I was thinking of getting some white side repeater lenses to replace the
orange ones on my MINI Cooper, and since I have Diadem turn signal
bulbs in the front, was wondering if anyone (in the US) sells similar
WY5W (2827) bulbs that are clear (or silver/blue/whatever) when off and
amber when on. Other forums say just get some silver paint, but I think
that would cut down brightness too much.

 

I have a Cooper convertible, and have made the switch to the white side repeater lenses. First of all I recommend getting the genuine OEM parts. They are more expensive but much higher quality than the aftermarket white side repeaters I first tried (and returned).

The bulbs are commonly known in the US as 194 size. I have tried a variety of stealth bulbs. The bottom line is that none of them were as bright and visible as the OEM supplied orange bulb. The closest I found and only slightly dimmer than stock was the Solaris Diamond Coat from bimmian.com (not their Solaris Mirror Coat model). A silver coated bulb that I tried was significantly dimmer. I also tried several LED bulbs including some of the new high power versions, and they either projected too much of a narrow hot spot or were not bright enough.

 

Most 194's are actually 3W or 4W, and if it's dimmer from the coating,
probably not a great substitute. Maybe the Solaris Diamond coat would do.
Thanks.

 

i used LED 194s in my side repeater they are a 4 LED kind that i found at Autozone, there just as bright but a slightly more focus light pattern.

 

Do you know the part # for the OEM white repeater lenses?
www.realoem.com gives me 63131477680 for both the MC and MCS
up to 12/04 and 63137166013 for after 12/04 for both models as well.
If these are the real part #'s, they're a bargain at less than $8 each
via www.bmwmotorworks.com.

 

The part I got was 72606919711, which is in the 2006 MINI accessories hardcopy catalog from the dealer. The MSRP is $17.95 each. It is the complete unit that includes lens, bulb holder and orange bulb. If you want to save money, you might ask a parts department whether just the white lens can be purchased separately. I don't remember how much I paid but I had a discount from Classic MINI (I was also ordering other parts which consolidates shipping cost).

 

As you can see, the Phillips Silvervision WY5W, only the tip is painted silver-- you can probably duplicate it yourself with silver paint.