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      08-07-2020, 11:31 AM   #1
Masterplan
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Laserlights vs Adaptive LED

Guys,

Rather frustratingly, my dealer has not specc'd my X5 with laserlights as intended. This materialised after receiving my VIN and checking it online.

The question now is, how much of a loss are the Adaptive LED's compared to the laserlights?

I'm debating how hard I push this with the dealer, as I'm really quite disappointed it's only been spotted now.

Thanks
MP
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      08-07-2020, 11:35 AM   #2
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Masterplan View Post
Guys,

Rather frustratingly, my dealer has not specc'd my X5 with laserlights as intended. This materialised after receiving my VIN and checking it online.

The question now is, how much of a loss are the Adaptive LED's compared to the laserlights?

I'm debating how hard I push this with the dealer, as I'm really quite disappointed it's only been spotted now.

Thanks
MP
Questions: Were Laserlights on your hard copy quote? Were they included in the price you paid? If you do not get them, you will lose your cornering lights. In terms of just how much better they are at night, depends on how good your eyesight is and where you drive your car (city, country, etc). I'm sure others will chime in on this.
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      08-07-2020, 11:48 AM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Masterplan View Post
The question now is, how much of a loss are the Adaptive LED's compared to the laserlights?
MP
Adaptive LED headlights only have lighting units in the outer housings and blank dummy inner housings. The outer housings are high and low beam units. Also the turn signals are led bulb units and not the LED turn signal "brow" and U shaped DRLs.

The Icon adaptive LED headlights with laser light haven functioning inner and outer housings. Both inner and outer units are high and low beams. The turn signals are the led brow over the headlights and of course signature Icon DRLs.

Icon adaptive LED headlights with laser light use LED light projection for low and high beams. Laser light augments the high beams over 40mph. Depending on ambient lighting, the majority of city X5s will be using LED lighting.

Performance wise and based on USA NHTSA testing, Icons produce less glare more evenly distributed lighting.

TLDR; Adaptive LEDs perform fine and in the end:
Most X5/6 owners upgraded to Icons for aesthetic reasons including myself.

Laser Headlight vs. LED
https://g05.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1724425

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Last edited by Auricom; 08-07-2020 at 11:57 AM..
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      08-07-2020, 12:06 PM   #4
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Like Auricom says. They completely change the way your car looks. Tastes my differ but I really like the look.

It was the main reason for me to chose them.

I had adaptive led's before on a 6 GT and they do a good job too. If you don't live in the mountains or country I wonder if you would even benefit of lasers that much, but they do a good job.

I would try to get them if that is what you ordered. Retrofitting is really expensive.
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      08-07-2020, 12:09 PM   #5
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I will make it very simple.....”You need Laser lights” if you are buying a new luxury BMW vehicle.
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      08-07-2020, 12:13 PM   #6
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Well i dont have either. I just have the standard led and i can tell you they are way better than my Jag Xf that i had previously. Sure you have to manually dim them when oncoming traffic appears but at least YOU are in control of the lights. I still think adaptive is a bit of a gimmick. Just a way of charging you more. Same with laser. The actual beam is very tight,and tbh you probably dont benefit because most peoples eyesight at half mile at night is not that good. The led lights are great and i dont feel you need any more and i have 20/20 vision.
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      08-07-2020, 12:20 PM   #7
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I have the 552 BMW Icon Adaptive LED Headlights.

Does anyone have pictures of these?

Not that I'd pay for it, but can the laser lights actually be retrofitted? I.e could the dealer do it if they wanted to?
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      08-07-2020, 12:22 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Masterplan View Post
Does anyone have pictures of the adaptive LED's?

Not that I'd pay for it, but can the laser lights actually be retrofitted? I.e could the dealer do it if they wanted to?
You can perform an extremely costly retrofit which will need to be coded. See this thread:

https://g05.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1629991


Photos in the discussion link I posted above, repeating here:

A great shot by Mosley - DRLs at night
https://www.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh...php?p=26489978

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DRLs on

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Adaptive LED - Headlights and DRLs off at day time

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Adaptive LED - Headlight and DRLs on

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Comparison of Icons and Adaptive (Icons headlights on - Adaptive LED DRLs on)
Name:  01596820945.png
Views: 24086
Size:  1.48 MB


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Last edited by Auricom; 08-07-2020 at 01:05 PM..
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      08-07-2020, 12:52 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Pro55 View Post
Well i dont have either. I just have the standard led and i can tell you they are way better than my Jag Xf that i had previously. Sure you have to manually dim them when oncoming traffic appears but at least YOU are in control of the lights. I still think adaptive is a bit of a gimmick. Just a way of charging you more. Same with laser. The actual beam is very tight,and tbh you probably dont benefit because most peoples eyesight at half mile at night is not that good. The led lights are great and i dont feel you need any more and i have 20/20 vision.
Automatic dimming high beam actually works really well.

I have it on all the time. It is really accurate and since I have it a have never had an oncoming car signing to turn down my lights.

It turns them off if necessary but if possible it just masks the car in front of you. So with laser lights on the highway the lasers reach further than the car in front with classic lights.

It also does a really good job enlightening the road signs. So in some cases with lots of traffic it only shines on the shoulder of the highway.

So can I miss automatic high beam, yes off course, but it really works well and I have it turned on all the time.
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      08-07-2020, 01:16 PM   #10
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I say don't except it with the base lights - They have dummy bulbs!, no corning lights! Are rated poor by NHTSA! But even worse are the cheap dime store DRL's! - they look like they came out of a cracker jack box!

These are what you want - LASER
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      08-07-2020, 01:20 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mrjoed2 View Post
I say don't except it with the base lights - They have dummy bulbs!, no corning lights! Are rated poor by NHTSA! But even worse are the cheap dime store DRL's! - they look like they came out of a cracker jack box!

These are what you want - LASER
At least in international markets, 552 Adaptive LED headlight include cornering lights unless you have the base lights.

UK market has 3 headlights options:
1. Base LED headlight (no cornering, no adaptive, no HBA)
2. 552 - Adaptive LED headlight (corning, adaptive, includes 5AC HBA) - 700GBP upgrade
3. 5AZ - Icon Adaptive LED with Laser lights - for example packaged as Visibility Package for 1,595GBP
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      08-07-2020, 01:31 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Auricom View Post
At least in international markets, 552 Adaptive LED headlight include cornering lights unless you have the base lights.

UK market has 3 headlights options:
1. Base LED headlight (no cornering, no adaptive, no HBA)
2. 552 - Adaptive LED headlight (corning, adaptive, includes HBA) - 700GBP upgrade
3. 5AZ - Icon Adaptive LED with Laser lights
True but not in the USA. 2 choices - night & day, pun intended!
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      08-07-2020, 01:32 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mrjoed2 View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by Auricom View Post
At least in international markets, 552 Adaptive LED headlight include cornering lights unless you have the base lights.

UK market has 3 headlights options:
1. Base LED headlight (no cornering, no adaptive, no HBA)
2. 552 - Adaptive LED headlight (corning, adaptive, includes HBA) - 700GBP upgrade
3. 5AZ - Icon Adaptive LED with Laser lights
True but not in the USA. 2 choices - night & day, pun intended!
True but the OP is from the U.K., therefore providing info contextual to OP's market and location is important.
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      08-07-2020, 01:55 PM   #14
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I personally think its a must aesthetically. When we placed an order last year, they told us it would be omitted because of shortage of parts. we've threaten to cancel the order if it didnt have them, dealer made sure it was included.
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      08-07-2020, 02:08 PM   #15
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Has anyone successfully retrofitted laser lights?
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      08-07-2020, 02:09 PM   #16
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Has anyone successfully retrofitted laser lights?
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      08-07-2020, 02:21 PM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Masterplan View Post
Has anyone successfully retrofitted laser lights?
Forum members overseas have... perhaps less than 2 or 3 that I'm aware of.

I posted the link earlier........................................... . Take the effort and either jump to the end of the thread and rear backwards or start with thread at April 1, 2020:

https://g05.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1629991
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      08-07-2020, 03:28 PM   #18
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The retrofit can be done, swap the lights and code the ecu, i will do it next week, cost of it 4000 euro, if you want to buy it from the dealership 16000 euro.
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      08-07-2020, 03:42 PM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Auricom View Post
True but the OP is from the U.K., therefore providing info contextual to OP's market and location is important.
Absolutely.
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      08-07-2020, 04:03 PM   #20
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Can the Laser Lights actually be coded for use in the US??? I see the discussions on it but I cant tell tell if anyone is actually successful on a repeated basis.
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      08-07-2020, 04:17 PM   #21
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Quote:
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Can the Laser Lights actually be coded for use in the US??? I see the discussions on it but I cant tell tell if anyone is actually successful on a repeated basis.
The lasers work in the US but have less range if you have laser lights. Are you thinking of the anti-dazzle? You can code anti-dazzle to operate in the US.

If you mean to retrofit the laser lights and then code it seems a few have it mostly figured out from reading other posts.
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      08-07-2020, 04:21 PM   #22
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Thanks yes. I have laser lights in the US and would like them coded for anti dazzle to use them they way they were intended. Just browsing on it it seemed like it was hit or miss? At least that was the impression I got.

Is the process straight forward for someone who knows what they are doing? Then the next trick to find someone who knows what they are doing!;-)
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