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      03-17-2012, 02:49 AM   #1
Valentin
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Aftermarket Xenons?

Hey guys was looking at the 2012 328i and with my budget I think am going to opt out of the premium package to save some mulah. If I get Xenon's installed later on what kind of prices am I looking at? Will they operate the same as the stock ones? And lastly if I also choose not to get the power front seats with driver seat memory option what am I missing out on?

Thank you in advance for your replies, I'm really looking forward to get the ball rolling on getting this car and I can't wait to be an active member of this community!

PS: Does anyone know of any good professional places in the New York area to have this and some other modifications done?
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      03-17-2012, 03:04 AM   #2
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I was on the same boat as you before ordering. Really disappointed that Premium package is required for xenons. I ended up getting both due to thinking that a bmw is incomplete without xenons and the angel eyes. Lol. I justified the Premium package by getting fox red leather. Nice to have the moonroof, power seats and comfort access as well.

On my 2009 328i, i just had halogen and inquired about xenons. It was about $1500 to get them swapped out and was not an easy process.

Good luck bro!
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      03-17-2012, 03:46 AM   #3
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Pull the $ together if you can and get the premium, the money you'll save won't be worth the money spent in the future trying to obtain the same features individually.

One option that I'd suggest is get the factory lights retrofitted with a bi-xenon projector and HID kit. I can do it, hit me up whenever you're ready
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      03-17-2012, 03:53 AM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by yerffejleahcim View Post
I was on the same boat as you before ordering. Really disappointed that Premium package is required for xenons. I ended up getting both due to thinking that a bmw is incomplete without xenons and the angel eyes. Lol. I justified the Premium package by getting fox red leather. Nice to have the moonroof, power seats and comfort access as well.

On my 2009 328i, i just had halogen and inquired about xenons. It was about $1500 to get them swapped out and was not an easy process.

Good luck bro!
Thanks! Decisions decisions lol I can't even count how many times I have built this car and every day it comes out different! It is frustrating being not being able to check that box without adding 3600$ lol . And you received that price from the dealership? Nice choice on the car too that's exactly what I'm looking at if I get the premium package that is lol!
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      03-17-2012, 04:13 AM   #5
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Originally Posted by X-Vert View Post
Pull the $ together if you can and get the premium, the money you'll save won't be worth the money spent in the future trying to obtain the same features individually.

One option that I'd suggest is get the factory lights retrofitted with a bi-xenon projector and HID kit. I can do it, hit me up whenever you're ready
Sounds perfect, that's 20 min away from me. I'll definitely be coming to you, I'll PM you once I get this car for more info. Thanks a lot!
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      03-17-2012, 04:29 AM   #6
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For the e90 BMW has released OEM xenon retrofit kit, for those who have remorse about not getting the Xenon option

But really, Xenon lights should be your first option. The car looks better with them, functions better, looks more expensive.
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      03-17-2012, 05:11 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by yerffejleahcim View Post
I justified the Premium package by getting fox red leather. Nice to have the moonroof, power seats and comfort access as well.

On my 2009 328i, i just had halogen and inquired about xenons. It was about $1500 to get them swapped out and was not an easy process.

Good luck bro!
Power seats are really important in BMWs IMO. The manual seats are ANNOYING - you end up with so many different levers to move the seat this way or that, it's plain confusing. It's especially bad for passengers who invariably pull the wrong one and end up caught with their head stuck in the ceiling while they scrabble around and you try to remember which lever it is they need to pull.

I do think you'll regret not getting the Premium package if you can afford it and just want to save the money.
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      03-17-2012, 05:15 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cstavaru View Post
For the e90 BMW has released OEM xenon retrofit kit, for those who have remorse about not getting the Xenon option

But really, Xenon lights should be your first option. The car looks better with them, functions better, looks more expensive.
Can you elaborate on "functions better"? Is the light merely brighter, or brighter + whiter + better in some other way?

I live in Singapore, so perpetual city driving. Wondering if I should go for xenon. Besides only "wanting" it, am trying to find excuses/justifications for me to "need" it as well.
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      03-17-2012, 06:10 AM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SGScuba View Post
Can you elaborate on "functions better"? Is the light merely brighter, or brighter + whiter + better in some other way?

I live in Singapore, so perpetual city driving. Wondering if I should go for xenon. Besides only "wanting" it, am trying to find excuses/justifications for me to "need" it as well.
While xenons do improve visibility, it's not like halogens aren't bright enough - if people can't see well enough with halogens then I think they need their eyes testing! I have halogens on my 118D and can't say I've ever struggled to see at night with them. The increased visibility is, for me, just "nice to have" - it's not essential.

The only true functional reason I can see of having xenons is having Adaptive Headlights. I had this on my 2007 330D and it's really, really useful. And very cool. How useful it'd be in Singapore, though, is another matter.

All that said, the car does look MUCH better with xenons. It's probably as important to the look of the car to your choice of paint and any interior finishes you might want. So, considering the vast amount of money your car is costing you in Singapore, I don't think it makes sense to try to save a small fraction of that cost by not getting xenons.
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      03-17-2012, 06:28 AM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Feanor View Post
While xenons do improve visibility, it's not like halogens aren't bright enough - if people can't see well enough with halogens then I think they need their eyes testing! I have halogens on my 118D and can't say I've ever struggled to see at night with them. The increased visibility is, for me, just "nice to have" - it's not essential.

The only true functional reason I can see of having xenons is having Adaptive Headlights. I had this on my 2007 330D and it's really, really useful. And very cool. How useful it'd be in Singapore, though, is another matter.
I beg to differ: I have adaptive xenons and I hardly ever use it because forget to switch the headlight switch to "auto" for these to work, and I don't use the auto mode because the law mandates that the lights should also be used in daylight on highways so I need to use the manual setting. Also there is no need for adaptives in city or highway driving, only on backroads.

On the other hand, no one buys a second-hand car without xenons; no one likes the halogen lights, day for looks or night for function. They can ruin a car's appearance and a car's value.

But yes, a base model BMW does have its merits, if it is bought as base model, with no options including xenons.
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      03-17-2012, 06:34 AM   #11
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My two cents:

Xenons look awesome and are great if you drive in really low light areas, they are noticeably better at lighting the road than their halogen equivalents.

Halogens are absolutely fine though. If you only ever drive on well lit roads then the value of xenons becomes largely cosmetic and you might prefer to save the cash or spend it on things which improve the driving experience.

My wife and I share the car so electric seats are a must, especially because the BMW's seats offer so much variation in position. My current car offers 3 way manual variation and it's a pain for us both changing seat & mirror positions every time we get into the car. However, if you are the only person driving the car (or if you convince other drivers to leave your settings untouched) I cannot see any point in electric seats because you will hardly ever use them.

I love the look of xenons, I drive extensively in parts of the UK which are poorly lit and my wife uses the car every day while I'm at work. That's why I specced xenons and electric memory seats! Just depends on your priorities I guess.
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      03-17-2012, 09:23 AM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cstavaru View Post
I beg to differ: I have adaptive xenons and I hardly ever use it because forget to switch the headlight switch to "auto" for these to work, and I don't use the auto mode because the law mandates that the lights should also be used in daylight on highways so I need to use the manual setting. Also there is no need for adaptives in city or highway driving, only on backroads.
Interesting, I didn't know the switch had to be on "auto". I would never have noticed because I leave my switch in that position all the time.

I thought though that you could switch on "day driving lights" in the car's computer, so your lights are on all the time even when the switch is on auto?

Either way, in fairness, the circumstances behind the fact that you don't benefit from adaptive headlights are unique to Romania and the few other countries that require headlights to be fully on during the day so it's not really relevant to SGScuba.
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      03-17-2012, 10:24 AM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SGScuba View Post
Can you elaborate on "functions better"? Is the light merely brighter, or brighter + whiter + better in some other way?

I live in Singapore, so perpetual city driving. Wondering if I should go for xenon. Besides only "wanting" it, am trying to find excuses/justifications for me to "need" it as well.
You don't need it.
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      03-17-2012, 11:23 AM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SGScuba View Post
Can you elaborate on "functions better"? Is the light merely brighter, or brighter + whiter + better in some other way?

I live in Singapore, so perpetual city driving. Wondering if I should go for xenon. Besides only "wanting" it, am trying to find excuses/justifications for me to "need" it as well.
They are brighter, but the base halogens are perfectly fine. If you are primarily driving in the city the Xenons will be of limited value.
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      03-17-2012, 11:29 AM   #15
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Originally Posted by yerffejleahcim View Post
bmw is incomplete without xenons and the angel eyes.
Good luck bro!
This! It says everything why your BMW has to have Xenons.
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      03-17-2012, 11:30 AM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SGScuba View Post
Can you elaborate on "functions better"? Is the light merely brighter, or brighter + whiter + better in some other way?

I live in Singapore, so perpetual city driving. Wondering if I should go for xenon. Besides only "wanting" it, am trying to find excuses/justifications for me to "need" it as well.
honestly if you don't need it..... STill get it! It's BMW trademark. Your BMW will be incomplete without it and you will regret it
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      03-17-2012, 11:56 AM   #17
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Not trying to troll or anything, but when did Xenons become ubiquitous with with BMW? And when did the Xenon "angel eyes" even become available on BMWs? Maybe 5 years ago? (Can someone confirm this? I'm new to bmw).

I live in SoCal and BMWs are everywhere. On any given neighborhood block, there are at least 5 BMWs parked. I can loosely estimate that 1 out of every 100 or so BMWs actually have the Xenon Angel Eyes.... and they are all newer models. Even among newer models, only a fraction actually have em.

Now don't get me wrong, I ordered the Xenons... they were an absolute must have for me.... that's why I got a 335i instead of the 328i. But to say that the xenon angel eyes give the BMW it's identity is so far from the truth IMO.

And I agree with the poster that said, if you have trouble driving with halogens, you need to get your eyes checked. And stay off the roads for everyone else's sake please!
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      03-17-2012, 12:38 PM   #18
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While the Xenons are one of the more worthwhile options BMW offers for the 328i, I don't think they're a necessity. I wouldn't say the xenons with the angel eyes are *the* defining characteristic of a BMW as some people might advocate. If getting the premium package and xenons pushes the price considerably beyond what you think you should spend, then I wouldn't get them. Getting the dealership to fit them after delivery (and therefore not having to get the premium package) might be a good option depending on the expense ($1500 seems somewhat reasonable).
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      03-17-2012, 02:34 PM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Feanor View Post
Power seats are really important in BMWs IMO. The manual seats are ANNOYING - you end up with so many different levers to move the seat this way or that, it's plain confusing. It's especially bad for passengers who invariably pull the wrong one and end up caught with their head stuck in the ceiling while they scrabble around and you try to remember which lever it is they need to pull.

I do think you'll regret not getting the Premium package if you can afford it and just want to save the money.
Oh okay thanks for clearing that up for me, I thought it would just have a driver power seat as standard without the memory and lumbar. Do you guys think that in a year there will be more options available for the car such as how the 2011 328i has the convenience package?
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      03-18-2012, 04:03 AM   #20
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Thanks for the input and confirmation that I don't need them, guys. I figured they were really unnecessary for Singapore, since there are no backroads to speak of unless I drive into Malaysia...(for safety reasons, nope not bloody likely). After spending all that money, the beautiful eyes alone don't really justify spending more.
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      03-18-2012, 08:09 AM   #21
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SGScuba View Post
Thanks for the input and confirmation that I don't need them, guys. I figured they were really unnecessary for Singapore, since there are no backroads to speak of unless I drive into Malaysia...(for safety reasons, nope not bloody likely). After spending all that money, the beautiful eyes alone don't really justify spending more.
Man i think you'll regret it later. Without them the car looks cheap and loses that prestige feeling. You'll hate yourself later on for it and eventually hate the looks of your car.
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      03-18-2012, 10:10 AM   #22
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Man i think you'll regret it later. Without them the car looks cheap and loses that prestige feeling. You'll hate yourself later on for it and eventually hate the looks of your car.
That's a little extreme, don't you think? Look, this Xenon fixation is a matter of personal choice, like exterior or interior colors, not a question of any substantive, real world necessity, like ABS or air bags. The "benefits" of Xenons are marginal and debatable, if ya like the way they look, get 'em. If not, don't.

Last edited by CE750Jockey; 03-18-2012 at 10:16 AM..
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