My left xenon headlight burned out. Big message displayed on the NAV: "Left headlight malfunction!" Sure enough, the left headlight is out.

What are my options? I saw a Robert Bentley video that shows just the filament/bulb being replaced. Is this an option? Or do I need to replace the entire assembly? Any help appreciated.

I searched but all I seem to find are upgrades from regular lights to xenon.

Thanks.

 

I found a replacement on ebay for cheap. 6000k they had a nice tint to them.

I think i paid 30 bucks for the pair. Don't go oem no reason to, a bulb is a bulb

 

Someone told me that if you buy cheap Chinese bulbs, it will burn and melt the wiring harness or socket.
I don't know how true this is, but I'd be tempted to risk it with a $30 bulb instead of paying $110 for a BMW bulb.

Can anyone confirm that cheaper bulbs are no good?

 

I'd check in with a few parts departments and see who sells it the cheapest. The last time I had to replace a Xenon bulb was in an Acura and they were dirt cheap due to the inferior non-projector type lights they had at the time.

 

i had mine on for a little less than a year, no issues, and used day tome running lights so they got good time in.

 

Aren't the DRL's halogen bulbs?

 

Not in an R56 with xenons. The "DRL" simply turns on the regular low beams at full intensity.

 

Thanks for the quick responses!

This is the video I am referring to:


I sure hope it's only in the $50 range. I always had heard that it'd be hundreds, but I guess they're referring to replacing the entire assembly/ballast/etc., right?

How do I diagnose to determine whether it's simply the bulb or something else?

UPDATE (1/22/13): MINI dealer quoted my replacement bulb at US$240.46.

 

Its easy to do , that pretty much explains it.

Easy way to tell if its a the bulb, as xenons become worn and old the lights will become cooler in temp and get a pink hue to them.

So go near a white wall like a garage and have your lights on , if they do not have a blue hue to them then its the bulb.

 

Well, I have to trust it's the bulb because it doesn't come on at all.

If the bulbs are fine, what would cause them to just go out? Ballast?

 

end of life, if you use day time running lights add the number of hours up, and you will find they should be out like on my 07.

 

Fair enough. Any suggestions on where to buy replacements (other than dealer)? Will Kragen have these bulb?

 

The Retrofit Source, best place to buy HID replacement bulbs. They are well known on VWVortex.

 

Are these different than ones needed for my bi-xenon headlights? I have the bright blue ones that auto-level when I start the car. They were an option when I bought the car, an expensive one at that! I think the bulbs inside are H13?

 

This may be me being silly but I thought the xenon lights were supposed to be good for the life of the vehicle??

 

Check on ebay, expect to pay 30-40 bucks for a pair i recommend 6000k for a nice color, the ones i got where made at the same factory the phillips bulbs are made but diff label.

Lets say they only last a year, you still save over OEM bulbs.

You can also look for OEM replacements online, the temp is 5000k (but most you find are 6000k (if i remember right) and they run about 120 without going through mini.

The 5000k or 6000k or higher is the color, the lower the temp the more yellow, the higher the more blue, 5000-6000k has that nice xenon light maybe slight blueish, the higher ones 8000k and up look very blue.

 

They have a life span like any other bulb, if you use day time running lights that life span gets cut down by half or more depending on your drive times.

 

Sweet. I ended up getting a pair of these:
http://www.theretrofitsource.com/pro...oducts_id=3179

I saw some cheaper on eBay, but they didn't look legitimate; seems to be a lot of inferior lights out there.

Thanks!

 

As long as you get the right bulb type you'll be fine. Kelvin rating sometimes is a personal preference but the best light output is around 4300k to 5000k. D1S is the correct bulb type.

Now how to install is another question hehe.

 

Factory is 4300k, some manufacturers use Orsam CBI's which are 5000k. 6000k is illegal and dimmer than the stock color temperature. Citationhttp://orca.st.usm.edu/~jmneal/tiburon/hids.htm

 

Is it feasible to self install or is it wiser to have a pro do it? If so how much is that?

 

Hard to say without knowing your level of skill. There's a video of the process earlier in this thread though. Do you feel comfortable doing what it details?

--Matt

 

The install is not hard, just take care not to touch the bulb part in any way with your fingers. The oil in your skin will make the bulb burn out prematurely.

In the video they show a plastic piece to get the cable back on, I used a flat aluminum bar and bent it at 90 degrees to apply the up force needed to get the cable back into place.

DIY difficulty rating I would say low, just go slow and don't use any excessive force to push anything into place.