Best aftermarket headlight upgrade for E90 330i equipped with Xenon?

esg · 05-30-2016, 04:28 PM

I'm looking to upgrade my headlights on my 06 330i equipped with OEM Xenon headlights. I've read most aftermarket headlights aren't compatible with OEM Xenon equipped cars. I was looking at DEPO P90 V2's but wiring is required for xenon equipped cars. They look great but I have no idea on how to wire them nor do they come with an installation guide. Any other aftermarket headlight options?

Something like this would look amazing, since mine is a TiAg as well

hOlykamOtie* · 05-30-2016, 04:49 PM

Why don't you just paint the inner housings and put aftermarket halo rings on it!

VTECaddict · 05-30-2016, 05:06 PM

There are no aftermarket upgrades for the OEM xenon. All the aftermarket headlights are meant for the halogen cars, that's why you need to code and/or change wiring when putting them into a xenon car.

You can get custom headlights or LCI xenons. Any off the shelf aftermarket headlight will give you worse light output.

esg · 05-30-2016, 06:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hOlykamOtie*

Why don't you just paint the inner housings and put aftermarket halo rings on it!

my driver side headlight is cracked, thought i'd might as well upgrade it

esg · 05-30-2016, 07:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VTECaddict

There are no aftermarket upgrades for the OEM xenon. All the aftermarket headlights are meant for the halogen cars, that's why you need to code and/or change wiring when putting them into a xenon car.

You can get custom headlights or LCI xenons. Any off the shelf aftermarket headlight will give you worse light output.

Is upgrading to LCI xenons plug & play? Thinking about getting some.

VTECaddict · 05-30-2016, 11:33 PM

I believe they are plug and play as in you don't need to modify any wiring (if you don't care about the 3 LED marker lights).

You still definitely need coding and at least FRM2 or newer.

x1ngxang · 05-31-2016, 12:28 AM

I was in the same boat as you OP about 5-6 months ago. I found these on Ebay and have been pleased with them.
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The only thing lost is AHL, which I didn't really care about anyway...

http://www.ebay.com/itm/DEPO-06-08-B...item28138b0bea

And here's how they look installed:
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For less than $600, overall I've been very happy with them.

fravel · 05-31-2016, 07:28 AM

The best "upgrade" would be to get euro-spec OEM bi-xenons.

F30RiK · 05-31-2016, 07:29 AM

It say only for halogen light ? Did you get any error on the dash ?

x1ngxang · 06-02-2016, 03:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rikrikrik

It say only for halogen light ? Did you get any error on the dash ?

I haven't gotten any errors yet, knock on wood. But I talked with the seller, fishcake321, at length before actually going through with the purchase. He was cool, answered my questions, shipped in good time. I thinks there are some other posts from other guys who dealt with him, that's how I found out bro...

Goog Search

He's legit. Good luck!

rothwem · 06-02-2016, 07:25 AM

Go OEM or go home. You're not driving a civic. The OEM headlights are damn good on these cars, I wouldn't fuck with them.

jhah135 · 06-02-2016, 08:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fravel

The best "upgrade" would be to get euro-spec OEM bi-xenons.

I have a e90 lci euro set for sale if anyone's interested. Comes with everything.

fravel · 06-02-2016, 08:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jhah135

I have a e90 lci euro set for sale if anyone's interested. Comes with everything.

LCI headlights are not plug-and-play into pre-lci cars as far as I know, just FYI.

jhah135 · 06-02-2016, 03:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fravel

LCI headlights are not plug-and-play into pre-lci cars as far as I know, just FYI.

They're not.

steamboat · 06-03-2016, 12:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jhah135

They're not.

Yes, they are. I did an LCI swap on my car. So long as it's like to like, ie. xenon ahl to xenon ahl, they'll work fine. Pre-LCI halogen to LCI xenon requires additional steps. The entire assembly; housing, balasts, and led indicators, needs to be swapped, though the xenon bulbs themselves can be reused. There are three choices for the errors: 1. live with it. 2. code out the light check. 3. code the frm for lci. Option three requires an frm2 or 3.

Additionally, there are services offered to modify the original housing with different colors, add led AE's and "demon eyes", etc. With a little digging I'm sure you'll be able to find multiple examples.

335iNavyGuy · 06-03-2016, 03:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hOlykamOtie*

Why don't you just paint the inner housings and put aftermarket halo rings on it!

Yep that's what I did, I have a thread on it.

Not hard to do, a fun little DIY project, and only costs about 100-150$ as compared to 250$ for cheap ebay clones or 800-1300 from a place like OSS

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1131085

jhah135 · 06-03-2016, 05:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by steamboat

Yes, they are. I did an LCI swap on my car. So long as it's like to like, ie. xenon ahl to xenon ahl, they'll work fine. Pre-LCI halogen to LCI xenon requires additional steps. The entire assembly; housing, balasts, and led indicators, needs to be swapped, though the xenon bulbs themselves can be reused. There are three choices for the errors: 1. live with it. 2. code out the light check. 3. code the frm for lci. Option three requires an frm2 or 3.

Additionally, there are services offered to modify the original housing with different colors, add led AE's and "demon eyes", etc. With a little digging I'm sure you'll be able to find multiple examples.

That's not plug and play since there are additional steps to get them to work like OEM.

fravel · 06-03-2016, 08:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jhah135

That's not plug and play since there are additional steps to get them to work like OEM.

Ding Ding Ding! Winner.

Plug-and-Play implies that one could simply remove their pre-lci xenon's, install lci xenon's and that would be it - no coding, not changing other parts, no errors.

steamboat · 06-04-2016, 02:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jhah135

That's not plug and play since there are additional steps to get them to work like OEM.

Correct, they do require coding. I should have said they are a direct swap without any rewiring. Either way, they're night and day vs aftermarket.

terryd5150 · 06-04-2016, 10:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by x1ngxang

I was in the same boat as you OP about 5-6 months ago. I found these on Ebay and have been pleased with them.
Attachment 1432209

The only thing lost is AHL, which I didn't really care about anyway...

http://www.ebay.com/itm/DEPO-06-08-B...item28138b0bea

For less than $600, overall I've been very happy with them.

Any coding required to swap from AHL?

Mkze90 · 06-05-2016, 07:22 PM

Why would one want to "upgrade" from their xenons headlights? i love my xenon headlights

Maniac0908 · 01-16-2018, 08:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by steamboat

Yes, they are. I did an LCI swap on my car. So long as it's like to like, ie. xenon ahl to xenon ahl, they'll work fine. Pre-LCI halogen to LCI xenon requires additional steps. The entire assembly; housing, balasts, and led indicators, needs to be swapped, though the xenon bulbs themselves can be reused. There are three choices for the errors: 1. live with it. 2. code out the light check. 3. code the frm for lci. Option three requires an frm2 or 3.

Additionally, there are services offered to modify the original housing with different colors, add led AE's and "demon eyes", etc. With a little digging I'm sure you'll be able to find multiple examples.

So do lenses from lci xenon adaptive fit pre lci xenon adaptive?

05-30-2016, 04:28 PM	#1
esg Private First Class 38 Rep 109 Posts Drives: 2006 330i Join Date: Jan 2016 Location: Riverside CA iTrader: (0)	Best aftermarket headlight upgrade for E90 330i equipped with Xenon? I'm looking to upgrade my headlights on my 06 330i equipped with OEM Xenon headlights. I've read most aftermarket headlights aren't compatible with OEM Xenon equipped cars. I was looking at DEPO P90 V2's but wiring is required for xenon equipped cars. They look great but I have no idea on how to wire them nor do they come with an installation guide. Any other aftermarket headlight options? Something like this would look amazing, since mine is a TiAg as well
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05-30-2016, 04:49 PM	#2
hOlykamOtie* Second Lieutenant 35 Rep 263 Posts Drives: Honda Civic Join Date: Jul 2014 Location: Long Beach, CA iTrader: (1)	Why don't you just paint the inner housings and put aftermarket halo rings on it! __________________ E90 330i \| M-Sport Conversion \| Apex ARC-8 18X9/9.5 \| General AS-05 Tires \| Koni Str.t / H&R Sport Kit \| Centric Carbon Rotors \| Akebono Ceramic Pads E82 135i \| M-Sport \| BMS DCI \| BMS Phx Racing CP \| MHI OEM Twins \| Ebay OCC \| Silicone VL \| G-Plus 5" FMIC \| Alzor Style 040 18X8/9 \| Barum Bravuris 3HM Tires
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05-30-2016, 05:06 PM	#3
VTECaddict Where'd my VTEC go? 481 Rep 6,067 Posts Drives: 06 330i 6MT Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Seattle, WA iTrader: (4)	There are no aftermarket upgrades for the OEM xenon. All the aftermarket headlights are meant for the halogen cars, that's why you need to code and/or change wiring when putting them into a xenon car. You can get custom headlights or LCI xenons. Any off the shelf aftermarket headlight will give you worse light output. __________________ AW/Terra \| ZSP \| ZPP \| ZCW \| iDrive \| CA Mods: BC BR coilovers \| Blacklines \| M-tech rear \| dual exhaust \| M3 steering wheel \| BMW SSK \| ZHP shift knob \| High-kick CF spoiler \| NBT Retrofit M3 front control arms \| M3 rear guide rods \| Manzo rear toe and camber links \| Monroe rear shock mounts \| Varrstoen ES1 19x9.5+20 Front, 19x11+25 rear
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05-30-2016, 11:33 PM	#6
VTECaddict Where'd my VTEC go? 481 Rep 6,067 Posts Drives: 06 330i 6MT Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Seattle, WA iTrader: (4)	I believe they are plug and play as in you don't need to modify any wiring (if you don't care about the 3 LED marker lights). You still definitely need coding and at least FRM2 or newer. __________________ AW/Terra \| ZSP \| ZPP \| ZCW \| iDrive \| CA Mods: BC BR coilovers \| Blacklines \| M-tech rear \| dual exhaust \| M3 steering wheel \| BMW SSK \| ZHP shift knob \| High-kick CF spoiler \| NBT Retrofit M3 front control arms \| M3 rear guide rods \| Manzo rear toe and camber links \| Monroe rear shock mounts \| Varrstoen ES1 19x9.5+20 Front, 19x11+25 rear
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05-31-2016, 12:28 AM	#7
x1ngxang Private 12 Rep 68 Posts Drives: 2006 BMW 330i Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Birmingham iTrader: (0) Garage List 2003 Toyota 4runner ... [0.00] 2003 Porsche 986S [0.00] 2006 BMW 330i NA [0.00]	I was in the same boat as you OP about 5-6 months ago. I found these on Ebay and have been pleased with them. The only thing lost is AHL, which I didn't really care about anyway... http://www.ebay.com/itm/DEPO-06-08-B...item28138b0bea And here's how they look installed: For less than $600, overall I've been very happy with them.
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05-31-2016, 07:28 AM	#8
fravel Colonel 1645 Rep 2,494 Posts Drives: Monaco Blue '06 330i Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: The Nasti 'Nati iTrader: (1)	The best "upgrade" would be to get euro-spec OEM bi-xenons. __________________
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05-31-2016, 07:29 AM	#9
F30RiK Lieutenant 128 Rep 403 Posts Drives: 13' 335 xdrive M-sport 6 Speed Join Date: Aug 2014 Location: QC, LAval iTrader: (1)	It say only for halogen light ? Did you get any error on the dash ?
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06-02-2016, 07:25 AM	#11
rothwem Major 476 Rep 1,191 Posts Drives: 2009 BMW 328i Wagon Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Asheville, NC iTrader: (0) Garage List 2009 BMW 328i [0.00]	Go OEM or go home. You're not driving a civic. The OEM headlights are damn good on these cars, I wouldn't fuck with them.
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06-05-2016, 07:22 PM	#21
Mkze90 Private First Class 20 Rep 120 Posts Drives: 330i Sport PKG 3 pedals Join Date: Mar 2016 Location: FL iTrader: (0)	Why would one want to "upgrade" from their xenons headlights? i love my xenon headlights
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