E70 LCI Xenon bulb change

[KellyF]

I'm trying to change a headlight bulb on my daughters 2013 X5 i35d. I looked online and found good instructions that apparently apply to pre-LCI headlights, but can't find anything about the type of mounting on hers. There are no visible retainers, but the bulb won't come out. I've tried twisting and pulling to no avail. I'm afraid to use too much force for fear of breaking something in the adaptive headlight actuator system. Has anybody ever changed one of these before?

[KellyF]

Picture added.

[blue dragon]

Its a twist, but be careful, I've managed to dislodge the adaptive projector from the bracket and had to take the entire headlight out to fix it.

[Stewthebassman]

I use needle nose pliers to actually turn the cover enough to loosen it. The bigger your hands are the tougher this bulb change is. You really have to find the right position and then basically relax and use the Force!

Edit: maybe your 2013 is different from our X5s...

[absentmathis]

Yeah regardless of locking style, it takes a sort of upside down yoga move on top of the engine bay to get these bulbs in and out. Sorry I know that’s no help.

[bmrboi2]

I just did this on my pre LCI and even with the retainer clip it was still me turning into a circus contortionist to get the bulb in and out. I too have gorilla sized hands which made things interesting. Kinda like a blind man in an orgy....you have to feel your way around.

[Stewthebassman]

I do believe that the dealership must have ONE person with the right sized hands and technique who does all the bulb changes. Of course they charge three hours labor to take the entire front end apart.

[KellyF]

Thanks for all the replies. I guess I'll give it another try this weekend.

I looked on Alldata at the same year X6, and it's a twist to remove, then there's a clamshell ring that you move from the old bulb to the new before installing. I couldn't really tell if hers is the same. Can't see much from the back, even with a mirror and light. And I've got big hands, which doesn't help. I'll let you know how it goes.

Thanks again, everybody.

[boostedX5SAV]

You guys are scaring me. I hope I never have to change mine.

[gatojurko]

Americans

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