Replace standard headlight bulbs with LEDs

[LMOR]

Agree that Adaptive is misleading. It is not called adaptive in all countries. For a lot of the options, some creative souls have done to much cut/paste.

But I am happy with the light quality, and I have F10 adaptive Bi-xenon. Best I have had. i3 is much wider!
The missing things are no problem for me. I will probably one use high-beam a few times a month.

 

[MikeS]

Still the UK description does state:
5A2 Adaptive LED headlights - Featuring daytime driving lights with LED 'U' shaped BMW i design. Adaptive LED headlights improve visibility by following steering angle of the front wheels, giving better illumination of the road ahead through corners. Adaptive Headlights not active when car is reversing or when car is stationary and steering turned to offside, to avoid dazzling oncoming traffic.
Replaces 5AK.

So the headlights should following the steering angle of the front wheels, giving better illumination of the road ahead through corners. Do owners of i3s think this is not the case?

 

[i3me]

Still the UK description does state:
5A2 Adaptive LED headlights - Featuring daytime driving lights with LED 'U' shaped BMW i design. Adaptive LED headlights improve visibility by following steering angle of the front wheels, giving better illumination of the road ahead through corners. Adaptive Headlights not active when car is reversing or when car is stationary and steering turned to offside, to avoid dazzling oncoming traffic.
Replaces 5AK.

So the headlights should following the steering angle of the front wheels, giving better illumination of the road ahead through corners. Do owners of i3s think this is not the case?

Thanks for the excerpt Mike, it is very illuminating! :lol:

And I definitely KNOW that the lights do NOT follow the angle of the front wheels when going through corners! Very close to my home there is a T crossing which I always approach from the vertical leg. Right smack in the middle of the road is a house with a large reflecting window in which I can see what my headlights are (not) doing. In my X5 and F20 (both Xenon) I saw the lights moving in the steering direction, assisted by the fog lights.

No such movement of the blue eyes in the i3!

 

[MikeS]

i3me - I which case I would be going straight back to the dealer!

 

[Stevei3]

Hi Mike,

going back to the dealers' will not help anyone. The text in the Dutch price list states (now, at last) (sorry for the poor translation):

5A2 LED Headlights
Brighter lightbeam approching daylight so traffic signs and roadsigns are optimaly visible.
Including 5AK LED light elements.

So: fixed they are. Again, diffusion (?) by BMW. Oh well.

Steven

 

[MikeS]

Stevei3 - Thanks - So it seems that 5A2 is called ‘Adaptive LED Headlights' in UK (and others?) and then the headlights should move but called ‘LED Headlights’ in Holland (and other?) and don’t move.

Anyone else with the 5A2 option care to clarify?

 

[BMWi3RexNL]

It s very strange. On the led headlights there is a shield "adaptive led" But nothing moves? Perhaps there are multiple leds with vary in directions (i heard that before)

see also the webpage BMW: https://www.press.bmwgroup.com/glob...t-adaptive-led-lights-07-2013&docNo=P90129251

 

[I33t]

Could we be blowing this headlight thing up out of all proportion?

This is one of the biggest threads on mybmwi3.com, but it's focussed on a single option that is not a core feature of the vehicle.

Are the lights adequate for they type of vehicle and the speeds it will be driven at?

 

[MikeS]

Could we be blowing this headlight thing up out of all proportion?

This is one of the biggest threads on mybmwi3.com, but it's focussed on a single option that is not a core feature of the vehicle.

Are the lights adequate for they type of vehicle and the speeds it will be driven at?

I think it is quite an important issue for 2 reasons:

Firstly, many people believe that it it seemed strange that the car does not come with LED Headlights as standard given the need to reduce power consumption. This was complicated by the misinformation about what type of headlights the i3 has - even the BMW i3 specialists said it had LED HEADLIGHTS as standard at one point!

Secondly, once it became clear that you need option 5A2 to get LED Headlights people started to inquire exactly what this option offered given that it costs, in UK, £710 which seems little expense if all you want is the LEDs!

Now it appears to have been complicated further as it appears that the 5A2 option offers different things in different countries, (and I assume for example that it is less expensive in Holland?). Moreover, we appear to have not yet found anyone that can confirm they have this option and the headlights do move!

In sum, a confusing issue that in my mind is interesting and needs clarification.

P.S. And you added to the thread! :lol:

 

[Stevei3]

Now it appears to have been complicated further as it appears that the 5A2 option offers different things in different countries, (and I assume for example that it is less expensive in Holland?)

Hi Mike,

From the Dutch procelist: 5A2 LED Headlights eur. 905,- (= $1237.95)

Not cheap. I am under the impression that you have to prepare for fixed headlights. I could be wrong, but...
Steven

 

[Plug]

This is information from the norwegian i3 forum where many already drive a i3.

Da har jeg fått bekreftet fra BMW:
Adaptive fjernlys, justeres opp og ned, og automatisk i forhold til høyre / venstre trafikk. De vil også forandre bredde/ lengde i forhold til fart og kjøreforhold. De vil ikke forandre bredde bare når en svinger - eller lyse opp i svingen. Men pga. lavere hastighet vil de allerede ha ett bredere lys, enn f.eks i 80 hvor de lyser lenger fremover. Det betyr at man ikke nødvendigvis ser endringen så lett.

My translation:
This is what I have confirmed from BMW:
Adaptiv headlights is adjusted up and down and automatically in relation to left and right driving (ie. UK and rest of Europe). They will also change width and range compared to speed and lighting conditions. They will NOT adjust the width when you are making a turn - or light up around corners. But, because of a lower speed they will already have a wider light patern, then when you drive 80km/h where they throw more light forward. This means that you dont see the changes so easily as with other adaptive systems.

Are people overlooking this useful post from Palleraa ? It could explain how the LED lights are adaptive without them turning into corners and makes sense.

It does contradict what many of us have been told by BMW but this wouldn't be the first time that's happened.

 

[MikeS]

Stevei3

So its seems that you pay about the same for option 5A2 LED but without the ‘adaptive’ bit:!:

I hope someone on the forum can tell us if they have the option and the lights do ‘follow the steering angle of the front wheels, giving better illumination of the road ahead through corners”?

 

[I33t]

In sum, a confusing issue that in my mind is interesting and needs clarification.

P.S. And you added to the thread! :lol:

Haha. Yes I added to the thread. I understand that there is a lack of clarity from BMW about the LED headlights, but I'm also amazed that this is the longest thread on the forum.

I bet BMW would have sorted this in advance if they thought that with the squillions invested in getting this car to market the potential owners would rave on about the headlights more than everything else.

 

[AndyW]

In Denmark the 5AK LED elements are standard, and it says(Parking lights, daytime driving lights in LED technology(14 high power LEDs))

The 5A2 LED cost 900Euro and says, low beam = LED technology. - Daytime driving light: LED fiber Optics. Selv.leveling headlamp. High beam: halogen H7 in bumper. -Indicator: lamp(24W) embedded into front bumper!!

As i read it there are some LED as standard, but it is only for daytime driving.

Any of you with a car, can we have a picture

Here's mine with the LED headlights, lights on. The U-shaped bit at the bottom is on all the time during the day too.

The full-beams are much yellower than the bluey LED dipped beams:

which is obvious (and slightly disappointing) from the driver's seat, and from straight ahead:

So, I bought a £12 pack of these (thought I'd make sure the concept was worthwhile before splashing out on Philips Ultra Blue Visions or whatever at £30 each):

And this is the result. Halfway through fitting (rotating the plastic cover in the wheelarch was beyond my feeble office worker's fingers, so I got my friendly local mechanic to have a go - even he struggled). The difference is even more marked than it appears in this pic:

And with both done - I might replace this pic later when it's darker - I think it'll really show up then:

The new high beams don't quite match the main beams, they're a bit whiter than the blue LEDs, but it's much closer than the horrible yellow.

 

[MikeS]

Good result. I did the same mod on my Z4 for the same reason! Don’t know why BMW fit the horrible yellow ones….

More importantly, can you state categorically that your adaptive LED headlights move?

 

[BoMW]

Sorry to add to this adaptive question but its been a topic which has interested my while spec-ing my order.

As I understand it the basic model does come with LED's side lights (u shape) but headlights are tungsten bulbs. The adaptive led's are without tungsten bulbs and replaced with very clever LED's.
Here is a very good clip about bmw's technology


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBUYm5AghVI&sns=em

 

[Bunter]

Sorry to add to this adaptive question but its been a topic which has interested my while spec-ing my order.

As I understand it the basic model does come with LED's side lights (u shape) but headlights are tungsten bulbs. The adaptive led's are without tungsten bulbs and replaced with very clever LED's.
Here is a very good clip about bmw's technology


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBUYm5AghVI&sns=em

Hmmm, you didn't actually ask a question so apologies are unnecessary.

But in reply you are correct in that the base UK model comes with LED sidelights at the front and the dipped and main beams are both non-LED. The Adaptive LED option adds LED dipped beams but leaves non-LED mains. If you have read this thread you would realise that the exact mode of action of the adaptive LEDs is currently unclear but my current understanding is that they do not behave like the ones in the video you have posted.

Bill

 

[bmwi3ownercom]

Hi

First of all, thanks for a great forum - I have been reading a lot, but thought it is time to join the discussion!

i3s have now been on the road in Sweden a couple of weeks and I am driving one of them. The Swedish configuration is a little bit different than what I have heard you describe. For example the LED daytime lights do not come as standard but cost 1900 SEK (£180). On the other hand the heat pump comes as standard here.

I put the LED daytime lights on the order but opted out of the more expensive "5A2 LED headlights". As others on the forum I am a bit annoyed that the headlights have a more yellow tone compared to the U-shaped LED underneath.
Those who would like to see some more details and pictures: http://bmwi3owner.com/2014/02/lights/

 

[Bunter]

Sorry to bump this thread but I thought it was worth sharing. I have copied AndyW and fitted those bulbs to mine. Apologies if this is obvious but the access covers in the front wheel arches rotate opposite directions to release them. Left hand one rotates counter-clockwise, right hand one rotates clockwise.

Hope this helps someone, there's been a fair bit of "salty language" around today !

Bill

 

[Gonville]

I have read this thread with interest and await my i3.

On my 5 series I always had xenon. Not sure one can bulb change a xenon as it is a gas plasma discharge lamp at 20,000 volts with many do not touch warning high voltage stickers. The after market xenon bulbs are just white coloured halogens.

So adaptive xenons had some mechanical swivel as reported by others.

On the LED this is a whole new ball game. They reach twice as far as the xenons. As I said I ticked all the boxes so have adaptive LED. There is no mechanical swivel.

The light beam is shaped by elements in the lens. Can actually have main beam on a motorway road sign and dipped frame around vehicle in front which it tracks and dips separately the beam with oncoming vehicles. So at least three beam shaping pieces. There is a video on YouTube. Also the fog lamps turn on into direction of turn at low speed. Also the fog lamp points a pencil beam at pedestrians and tracks them. I have read the i8 will have this.

Also laser technology coming. This is not a beam projected out. Like the LED the laser is used to shine onto a phosphor element. The phosphor element then creates the bright white light. This is how they manage to steer and shape the beam it's in the mirrors that reflect the phosphorescent light.

When I had Xenons I would never go back. Now with LEDs I would not be without them.