To LED or not to LED

[BigKutta]

So, when I first saw the BMW LED lighting video a couple of years ago I thought I had to have it one day. What I am hearing on this board is that the improvement over Xenons is marginal. I would like to hear from those who have personally witnessed the difference between the two. Are the LEDs worth it?

I always wanted auto headlights as we traverse dark back roads daily, but now I see its part of the LED package only (wtf?). So LED package is still a strong consideration, but I want to see the value in it. Anyone with real life experience with both?

Thanks

[alphaod]

Xenon lights are fine. They turn with the road and stuff. Their illumination is great. The auto high beam can be coded to be enabled.

LEDs are a little brighter in my opinion, but not by much. They also turn with the road and stuff. The videos online showing the high beam tracking and the tunneling isn't available in the US unless you code it and even after coding it doesn't really seem to work correctly.

Now, I do have the LED lights, but if it comes down to LED or something else, I would skip the LED.

[Kzang]

LED's are a must for me.. I like the whiter, crisper, and adaptive high beam assists on these lights. I feel like it also throws the light wider and further for me. Auto highbeams is not a must for me but it came with the LEDs and I'm not complaining... I can appreciate its usefulness.

Not that it really matters, but it also gives the X5 a more modern look to it, not to mention on the LED's you have total of 8 bulbs. Two on each headlights for low beams and two that turn on under the low beams for the high beams. On the standard Xenons only the outer bulbs work and the inner bulbs are dummies.

My Low beam pic.

[BigKutta]

Originally Posted by alphaod

The videos online showing the high beam tracking and the tunneling isn't available in the US unless you code it and even after coding it doesn't really seem to work correctly.

Really? So what is the purpose if they are not truly adaptive?? This makes it even less valuable if all we get is a bit more brightness and auto high beams!!

[Doanster]

Originally Posted by BigKutta

Really? So what is the purpose if they are not truly adaptive?? This makes it even less valuable if all we get is a bit more brightness and auto high beams!!

Adaptive means they tilt/turn in the direction of travel, i.e. around a curve.
The infamous tunneling feature is cool, but not truly available in the US. Coding has proven iffy at best.

[BigKutta]

Originally Posted by Doanster

Adaptive means they tilt/turn in the direction of travel, i.e. around a curve.
The infamous tunneling feature is cool, but not truly available in the US. Coding has proven iffy at best.

I am glad I clarified this. So they are just marginally brighter, crisper than Xenons, and include auto-high beams.

This makes it much harder to spend $1900 on this.

[ajob]

Had xenon in the E70 and LED in the F85; the improvement is very noticeable, night driving much more pleasant.

[Chloros]

Wouldn't LED be a cheaper option for BMW to use than Xenon yet charge a premium for it? Seems like every entry level car is using led.

[denniss]

Originally Posted by Chloros

Wouldn't LED be a cheaper option for BMW to use than Xenon yet charge a premium for it? Seems like every entry level car is using led.

how else are they going to make money ?

[Snow-Kidney]

Originally Posted by BigKutta

I am glad I clarified this. So they are just marginally brighter, crisper than Xenons, and include auto-high beams.

This makes it much harder to spend $1900 on this.

It is definitely a silly sticker price.

I'm presuming that it is a high margin option. If you are questioning if you want it, skip it. The worst part about it is that it'll add little to resale value because no one will care about it on the used market. It is essentially a 100% loss on the purchase so you will have to really love it to not regret it.

I used the cash to blow on some fun.

[stewy604]

I am looking to swap out my fogs to LED, or at least some superwhite halogens...the standard yellowish halogens we Canadians get with our Xenons are ugly!

[Snow-Kidney]

Originally Posted by Chloros

Wouldn't LED be a cheaper option for BMW to use than Xenon yet charge a premium for it? Seems like every entry level car is using led.

Toyota Corolla has LED believe it or not.

[DETSGTSTARSKY]

Originally Posted by BigKutta

So, when I first saw the BMW LED lighting video a couple of years ago I thought I had to have it one day. What I am hearing on this board is that the improvement over Xenons is marginal. I would like to hear from those who have personally witnessed the difference between the two. Are the LEDs worth it?

I always wanted auto headlights as we traverse dark back roads daily, but now I see its part of the LED package only (wtf?). So LED package is still a strong consideration, but I want to see the value in it. Anyone with real life experience with both?

Thanks

I don't think they are worth it. I received a loaner recently with them. I didn't really see too much in regard to better brightness. Thanks to the DOT we don't get as bright of a light as they can in Europe. So it is like getting a flashlight with 100 lumens and led is 105-110. Not really worth $1900.

[patrobX5]

I don't understand why the LED lights are not standard on X5 ? It's ridiculous when you think about it! For the amount of money this car costs it should not be coming with Xenons, that's outdated technology IMO. So many other cheaper cars have full LED lights ...

[wearenh]

Originally Posted by stewy604

I am looking to swap out my fogs to LED, or at least some superwhite halogens...the standard yellowish halogens we Canadians get with our Xenons are ugly!

.

I do have an extra set of F15 LED fogs available .... $85 + $20 Priority Mail to Canada.


.

[twelve535i]

LED's will most likely be standard on 2017 models, as it is on 2016 BMW 340i. The standard version is not the fullly adaptive. That cost another $900. Seems like a much more reasonable add on price.

I've never seen BMW's "standard" LEDs in person but I'd imagine it's like MB E class standard LEDS. They still look pretty bright and have great color.

BTW the Corolla does have LED lights and they look awesome but they are not very bright and do not light up much of the road.

If you've ever seen BMW's, Acura MDX's or E class's LEDs face-on, you can see a huge difference. They all use multiple LED lights, which is needed to be brighter than the factory xenon lights. ( I think the acura lights have the best reach and color, probably due to those 10 small projectors)


If I had xenon's I would get the itch to buy an aftermarket LED low beam kit. It can probably retrofitted without too much hard labor. Just have to look for a high output kit

[SlammedR8]

I'm currently driving my mother in laws 2014 535xi while I wait for my X5 35d to arrive. I didn't order the LED headlights as it is a $2500 option (Canadian) that I didn't think was worth it. But I can say that driving my mother in laws 535 at night really makes a difference. The LED are super bright, they shine both wide and far.

My R8 V10 also has LED headlights and it is quite good but I have to say the 535 is brighter I think.

[RM707]

I have LEDs and it's not really "must have". Get it if you have extra 2K otherwise spend on something more useful.

[MattBianco]

Have them. Like them, but can easily live without them. The high beam is disappointing but the lows are very nice. Adaptive future and coding work has made them more valuable. Otherwise, worth $800 in my opinion.

[BTT 335i]

With leds the front turn signals come in leds too and for me looks beautiful , with xenons the turn signal don't come in led and looks old.

[Doanster]

Originally Posted by MattBianco

Have them. Like them, but can easily live without them. The high beam is disappointing but the lows are very nice. Adaptive future and coding work has made them more valuable. Otherwise, worth $800 in my opinion.

This EXACTLY sums up my feelings about the LEDs. Bonus that they are crystal white along with all other lights (turn signals) being LED, but I probably would spend the $1900 elsewhere if I had a choice when I purchased the car. Half price, as MattBianco stated, I would probably would get them.

Originally Posted by twelve535i

( I think the acura lights have the best reach and color, probably due to those 10 small projectors)

This is precisely why I don't like the LEDs on the F15. They use old-school reflector bowls rather than projectors. The resulting pattern is a mess - hot spots, peaks, valleys, you name it. If BMW would switch to projector housings, they'd be the cream of the crop IMO. The beam cutoff would be razor sharp and the adaptive functions would be much better. Hopefully they switch over soon...

[twelve535i]

Hrmm.....I decided to do a bit of research on the F30 forum. Can we also code our LED's to be brighter under lower speeds?

http://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho...&highlight=led