DIY: Highbeam Headlamp Replacement / Upgrade

[DinosM]

72 is the combined, it's 36 watts each.

 

[Lincsat]

I found the alignment to be off as well, so tweaking that also made a difference. Doesn't help with the main beams being so low on the car, my guess is that they were originally intended to be Fog lights. I have lowered the beams with the drivers side now as low as it can go so I'm lighting the road and not the trees.

 

[jadnashuanh]

I found the alignment to be off as well, so tweaking that also made a difference. Doesn't help with the main beams being so low on the car, my guess is that they were originally intended to be Fog lights. I have lowered the beams with the drivers side now as low as it can go so I'm lighting the road and not the trees.

Alignment is determined by the center of the beam...no idea on the beam pattern on the high beams, but they tend to be moderately wide. The only proper way to determine that is with the car facing a wall on a flat surface, and checking the center point. Adding an aftermarket bulb that is not DOT approved, your beam pattern could be way off from the standard, so even that might be tough getting right. The reflector pattern is based on using a DOT approved bulb.

 

[Gundo]

I can definitively say the Opt7 LED H11 from amazon work wonderfully. No question about the bulbs being much better color, much brighter and easy to install.

I've got no affiliation with the company, just a happy customer at this point.

Link here. Just order the H11, it fits fine

http://www.amazon.com/OPT7-Headlight-Bulbs-Clear-Arc-Beam/dp/B00VNBDWPK/ref=sr_1_1?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1447161774&sr=1-1-spons&keywords=Opt7+led+h11&psc=1

 

[auxnbus]

I installed both the LED high beams and turn indicators.
My oh my what an amazing improvement, especially with the high beams. Much brighter, and the color matches much better.
Took me about 15 minutes total from unboxing to trash disposal.
Highly recommended mod for under $100 and a few minutes of your time!

 

[kwind]

The Amazon "does it fit?" chart says that it will not fit an i3. So: does it?
I'm referring to the link given 2 messages earlier by Gundo

 

[auxnbus]

Can't speak to the item reference above, but I used the following:

High-beam: http://www.ebay.com/itm/221484981618
Turn Signal: http://www.ebay.com/itm/131202763664

 

[kwind]

Dear auxnbus, these are different and cost half as much as the ones given by "gundo" with his amazon reference. Question: do your ebay ones, work well? I have already since 1.5 yr LED's for the hi-beams, but all they do is make the illumination pattern much wider, but not one foot farther; in fact they are so no-distance shining nor up, that switching them on does not seem to bother anybody coming from the opposite direction (they never flicker their lights to ask for dimming). I don't want to make a second purchase mistake. The ones I have come from some local Dutch outfit, not amazon or ebay. (I reside in the Netherlands)

 

[auxnbus]

I've only had these install for a couple of weeks, so I don't know about their long-term reliability. However the LED high beams from eBay seem illuminate wider, longer, and brighter than the stock halogen bulbs. Of course that isn't saying much, because the stock bulbs were more or less useless and didn't provide an advantage over the LED Low beams.

 

[SteveMondragon]

Is there a way to point the high beam housings or lenses downward?

The LED bulbs look great, but the high beams (factory halogen or LED bulbs) are worthless on the i3. Therefore, I'd rather use the lights as fog or additional driving lights.

 

[PDXelectric]

The Amazon "does it fit?" chart says that it will not fit an i3. So: does it?
I'm referring to the link given 2 messages earlier by Gundo

I ordered and installed the lights on Amazon. They do fit and work fine. I have bought LED lights to replace rear lights and turn signals in the past. I have been disappointed by build quality with loose connections and shoddy materials. These lights are built really well. The connections are solid and the heat sink is robust. Installation was surprisingly simple. You just turn your front wheel outwards, rotate the cover, unclip the old light from the wiring harness, remove the old light by turning it, and then repeating the steps for installation. My driver's side light harness was shorter than the passenger side which made connecting the harness more difficult. I actually removed the four bolts holding the wheel well cover on to reach a second hand back there. The harness connections require lots of force to engage.

My only long term concern would be air flow since it does have a large heat sink on it. This might affect bulb longevity. I don't worry too much since my commute is relatively short.

Since I just installed them, I haven't had a chance to try them out. I drive through unlit backwards at morning and night to/from work. I will try them tonight and report back.

 

[PDXelectric]

I have been trying these out, but haven't been in pitch black conditions yet. I definitely prefer the new LED setup. The OEM lamps tend to fade out at the margins. In addition to matching the color scheme of the headlights, the entire field has a very nice uniform field. I do feel that the overall light output is superior, but it is hard to be objective without a side by side comparison. For the money, this is a simple worthwhile upgrade.

 

[frankow]

I can confirm it's an upgrade definitely worth doing. I picked up my 2015 REX just over a week ago, I love the LED headlights, they have a great cut off, however the high beam halogens are another story.

I also replaced the indicator bulbs for LED's whilst I was at it, here are the parts used for anyone interested. I have had no issues with fault codes.

Indicators: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/221625774722?_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

High Beam H11 LED's : http://www.amazon.co.uk/AFTERPARTZ-...&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00

These are fan-less LED's, offer much better reliability than the units previously mentioned using small PC fans that fail and allow the LED chips to cook.

A couple of of pics:

 

[user 3172]

I can confirm it's an upgrade definitely worth doing.

Indicators: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/221625774722?_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

High Beam H11 LED's : http://www.amazon.co.uk/AFTERPARTZ-...&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00

Can you confirm if you had any Canbus errors with these? Any feedback after a couple of months of use?

 

[Hisen]

I've yet to try it out but it certainly looks promising. It's the cheapest mod I can think of so that's the first thing I'll do.

 

[marciemarc]

These are the LED indicators:
http://nl.aliexpress.com/item/Amber-Yellow-Error-Free-PWY24W-LED-Bulbs-For-BMW-F30-3-Series-320i-328i-335i-Volkswagen/32693576094.html?spm=2114.13010608.0.59.hLoOqN

These are the LED headlights:
http://nl.aliexpress.com/item/2pcs-H11-72W-12000LM-6500K-CREE-XHP50-LED-Car-Headlight-Conversion-Kit-Fog-Lamp-Bulb-DRL/32628610434.html?spm=2114.13010608.0.52.hLoOqN

Greetz,
Marciemarc

 

[user 3172]

Fitted my replacement LED main beams today. Look much better as the yellowish hue of the originals is history. Trouble is, I don't see any great improvement in long distance visibility. The lens and reflectors are obviously specific to the H11 bulbs installed but I was hoping that the greater light output may improve things overall. I am not sure this is the case.

Short to medium distance visibility has improved no end with a lot more light on the road and sideways but I can't see anything more in the distance than before.

Anyone believe that they have a decent bulb or configuration for longer distance?

 

[swb110]

Just put these in . significant improvement

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00K61CG5U/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[jadnashuanh]

Just put these in . significant improvement

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00K61CG5U/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The info on Amazon does not list the overall wattage of the bulbs...did it say anything on the packaging? Did you have any bulb warning indication (I'd guess that the fan motor probably has enough resistance to make it look like a conventional bulb and 'trick' the bulb out logic)?

I would be a little worried that if the fan failed, the heat from the bulb might damage the housing (and obviously, shorten the bulb life as well).

 

[SSi3]

Rather than LED drop-in kits for our high beams, has anyone tried the H11 to H9 halogen bulb swap? The H9 is the same bulb, only 65W instead of 55W, you just have to trim out a piece of plastic from the bulb side of the socket. Can the cars wiring handle the extra wattage? Being that its a high beam, its not on for long periods of time like a low/dipped beam bulb is, thus minimizing overheating risk in the wiring/connector/housing...?

I only ask because i'm not yet convinced the LED kits offer MORE light, just nicer looking light (colour), which I don't care about, I want more light for driving rural/country roads.