese bulb, ever. Don't go with anything higher than 5000K as the brightness drops off sharply from that point (except for the 66240CBI which seems to start at 5000K and end up at 5200ish -- it also gains quite a bit of brightness during this breakin period).

Bixenon vs single xenon is irrelevant for HID bulbs. All E46s use D2S bulbs.

Edit: Never mind I guess, looks like you already bought the Chinese bulbs.
 
#13 ·
Eh, that's far from the worst case scenario. Poorly made bulbs have been known to melt igniters. Remember that the igniter sends ~25000V to the bulb to get the arc going -- needless to say, that can do quite a bit of damage if something's not right. Having used many different HID bulbs... noname bulbs are definitely dimmer than bulbs from the likes of Philips, Osram, GE, etc... (new vs new of course. Comparing a new bulb to a 5 year old bulb isn't really fair).

This picture below is from a Mercedes, but it's basically the same as the E46 setup

 
#12 ·
As long as the bulb is the long one labeled D2S, you're fine.
I had Khoalty's $2x 6000K bulbs before and they were pretty good looking and bright, better than the factory Philips ones. But those were old, so that's probably why they were getting dim.

Now, I have Osram CBIs. Very bright and it's obvious that they're brighter than both the generic $20 ones and Philips but it probably wasn't worth it in the end at around $200 for the pair.
 
#17 ·
The Retrofit Source. On their Facebook page, they posted a coupon code that gave you 10% or 15% off your order a month or so ago, apparently they said it was always usable but they just never publicized it until then. Not sure if it's still listed, I forgot what it was. Already have everything I need from them :)

They're legit for sure, once you see the light, you'll know why...
 
#18 ·
First of, sorry to resurrect an old thread. I'm in the process of looking for D2S bulbs to replace my dimming low beam Xenon on the 2003 330i. The cheapest bulb on FCP is around 50. Amazon has 2 for $27

https://www.amazon.com/DMEX-D2S-Hea...pY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU&th=1

Seeing that SPDSKTR and Solijake had a disagreement on using aftermarket vs brand name bulb, I wonder what SPDSKTR's opinion on his cheap ebay bulb today.
 
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