So, some of the guys in the M35/M45 forum switched to these bulbs and are happy with them. Figured I'd share with this forum, because I also recommend them.

Here's the original thread: official-lighting-thread-t515012-150.html#p6613661

Here's some comparisons. Definitely brighter/more even spread light with the added benefit of being slightly more blue which I like.

EDIT: Bulbs are called OSRAM Xenarc 66240 CBI not CB1.

Dude! GOMH! I just ordered a set of these today!

Bought these a few years ago when someone on HIDplanet had a nice deal going on with them for putting them in my G. When I traded my G, I made the effort to take these out just to keep them for my M. They definitely put out a more solid beam than the stock Phillips bulbs do (which are not bad at all in their own regard). The color is 5000K for those that are wondering, which is white with no blue tint to it.

I have read good things about these bulbs. My hope is that the 5k output matches my 5k LED park light bulbs, and then I can convert the front turn signal bulbs to 5k switchbacks. My goal is to have the whole housing uniformly illuminated as far as color goes.

I'm the opposite. I'm Ukrainian, so my front end looks like the Ukrainian flag lol. 3K fogs are the staple of any car I own. lol.

I feel the same about fogs; there are supposed to be yellow. I just want a uniform color appearance in the head light housing.

Oh, I misread that lol. Thought you meant uniform front-end.

One of my $20 5000K Amazon HID Bulbs started blinking a few days ago. It finally got to me this morning so I ordered a set of these Osram Xenarc CBI's (Amazon same-day delivery is awesome) and installed them this evening in the cold air. Not fun with this cars labor intensive bulb access procedure.

They are in and first impression is they are significantly brighter. The color seems about the same as the cheap 5000K bulbs (which were already a big improvement over the stock bulbs) but with better output as advertised. Hopefully they continue to impress as they break in.

What is the stock bulb temp?

Most OEM's are around 4300-4500k.

I've used the Osram 66240 CBI bulbs in both M's. They light up more of the road in front and also have a much wider light path. Even on a 3-lane road, they light up your lane, both lanes to the sides of you, and even the sidewalk and shoulder. You guys will love these. They aren't cheap but they are definitely worth the the price. Just make sure you buy them from a reliable retailer - most dealers on Ebay, Amazon, or Craig's sell Osram labelled Chinese replicas for slightly less than the official Osram price. I recommend The Retrofit Source - they buy direct from Osram, not a middle-man wholesaler.

TRS is a great resource. Their customer service is top notch! I've had some dealings with them for a retrofit project for my BMW e34 and they've always been extremely helpful.

Ordered the bulbs! Hope you all are right as stock one don't shine bright at all (compared to q50's led)

Yeah the Q50 is INSANE...I had one as a loaner for a weak and the M56 lights even with these bulbs is significantly worse.

Great.... now you set me up for disappointment lol

lKoRTy wrote:Ordered the bulbs! Hope you all are right as stock one don't shine bright at all (compared to q50's led)

The jump from stock to cheap 5K was much more dramatic then the jump from the cheap 5K to the Osram Xenarc SO FAR. From what I understand they need 20-30 hours of break in time to get to their full whiteness. This kind of sucks since my headlights are usually only on for my 15min drive to work in the morning 5 days a week. That's 4 months of break-in time. I will probably start running them all the time for a few weeks.

If you are going straight from older stock bulbs to Xenarc you should be happy, especially after break-in if they do in fact get whiter. I don't feel like they are world changing YET. Time will tell for me at least.

The light output is already more uniform and wider as shown in Ilyakol pics above which is very nice.

SwissCheeseHead wrote:TRS is a great resource. Their customer service is top notch! I've had some dealings with them for a retrofit project for my BMW e34 and they've always been extremely helpful.

Do they sell them in pairs or individual bulbs?

If you're asking about the CBI's, they are sold in pairs.

Just wanted to stress what Larz said. You can find a pair of these on ebay/amazon for under $50. Those will for sure be fakes made in China as the original German made cost $120 to $160 a pair.

Mjkkb2 wrote:Just wanted to stress what Larz said. You can find a pair of these on ebay/amazon for under $50. Those will for sure be fakes made in China as the original German made cost $120 to $160 a pair.

Yes, this is true. I thought that $120 for a pair of headlight bulbs that I could get for half the price was a little outrageous, but I consider them a safety item (students everywhere in a college city, deer in the countryside) and decided not to skimp on it. Worth it imo.