[jwebb335xi]

Hey guys -

I just replaced ONE of my xenons and wanted to share a few details just in case anyone is uncertain where to turn for new bulbs.

First off, the original from my 2008 335 xi is the Orsam/Sylvania on the right. It's numbered 66142. The new bulb was purchased from Amazon with delivery to my door within 2 days for $38. I actually bought two so I paid $76. Those bulbs are marked 66144 as shown on the box on the left. I purposely installed one and will run that for a few weeks to "burn it in." I am curious if the difference between the old and new builds is noticeable. The new bulb has about two hours running time as my wife and I used that car last night immediately after the install - which was straight forward. I didn't notice any difference from the driver's seat between the two bulbs and i stood in front of the car while it was in the driveway to see if there's a noticeable difference in the color of the bulbs. I asked my wife if she could see a difference - noting that some people claim one bulb may be "whiter" while another may be "bluer", but she seemed to think they looked the same as well. Her only comment was that our daughter seems to like the pink/purple bulb it replaced because the color was interesting...

All I can say is that while there may be a small difference between the old and new bulbs, I simply don't see it. So, from my perspective, the $38 dollar bulb from amazon - marked as 66144 appears to be an exact match to stock. That said, i'd still recommend installing in pairs, because if one has burned out at this many operating hours, the other is likely going out very soon.

I'll run this experiment for another few weeks and report back IF I SEE ANY DIFFERENCES.