[Box]

Hi All can someone help ?

I'm after a picture of NON Xeon headlights on the facelift model as I'm just picking options but have a limited budget!,

Thanks in advance

[Bimar]

This ------>>> http://x3.xbimmers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1040546

[Box]

Thanks but I would like too see then on with the drl on

[Bimar]

Originally Posted by Box

Thanks but I would like too see then on with the drl on

They will not look good, I used to be in your position sacrifice one other option for Xenons a BMW without Xenon looks cheap!

[Box]

I don't know about that but would be nice to see some pictures with them on.

[Want the thrill]

Originally Posted by Box

I don't know about that but would be nice to see some pictures with them on.

They look like regular, ordinary headlights when they are on. I would def. not order an X3 without the Xenon's or LED's.

[eldo33]

Originally Posted by Box

I don't know about that but would be nice to see some pictures with them on.

What? they still allow NON Xenon on $50k+

if u want too see how it looks like, go check out all the base mercedes c and e class. expensive luxury with cheap light....gotta be kidding me.

[Buzzman]

I fully understand the $$$ constraints you are working under, but there is a reason why the regular headlights are hard to find.
Try here, this is as close as it gets for comparaison.
http://x3.xbimmers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=472961

[m_alnimah]

I say go for the Adaptive LEDs trust me they're worth it

[TuffLittleUnit]

Bollox snotty thread, plenty of X3s without the Xenons/LEDs. UK crew (PerryGunn?) please help Box out with pics, pretty sure some of you have LCI cars with the perfectly acceptable and functional halogens.

My current 2011 X3 has halogens and they illuminate the road perfectly well (take note, Audi). I will confess that I have ordered Xenons/LEDs on my new X3 as purely a vanity/cosmetic choice.

[PerryGunn]

We have the standard halogens and, while not as bright as the Xenons I've had on other cars, they're not bad and they work well enough, just not as bright or as white.

I'm going to replace all the headlight bulbs with Osram Nightbreaker Unlimited to make them a bit brighter and whiter and replace the DRL bulbs with some w21w replacements that have a blue/white colour (I wouldn't go for such a high colour temp for headlights but don't think it matters for DRLs) - they won't last as long but at £6/pair I'm not particularly worried unless I'm replacing them every month

Ours was a cancelled order that had just arrived at the dealers and we bought on impulse so we didn't get to spec it ourselves - given the choice, I'd spec Xenons just for the Angel Eyes

I've tried to take photos for Box but don't have a camera good enough to show what the lights look like when on at night - they just overexpose and white-out

[Northandy]

Originally Posted by TuffLittleUnit

Bollox snotty thread, plenty of X3s without the Xenons/LEDs. UK crew please help Box out with pics, pretty sure some of you have LCI cars with the perfectly acceptable and functional halogens.

My current 2011 X3 has halogens and they illuminate the road perfectly well (take note, Audi). I will confess that I have ordered Xenons/LEDs on my new X3 as purely a vanity/cosmetic choice.

I think it's woeful that in the uk none of the x3 models have xenons as standard.

I disagree a bit though on BMW halogens, xenons are hugely better on unlit country lanes, we have 2 1 series at the moment one with adaptive xenons one with normal halogens, we fight over the car with xenons in the winter.

I've gone for LED on my coming x3, mainly to see his much better they really are.

[PerryGunn]

I think the halogens on the X3 actually seem better than those on some other 'normal' cars - this may be partly because they're higher off the ground or because you sit higher and have a better forward view

I wouldn't be happy with the range of the halogens if they were fitted to my Alpina but that's a sports car so I'm sitting with my bum a few inches off the tarmac... and I tend to drive at higher speeds than in the X3 and cover the illuminated area of road much faster

[TuffLittleUnit]

Originally Posted by PerryGunn

I think the halogens on the X3 actually seem better than those on some other 'normal' cars - this may be partly because they're higher off the ground or because you sit higher and have a better forward view

I wouldn't be happy with the range of the halogens if they were fitted to my Alpina but that's a sports car so I'm sitting with my bum a few inches off the tarmac... and I tend to drive at higher speeds than in the X3 and cover the illuminated area of road much faster

This is what I meant. I had an Audi A3 Sportback some 9 or 10 years ago and the halogen lights on that were dreadful ... verging on dangerous. After that I had an A5 with Xenons/LEDs and they were a huge improvement (again, bought for cosmetic purposes because in 2008 there were very few cars with LEDs). I haven't noticed any loss of visibility moving from the A5 with Xenons to the X3 with halogens. My only niggle is the single bulb on each side at the rear ... must be 20 years since I last had a car that didn't have bulb redundancy for safety reasons.

EDIT: just had an "oh sh1t" moment as I'm going back into an Audi A4 for the next couple of months until my new X3 arrives. Pretty sure it doesn't have xenons so maybe I'll just walk more...

[PerryGunn]

As far as bulb redundancy goes - the BMWs I have owned for the last 12 years or so (since my 2002 E39) will turn on the relevant brake light at reduced voltage if you lose a 'normal' rear light bulb

[PerryGunn]

Today I replaced the low & high beam bulbs with the Osram Nightbreaker Unlimited H7 bulbs, they do give a much brighter and whiter beam - very pleased with the change at about £30 for the four

Also swapped the front indicator bulbs for Osram Diadem chrome bulbs which gets rid of the orange 'egg yolk' effect and makes the whole headlight assembly look much cleaner

Still waiting for the new blue/white DRL bulbs to arrive but the comparison with the whiter headlights make the OEM DRL bulbs look much yellower than they did when paired with the OEM headlight bulbs. Also waiting for some Osram Cool Blue Intense W5W bulbs to arrive to replace the parking lamps

Once they're all replaced it'll make a worthwhile difference to the look of the lights, all for a grand total of around £60 - effective cost is actually a bit less as the OEM bulbs become the set of replacements that I find very useful to carry 'just in case'

[hkjarral]

Hey PerryGunn,

Do you have any pictures the car after replacing bulbs ?

[Kermit]

Don't forget that the xenon headlights also give you the upgraded rear LED tube lights too and front washers.

[PX3]

Originally Posted by Kermit

Don't forget that the xenon headlights also give you the upgraded rear LED tube lights too and front washers.

+1
I much prefer the rear lights to the ones that are on the cars without xenons. The rear lights (when lit) look too small for the size of the car on the none xenon version.

[Peter_R]

Originally Posted by PerryGunn

Today I replaced the low & high beam bulbs with the Osram Nightbreaker Unlimited H7 bulbs, they do give a much brighter and whiter beam - very pleased with the change at about £30 for the four

I had a similar experience with my 2012 F31 320d Sport after an ordering error with the dealer left the Xenons off the list.

I put high and low H7 Philips Xtreme Vision bulbs in and they made a quite a difference and we were really pleased. They were not quite as good as Xenons though.

In my view the light intensity/brightness of the whole experience is affected by the design shape of the headlight reflector that the halogen bulbs are mounted in. I put the same bulbs in my wife's little 2008 SEAT Ibiza 1.4 SC and they are really good. Up until that point I had never driven a car where the aftermarket high intensity H7 Halogen bulbs were so effective.

[Peter_R]

Originally Posted by Petex3

+1
I much prefer the rear lights to the ones that are on the cars without xenons. The rear lights (when lit) look too small for the size of the car on the none xenon version.

Is that a typing error? "without xenons" then followed by "none xenon". Just asking because it does not make sense to me reading it several times.

See my next post.

[Peter_R]

Originally Posted by Kermit

Don't forget that the xenon headlights also give you the upgraded rear LED tube lights too and front washers.

Naturally I understand the washers because it is now law to have washers on Xenon equipped cars.

Did not know about LED tube lights. I thought they were all the same. Is there a marked difference (rear lights) between xenon and standard H7 bulb cars?