I was thinking of putting in higher wattage halogen bulbs in my mini, and was wondering if I would encounter any issues by doing so. Does anyone have any experience with this? As much as I would like Xenons, it's not in my budget, so some new bulbs might be what I am after. Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

 

I would look into better, whiter bulbs and not ones that are of a higher wattage...thus pulling more amps, adding more load than originally intended to the electrical system.

 

Yes the MINI lighting system is rather fragile when it comes to putting in higher wattage bulbs. It is based on what the OEM spec is and if more current is drawn can do some crazy things. And the wiring can burn or melt with higher wattage bulbs.

 

Melted both my headlights with higher watt bulbs, lucky they replaced them with a warning not to try doing it again! Car was only a month old!

 

Good to know. I was still contemplating the higher wattage bulbs, but with one of those heavy duty plug adaptors that are guaranteed not to melt the plug. But that doesn't help if the housing is melting. Hiw are those Sylvanias working for you? Better light output than the stock halogens? Any pictures?

 

I was really unhappy with my low-beam lighting, and was considering something like the PIAA or Sylvania bulbs.

But then I did a simple check on the way the lights were aimed and discovered that both lights were more than 2" too low from where they should be. Once I corrected that, I'm a lot happier about night driving.

I may still try out alternate bulbs, but I have to say that I was warned by two different dealers that the aftermarket bulbs have very short lifespans. I was told, for example, that I should expect the have to replace the PIAA bulbs at least once a year!

I sold my last car at just over 10 1/2 years of age -- with the original bulbs. It wasn't a MINI, so I can't say how long the stock MINI bulbs can be expect to last; but I would certainly expect more than a few years out of them.

Given the cost of the aftermarket bulbs, it's something to think about...

--
Darryl

 

I used to have to replace the PIAA GTX bulb on my BMW once a year. I installed the HID conversion and has been very happy with it since.

 

What wattage are you thinking of?
I little higher wattage will not be a problem, but much higher wattage (such as 100W) can be a problem due to heat melting plastic parts and higher current melting the wire.