Thanks for that info RB. I thought I was going blind because the halogen fog lights seemed brighter than the HID low beams no matter how well polished the lens housing is. I wouldn't be surprised to learn now that my 269,500 miles is past their "expected life"!

2002 X5 3.0 269,500 miles
2004 325i 117,700 miles

I'm surprised they are still going. If your lenses are clear, I would replace the pair ASAP. You're probably at around 30-40% brightness if not lower.

You can get Philips bulbs from here for $85 shipped, they are genuine, the businessowner's father has Aviation contracts with Philips so he buys pallets direct from them on wholesale.

HIDbulbsRus - Philips D2S Plus Edition (85122+)

In my case the HID must now stand for "hardly intense discharge" :rofl:

LMAO:rofl::rofl:

When I changed the ballasts from 35w to 55w on my e39, there was a significant light output difference. At that time, about 6-7 years ago, both ballasts sets were new - I had ordered 2 different types and tried them both (I got rid of the other set after that). Ended up with the 55w. Bulbs were the same.

That's got me thinking there could be a certain expected lifetime on the ballasts as well. I'll consider those if the new bulbs don't seem to do enough.

2002 X5 3.0 269,500 miles
2004 325i 117,700 miles

Exactly. I wonder if my bulbs are not the only thing tired in my light system.

I swear, my cars are like a girlfriend.*
Sometimes its a rough ride, sometimes its smooth motorin'.*
Sometimes she doesnt like how i treat her and sometimes i dont like how she behaves.*
BUT at the end of the day, she loves it when I am inside her.

Thanks Jay. I will most likely buy new bulbs from that seller you mentioned. I saved his link years ago in case this day came. Mine are original bulbs from a decade ago and used for close to 110k miles.
I know all HID bulbs eventually turn the same color... Just never knew they could decrease in Lumens value. I always figured they either work or don't.


I swear, my cars are like a girlfriend.*
Sometimes its a rough ride, sometimes its smooth motorin'.*
Sometimes she doesnt like how i treat her and sometimes i dont like how she behaves.*
BUT at the end of the day, she loves it when I am inside her.

RB, you were absolutely correct. I installed the Osram bulbs and the difference really was "like night and day". Here's a picture of one of the original bulbs where you can see the cloudy portion right in the center of the lamp - evidence of the deterioration.

2002 X5 273,000 miles
2004 325i 118,500 miles

Oh yeah, those bulbs are past their life for sure.

New salts should be slight cloudy with a yellowish tint. Enjoy your working xenon's again! Glad to help.

And to Mike's comment above with the ballasts, there isn't really a lifespan on them, and they don't deteriorate over time, they will either strike the bulbs or they wont. Its not a degradation thing like the salts in teh xenon capsules, etc