[nabeel333]

hi everybody...as some of u may know i initially ordered my 330i in early march waiting for april delivery with al the options i wanted...car got delayed took one with similar specs...different interior colour which i now like and no Xenons....now the thing is that i reallly like the xenons now and it wasnt a major thing for me back then...i have four options..
1) stick to the halogens i have
2) get xenon style bulbs installed for like R250 ( like less than $40 USD)
3) get an aftermarket xenon kit installed ..like everyting including the control unit for R2100 plus installation..say R2400 ( just over $300)
4) i know a guy selling OEM xenons from a smashed e90..for like R8000 for JUST THE LIGHTS (the whole option is usually R6750) and then i need two control units the dealer told me and a switch...so total is like just over R15 000 minimum....OUCH...( like $2400)
is #4 the only worthwile way of getting them..not sure if its worth it unless i can get a really good deal on the lights themselves..theyre even more from the dealer or shud #3 b ok....btw i havnt seem them but the guy was mentioning that the aftermarket xenons dont have the angel eyes i think and thats what i mainly want...like i think the e90 xenons look better than my dads car (sl500) cuz of the rings around the lights...thanks for any advice

[KL2DC]

I think what you really want are the OEM angel eyes look and you'd probably will not be satisfied with options 1,2 & 3, in the long run.

[canucklion]

please, for the last time, people, please stop comparing aftermarket prices with OEM price, you'll just get more pissed off thinking "duh, why didnt' I order it from the factory in the beginning". Aftermarket/retrofit prices are ALWAYS way more than the OEM package price, hell if you price out each parts on our E90 individually, the car would probably cost 10x the retail price.

With that said, I think the best option for lighting is to buy the lights off of some wreck, light is something that I would always go OEM, aftermarket kits are rarely as good as the OEM. If you just went the angel eyes, you can always wait for vendors to come out with angel eye kits.

[Keith]

please, for the last time, people, please stop comparing aftermarket prices with OEM price

I have to agree with canucklion on this issue...I have a slightly different way of looking at OEM prices....

Remember, the price you see when you order the upgraded part with the car is often not the price of the part, but actually the difference in price between the two parts. The price of electric seats vs sport seats vs normal seats, halogen vs xenon, comfort access door handles vs normal door handles, the list goes on and on....

As an example, let's take the Xenon you want....
...they are approximately R6700 ($1000) more than the cost of the halogens, which are quite expensive items to begin with!
If you have to pay approximately R18000 ($2800) to replace your halogens you could say that halogens would therefore cost about R11300 ($1700).

I also have to agree on the issue of OEM vs aftermarket...
I had a bluetooth kit installed by the dealer after delivery of the vehicle, but nobody said it would be an aftermarket kit. I was furious and demanded they replace the aftermarket kit with the retrofit kit so that I can use the cradle, steering mounted dialling and voice controls. I paid the difference between the two kits because the OEM kit was more expensive! I'm as happy as can be.

nabeel333...I sympathise with you as I'm in a similar position as you with regards to items that I now want after purchasing the car.

[golfpro]

$2400??????????

i bet you can get it done for a lot cheaper, try the search button here, i just bought some headlights for $930

[ska///235i]

Order the car the way you like it (with xenons and other pkgs)...why pay for a $30k+ car and cheap out on options

[NewBMWDriver]

I have the exact problem, i have the halogen lights and now i want the xenon lights. If i wanted to get the xenon, i would've to wait 3 months, couldnt wait THAT long, but they had exact car with same spec. but without xenons. money doesnt grow on trees for me. $2000+ is alot.

[canucklion]

very good point

Originally Posted by Keith

Remember, the price you see when you order the upgraded part with the car is often not the price of the part, but actually the difference in price between the two parts.

[nabeel333]

thanks for all the help...im going to see if i can get a good deal on the actual headlights maybe from a car that was in an accident or an outside place and then id get the dealer to install them with the control unit...thanks so much

[canucklion]

that's the best route, you can even leave your contact info with the salvage yard, tell them to call ya if anything comes up, that way you get dibs.

Originally Posted by nabeel333

thanks for all the help...im going to see if i can get a good deal on the actual headlights maybe from a car that was in an accident or an outside place and then id get the dealer to install them with the control unit...thanks so much

[Keith]

Originally Posted by golfpro

$2400??????????

i bet you can get it done for a lot cheaper, try the search button here, i just bought some headlights for $930

Welcome to South Africa
There are loads of guys out there who envy you guys (and the UK guys) with respect to the price of your cars and parts. I've seen a few threads where people said they paid $40K for a 330i with Sports kit, Exclusive (Premium) kit, Sun roof, Sav Nav, etc. The equivalent price in South Africa is about R410K ($63K)