Your vehicle needs to be jacked up first. Behind the front wheel, feel under the automobile. The jack point will be underneath the automobile, beneath the leading edge of the door. Underneath this point, slide the jack.
Use a 17mm socket to break the wheel bolts loose before lifting the car. The wheels and nuts can then be removed by lifting the car. There is a detachable panel in the fender well in front of the wheel. Press the panel’s two tabs downward to release it.
The headlight access cover is located behind the panel. Rotate the housing cover counterclockwise while holding it to take it off. By pressing down on the tab above the bulb’s plug with a flathead screwdriver, you can remove the bulb while the headlight harness is still attached.
Remove the bulb and harness from the housing of the headlight. After that, remove the bulb’s plug and discard the old one. Plug the fresh bulb into the headlight harness after removing it from its packing. As installing the bulb, avoid touching the glass because your hand’s oils could cause the bulb to crack when it heats up.
Reinstall the housing cover and the fender well cover after installing the new bulb in the headlight. Refit the wheel to the vehicle next. To tighten and torque the nuts to 140Nm, or 103 ft-lbs, use a 17mm wheel socket.
Authored by:
owner of a 1973 Porsche 914 and a 1998 Impreza 2.5RS with a flat-six engine swap. only when opposing perspectives are horizontal.
In This Article...
Replace Headlight Bulb Service
Replacement headlight bulbs for a BMW 328i typically cost $109, which includes $14 for supplies and $95 for labor. Prices may change based on where you are.
How is a low-beam light bulb changed?
- Get some gloves to wear. One of the main reasons for early burn out is oil staining. Your light bulb could burn out very rapidly if there is even one fingerprint on the glass. Wearing latex or vinyl gloves while changing your bulb will help you avoid this.
- Choose the appropriate headlight bulb. You may find out what kind of bulb your car needs by consulting the owner’s manual. You can use it to help you replace the bulb for your particular car.
- Shut off your car. It is for your protection.
- Locate the headlamp holder by opening the hood. It’ll be close to the front of your vehicle.
- Remove the power cables. Three of them will typically need to be disconnected. These are frequently secured by a screw cap, metal clip, or plastic catch.
- Remove the old lightbulb. In many cars, the headlight holder’s back may be taken off to reveal the bulb. To remove the bulb from its socket, you might need to spin it.
- substitute a fresh bulb. Wear your gloves before touching the new bulb, don’t forget. Additionally, using an alcohol wipe to clean it prior to installation is a smart idea. Put the headlight holder back in its original location after inserting the bulb into the base. Reconnect the wires that you previously disconnected.
- Examine the bulb. In order to check that your new bulb is operating properly, turn on your headlights. Check your work again to make sure you used the right bulb if it doesn’t work. If everything appears to be in order, you can also have a wiring or fuse problem. Consult a local mechanic for assistance if you need assistance figuring out what is wrong.
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Can I convert the headlights on my BMW to LEDs?
Similar to this, you can easily switch to LED capsules if your BMW has projector headlights. Should you so want, you may also select for brighter variations or other aftermarket goods. Replace or improve both of your headlights and taillights, not just one.
Is the bulb used for high and low beam the same?
When it’s completely dark outside or you’re traveling along a curvy country road at night, you activate your high beam headlights. High beams aren’t typically used by drivers, but you don’t want to be without them. The stronger light of high beams can be used to distinguish them from low lights. They are also known as “main beam” headlights. These phrases are interchangeable, and the preferred term varies greatly by region.
While low beams are tilted down towards the road, high beams are directed straight forward. This tilt makes high lights potentially hazardous in some circumstances. If there is approaching traffic in the other lane or you are directly behind another vehicle, you shouldn’t activate your high lights. High lights can blind the other driver in those circumstances.
Are headlights and low beam lights the same thing?
When driving at night or in a low-light environment, such as an interior parking lot, you should utilize your car’s low beams, which are the “regular” lights that it emits. Low beams, often known as “dipped beams,” have a close-range focus.
The most crucial and commonly used beam in an automobile is the low beam. To illuminate the road and prevent blinding other motorists, the light beam is directed downward. They enable other motorists to see you.
In the past, drivers had to manually activate their low lights, but more recent vehicles do so automatically when they detect low light conditions, such as at night or when approaching a dark parking lot.
Can I change the headlight bulb on my own?
Without touching the bulb’s glass, carefully screw in the new bulb. If you do, the oil and grime on your hands could cause the bulb to burst once it heats up. Your car’s hood should be closed. Your headlights ought to work perfectly again after installing the new bulb, allowing you to enjoy driving your automobile day or night.
Most of the time, changing a headlight is simple and doesn’t need sending your car to the shop. See what other do-it-yourself auto maintenance tasks are available.
H7 bulbs have high or low beams.
Autos have traditionally employed dual-beam bulbs. By changing the reflecting pattern, a single housing with a single bulb may switch between a high and low beam. So to say, a two-in-one light bulb.
However, more recent vehicles use two distinct single-beam bulbs for each purpose. The car’s headlights are then equipped with two bulbs, one on each side of the car.
Each of these beams uses either an H1 or a H7 bulb, as you would have guessed. And this is where the H1 and H7 bulbs differ from one another.
The high-beam light is produced by the H1, while the low-beam light is produced by the H7.
Both the H1 and H7 are single-beam lamps that produce a fixed beam using a single filament.
This headlight is mostly used on open motorways and at night on country roads; it is not always used.
The H7 beam’s shorter range makes it suitable for lighting the road ahead of the car.
Why do BMW headlights cost so much?
As a result of having powerful xenon headlights, BMW headlight replacement costs might be considerable. Most premium cars today use xenon or HID headlights, which have been around for more than 15 years. If you’re replacing the bulbs as well, an assembly without a bulb costs around $2,000 plus an additional $500 for the pair. Despite the fact that HID headlights can last almost as long as the car, they are more expensive. Also keep in mind that labor expenditures are not included in that.
Why won’t my low beam function?
The blowing of a fuse If the bulbs themselves weren’t the issue, a blown fuse might have caused their failure. The issue might be resolved by changing the fuse. However, if the fuse blows out once more, the following problem could be to blame for your headlight failure.
Can LEDs be used to replace H7 bulbs?
It’s crucial to understand that LED headlights differ from halogen ones. Additionally, although some use the phrase “LED bulbs” to describe the former, this is inaccurate.
According to Carfax, halogen headlights operate similarly to conventional incandescent lamps. A tungsten filament (the “heating element”) is located inside the bulb and is encircled by halogen gas. The element begins to glow as current passes through it, emitting heat and light. The filament is absent from xenon bulbs, often known as “high-intensity discharge” bulbs, which instead use electrical current to heat xenon gas directly.
Compared to halogens, LEDs have a few benefits. They use less energy, don’t heat up as much, and take up less space while being brighter. An LED assembly, however, cannot simply be used to replace a halogen bulb. Although conversion kits are offered, they have a few shortcomings.
First off, although running cooler than halogen headlights, everything around LEDs gets hotter. As a result, they require special cooling facilities in addition to separate current regulators. Consequently, even though the size of the individual LEDs may be less, the whole headlamp conversion kit may be larger overall.
Second, switching from halogen to LED headlights may not truly improve visibility. And that has to do with the surroundings as much as the lights themselves.
What equipment is required to change headlights?
Analyze the best way to remove the old bulb. On some cars, the bulb is positioned directed into the headlight assembly, while on others, the bulb is fixed in the headlight assembly by a wire arrangement. You can take out the bulb once you understand how it is held in the housing.
You’ll also be able to decide at this time whatever tools you’ll need to finish the project. Some headlight bulbs do require the use of a flathead or Phillips screwdriver, but the majority can be removed without them.
Remove any power wires that are attached to the back of the light bulb. The back of the headlamp may also have a dust cover that needs to be taken off. The bulb may alternatively be secured in place by a clip or clips.
Why is the light from my low beam so dim?
Headlights are most frequently plagued by dull, failing, or burned-out bulbs. Thankfully, the most straightforward fix for this is to simply change the bulb. Headlight bulbs must occasionally be changed, just like the lightbulbs in your home.
If you frequently drive at night or leave your headlights on throughout the day, headlight bulbs may need to be changed more frequently. For instance, if you drive at night for Uber, Lyft, or delivery jobs, your bulbs may need to be replaced more frequently. Additionally, burned-out headlights are a ticking time bomb for older automobiles that have never had bulbs changed.
How can you know when your headlights need to be replaced? You may check for a burnt-out bulb with a few easy steps in addition to detecting that your headlights are weaker than usual. Just park your car somewhere secure, and switch on your headlights. After that, get out of your car and make sure both of the headlights are on and bright. Bring your car in for a bulb replacement service when you notice that one or both lights are starting to dim.