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BMW 3-Series (E90 E92) Forum > E90 / E92 / E93 3-series Technical Forums > Cosmetic and Lighting Modifications (exterior/interior) > thoroughly confused - need HID bulb



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      11-02-2012, 06:01 PM   #1
bendjeff
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thoroughly confused - need HID bulb

Have an 06 325xi. looking to replace one or both xenons with OEM or near OEM quality bulbs. got a quote for $225 for one bulb from my indy shop and that sounded really high to me. they only mentioned they are german and "cost half as much as the dealer"

can you guys point me in the right direction?

thanks

Last edited by bendjeff; 11-02-2012 at 06:03 PM.. Reason: adding description
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      11-02-2012, 06:36 PM   #2
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its pretty easy to do it yourself and the cost of the bulb ranges greatly. i would seek help from a forum member and you can probably get it done for 100 in labor and 50-200 for the bulbs ( 1 pair) for near oem quality. I have OEM bulbs that i switched out that i'll sell you if you like. These were pulled off my car as soon as i got it into my garage. They were replaced with aftermarket 6000k bulbs. You should be able to find forum members willing to part with their oem bulbs for any were between 50-200 bucks also...depending on how much they value their oem parts.

good luck
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      11-02-2012, 07:04 PM   #3
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ok, looks like I want to go aftermarket if I go new. I don't want to sound cheap but spending around 400 for a couple bulbs is crazy.

how long were your bulbs used? how much are you looking to get? and they will fit just fine in my car? I would probably have someone put them in for me
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      11-02-2012, 08:17 PM   #4
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Go to HIDplanet.com and educate yourself. You should be able to find the best source of bulbs for your application...
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      11-02-2012, 09:37 PM   #5
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Google DDM tuning. I have hids from them in three of my vehicles, hid fires every time on single attempt. It has lifetime warranty.
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      11-02-2012, 10:07 PM   #6
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The reason why the E9x xenons cost are so high is because the bulbs have the Ballasts attached to them. When the bulb is removed you will see a small box like shape at the base of the unit.

There is no need to replace the xenon bulbs unless they are no longer working. Unlike Halogen lights which slowly start to get dim over time xenon lights do not, they are designed to just about last the life of the car under normal usage.
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      11-02-2012, 10:21 PM   #7
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I paid like $75 for a new xenon bulb/ballast off ebay a year and a half ago. Installed in a half hour and good to go.
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      11-03-2012, 12:55 AM   #8
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Put these in last night. They look great, takes about 30 mins per side.

http://www.modmy3.com/e9x/bmw-e92/bm...-hid-bulb.html
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      11-03-2012, 01:05 AM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 95325i View Post
The reason why the E9x xenons cost are so high is because the bulbs have the Ballasts attached to them. When the bulb is removed you will see a small box like shape at the base of the unit.

There is no need to replace the xenon bulbs unless they are no longer working. Unlike Halogen lights which slowly start to get dim over time xenon lights do not, they are designed to just about last the life of the car under normal usage.
The ignitor is attached to the bulb, not the ballast.

Be careful buying super cheap ebay HID bulbs because they might fry your OEM ballast. A lot of "Osram" and "Philips" bulbs on ebay (and other websites too) are fake, so buyer beware and do your research before shelling out hundreds of dollars for what might be fake Philips/Osram bulbs.

I personally bought the Morimoto 3FIVE D1S bulbs in 6000k from theretrofitsource on ebay. theretrofitsource is a very reputable seller in the HID retrofit community. Haven't had a problem with the bulbs so far.
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      11-03-2012, 01:11 AM   #10
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Philips D1S is $57 from amazon if you feel comfortable replacing yourself... doesn't look any harder than halogen but i have yet to need any hid replacements
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      11-03-2012, 01:19 AM   #11
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thanks for all the help guys. looking to buy some used ones on the forum here first and then will go from there. I definitely want to buy something that I know won't be doing more damage than good... plus I will probably have someone install them for me. once again not wanting to do something stupid myself
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      11-03-2012, 01:29 AM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mump View Post
Put these in last night. They look great, takes about 30 mins per side.

http://www.modmy3.com/e9x/bmw-e92/bm...-hid-bulb.html
wow, the price on these seems almost too good. would be nice to know if others have used these without any issues
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      11-03-2012, 02:27 AM   #13
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You typically want to replace HID bulbs as a pair. HID bulbs will "color shift," meaning they will become slightly bluer as they get older. So if you just replace one bulb, your two headlights might be mismatched in terms of color output.
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      11-03-2012, 05:39 AM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by VTECaddict View Post
You typically want to replace HID bulbs as a pair. HID bulbs will "color shift," meaning they will become slightly bluer as they get older. So if you just replace one bulb, your two headlights might be mismatched in terms of color output.
the link I gave above is for the pair. they are a vendor here and have been great answering questions and such. I have ordered from them twice now and they are quick with getting the order out and they even provide an email with directions for everything that I have ordered.

Though I can't comment on how long they will last because I just installed them last night; if I remember correctly, the labels on the back of the bulbs were exactly the same as the OEMs I pulled out.
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      11-03-2012, 11:42 AM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mump View Post
the link I gave above is for the pair. they are a vendor here and have been great answering questions and such. I have ordered from them twice now and they are quick with getting the order out and they even provide an email with directions for everything that I have ordered.

Though I can't comment on how long they will last because I just installed them last night; if I remember correctly, the labels on the back of the bulbs were exactly the same as the OEMs I pulled out.
Awesome. I might try these if the used ones don't come through
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      11-03-2012, 02:19 PM   #16
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Ok found some used ones from an 07. Used for 15k miles. $50 shipped. My one concern is if they will fit with no issues on my 06?
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      11-03-2012, 05:53 PM   #17
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As long as they are D1S bulbs they will fit fine.
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      11-03-2012, 09:55 PM   #18
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thanks everyone for the help
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