[chuckles01]

A few months ago I changed the factory HID bulbs (Philips?) to Osram CBIs. Based on what I've seen a lot on these forums, it seemed like the CBIs have been a top choice for replacement bulbs. Output was noticeably improved, and color was slightly whiter but not extremely different or as much as I had expected given the "up to 6000K" claim by Osram. But, I still loved the enhancement compared to the OEM bulbs.

Recently though, I looked into Osram's CBB bulbs. Most reviews I've seen have said that the CBBs are brighter than CBIs, while being whiter. I've only driven with the new CBBs on for a couple hours, but initial impressions match what I've seen in reviews - feels just as bright, if not slightly more, than CBIs along with a whiter color. I've not driven much in rainy weather at night, but I suspect the CBIs would perform better in adverse weather given the warmer color.

Below are some output comparison shots between my CBI (top) vs. CBB (bottom). My iPhone picks up a lot more blue than there actually is, especially in the pictures farther away from the wall. In reality the CBB looks closer to being pure white (think slightly warmer than LEDs) whereas the CBI looks a little warmer. The close up shots better reflect the actual color difference, imo. When I took these photos, the CBIs has about ~65 hours of run time on them, whereas the CBBs were brand new so it wasn't at its full potential yet. I've also done a clear lens swap, which is why my cutoff is sharper and with a slight blue band.

Anyway, here are the pics. Hope this is helpful for anyone debating between the two:

[chuckles01]

Also, here's a link to a startup / warmup video:

[Logicoeur]

How was the clear lense swap? Was it on oem xenon housing or aftermarket?

[chuckles01]

Originally Posted by Logicoeur

How was the clear lense swap? Was it on oem xenon housing or aftermarket?

I love the results of the clear lens swap. The cutoff is sharp, and the light output is improved, especially noticeable in the sides of the beam.

The swap was done on an OEM xenon headlight housing. The resealing of the lens wasn't as clean as I had hoped but so far no leakage.

[Logicoeur]

Originally Posted by chuckles01

I love the results of the clear lens swap. The cutoff is sharp, and the light output is improved, especially noticeable in the sides of the beam.

The swap was done on an OEM xenon headlight housing. The resealing of the lens wasn't as clean as I had hoped but so far no leakage.

I just found the thread where you posted how/who did it. This is a mod I've wanted to do since getting the car a couple yrs ago. I've come a couple projector retros on an old audi I used to drive. It was on the table until I saw how these housings are sealed :

[chuckles01]

Originally Posted by Logicoeur

I just found the thread where you posted how/who did it. This is a mod I've wanted to do since getting the car a couple yrs ago. I've come a couple projector retros on an old audi I used to drive. It was on the table until I saw how these housings are sealed :

I wanted to do the mod for a long time before I went ahead and pulled the trigger. At first I wanted to try it on my own, but quickly realized that wouldn't be a good idea. I was lucky to find a shop out here that specialized in BMW headlights.

I noticed you're out in Boston? If you don't mind the drive, Lightwerkz out in NJ seems to do a lot of great work. You could pay them a visit. Before I found Bayoptiks, I was seriously considering mailing my headlight housings to them.

[TXSTYLE]

Originally Posted by chuckles01

A few months ago I changed the factory HID bulbs (Philips?) to Osram CBIs. Based on what I've seen a lot on these forums, it seemed like the CBIs have been a top choice for replacement bulbs. Output was noticeably improved, and color was slightly whiter but not extremely different or as much as I had expected given the "up to 6000K" claim by Osram. But, I still loved the enhancement compared to the OEM bulbs.

Recently though, I looked into Osram's CBB bulbs. Most reviews I've seen have said that the CBBs are brighter than CBIs, while being whiter. I've only driven with the new CBBs on for a couple hours, but initial impressions match what I've seen in reviews - feels just as bright, if not slightly more, than CBIs along with a whiter color. I've not driven much in rainy weather at night, but I suspect the CBIs would perform better in adverse weather given the warmer color.

Below are some output comparison shots between my CBI (top) vs. CBB (bottom). My iPhone picks up a lot more blue than there actually is, especially in the pictures farther away from the wall. In reality the CBB looks closer to being pure white (think slightly warmer than LEDs) whereas the CBI looks a little warmer. The close up shots better reflect the actual color difference, imo. When I took these photos, the CBIs has about ~65 hours of run time on them, whereas the CBBs were brand new so it wasn't at its full potential yet. I've also done a clear lens swap, which is why my cutoff is sharper and with a slight blue band.

Anyway, here are the pics. Hope this is helpful for anyone debating between the two:

Nice post, explanation and pics. I'm looking to replace my several year old CBI with the CBB. Is this plug n play DIY?

[chuckles01]

Originally Posted by TXSTYLE

Nice post, explanation and pics. I'm looking to replace my several year old CBI with the CBB. Is this plug n play DIY?

Yeah, just replacing with a CBB bulb is an easy DIY, just switching the bulb out. If you put in the CBIs then it’s the same process. A clear lens swap of the projector though would be really involved and not an easy DIY, but I think you’d see the performance improvement of the CBBs even without the clear lens swap.

[TXSTYLE]

Originally Posted by chuckles01

Yeah, just replacing with a CBB bulb is an easy DIY, just switching the bulb out. If you put in the CBIs then it’s the same process. A clear lens swap of the projector though would be really involved and not an easy DIY, but I think you’d see the performance improvement of the CBBs even without the clear lens swap.

I keep looking for install videos and info and they all show that for the F01 750,the front bumper must be removed to access the housing for these xenon bulbs.

[chuckles01]

Originally Posted by TXSTYLE

I keep looking for install videos and info and they all show that for the F01 750,the front bumper must be removed to access the housing for these xenon bulbs.

For the f30 you don’t need to remove the bumper. You access the bulb through the wheel well. There’s a small latch cover to take off. You’ll have to turn the wheel to access the cover. The xenon bulbs are held in by clips - you have to press down to release the clips, which is the hardest part only because you can’t really see how it’s clipped in due to the limited space.

I followed the instructions on this thread - check it out, there are some pics and good instructions on how to remove the clips.

https://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1324989

[TXSTYLE]

Thanks for the reply. I will check it out. I really hate how over complicated things can be for our cars.

[Öperator]

Out of curiosity, what are you using for your turn signal bulbs?

[chuckles01]

Originally Posted by Öperator

Out of curiosity, what are you using for your turn signal bulbs?

I swapped them out with LED bulbs as well

[Öperator]

Originally Posted by chuckles01

I swapped them out with LED bulbs as well

I recently noticed the car I just picked up also has LED turns. But want to see how these halogens look.

[chuckles01]

If the purpose is just to get rid of that orange color in the reflector, then the LED bulb does the same. LED bulb also gives that instant on/off effect that the halogen bulb won’t have. My guess is that halogen bulb is also prob dimmer given that the silver coating probably cuts some output, but I haven’t actually tried it.

[KMOD]

At a crossroads between the CBIʻs and the CBBʻs. After a break in, which one do you notice matches the angel eyes temp more? Itʻs a very small detail, but my OCD kills me lol.