Headlights

[phil67]

Hi
Been to look at a 59 plate X5 Xdrive 30d M sport, this will be my first X5 and wondering what the headlights are actually like in the dark?

Thanks

[Digidick]

What headlights are fitted?

[X5Sport]

If they are anything like my X6 (with Xenon) then I found the E53 lighting to be better. It’s not at all bad, just with only two lamps working (the inner pair are for show only) the amount of light on the road is less.

I am just changing the bulbs on mine for Osram Xenarc Laser D1S to get more light at night as I’m being spoilt by the superb LED lights on our 2-series Gran Tourer.

[Jayx5]

I've got xenons on mine and I think they are really good.

[Digidick]

I’ll be interested in your findings with the new bulbs fitted X5Sport

[X5Sport]

I’ll be interested in your findings with the new bulbs fitted X5Sport

It might be a while. Turns out it’s a major rebuild job involving taking wheel arch liners out, modifying them and putting them back in again. At a guess the liners go in before the suspension. Checking to see if there is an easier route in from inside the engine bay. Too damned cold to be faffing about upside down under the car!

[phil67]

What headlights are fitted?

I have no idea, sorry

[Digidick]

I’ll be interested in your findings with the new bulbs fitted X5Sport

It might be a while. Turns out it’s a major rebuild job involving taking wheel arch liners out, modifying them and putting them back in again. At a guess the liners go in before the suspension. Checking to see if there is an easier route in from inside the engine bay. Too damned cold to be faffing about upside down under the car!

Are they not just plug and play, remove old bulb and fit new bulb?

[X5Sport]

They are, but first you have to get to them and the access is buried in a restricted space corner of each wing! BMW manual suggest I need to go in from the wheel arch. I may be able to get in from the engine bay but I know that there is a bracing strut that makes (my) life difficult.

[Jayx5]

https://youtu.be/bPeVE4mf-oA

is this any help?

[X5Sport]

OK having had a look at the video and the car, it looks as if sometime in 2010/11 the mount was changed.

There is no wire clip, and it seems an anti-clockwise turn is needed due to the D1S bulbs being bayonet fit. I can get the ‘turn’ but not as yet remove the bulb. It’s a cast iron sumbytch to get at and get leverage on as well as having strut braces between the lamp holder and the car with sharp, skin removing edges! These braces are right in the wrong place.

I’ll have to use a little more brute force and see if the bulb will pull clear. Getting the connector off the bulb is next to impossible with it in the lamp holder so that must come off once the bulbs are actually out.

Interestingly the OEM fit in mine are Osram Xenarc even though I was expecting Philips.

[X5Sport]

OK, the process for changing Xenon HID bulbs is very straightforward as long as you are a contortionist and don’t mind a bit of pain! It can all be done from inside the engine bay and no major disassembly is needed. The mount is different from earlier builds which use a wire clip, in mine it’s a twist mount (bayonet fit).

The bulbs I have replaced the original D1S type OEM fit (Osram Xenarc from 2010) with are these:
https://www.nightbreaker.co.uk/night-br ... ser-xenarc

WARNING! High Voltages present! HID lamps are arc lights with very high (25kV) starters that ignite the arc. Make sure your lights are off, auto lights are in position ‘0’ and everything is cold.
WARNING! HID bulbs may contain Mercury. Handle with great care and in the open air. Mercury is poisonous.

You will need.....

Safety Glasses - these bulbs are very high pressure and if mishandled will explode small shards of glass!
Gloves - tow pairs if concerned, but you must not touch the glass envelope with bare skin!
Torch - only a small one so you can see what you are doing.
A small cloth to wrap around the strut brace and protect your arms unless you have sleeves rolled down. The plastic mouldings have sharp edges!
About 30 minutes
A reasonable pain threshold
Rubber forearms!
A small towel to put under everything in case you drop it! A dropped bulb may mean headlight off or wheel arch trims off to recover it. You have been warned!
You can do this without taking the battery off.

The HID bulbs are located in the outer pair of lamps, with the inner pair just being where the H8 ‘Angel Eye’ illuminators are.

This means that you to get behind a brace and into the wing itself to get at everything.

The caps in the rear of the lamps are anti-clock twist off - same as for the angel eyes.

You should then be able to see the back of the bulb igniter (a silver metal cube) with its plug pointed straight down.
Carefully grip the igniter and rotate it anti-clockwise about 1/6th of a turn. It should then come out of its mount but may need very gentle manipulation.
Don’t pull it too far as you need to disconnect the high voltage connections, which needs to be done by pressing in a button on the short side of the connector and gently pulling it off.
You should now have the bulb and it’s holder as below...

The black plastic ring needs to come off by squeezing the catch and pulling it apart thus releasing the bulb.

Put the ring around your new bulb - it only fits one way. There are two ‘keys’ to ensure correct positioning.
Return the bulb to the wing and attach the power cable - you will need two hands - BEFORE putting the bulb back in. It only goes on one way around and ‘clicks’ when fully home. When offering the bulb back into its hole, the connector should be oriented in approx 5 o’clock position.
Once aligned, rotate the igniter block clockwise until it sits at the 6 o’clock position.
Replace rear covers. Do this before you switch everything on. It controls any shattered glass and Mercury vapour in the event of trouble.
Switch on bulbs and check function, leave the bulbs to warm up for a minute or so.

Find your First Aid kit to deal with the scratches and cuts on your forearms!

Bulb holder and bulb views...