BMW 3-Series (E90 E92) Forum - View Single Post - Pre-LCI & LCI OEM Xenon Upgrade Options Thread

mapleridge · 01-21-2012, 02:20 PM

Hi All,

I have been trying to piece info together on all of the options available to us for modifying our headlights. I am looking to have mine done and it has been a task finding out all the different companies that do the work and getting honest reviews about quality, service time, warranty and customer service. I will list the options and those who provide them:

Black Out Housing & Shrouds
Black Out Turn Signals
LED Ring Installation
Quad Projectors
Black Out Amber Reflectors
Custom Shrouds
Color Coded Shrouds
Color Coded Amber Reflectors

There are different companies that perform some if not all of these mods and I've found:

OSS Designs[intermediate]
BavX [least expensive]
180customs [most expensive]

I will also make mention of DIY projects and those who have performed them along with pics.

FDriller - Custom rings & Ambient LED rings
Marc[LUXAngeleyes] - Custom Carbon Fiber Ambers & Rings

E92 vs E90 Modding - Whats the Dif?

You may find the cost of service for customizing E90 headlights is more than E92 lights. There is a reason for that. E92 & M3 lights can be baked open and resealed. The process is not so simple with the E90. The plastic around the lens must be deformed and pried apart or what some do is cut them. Make sure to ask which process your service provider is doing. As far as I know, 180customs cuts them open. I don't know about OSS and BavX.

I found a comparison to share. Be warned. This was a DIY cutting of the lens, this is not a vendors work. I just wanted you to get an idea of the ease and difference between the two.

OSS - Based in FL

OSS uses Umnitza rings. They are best known for their work on E92's but they do work on E90's as well. Options that they offer include black out of housing, amber and turn signal lens. In addition, they have color matched housings/shrouds. The main problem with OSS is getting in touch with them. If you send them a pm or email don't expect a reply on the first attempt. You may have to contact them several times but people eventually get through. Their prices are fair. Look to spend roughly $700 for a full black out not including shipping. Turn around time is usually 2-3 days and people are really happy with the end product. I have heard of condensation in the lights but there aren't too many E90's that I know of running them. Luis, the owner seems to really stand behind his work so I am sure he would correct any issues if they were to arise. I may be mistaken but warranty is 1 year. Click here for their dedicated thread.

LS3 (BavX) - Based out of CA

BavX has a very appealing set up they are offering but just like OSS they are hard to get a hold of as of late. They have proprietary rings that they call Lite System 3. They have gone through various versions and are now on the third. The LCI pics above are the 3rd generation. The Pre-lci are the 2nd generation. Per their thread found here the rings are $350 and the install is $200. They offer a black out option at no cost. This is the best deal out there at this time. Their warranty is 1 year as well. Unfortunately there aren't too many people rocking them in order to get reviews about durability and condensation. Once again, they would likely stand behind their product but you need to get a hold of them first before you can get their product or relay quality issues. Turn around time is stated to be 2-3 days.

180customs (OneEighty) - Based out of NY

The full meal deal right here. One eighty has done some amazing work. They work on all different makes of cars and their owner states that he has done conversions on over 300 pairs of headlights. They primarily work on G35's or that is where they started. I spoke to one of their reps and they have done mods on a few E90's and other bimmer lights. They assured me that their work is quality and from what I have seen and read; I don't doubt it. They have proprietary rings called "Orb Rings" which they sell by themselves as a $300 kit with instructions [3 failures out of 110 in a year]. But if you are looking to do the full overhaul, then they have custom shrouds, OEM custom writing on your projectors, quad projectors, carbon fiber accents, color coded housings and much more. Since they have the most options out there you can tally up a fair sized bill. For basic options they charge $300 for the orbs and $400 to install them. That's $700 rings installed no black out. Additional error free hid projectors are $600. Their turnaround time depends on the work you are having done but should be an average of 2-3 days. Warranty is 1 year. They are not a vendor on this forum so google them for their info.

********* Custom Ambient LED Rings - DIY

********* created his custom headlights with inspiration from other DIY'ers but he put his own little twist on it. He blacked out the ambers and put circuitry in place that allows for the Angel Eyes to be brightened during the day and dimmed in the night. It is a highly skilled DIY job but if you are confident in the skills needed click here to read more on his work. He has said he will roll out a full DIY at some point. There is a youtube clip of them in action but I don't know how to embed here. Go to his thread if you want to see it.

MDS82 [Luxangeleyes] - Custom LED Rings & Carbon Fiber Amber - DIY

Marc, owner and creator of the famous LUX angel eye led bulbs for the E9X community put together this set that he called the ultimate E90 headlights. He laid real carbon fiber over the ambers and made custom LED rings. The specs of his set up can be found here. I have read posts where he said he does not offer this service anymore so don't go flooding him with PM's.

------------------------------------------------

Thats all I have for now. If there is another DIY or Professional service that I missed please let me know. Also, if any of the vendors or DIY'ers I mentioned want something included in the description let me know and I will add it.

I should just make mention that there are non OEM options like Umnitza, Depo or Fishcake headlights. They were outside the scope of this thread. On a minor note. My advice is go OEM or go with a very well established retrofitter like one eighty. There are too many quality issues with non oem based setups.

01-21-2012, 02:20 PM	#1
mapleridge Banned 151 Rep 2,638 Posts Drives: E90 N52 AT Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Vancouver, BC iTrader: (4)	Pre-LCI & LCI OEM Xenon Upgrade Options Thread - OSS, LS3 & Others Hi All, I have been trying to piece info together on all of the options available to us for modifying our headlights. I am looking to have mine done and it has been a task finding out all the different companies that do the work and getting honest reviews about quality, service time, warranty and customer service. I will list the options and those who provide them: Black Out Housing & Shrouds Black Out Turn Signals LED Ring Installation Quad Projectors Black Out Amber Reflectors Custom Shrouds Color Coded Shrouds Color Coded Amber Reflectors There are different companies that perform some if not all of these mods and I've found: OSS Designs[intermediate] BavX [least expensive] 180customs [most expensive] I will also make mention of DIY projects and those who have performed them along with pics. FDriller - Custom rings & Ambient LED rings Marc[LUXAngeleyes] - Custom Carbon Fiber Ambers & Rings E92 vs E90 Modding - Whats the Dif? You may find the cost of service for customizing E90 headlights is more than E92 lights. There is a reason for that. E92 & M3 lights can be baked open and resealed. The process is not so simple with the E90. The plastic around the lens must be deformed and pried apart or what some do is cut them. Make sure to ask which process your service provider is doing. As far as I know, 180customs cuts them open. I don't know about OSS and BavX. I found a comparison to share. Be warned. This was a DIY cutting of the lens, this is not a vendors work. I just wanted you to get an idea of the ease and difference between the two. OSS - Based in FL OSS uses Umnitza rings. They are best known for their work on E92's but they do work on E90's as well. Options that they offer include black out of housing, amber and turn signal lens. In addition, they have color matched housings/shrouds. The main problem with OSS is getting in touch with them. If you send them a pm or email don't expect a reply on the first attempt. You may have to contact them several times but people eventually get through. Their prices are fair. Look to spend roughly $700 for a full black out not including shipping. Turn around time is usually 2-3 days and people are really happy with the end product. I have heard of condensation in the lights but there aren't too many E90's that I know of running them. Luis, the owner seems to really stand behind his work so I am sure he would correct any issues if they were to arise. I may be mistaken but warranty is 1 year. Click here for their dedicated thread. LS3 (BavX) - Based out of CA BavX has a very appealing set up they are offering but just like OSS they are hard to get a hold of as of late. They have proprietary rings that they call Lite System 3. They have gone through various versions and are now on the third. The LCI pics above are the 3rd generation. The Pre-lci are the 2nd generation. Per their thread found here the rings are $350 and the install is $200. They offer a black out option at no cost. This is the best deal out there at this time. Their warranty is 1 year as well. Unfortunately there aren't too many people rocking them in order to get reviews about durability and condensation. Once again, they would likely stand behind their product but you need to get a hold of them first before you can get their product or relay quality issues. Turn around time is stated to be 2-3 days. 180customs (OneEighty) - Based out of NY The full meal deal right here. One eighty has done some amazing work. They work on all different makes of cars and their owner states that he has done conversions on over 300 pairs of headlights. They primarily work on G35's or that is where they started. I spoke to one of their reps and they have done mods on a few E90's and other bimmer lights. They assured me that their work is quality and from what I have seen and read; I don't doubt it. They have proprietary rings called "Orb Rings" which they sell by themselves as a $300 kit with instructions [3 failures out of 110 in a year]. But if you are looking to do the full overhaul, then they have custom shrouds, OEM custom writing on your projectors, quad projectors, carbon fiber accents, color coded housings and much more. Since they have the most options out there you can tally up a fair sized bill. For basic options they charge $300 for the orbs and $400 to install them. That's $700 rings installed no black out. Additional error free hid projectors are $600. Their turnaround time depends on the work you are having done but should be an average of 2-3 days. Warranty is 1 year. They are not a vendor on this forum so google them for their info. ******* Custom Ambient LED Rings - DIY ***** created his custom headlights with inspiration from other DIY'ers but he put his own little twist on it. He blacked out the ambers and put circuitry in place that allows for the Angel Eyes to be brightened during the day and dimmed in the night. It is a highly skilled DIY job but if you are confident in the skills needed click here to read more on his work. He has said he will roll out a full DIY at some point. There is a youtube clip of them in action but I don't know how to embed here. Go to his thread if you want to see it. MDS82 [Luxangeleyes] - Custom LED Rings & Carbon Fiber Amber - DIY** Marc, owner and creator of the famous LUX angel eye led bulbs for the E9X community put together this set that he called the ultimate E90 headlights. He laid real carbon fiber over the ambers and made custom LED rings. The specs of his set up can be found here. I have read posts where he said he does not offer this service anymore so don't go flooding him with PM's. ------------------------------------------------ Thats all I have for now. If there is another DIY or Professional service that I missed please let me know. Also, if any of the vendors or DIY'ers I mentioned want something included in the description let me know and I will add it. I should just make mention that there are non OEM options like Umnitza, Depo or Fishcake headlights. They were outside the scope of this thread. On a minor note. My advice is go OEM or go with a very well established retrofitter like one eighty. There are too many quality issues with non oem based setups. Last edited by mapleridge; 02-19-2012 at 01:19 AM..
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