I know this should be easy.....but after trying several after market H7 lamps from Sylvania, GE, and some no names I find that none produce the same beam pattern of the OE GE H7 E1 23p #58520LU Made in Hungary 55 watt.
My wifes 04 Cooper needs new bulbs and I would prefer to get the same beam pattern again rather than the usual blob of light in the center. The bulbs listed above produce a nice elliptical beam pattern in the OE housings.
I searched online and found mentions but no vendors for the OE "E" version.

Thanks

 

Found a new pair on ebay from a 03 MC owner that had purchased them as spares.......so I am good for now. But it is odd that this OEM bulb would be so hard to find. GE doesn't even list MINI on it's automotive chart (yes I did look under BMW)

 

OK, I ask silly questions

if you want OE bulbs

(which I think stink btw)

why not ask the dealer?

 

Sorry, but are these the low or high beams?

 

Could do, but usually there are several vendors for standard parts besides a dealer. An advantage of a forum like this is you get access to the searches of thousands of similar minded folks.

Sure I could dump the OEM headlight assemblies and buy aftermarket projectors with HIDs.........but that is not what the owner wants. And as I posted, I did try several aftermarket bulbs and they had vastlly inferior beam patterns.

 

Doesn't matter as on the 04 Halogens both the high and low come with the exact same GE H7 E1 (Euro Spec) bulbs.

 

Actually it does matter.......the low beam light pattern is made by the lens, not the bulb. The bulb has nothing to do with the light pattern on the low beams.

 

I'm gonna give you a hmmmmm on this

I agree with your logic

but I always thought the OE bulbs on my 02 sucked

When I put in Silverstars the improvement was dramatic . . .

I'm not suggesting a dramatic headlight ***'mby change.

Just a $20 headlight bulb change . . .

(concur, on a GEN1 the high and low use the same bulb type . . . just different lens)

 

I assumed the same, but when I swapped in the several different bulbs into the low beam.......each had a very different beam pattern afterwards. And yes I checked the position of the bulb base in the lamp each time as well as tried both sides........there is a huge pattern difference between the various bulbs I tried.
Since only the OEM GE was a Euro Spec, I think that could be the key.

And the OEM spec is for the exact same bulb in low and high positions. But of course the lens on the low position has a greater effect on the pattern than the simple reflector on the high position.

 

I have tried SS on the 04 MC, while they are brighter, they prodoce a very hot center spot and a lot of scattered light around.......not nearly as nice a spread out but defined pattern as the GE bulb.
I know it sounds unlikely, but this is what my may tests with this 04 MC are showing me. If not I would never have posted the question.

 

I also tried a PIAA H7 100 watt bulb for an evening.....it melted the plastic connectors and started melting the headlight wiring !! The MINIs have such tiny wiring in the lighting circuits...............

 

I wouldn't blame the wiring. Installing 100 watt bulbs on a 55 watt circuit is... not recommended.

 

I have a used set of the OE GE if you would like. I just spent well over a month finding the right bulbs for my driving style and my eyes. That being said I do most of my driving in the early morning hours, Normally 2 AM, not alot of traffic, and mostly highway. I tried no less then 10 different types, from the very expensive to the really cheap. The best for me were the 65Watt Osram H7 from Dan Stern Lighting, but only for the low beam. For the high beam went with the Diamond Yellow All weather from Autolumination, it took a few nights to get the adjustment exactly right, but with all the different combinations I tried these worked the best. When I next take off the front bumper I am going to start changing out the lower driving H3s.

 

Thanks for the offer and for your information. I am fine for now and will explore additional options.

 

+1 on the 65 W Osram H7 Hypers. (Actually, +8, have 4 in my MINI and 4
in my wife's VW Cabrio).