[Topazine]

well as the title says my oem xenon headlights (and my car) are 9 years old, and I've never replaced my HID bulbs.

I'm really only interested because Khoalty is selling them so cheap, I was thinking maybe it's time to just swap 4300K bulbs.

I really like the oem color, and I may even prefer the yellowing on my old bulbs more than new oem because I have ~2500K fogs and 3000K halo's...

I guess what I'm wondering if I will gain significant light output replacing stock for "stock?" I would consider 5000K maybe but Khoalty doesn't have that color

what about 3000K, I wonder how those would look? are they illegal in some states (CA)? I was considering painting my halos yellow, so that could be a cool setup (yellow fogs, yellow halo's, yellow HID)...

 

[TerraPhantm]

It is worth replacing them since HIDs do lose quite a bit of brightness over time (you're probably at half the original output by now), but it's also worth replacing them with a reputable brand like Philips or Osram/Sylvania.

Osram/Sylvania 66240
Philips 85122

Both of the above bulbs have been sold OEM on the E46s, and both perform equally well (~3200 lumens @ 4300K). Osram makes another bulb known as the 66240CBI (3400 lumens @ 5000K), but they're somewhat difficult to come by, and can be rather expensive. I'm personally running a pair in my headlights and absolutely love them.

 

[neil1138]

^ Exactly what he said, even the links to amazon are good. I've purchased a pair of 85122s from that exact link and can confirm they are genuine Philips.

Philips 85122 bulbs colorshift from 4300k to about 4800k after 100+ hours.

The Osrams start a bit cooler and colorshift faster. But some are known to acquire a pinkish tint after colorshifting.

Morimoto bulbs from TRS are cheaper than the above and are sorta good quality from what I hear. You may want to look into those if you aren't looking to pay for OE.

 

[Topazine]

wow thanks for the help guys, those prices on amazon are great.

I'm leaning towards the philips 85122... I noticed on amazon that the exact part number is 85122C1

is this a bulb, the philips 85122CM, a 5000k bulb similar to the osram 66240CBI?
http://www.ecstuning.com/BMW-E46-330i-M54_3.0L/Lighting/Headlights/Bulbs/ES259754/

TerraPhantm, out of curiosity, I did the check on amazon to see if the part will fit my vehicle. it said the sylvania 66240 would fit but the philips 85122 would not?

one last question, it says "Fitment Notes: Low Beam, (w/HID headlamps)," do these function with bixenons? sorry if I'm missing something really obvious

thanks again

 

[neil1138]

wow thanks for the help guys, those prices on amazon are great.

I'm leaning towards the philips 85122... I noticed on amazon that the exact part number is 85122C1

is this a bulb, the philips 85122CM, a 5000k bulb similar to the osram 66240CBI?
http://www.ecstuning.com/BMW-E46-330i-M54_3.0L/Lighting/Headlights/Bulbs/ES259754/

TerraPhantm, out of curiosity, I did the check on amazon to see if the part will fit my vehicle. it said the sylvania 66240 would fit but the philips 85122 would not?

one last question, it says "Fitment Notes: Low Beam, (w/HID headlamps)," do these function with bixenons? sorry if I'm missing something really obvious

thanks again

Disregard the C1. It's just a normal 85122 bulb. Like I said, I've ordered those exact ones from amazon.

The 85122CM stands for color match. It's designed to be a replacement bulb for 85122 owners. Where one bulb goes out (which has already colorshifted to 4800k) and you need a replacement. If you buy a normal 85122, it won't match because it'll be 4300k. Therefore you buy a 85122CM which is pre-colorshifted. They are expensive and very rare. If you want to buy a set, go for it

The Philips will fit just fine. Both bases are essentially the same

Bixenon feature is a physical shutter within the projector itself. The bulb is independent of this. Of course 85122s work with bixenons.

 

[Young Gun]

^ Hey Neil I've been following your progress with the Depo + FX-R retro and you've inspired my own undertaking.

I was initially going to use my oem bulbs but after reading this I will go with the Phillips from TRS.

I noticed you used the FX-R 1.0 projectors, is the upgrade to the 2.0 worth it?

Also, I am assuming that if I do get the Phillips D2Ss I can use my factory ballasts?

Thanks for any input.

 

[Young Gun]

Oh and sorry if this is a dumb question, but with the Depo Units do you lose the auto-levelling function?
And since you put in Bi-Xenon projectors you still retin the Bi-Xenon function right?

 

[neil1138]

^ Hey Neil I've been following your progress with the Depo + FX-R retro and you've inspired my own undertaking.

I was initially going to use my oem bulbs but after reading this I will go with the Phillips from TRS.

I noticed you used the FX-R 1.0 projectors, is the upgrade to the 2.0 worth it?

Also, I am assuming that if I do get the Phillips D2Ss I can use my factory ballasts?

Thanks for any input.

In my retrofit thread, I actually used the 2.0s. But later on I went back to the 1.0s (pictured in latest output/cutoff photos). The new 2.0 that TRS is shipping out is supposed to be pretty good. It's easier to retrofit for sure

If the factory ballast has a D2S connector, yes.

Oh and sorry if this is a dumb question, but with the Depo Units do you lose the auto-levelling function?
And since you put in Bi-Xenon projectors you still retin the Bi-Xenon function right?

The Depo units don't have auto-leveling built in. At least none of the ones I've seen have any motors in them...

I had to do some wiring to get the bixenon function to work (since my car originally had halogens). But if you already have factory bixenon, then wiring is easy.

 

[Topazine]

Disregard the C1. It's just a normal 85122 bulb. Like I said, I've ordered those exact ones from amazon.

The 85122CM stands for color match. It's designed to be a replacement bulb for 85122 owners. Where one bulb goes out (which has already colorshifted to 4800k) and you need a replacement. If you buy a normal 85122, it won't match because it'll be 4300k. Therefore you buy a 85122CM which is pre-colorshifted. They are expensive and very rare. If you want to buy a set, go for it

The Philips will fit just fine. Both bases are essentially the same

Bixenon feature is a physical shutter within the projector itself. The bulb is independent of this. Of course 85122s work with bixenons.

thanks for the information!

on the philips website, they mention an 85122+, I'm just trying to figure out where it falls into all this?

http://www.philipsxenon.com/philips...s-bulbs-c-380_381/d2s-philips-hid-bulb-p-1265

searching online it looks like the 85122+ is the direct oem replacement, as it does not colorshift to ~4800k like the 85122

here's a discussion regarding it:

http://www.8thcivic.com/forums/lighting-h-i-d-s-neon/88247-difference-between-85122-85122-a.html
another:
http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=680106
another:
http://g35driver.com/forums/lighting/164281-philips-85122-vs-85122-a.html

or is my best bet just buying the ones in the amazon link like you said?

 

[neil1138]

The 85122+ is 200 lumens brighter (not noticeable) and it resists colorshifting much better than the standard 85122. So if you want your bulb color to stay at 4300k, get the 85122+. TRS sells a set for $95 which I think is the cheapest you'll find for a genuine pair.

Most e46s came with standard 85122 bulbs (at least all of the ones I've messed with).

 

[simsima325]

I need to take a picture, but I have 3000k low beams and 3000k foglights at the moment.

 

[Topazine]

The 85122+ is 200 lumens brighter (not noticeable) and it resists colorshifting much better than the standard 85122. So if you want your bulb color to stay at 4300k, get the 85122+. TRS sells a set for $95 which I think is the cheapest you'll find for a genuine pair.

Most e46s came with standard 85122 bulbs (at least all of the ones I've messed with).

gotcha, at this point the 85122+ sounds like the best bet overall for oem light output (although ~$15 more)

edit: this seems like a good DIY?
http://www.e46fanatics.com/forum/showthread.php?t=609544

I need to take a picture, but I have 3000k low beams and 3000k foglights at the moment.

I'd be curious to see the setup, although I'm probably not going to go in this direction... what brand bulbs do you have for the low beams?

 

[neil1138]

If you want to stay at 4300k, get the 85122+. If you like your lighting a bit cooler (4800-5000k), get the 85122. You honestly aren't going to notice the 200 lumen difference. They are both exceptional bulbs and you can't go wrong either way.

Yeah that's a good diy.

 

[Topazine]

If you want to stay at 4300k, get the 85122+. If you like your lighting a bit cooler (4800-5000k), get the 85122. You honestly aren't going to notice the 200 lumen difference. They are both exceptional bulbs and you can't go wrong either way.

Yeah that's a good diy.

I ended up ordering a set of the 85122+ from TRS. ordered them Wednesday with the cheapest shipping and they arrived today (coast to coast), wow!

went ahead and installed them, everything works, although I can't tell a difference in the daylight... can't wait to check them out once it gets dark though

I'm not sure if my headlights need a bit of adjusting? I feel like the star shaped knobs have been knocked around and maybe turned slightly over the years

 

[Solidjake]

I will buy these as my next bulbs probably

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Phil...rQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories#ht_719wt_1165

 

[Stingray230sx]

I will buy these as my next bulbs probably

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Phil...rQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories#ht_719wt_1165

i bought a set of these today........


doug

 

[Mango]

Driver's side bulb (I hope it's the bulb) just went out on my car. They're the original bulbs as far as I can tell. I've been looking for an excuse to get new bulbs. I just ordered the ones Solid linked. Thanks, Solid.

 

[Mango]

By the way, anybody know what the true lumens output of the 6,000k 85122 WX Ultinons are? Some sites say 2,400 some say 2,800. Relative to the stock 3,200 I think I am having buyers remorse already! But I may love the color... we'll see! At $99, they're cheap enough to experiment with.

 

[Solidjake]

I was going to fix my post and add Philips 81522+, those are the ones I have on my car.

 

[Mango]

I just bought them because they said Philips and I'm guessing anything new from an OE make is better than one dead bulb and one 10-year old bulb. We'll see how they go... I wanted the CBI but expensive and can't find them. Maybe if a pair comes around for $150 i might do it