advice needed for replacing D2S bulbs

[nicko530i]

Hello everyone!

I think my Philips D2S bulbs on a BMW 530i my2002 need to be replaced.:fail:
The car was born with factory installed HID headlights, so we're not talking about crappy retrofits or chinese rubbish

The color is still ok (they should be 4300K), for they're not brown or pink, but it seems to me that light output has dropped.

The bulbs are Philips D2S 85122, and I'm not sure if I should get another couple of these or maybe trying the 85122+.

I read many posts and webpages, but often the info is contraddictory.

85122+ should be 4100-4300K and 3200lumen, which should be more than the output of a standard 85122 (which should be 3000 lumen).

I don't give a damn about having "cool" light, "nice" light or blue/purple glares, I just want the most powerful beam of white light I can achieve using legal and approved bulbs.
So I'm interested in the higher lumen output and the color temperature to which human eye is most sensible.

Thank you everyone for reading
Thank you very much for helping

Nicolo' "Nicko", Venice Italy

 

[Marcturus]

While Venice may not be the dustiest of places in Italy, if the headlight looks remotely cloudy, also check if it has accumulated dust inside. Do not attempt to clean components without first knowing exactly how to do so non-destructively.

Not to imply at all that your headlights are bad, but as we just ended a debate about product quality and country of origin here, BMW have also had their share of factory installed European crap, E36 Bosch H7, E46 ZKW D2S coming to my mind.

 

[nicko530i]

While Venice may not be the dustiest of places in Italy, if the headlight looks remotely cloudy, also check if it has accumulated dust inside. Do not attempt to clean components without first knowing exactly how to do so non-destructively.

The headlights are quite clean and transparent, and one has been replaced because of a small crash 3 years ago. So one is 8 yeasr old and one is 3 years old, but between them, there's very little difference in glass opacity, almost unnoticeable

Not to imply at all that your headlights are bad, but as we just ended a debate about product quality and country of origin here, BMW have also had their share of factory installed European crap, E36 Bosch H7, E46 ZKW D2S coming to my mind.

I know for sure that the bulbs are Philips 85122, I removed them once to check them..
Maybe the bulbs have reached their limit lifetime, and even if still working they cannot produce the amount of light they should.
I don't think that ballasts are affected by wearing, am I right?

 

[-Virgil-]

BMW have also had their share of factory installed European crap, E36 Bosch H7, E46 ZKW D2S coming to my mind.

Interesting assertion. What makes you say those particular lamps are crap?

 

[Marcturus]

Thanks for asking a rookie politely although I used harsh wording. If you know better or more about these headlights' issues, I'm always interested to learn.

E36:
Initially, personal, informal, retrospective, non-systematical, non-randomized sidewalk and parking-lot "control-case study" of headlight brand logos on any Euro E36 that looks like this, or worse:
http://www.motor-talk.de/attachment/519137/P140108_15.20.JPG
(Bosch interior low beam optic made of plastic showing yellow-to-brown hot spots)
In addition, forums and used parts sales with text like this, "E36 Scheinwerfer Bosch, yellowed as usual ...."

E46:
(ZKW plastic reflector bowl damage)
http://www.bmw-syndikat.de/bmwsyndikatforum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=183824&whichpage=3#Reply1623837
http://img233.imageshack.us/img233/5903/10046681024x768nu9.jpg
http://img213.imageshack.us/img213/4769/10047411024x768.jpg
http://www.treffbilder.de/images/29725249/dscn0161uqd0.jpg
http://www.piwi.de/Downloads/KBA.jpg (letter from the federal motor vehicles bureau being quoted. Let me translate very freely: "Ve don't care because the headlight is certified to have passed regulation when new, and the damage seems to happen slowly, not suddenly, so you can always buy a new one if you feel that yours is really turning into charcoal.")

(pictures' deep links left to c&p individually, if needed)

 

[Blazin_Jason]

Hopefully this link will work for you.

 

[nicko530i]

Hopefully this link will work for you.

it does.
It REALLY does!
thank you very much!

 

[bshanahan14rulz]

85122+ is better because it has a plus at the end of it ;-)

I hear it colorshifts less. I don't know if the drop in lumens is a function of the color shifting, or if both are simply an observable property of aging, but generally speaking HIDs do lose output over time. Instead of leaving you in the dark like Halogens when they fail, they just get dimmer and dimmer so that you don't notice as easily