Best 2024 stock replacement options for HID Bulbs and Ballasts?

[ChapterM3]

Hey everyone -

I'm in the hunt for the perfect replacement for my bulbs and ballasts after I realized again yesterday that my right headlight is consistently flickering now and seems that the bulb might have changed color slightly as well. I think it's been like this for a while but it's starting to get to me and I want to have a replacement ready to go when the time comes that they finally go.

This is what's happening (look at the right headlight color and flicker) -

What I want -
OEM replacement - 1-1 color temperature

Research I've done so far -
Essentially read through this entire thread, and checking in as it's over 10 years old: https://www.e46fanatics.com/threads/...-guide.974771/

Options I've found -
Bulbs -
PHILIPS - 85122C1 Philips D2S - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...0?ie=UTF8&th=1
OEM - https://www.ecstuning.com/b-genuine-...h/63217160806/
Osram - https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/hid...lb-flosser-d2s
Philips -https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/xenon-hid-headlight-bulb-philips-d2sc1

Ballasts -
Magneti Martelli - https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw...it-63127176068
Automotive Lighting - https://www.ecstuning.com/b-automoti...3127176068~al/
Vemo - https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw...mo-63127176068
Bremmen Parts - https://www.ecstuning.com/b-bremmen-...127176068~brp/

Questions to you, from your personal experience -

1. What is the best bulb replacement for OEM kelvin color temperature, brightness and quality?
2. What's the ballast brand to go with from your experience?
3. Anything else to consider or that I'm missing?

Thank you in advance!

Jonathan

[dukeofchen]

If you're looking for OEM color temperature Osram Nightbreakers are probably the best you can get, iirc they have the highest lumen output in their lineup as they don't sacrifice anything to get closer to white / blue.

[nuc1]

If you're looking for OEM color temperature Osram Nightbreakers are probably the best you can get, iirc they have the highest lumen output in their lineup as they don't sacrifice anything to get closer to white / blue.

Have these in my M plus ZKW-R lenses. Everything else is stock. Much much better output. The cutoff is nowhere near as good in the RX350 retrofit in the Tundra but still lights up the backwoods VA roads.

With my recent adventure with a deer, the new OE headlights are going to get RX350 projectors. Still plan to use OE ballasts/ignitors and same Osram NB bulbs.

Mike

[ChapterM3]

If you're looking for OEM color temperature Osram Nightbreakers are probably the best you can get, iirc they have the highest lumen output in their lineup as they don't sacrifice anything to get closer to white / blue.

Oh great, thank you for this! And running them on the stock ballasts? or based on this flickering I'm guessing I need new ballasts as well as I don't know bulbs flickering as that's more of a power input thing from the ballast

Have these in my M plus ZKW-R lenses. Everything else is stock. Much much better output. The cutoff is nowhere near as good in the RX350 retrofit in the Tundra but still lights up the backwoods VA roads.

With my recent adventure with a deer, the new OE headlights are going to get RX350 projectors. Still plan to use OE ballasts/ignitors and same Osram NB bulbs.

Mike

That's great to hear - I'm not trying to retrofit anything right now so if those bulbs are the best then those are the ones I'll go with

[dukeofchen]

Oh great, thank you for this! And running them on the stock ballasts? or based on this flickering I'm guessing I need new ballasts as well as I don't know bulbs flickering as that's more of a power input thing from the ballast

Changing the bulbs is as easy as it gets so I wonder if it'd make sense to start there and confirm that it isn't just the bulb slowly dying? Stock ballasts will be 100% sufficient provided there's no issue with them.

[ChapterM3]

Changing the bulbs is as easy as it gets so I wonder if it'd make sense to start there and confirm that it isn't just the bulb slowly dying? Stock ballasts will be 100% sufficient provided there's no issue with them.

That's a good point, plus I need bulbs anyways because they are for sure changing color. I'm pretty sure they're the stock bulbs and color temp (4300k) so I'll just scoop the Osram Nightbreakers and try them out.

Thanks for the replies man I appreciate it

[c watson]

+1 for nightbreaker. They’re the brightest and most OEM looking bulbs on the market. I would purchase from a reputable source. Lightwerkz in NJ sells and ships them. If you want to save a few bucks you can get them overseas from a reputable vendor I found on an overseas forum www.powerbulbs.com

Stay away from the Amazon and eBay ones since they’re mostly replicas.

[ChapterM3]

Hey everyone - so I replaced the bulbs, and the result is that the flickering is gone! So happy about that! dukeofchen thank you for chiming in and encouraging me to just get the bulbs first and try them out, solved it right away!

I took it out for a drive last night to see if I could tell the different, result: I guess they're brighter? It wasn't like OH WOW kind of reaction as if I got a new pair of glasses, but more of a "huh I guess that's brighter?"

Stock ones I pulled from the car - Osram Xenarc 66040
These are the ones I went with off Amazon - Osram XENARC NIGHT BREAKER LASER D2S, Next Generation

Paid $128.99, and here's the listing that I bought them from - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BBNDS5KR...fed_asin_title

I bought these on Amazon of course after seeing the last post from c watson - but now I'm suspicious however if I bought reps, take a look at the photos from the box, and I'll pull the driver's side bulb to take some photos of the actual bulb itself as well so you guys can see.

What do you think?

---

Authenticating the lights - well, I learned today that you should really read the damn box as it's all there for you to verify - here's my discovery so far -

This seal on the side was sealed, I had to cut it with a knife to open it - I don't have photos of the bulbs themselves but can pull one to check


I entered the 7 digit code on their website and it came back with a positive result for the box - now I need to go verify these numbers off the bulbs as I forgot to do this before putting them in haha but I'll do that quickly and report back

Also verified that the secret OSRAM logos are there on the box with my loupe, you cannot see this by holding up the box, really crazy you actually have to get a magnifying glass or loupe to see them


I'll come back and post about the bulbs themselves once I get a minute to do so

---

BEFORE - The discoloration in the passenger side light can really be seen here


AFTER - One note: the passenger side light seems to have some distortion under the main beam, see the second photo to really see it - I'm guessing this could be the glass housing of the headlight itself? I think that maybe with the previous bulbs it didn't show up as prominent because the bulbs were dimmer?

+1 for nightbreaker. They’re the brightest and most OEM looking bulbs on the market. I would purchase from a reputable source. Lightwerkz in NJ sells and ships them. If you want to save a few bucks you can get them overseas from a reputable vendor I found on an overseas forum www.powerbulbs.com

Stay away from the Amazon and eBay ones since they’re mostly replicas.

Thank you for chiming in - see above!

[elrichmeister]

So one thing i noticed is that there is LASER and non LASER version of the Nightbreaker DS2. The non-LASER model reports 220% brightness and the LASER one report 200%

https://www.amazon.com/Breaker-Brightness-Headlight-66240XN2-2HB-Folding-dp-B0D1CPH8DL/dp/B0D1CPH8DL/ref=dp_ob_title_auto?th=1

I wish i purchased the nightrbeaker models when i replaced mine. Got the Xenarc Cool Blue, not sure what i was thinking lol,

HID output between my non-m coupe with aftermarket HIDs(morimoto H7 kit) and my M3 is pretty substantial.
However the M3 does have some tint on windshield so it may be partly to blame, also the non-m coupe does have newer OEM halogen headlights, so the projector in the housing is a lot newer as well.
Before i get flamed about putting hids in halogen headlights, facelift coupe does have a projectors in the housing for low beams.

[dukeofchen]

Hey everyone - so I replaced the bulbs, and the result is that the flickering is gone! So happy about that! dukeofchen thank you for chiming in and encouraging me to just get the bulbs first and try them out, solved it right away!

I took it out for a drive last night to see if I could tell the different, result: I guess they're brighter? It wasn't like OH WOW kind of reaction as if I got a new pair of glasses, but more of a "huh I guess that's brighter?"

Stock ones I pulled from the car - Osram Xenarc 66040
These are the ones I went with off Amazon - Osram XENARC NIGHT BREAKER LASER D2S, Next Generation

Awesome, glad it was that simple! Perhaps the old bulbs were failing prematurely due to defect, but the filaments themselves hadn't degraded to the point of diminishing output, as standard Osrams aren't too shabby either.

[JokerElite]

So one thing i noticed is that there is LASER and non LASER version of the Nightbreaker DS2. The non-LASER model reports 220% brightness and the LASER one report 200%

https://www.amazon.com/Breaker-Brightness-Headlight-66240XN2-2HB-Folding-dp-B0D1CPH8DL/dp/B0D1CPH8DL/ref=dp_ob_title_auto?th=1

I wish i purchased the nightrbeaker models when i replaced mine. Got the Xenarc Cool Blue, not sure what i was thinking lol,

HID output between my non-m coupe with aftermarket HIDs(morimoto H7 kit) and my M3 is pretty substantial.
However the M3 does have some tint on windshield so it may be partly to blame, also the non-m coupe does have newer OEM halogen headlights, so the projector in the housing is a lot newer as well.
Before i get flamed about putting hids in halogen headlights, facelift coupe does have a projectors in the housing for low beams.

Cool Blue Intense or Cool Blue Boost? From what I know the CBB is a higher color temp than the CBI. Just wondering having considered using CBI once.

[maupineda]

I have CBI and are really nice. I have not tried night breakers but I rarely drive at night so CBI are plenty.

[ChapterM3]

So one thing i noticed is that there is LASER and non LASER version of the Nightbreaker DS2. The non-LASER model reports 220% brightness and the LASER one report 200%

https://www.amazon.com/Breaker-Brightness-Headlight-66240XN2-2HB-Folding-dp-B0D1CPH8DL/dp/B0D1CPH8DL/ref=dp_ob_title_auto?th=1

I wish i purchased the nightrbeaker models when i replaced mine. Got the Xenarc Cool Blue, not sure what i was thinking lol,

HID output between my non-m coupe with aftermarket HIDs(morimoto H7 kit) and my M3 is pretty substantial.
However the M3 does have some tint on windshield so it may be partly to blame, also the non-m coupe does have newer OEM halogen headlights, so the projector in the housing is a lot newer as well.
Before i get flamed about putting hids in halogen headlights, facelift coupe does have a projectors in the housing for low beams.

Yeah for me I honestly got overwhelmed reading all the info on the bulbs and just went with these at the end of it. I saw them again last night and they're definitely more white than the standard bulbs I had in there, which is OK I guess - I haven't really driven the car long distance yet at night so I'll see about the visibility aspect once I do that - I also have 50% tint on my front windshield so I have the same issue as you

[ChapterM3]

Awesome, glad it was that simple! Perhaps the old bulbs were failing prematurely due to defect, but the filaments themselves hadn't degraded to the point of diminishing output, as standard Osrams aren't too shabby either.

Yeah exactly that's what I'm thinking as well! Thanks again man!

[Rkymtnrider]

Keep in mind that the lower kelvin (more yellow) casts further and cuts through weather (rain snow and fog) better. The higher kelvin (more blue) appear whiter and brighter when looking at them, but wont cast as far and kinda suck with any adverse weather or wet roads