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AE Side by Side Comparison... and finally found a good one!!

66K views 238 replies 50 participants last post by  gmcclintock 
#1 · (Edited)
Hello all,

With my small fleet... I can do a nice comparison between all the lights on the market, so this is the second part of the series. Please see the attached pictures, in the Z4 is the LUX AE LED light... which are the brightest on the market that I have been able to find. On the 3 series is the OEM AE LED lights.... and on the 7 series (the one on the right)... are the AlpineMSS HID light system.

I have to say I am extremely impressed with the AlpineMSS system (www.alpinemss.com). The kit is very high quality, they are just as bright and as white as the OEM AE LED lights on the 3, they blow away the LUX AE lights, are extremely easy to install. I am not that mechanically inclined and it took me about 20 min. Alex over at alpine was extremely responsive and is working on a bulb that is slightly lower wattage... however I am not sure if I will go with that. These simply look amazing. The inner halo is crisp and sharp... the photos do not do it justice. This system does not throw any codes and yes they do work on the 7.. just ask Alex.... They are so good I am ordering a set for my Z4 and my X....






 
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#74 ·
Tdrag- I think you will find it easier to insert the replacement bulb in the light housing first, then pull the outer rubber flange through the hole you drill in the light cover afterwards. There is plenty of room inside the light housing to wrap and tuck the wires between the bulb and the light housing cover.
 
#75 ·
TDrag 97... nope.. I have not noticed the ballasts that hot.. no issues at all.... but I will keep a eye one it.... also the installation was a breeze... the only issue I had with my Z4 was the fact that you are supposed to remove the plastic spacer ring around the bulb... it took me 30 minutes to realize there was a issue... so I called Alex.. .and found out what I did wrong....
 
#76 ·
If I'm not mistaken, the 2012s come with factory white AEs. How hard could it have possibly been to retrofit THAT bulb to earlier models? Is the bulb and housing design so radically different that plugging the new model bulb into an older model vehicle will not work?
 
#77 ·
The 2012 uses the same set up as the priors... regular H8 bulb which lights very yellow! New headlights are slated for the 2013 model I believe!
 
#78 ·
That is correct... The 2013 will come with all LeD headlights....
 
#81 ·
Samlambo... well I know that on the X5... to go with the OEM LED lights cost 4k per light.. so 8k... lol

Tdrag97... for the F01.. no, you don't remove the spacer.... I think :)
 
#84 ·
I don't know about the X5 yet.... Alex is supposed to be sending that unit to me this week.... so I will have a report. Right now the only time you remove the spacer is on the Z4...
 
#87 ·
Tdrag97... That's correct. NO white spacer needed on the 7's.

Just an FYI on the pic you posted and to avoid any additional confusion since the "white spacer" has already caused so much discussion and misinformation...

Whoever took the pic also left on the clear plastic base cap with the "8000K" on it in place. This holds the bulb securely in the shipping container and also must be removed PRIOR to installation by sliding it over the rubber grommet BEFORE you put the grommet through the hole in the light box cap. Otherwise you wind up with too much "stuff" in the light housing.
 
#88 ·
Thx haastx10. Just got my
Light in from alex and finish the install on the X5. Also had to remove the white spacer. But look like I will have to remove the driver side to remove the plastic shipping base protector. Lol. Try to get the install in before dark.
 
#89 ·
Oh btw Alex got F01/f02 install video up on YouTube. "Alpine HID f01 install" But question. Not really liking where they put the ballast for the 7 series... Where did you guys install the ballast?

As for the X5. There is a perfect spot , just on top the light housing (signal light)
 
#91 · (Edited)
Finally had the alpine hid's from Alex installed today. Mine are the 8000k which I feel is perfect. Attached below are two photos. One under the shade and the other under bright sunlight. We didn't have any problems with the installation, no flickering of lights whatsoever. Got to admit, it looks way better than stock. Yes it has a slight blue tint to it but it's very slight. Thanks to all over here who have contributed to this post and thank you Falcon.

Under the shade in workshop


Under bright sunlight
 
#93 · (Edited)
Dear Bruno,
it's way brighter than the philip bulbs I had. Again it depends from which camera and angle your taking the photos. I belief a lot of those installed and posted here have done justice to this product. Also to add here, there still was some daylight in the workshop in the first photo.
 
#97 ·
No... other than the $8 dollar cap you are drilling into... and the wire going to the hot battery pickup... there is zero that is affecting the car...
 
#100 ·
Yep.... I tried them.... they are not that bright.... nothing close to the Alpine MSS lights...
 
#101 · (Edited)
When you put on the alpine mss lights 8000k, you will look and the first thing you will say is 'holycow, that sure is bright!'. But once you park it side by side next to the 5 series, you will realize that the level of brightness is give and take about the same. The other rings are not as bright as the inner rings which is why I would shy away from the 7000k bulbs. However the 8000k has a slight tint of blue which does not stand out unless you look closely. I think it's goes very well the F01/F02 which should have come with the car.
 
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