which xenon bulb for 2003 4.6is
 

does it take a D2S? I suppose I should replace them both while I'm in there since the bumper has to come off? 115K miles.

jeez nobody eh? I found it is the D2-S type bulb according to the bentley. Also no mention of removing the bumper just to replace the bulb, looks like that is only required for replacing the entire assembly. I guess I'll start with one bulb in case the whole assembly needs replacing and not just the bulb that way I won't have too many spares on hand!

Hi. Yes, you are correct that you need a D2-S bulb.

I noticed that you are considering changing just one bulb. So, I wanted to mention that you might end up having a slightly different hue/color between the two bulbs. That happened to me a few years ago and it annoyed me a bit until I replaced both at the same time and had them matching again.

Best Regards,
James

There's a DIY article for this but I believe most people just loosen the HL assembly and push it forward to gain easier access behind the HL (no bumper removal).

You'll want to go ahead and get two bulbs - no need to replace the whole headlight.

Also, I used D2C bulbs on mine (compatible with D2S). Here's some pics of the differences in this post:

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

I ordered up 2 of the D2S Sylvania bulbs from Pelican. $70 each. Not too bad. The Bentley makes it look really easy to replace just the bulb and no need to remove the whole headlight assembly. I have a pre-face lift model btw. But like many things the Bentley show as simple are not always so straightforward. I guess I'll find out soon enough!!

Yup, $70 is fairly inexpensive - so was $28. :D

Yes, I did know you had a pre-facelift. I just thought you might be interested in seeing the difference between a D2S and D2C bulb. :thumbup:

BMW doesn't require a rocket scientist to change the light bulbs......All you need is to remove three torx screws to remove the bulb cover....If you have a fat hands then you need to follow this...http://www.xoutpost.com/articles/x5/...placement.html

$28 still expensive....While i have a spare set of D2S/D2R sitting in my drawer...

Hey, send them over then! That way when mine go bad I'm all set! :D:rofl:

as luck would have it, same D2S bulb is used in my E38, so if I end up with a spare it will get used eventually.

Thanks for the info on the D2C, I may have tried that but I had already pulled the trigger on the D2S from Pelican. Good to keep in mind tho for next time since I have 4 of these lights in my garage.