Dealer just charged me $400 to change a bulb, what are my options...

[TwinsPoppa]

Originally Posted by black02m5

The install depends which model you have. With the 3.0 I've read that the bumper doesn't need to be removed. With my 4.8 the bumper has to come off.

If I remember correctly, to replace the headlight bulbs you don't need to remove the bumper on a 4.8. Just move some components like the power steering out of the way (only three bolts/screws).

Removing the actual headlights, now that's a different story.

Here's a DIY:

http://www.xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-foru...tructions.html

EDIT: BTW ... you can see at the end there I used ebay xenon D2C bulbs for $28/pair to match my HID fogs.

[papasmurf]

Originally Posted by J.Belknap

Phillips Osram 85122+ bulbs start life at 4.3K but "burn in" over time to 5K.

This might be what you're seeing.

Not quite. Let me set the record straight on the bulbs.

1. Phillips and Osram are two different companies. Phillips bulbs last longer and do not color shift nearly as much as Osrams over time (look at an older Acura TL with 1 purple headlight if you want to see Osrams in action.

2. Phillips code for the D2S bulb is 85122 and 85122+. The 85122 is a normal 4300k HID bulb, while the 85122+ is brighter by a couple hundred lumens, and is closer to 4100k in color. If you compare the two, the 85122+ has a yellower light, but it is brighter, and at the end of its life cycle will only dim and not color shift.

3. The lights will shift in color after burning in (around 100 hours of usage), but not very much. 85122s settle in around around 4800-5000k, while the 85122+ was specifically designed NOT to colorshift.

4. Option 3, if you are matching another bulb, get the Phillips 85122CM. This Bulb is a 4800k bulb and is designed to match older 85122s.

If you got any other HID-related question, LMK.

[J.Belknap]

Thank you sir, I will edit my post by deleting the "Osram" and "+" to correct it.

[rmani]

Originally Posted by papasmurf

Holy crap man, dunno where you are in NJ, but I have a good indy for you for future work.

As for the headlight bulbs, you can grab a set of Phillips D2S bulbs (85122), which are now OEM in most vehicles with HIDs right off of ebay. Older trucks came factory with Osrams, and judging by your description of a purple bulb, it's what you have (Phillips bulbs go dim with age, while Osrams color shift and dim). A pair should run you under 100 bucks (I got a set of 75).

To change the bulb:

You will need an 8mm socket, extension, and a Torx set. I would also highly recommend a towel to lay on the bumper while removing and replacing the headlight to minimize the risk of damage when removing the headlight (better safe than sorry).

- Take out the 4 bolts holding the headlight in (I believe they are 8mm, two on top and two on the bottom, and are a little hard to reach)

- Once you have the headlight unbolted, slide it towards the center of the car so that the lower trim piece unlatches from the fender. The headlight should now be mostly free.

- Unplug the auto-leveling motor plug, and remove the high beam, turn signal bulb and the ground that is plugged in near the ballast (thin black wire) from the headlight. You should now be left with a thick black wire running into the headlight.

- There are 3 Torx screws that hold the dust cover on the headlight where the thick wire runs in. Unbolt them and make sure not to lose the seal.

- Once the cover is unbolted, you will see a red plug. Twist it and it will come off (this is the headlight plug if you have not figured it out yet). At this point, lift the headlight off of the car, and put it down on a clean work surface.

- To remove the headlight, turn the plastic retaining ring counter-clockwise. It should come free after about 1/8th of a turn. Remove the bulb.

- Place the new bulb in, making sure that the alignment tabs line up, and with the metal wire on the bottom. DO NOT TOUCH THE GLASS ON THE BULB. At this point I would also highly suggest you change the turn signal bulb, because if it goes bad, you will be doing this again.

- Re-install the retaining ring and reverse the process. Make sure everything is plugged in and the you clip the headlight back into the fender. Getting it to clip back in is a little tricky, but a gentle jiggle and a tiny bit of coercing will get it back in. before you bolt everything back down.

This whole process took me about 10 minutes a side with me taking my time (aligning the headlights with the bodywork). Someone who is less experienced and doesn't know where to press on the plugs, it'll probably take 20-25 for the first side and less for the second.

That tech probably did the headlight in less than 10. The longest part of the process IMO is getting the headlight off and back on the fender tab. To be honest, I think BMW charges $165 per bulb, and I'm guessing they hit you with 2 hours labor because they checked to see if it was the bulb or ballast, which they test by throwing a new bulb on it and seeing (still, not a 2 hour job).

This was a learning experience for you. I got my learning experience when I first bought my car and got charged over $400 to replace the upper radiator hose (required a "total cooling system drain and cooling system flush", which was a load of crap). Welcome to the club, and don't go to a dealer unless it's under warranty again. If you are in Northern NJ, I have a great indy who is a BMW tech, and has the full computer setup to do all modern BMWs. PM me if you need the number.

So after spending $75 and asking a friend of mine for help we successfully installed two xenon bulbs today. They match, and even look better than the factory one BMW put in for me. I bought them from the ebay seller that was recommended to me in this thread. All is well, the above instructions were fantastic in walking us through changing the bulbs.

Thanks for all the support from you guys in this thread, it's helped ease the pain of getting badly ripped off, and as someone else said, I hope another will see this thread and it will at least prevent them from having the same thing happen to me.

I actually ordered some LED tails to compliment the new lights, which should arrive Monday. Can't wait to install those next!

Thanks again everyone.

-Rmani

[mysweetx5]

[QUOTE=wullaby;746043]how many hours labor did they charge you and how much for the parts? You could have bought two halogen front headlights thru ECS special along w/ tailights and side markers for like $267! the other day...haha, you always ask for an estimate. I had battery changed in 530i...almost $300 at dealership, but i knew the battery was over $100 and labor is over 100/hr...so it wasn't unreasonable.

I'm referring to you *Wullaby* (BMW) Dealers dont make any sence, they even make me sick! This is why I always encourage good folks like you to be welcome to this forum, so they can learn something. However people can say (BMW PARTS) are better than after market, but people 4get sometime you could get the same good part from another source too which is way cheaper than going 2 dealer. I remember having my battery so bad where I could even get-up one day without drunping the car from a booster cable. When I called BMW, they want $249. without tax, to intall the battery is additional $15.00.
I just went to sears and got me a New battery related with my car for only:$152.00 including tax and I installed it with no problem once I'm pretty much not bad at all when it comes to mecanic. Every since, my engine starts less than 1 second and be able to play radio now for hours/hours without interrupted my battery power for future start.

Peace out brother!!! ]01 BMW X5 4.4i [Blue COLOR]

[jEster]

Originally Posted by rmani

I actually ordered some LED tails to compliment the new lights, which should arrive Monday. Can't wait to install those next!

Thanks again everyone.

-Rmani

Who did you order your LED Tails from? I am probably gonna place an order tonight for my 04 X5. I know there can be an issue where capacitors might need to be installed. But is that with ALL LED tails on 04-05 X5's? Or is it just the ones from specific sources? I ask because in my search I found several recommending Zomkspeed, but his listings have now dropped '04 and up from the description. I am assuming that he got tired of hearing about "flickering" problems. Also what size caps need to be used to fix this issue?

Thanks,

[rmani]

Hey Brad sorry I just saw your post man. I bought the LED tails from umnitza and had lightwerks install the capacitor for me. Tails work perfectly with no error codes being thrown. I'm loving it.

[WVMTNBIKER]

I just PM's one of the poster's thread who gave a very detailed version of how to change the low beam Xenon bulb.
I asked him WHY does the entire headlight have to be removed?
Seems like removing the rear dustcover would give you access to the Xenon bulb to change it.
Any thoughts? I am waiting on the the thread poster to get back to me on this one b/c I need/want to change out both mine for a bit brighter ones due to my very poor night vision.

[magnum1]

Originally Posted by WVMTNBIKER

I just PM's one of the poster's thread who gave a very detailed version of how to change the low beam Xenon bulb.
I asked him WHY does the entire headlight have to be removed?
Seems like removing the rear dustcover would give you access to the Xenon bulb to change it.
Any thoughts? I am waiting on the the thread poster to get back to me on this one b/c I need/want to change out both mine for a bit brighter ones due to my very poor night vision.

Hello,


Did you ever get a reply to your PM about not removing the enite headlight to change the Xenon lamp?

Thank you
jim

[WVMTNBIKER]

Yes, I just read the forum post on how to do it and did it with ease. You do in fact have to remove the entire headlight assembly but is really easy. The second one took me maybe ten minutes. Someplace on here in the search options is a post on how to do this. Just follow the instructions and save yoursefl 400 bucks. I mean that's just crazy charging that. I got new, brighter Xenon bulbs for like 25 bucks and they work perfectly off eBay. Dealer/stealer, they do what they do best: take your hard earned money.