Philips 8500k D1S Xenon Upgrade and F1 Autohaüs **FULL REVIEW/DIY**

Former_Boosted_IS · 05-10-2010, 07:43 AM

You may have noticed a recent rash of lighting reviews from me. Well, I decided the time had come to improve the stock BMW lighting on my car because in my opinion their "white" color bulbs have left a lot to be desired. Most are muddy/orange and I really prefer the "icy white" look. So far I have upgraded:

Full Interior Lighting
Rear Turn Signal
Reverse Lights
Trunk Lights
OSS Design LED Angel Eyes
MTEC License Plate LEDs
MTEC Fog Lights

This is the second review in the next series of three items I am in the process of writing. This review was a long time coming... Xenon upgrades. I have been reluctant because I have been concerned that going up to a higher temp Xenon would cause me to lose a ton output on my headlights. Let me be clear, I am not willing to accept dim headlights to get the color I want. I need nearly stock brightness and want an icy white color.

After going through a lot of options, I came down to Philips and MTEC. Both use OE capsules and have been very popular among BMW owners. In case you were unaware, BMW uses Philips Xenons stock. I wanted a higher temp Xenon, but I have just been worried the output would suffer badly. After weighing the decision for a long time, I settled on the Philips 8500k. I knew the temperature would result in an icy white color which I wanted, but I knew I would have to be the testing bed for the output. I was willing to take the risk and ordered. Mike@F1 Autohaüs has been brilliant for all my lighting needs, so this was the easy part.

Experience with Mike@F1 Autohaüs

I said this in my last review, but Mike@F1 Autohaüs is just the superior light vendor. He simply is the best. He really cares about his customers and it makes taking the money out of my pocket easier. I made this purchase with my OSS Design LED Angel Eyes, so they arrived in that package. As always, I had tracking info the day these shipped to me.

The box was enormous for my OSS Design LED Angel Eyes, so these arrived in pristine shape.

Philips has a tremendous reputation for quality Xenons and this was no exception.

Ordering Xenons is fairly easy, so this is an easy write-up here. As always, Mike@F1 Autohaüs made the purchase process easy and enjoyable. The only negative? I got no candy surprise because they came in the OSS box. LOL!

Installation

As always, you take all responsibility for your own installations. This is simply a documentation of the process I used to install these.

This another very simple installation. You don't even need to remove your tires. Just jack the front of the car up and turn your tire in the direction that you are working on. Remove the front of the fender liner, which is very self explanatory but there are DIYs if you need one. This will expose the rear of the headlight.

In the picture above, you will notice the small M6 torx bolts around the black plastic low beam cover. When you remove those M6 torx bolts, the cover will come off and expose the Xenon low beam.

Notice the metal hangers that secure the Xenon bulb in the picture above. Simply unstrap the metal hangers and the bulb will come out of the housing. Unplug the bulb from the braided wire and install the new bulb.

After, you will use resecure the Xenons with the metal hanger in the reverse process. Reinstall the fender liner. Lower the car and you are done. This is about a 30 minute job.

Results

One disclaimer, it is VERY difficult to exactly replicate the color temperature of any lighting. I took great care to make sure each image is a true represention of what they look like in life.

I was kind of nervous when I first started the car because I knew I would get the color I wanted, but I was scared I would lose the brilliant light output and spread that I had with my stock Xenons. Mike suggested a two week break-in period and I followed his advice, so this review and all the pictures are after a 2 week break-in period.

The first thing we will look at is the start up process as the Xenon warms up. I felt video was the best way to show this and I did my best to capture this on a white wall. I will admit this is not my best work, but it is not easy to capture.

The Philips 8500k D1S start off bright white, then move to a purple hue, and finally to an icy white. I know the video is not perfect, but I think it captures the color change pretty well and pretty accurate to what you would see in person.

The light output really matches the OSS Design LED Angel eyes extremely well.

The reflection on the housing shows the color pretty well. If I had to describe the color, I would call it an icy blue color with the slight purple hue.

How about light output? After 2 weeks, I honestly think the output is nearly identical to stock. I am sure you must lose a little, but at this point I cannot tell a difference. Regardless, these illuminate the road beautifully and the color is gorgeous. It is a spot on match for the OSS Designs LED Angel eyes! I tried very hard to ensure the color/output in these pictures matches the color/output in real life. I chose a side road to take pictures on to give you a good handle on what to expect.

I had to overexpose the headlights to get the road color/output correct.

You can definitely see the output is still very, very good.

Finally a couple of head on shots to show you what oncoming traffic would see.

Conclusions

Mike@F1 Autohaüs has met everyone of my lighting needs. Clearly he is picky about what he sells and detailed in his customer service. I have said it before, but I will say it again... he is the best lighting vendor I have ever seen bar none.

The Philips 8500k D1S use OEM capsules, so quality does not suffer. During start-up, they phase from white, to a light purple, to an icy blue. The final color of the lighting is an icy blue with a slight purple hue. I was very concerned about the light output being subpar, but I was completely wrong. They illuminate the road incredibly well, but with an icy blue color. I am sure the output has to be less than stock, but I honestly cannot tell. I was extremely pleased!

I waited a long time to do this mod out of fear. I felt the light output was never going to be as good as stock with a higher color temperature. I now wish fear hadn't held me back from this mod so long because I absolutely love seeing the headlight color now. Driving at night just got better.

macboi · 05-10-2010, 10:37 PM

awesome write up. im about to pick up a set of 6700K from him eventually

devilzrule · 05-10-2010, 10:56 PM

niice i want xenons so bad. im stuck with halogens. whats the difference between oem xenons and euro projectors

bulldog_yyc · 05-10-2010, 11:05 PM

great review!

lonestar22 · 05-11-2010, 04:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by devilzrule

niice i want xenons so bad. im stuck with halogens. whats the difference between oem xenons and euro projectors

beam pattern

Former_Boosted_IS · 05-11-2010, 04:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by macboi

awesome write up. im about to pick up a set of 6700K from him eventually

macboi, thanks for the kind words! Take pictures of youtr 6700k. I am curious to see the differene.

Former_Boosted_IS · 05-11-2010, 04:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by turkish335

great review!

turkish335, thanks for the compliments.

tldoxmf87 · 05-13-2010, 01:56 AM

Nice review.. I wonder how it compares to the 6700k.. I'm stuck between the two!

Former_Boosted_IS · 05-13-2010, 05:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by weeensunn

wow.... you always have some thorough reviews.... NICE!!! i want a pair of 6k's

weeensunn, I am glad the reviews are helpful! If you get the 6000k, post some pictures. If you want pure white, I think that of the 6700k would be the way to go. If you want icy blue like me, the 8500k are tremendous.

Former_Boosted_IS · 05-13-2010, 05:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tldoxmf87

Nice review.. I wonder how it compares to the 6700k.. I'm stuck between the two!

Are you looking for true white or icy blue?

tldoxmf87 · 05-13-2010, 06:04 AM

Icy Blue.. But from what Mike posted it seems like 6700k has an icy blue color as well.
I know mtec 6000k is pure white but Philips 6000k tends to be more bluer.

Former_Boosted_IS · 05-13-2010, 06:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tldoxmf87

Icy Blue.. But from what Mike posted it seems like 6700k has an icy blue color as well.
I know mtec 6000k is pure white but Philips 6000k tends to be more bluer.

Sounds like you have to decide between the 6700k and 8500k. I think both would be a good choice. I love the 8500k because it does show a small icy blue hue to the roadway when you drive.

tldoxmf87 · 05-13-2010, 06:12 AM

Yup.. I'm stuck.. I wonder how bright it looks in direct sun. But I'm leaning towards 6700k anyways since the color looks blue enough for me.

Former_Boosted_IS · 05-13-2010, 06:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tldoxmf87

Yup.. I'm stuck.. I wonder how bright it looks in direct sun. But I'm leaning towards 6700k anyways since the color looks blue enough for me.

I don't really turn mine on in direct sunlight because it dims the OSS Design LED Angel Eyes the same way the stock Angel Eyes dim.

Former_Boosted_IS · 05-14-2010, 06:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by weeensunn

hmm i want a pair that would match my lux 4.0s on my e90. i supposedly have a pair of 6k bulbs right now that i bought when i was in japan.. but it seem even more blue than yours

What color temp are the LUX 4.0?

Former_Boosted_IS · 05-17-2010, 07:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by weeensunn

supposedly, they were rated at 8k? im not sure... but when you look at it its more more white. almost a pure white.

It seems sometimes there is not a uniform kelvin temperature rating system.

Mike@F1 Autohaüs · 05-17-2010, 01:02 PM

LED and HID color are on different scales. There will be variations which will effect the color perceived

import36 · 05-18-2010, 12:02 PM

does Phillips make a 8000K D1S Xenon bulb? my AE and fog light upgrade are 8000K...so just looking for something to match.

Synergy 69 · 05-23-2010, 12:06 PM

got any pics of the MTEC fog lights? I'm guessing that they match the new headlights and OSS angels pretty well?

Mike@F1 Autohaüs · 05-23-2010, 12:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by import36

does Phillips make a 8000K D1S Xenon bulb? my AE and fog light upgrade are 8000K...so just looking for something to match.

The Philips 8500k would be considered their "8k" but it's not the same "8k" color as other "8k" bulbs. Hope that made some sense

Quote:

Originally Posted by Synergy 69

got any pics of the MTEC fog lights? I'm guessing that they match the new headlights and OSS angels pretty well?

Synergy 69 · 05-23-2010, 03:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mike@F1 Autohaüs

well he said he upgraded the foglights in the original post, but I didn't see any pics.

c_jeong89 · 05-23-2010, 03:47 PM

the OP said what he HAS upgraded so far but this review was specifically for the d1s bulbs and how they match with the OSS.

05-10-2010, 07:43 AM	#1
Former_Boosted_IS Major General 307 Rep 5,175 Posts Drives: 4 Wheels Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Planet Earth! iTrader: (15)	Philips 8500k D1S Xenon Upgrade and F1 Autohaüs FULL REVIEW/DIY You may have noticed a recent rash of lighting reviews from me. Well, I decided the time had come to improve the stock BMW lighting on my car because in my opinion their "white" color bulbs have left a lot to be desired. Most are muddy/orange and I really prefer the "icy white" look. So far I have upgraded: Full Interior Lighting Rear Turn Signal Reverse Lights Trunk Lights OSS Design LED Angel Eyes MTEC License Plate LEDs MTEC Fog Lights This is the second review in the next series of three items I am in the process of writing. This review was a long time coming... Xenon upgrades. I have been reluctant because I have been concerned that going up to a higher temp Xenon would cause me to lose a ton output on my headlights. Let me be clear, I am not willing to accept dim headlights to get the color I want. I need nearly stock brightness and want an icy white color. After going through a lot of options, I came down to Philips and MTEC. Both use OE capsules and have been very popular among BMW owners. In case you were unaware, BMW uses Philips Xenons stock. I wanted a higher temp Xenon, but I have just been worried the output would suffer badly. After weighing the decision for a long time, I settled on the Philips 8500k. I knew the temperature would result in an icy white color which I wanted, but I knew I would have to be the testing bed for the output. I was willing to take the risk and ordered. Mike@F1 Autohaüs has been brilliant for all my lighting needs, so this was the easy part. Experience with Mike@F1 Autohaüs I said this in my last review, but Mike@F1 Autohaüs is just the superior light vendor. He simply is the best. He really cares about his customers and it makes taking the money out of my pocket easier. I made this purchase with my OSS Design LED Angel Eyes, so they arrived in that package. As always, I had tracking info the day these shipped to me. The box was enormous for my OSS Design LED Angel Eyes, so these arrived in pristine shape. Philips has a tremendous reputation for quality Xenons and this was no exception. Ordering Xenons is fairly easy, so this is an easy write-up here. As always, Mike@F1 Autohaüs made the purchase process easy and enjoyable. The only negative? I got no candy surprise because they came in the OSS box. LOL! Installation As always, you take all responsibility for your own installations. This is simply a documentation of the process I used to install these. This another very simple installation. You don't even need to remove your tires. Just jack the front of the car up and turn your tire in the direction that you are working on. Remove the front of the fender liner, which is very self explanatory but there are DIYs if you need one. This will expose the rear of the headlight. In the picture above, you will notice the small M6 torx bolts around the black plastic low beam cover. When you remove those M6 torx bolts, the cover will come off and expose the Xenon low beam. Notice the metal hangers that secure the Xenon bulb in the picture above. Simply unstrap the metal hangers and the bulb will come out of the housing. Unplug the bulb from the braided wire and install the new bulb. After, you will use resecure the Xenons with the metal hanger in the reverse process. Reinstall the fender liner. Lower the car and you are done. This is about a 30 minute job. Results One disclaimer, it is VERY difficult to exactly replicate the color temperature of any lighting. I took great care to make sure each image is a true represention of what they look like in life. I was kind of nervous when I first started the car because I knew I would get the color I wanted, but I was scared I would lose the brilliant light output and spread that I had with my stock Xenons. Mike suggested a two week break-in period and I followed his advice, so this review and all the pictures are after a 2 week break-in period. The first thing we will look at is the start up process as the Xenon warms up. I felt video was the best way to show this and I did my best to capture this on a white wall. I will admit this is not my best work, but it is not easy to capture. The Philips 8500k D1S start off bright white, then move to a purple hue, and finally to an icy white. I know the video is not perfect, but I think it captures the color change pretty well and pretty accurate to what you would see in person. The light output really matches the OSS Design LED Angel eyes extremely well. The reflection on the housing shows the color pretty well. If I had to describe the color, I would call it an icy blue color with the slight purple hue. How about light output? After 2 weeks, I honestly think the output is nearly identical to stock. I am sure you must lose a little, but at this point I cannot tell a difference. Regardless, these illuminate the road beautifully and the color is gorgeous. It is a spot on match for the OSS Designs LED Angel eyes! I tried very hard to ensure the color/output in these pictures matches the color/output in real life. I chose a side road to take pictures on to give you a good handle on what to expect. I had to overexpose the headlights to get the road color/output correct. You can definitely see the output is still very, very good. Finally a couple of head on shots to show you what oncoming traffic would see. Conclusions Mike@F1 Autohaüs has met everyone of my lighting needs. Clearly he is picky about what he sells and detailed in his customer service. I have said it before, but I will say it again... he is the best lighting vendor I have ever seen bar none. The Philips 8500k D1S use OEM capsules, so quality does not suffer. During start-up, they phase from white, to a light purple, to an icy blue. The final color of the lighting is an icy blue with a slight purple hue. I was very concerned about the light output being subpar, but I was completely wrong. They illuminate the road incredibly well, but with an icy blue color. I am sure the output has to be less than stock, but I honestly cannot tell. I was extremely pleased! I waited a long time to do this mod out of fear. I felt the light output was never going to be as good as stock with a higher color temperature. I now wish fear hadn't held me back from this mod so long because I absolutely love seeing the headlight color now. Driving at night just got better.
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05-10-2010, 10:37 PM	#2
macboi Captain 36 Rep 615 Posts Drives: 06 e90 Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: New Orleans iTrader: (12) Garage List 2006 325 [0.00]	awesome write up. im about to pick up a set of 6700K from him eventually
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05-10-2010, 10:56 PM	#3
devilzrule Private 1 Rep 99 Posts Drives: 07 328 xi Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: edison, nj iTrader: (1)	niice i want xenons so bad. im stuck with halogens. whats the difference between oem xenons and euro projectors
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05-10-2010, 11:05 PM	#4
bulldog_yyc Major General 130 Rep 5,040 Posts Drives: GT3RS Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: probably work iTrader: (28)	great review!
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05-13-2010, 01:56 AM	#8
tldoxmf87 Captain 40 Rep 720 Posts Drives: e92 TiAg Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Bellevue iTrader: (14)	Nice review.. I wonder how it compares to the 6700k.. I'm stuck between the two!
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05-13-2010, 06:04 AM	#11
tldoxmf87 Captain 40 Rep 720 Posts Drives: e92 TiAg Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Bellevue iTrader: (14)	Icy Blue.. But from what Mike posted it seems like 6700k has an icy blue color as well. I know mtec 6000k is pure white but Philips 6000k tends to be more bluer.
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05-13-2010, 06:12 AM	#13
tldoxmf87 Captain 40 Rep 720 Posts Drives: e92 TiAg Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Bellevue iTrader: (14)	Yup.. I'm stuck.. I wonder how bright it looks in direct sun. But I'm leaning towards 6700k anyways since the color looks blue enough for me.
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05-17-2010, 01:02 PM	#17
Mike@F1 Autohaüs Lieutenant Colonel 195 Rep 1,985 Posts Drives: ❤ Join Date: May 2009 Location: f1autohaus.com iTrader: (24)	LED and HID color are on different scales. There will be variations which will effect the color perceived
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05-18-2010, 12:02 PM	#18
import36 Burrito bowl connoisseur 124 Rep 3,501 Posts Drives: 2015 Nissan GTR Black Edition Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Seven Cities iTrader: (1)	does Phillips make a 8000K D1S Xenon bulb? my AE and fog light upgrade are 8000K...so just looking for something to match.
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05-23-2010, 12:06 PM	#19
Synergy 69 www.facebook.com/Synergy69 24 Rep 505 Posts Drives: AW E92 335I MT Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: TX iTrader: (1)	got any pics of the MTEC fog lights? I'm guessing that they match the new headlights and OSS angels pretty well? __________________ Use caution when purchasing from Bmanny! http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=396267
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05-23-2010, 03:47 PM	#22
c_jeong89 Banned 85 Rep 2,097 Posts Drives: E90 TiAg Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Irvine/Bay Area iTrader: (16)	the OP said what he HAS upgraded so far but this review was specifically for the d1s bulbs and how they match with the OSS.
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