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      01-16-2012, 12:52 PM   #1
FalconFlyer
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Side by side AE lights compared.... version 2

Hello all,

With my small fleet... I can do a nice comparison between all the lights on the market, so this is the second part of the series. Please see the attached pictures, in the Z4 is the LUX AE LED light... which are the brightest on the market that I have been able to find. On the 3 series is the OEM AE LED lights.... and on the 7 series (the one on the right)... are the AlpineMSS HID light system.

I have to say I am extremely impressed with the AlpineMSS system (www.alpinemss.com). The kit is very high quality, they are just as bright and as white as the OEM AE LED lights on the 3, they blow away the LUX AE lights, are extremely easy to install. I am not that mechanically inclined and it took me about 20 min. Alex over at alpine was extremely responsive and is working on a bulb that is slightly lower wattage... however I am not sure if I will go with that. These simply look amazing. The inner halo is crisp and sharp... the photos do not do it justice. This system does not throw any codes and yes they do work on the 7.. just ask Alex.... They are so good I am ordering a set for my Z4 and my X....






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      01-16-2012, 01:14 PM   #2
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wow those alpines AE really impress, HID brighter than the oem BMW led, how about the cost?
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      01-16-2012, 02:17 PM   #3
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It is just as bright as the OEM AE LED lights.. .cost around $170 bucks if my memory serves me correctly... you want to get the 8000k color... which matches the color nicely of the OEM lights...
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      01-16-2012, 03:30 PM   #4
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Falconflyer, when I go to the Alpine site, they don't have a listing for E89. How did you order these lights?
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      01-16-2012, 03:42 PM   #5
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Email Alex... alex@alpinemss.com...I think I used their kit that is for the X5... but I am not sure... In either case they went in no problem and did not code at all...
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      01-16-2012, 05:30 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jparnes1 View Post
Falconflyer, when I go to the Alpine site, they don't have a listing for E89. How did you order these lights?
It's the one for the 1 Series.
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      01-16-2012, 07:06 PM   #7
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They look like the new OEM LEDs. Looking forward to seeing them on your Z4.
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      01-16-2012, 07:20 PM   #8
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Not sure about the 1... I would email Alex.... I should have them installed next week.. on a trip right now...
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      01-16-2012, 07:27 PM   #9
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Let us know if the Z4 requires any modifications to install since the housing is pretty tight.
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      01-16-2012, 07:50 PM   #10
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I don't see really any problems... they said they have had it installed in other Z's...
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      01-16-2012, 07:51 PM   #11
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Falconflyer, you've got great write-ups about these bulbs and you've got a lot of us psyched to buy the Alpines. Alpine doesn't have a DIY video for the Z4. How about posting pictures of your Z4 install for us to see exactly how it's done? I think that would be a tremendous help!
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      01-16-2012, 08:37 PM   #12
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Sure.... I can do that... again... it is kinda simple... red wire gets attached to red thing under the hood... find ground bolt... put black wire there. The rest is the same no matter what car, but I will do it next week... it really is easy. The hard part is where to put all of the wires...
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      01-17-2012, 10:09 AM   #13
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I installed the alpine HID's in my Z4.

http://e89.zpost.com/forums/bpgarage...o=view&id=6921

One of my ballasts had problems so Alex replaced it for me. Initially they looked very nice. 4 months later I now have an issue where the color of the bulbs is slightly mismatched when the bulbs are cold.

I thought it was the X5 kit (good idea to confirm with Alex)
It does require you to drill holes in the cap that covers the hole that allows you to access the headlight chamber. It also requires you to wire the ballasts directly to the battery. The wire provided was kinda tight, so I spliced in an extension so that I could hide the wire neatly in the existing wire harnesses.

Certainly doesn't require any specialized training to do.
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      01-17-2012, 01:42 PM   #14
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do you mean you had to route wires all the way to the battery in the trunk?
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      01-17-2012, 03:02 PM   #15
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No, it's connected to the positive and negative in the engine bay.
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      01-17-2012, 09:31 PM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jparnes1 View Post
No, it's connected to the positive and negative in the engine bay.
Yes, this. There's a red plastic cap that covers where the battery terminal is accessible in the engine bay. The negative you just bolt to the frame.
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      01-17-2012, 10:55 PM   #17
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Yep...... red wire goes to red thingy under the hood... black wire goes to bolt...... that is pretty much it...my entire install too about 20 min... the hardest part was going to the hardware store to purchase something to drill the holes in the cover with.
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      01-18-2012, 01:54 AM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by FalconFlyer View Post
Yep...... red wire goes to red thingy under the hood... black wire goes to bolt...... that is pretty much it...my entire install too about 20 min... the hardest part was going to the hardware store to purchase something to drill the holes in the cover with.
Forget the lights...
Are you willing to adopt me?
Love your garage!
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      01-18-2012, 08:59 AM   #19
lux good
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Small fleet....big head!!
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      01-18-2012, 09:04 PM   #20
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Dr. Stig 2.... funny..... thanks for your compliment... as my wife says.. it is cheaper than marriage counseling.... 2 of them are hers... and she loves BMW just as much as I do.

Lux good...not sure what you mean by your comment.
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      01-24-2012, 03:22 AM   #21
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hi,

regarding the installation for the kit, i have to run wires out of the AE housing unit? or is installation like the lux? just twist, lock and it‘s good to go?
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      01-24-2012, 08:05 AM   #22
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You have to run wires. View this video for a idea of what you have to do:
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