[N26Ghost]

For the money, Philips Xtreme Vision Gen2s are an excellent replacement. They are superior to the stock bulbs in every way. $170 plus shipping and 20 minutes of time for years of increased visibility.

[chuckles01]

I just want to say, thanks to the OP for this post with such detailed instructions and pics on how to change the headlights bulbs! I just swapped out my oem bulbs for d1s osram cool blue intense this weekend. I didn't jack up the car or remove the tires and did most of it by touch since I couldn't see in there, and without these instructions / pics I wouldn't have been able to do that! Thanks!

Separately, regarding the new bulbs, mine are 66140 CBI, up to 6000K. My first reaction to them is that while they initially start up more blue than OEM, after they warm up they look pretty much like my old bulbs in terms of color (albeit brighter). It still appears white with a touch of yellow, but maybe it's because they haven't broken in yet. Or maybe it's just due to our projector lens. Anyone with CBIs have the same experience? Did they become noticeably whiter after a certain time?

[Gespar]

Thanks for great instructions.
Wanted to try out new 2018 "Osram Xenarc Night Breaker Laser" bulbs if they can improve light performance over to my old stock bulbs.
With 180€ investment and 40min work im quite happy.
Left is low beam and right is highbeam. Same camera settings used. So the color difference is also quite nice.

[Sickining]

Originally Posted by AGONXF30

I hear that Osram Nightbreakers is where is at! Someone should try those.

I need new bulbs in the GLI, after 150K miles and 10+years, they are getting old and tired and obviously much dimmer.

Originally Posted by AGONXF30

I hear that Osram Nightbreakers is where is at! Someone should try those.

I need new bulbs in the GLI, after 150K miles and 10+years, they are getting old and tired and obviously much dimmer.

I just installed the osram night breaker laser next gen. I can't even tell a difference. what a waste of money

[aps]

thank you for the excellent pics OP. like another post above, I was able to do this without taking the wheels off thanks to your pics.

for others, if you turn the wheel full lock to the side that you are changing the bulb, you will have enough space to see and access the bulb. it's a little hard to see the top of the clip, but with the pics in this thread, it's very straightforward to feel the clip release and reinstall.

[zcspec]

Originally Posted by Sickining

I just installed the osram night breaker laser next gen. I can't even tell a difference. what a waste of money

Sickining, give it some time. Assuming you bought the "real" ones, you'll notice a difference after about 20-30hrs. They need to burn/break in.

This is and older photos, but you can see the difference. This is after about 10hrs.

Originally Posted by aps

thank you for the excellent pics OP. like another post above, I was able to do this without taking the wheels off thanks to your pics.

for others, if you turn the wheel full lock to the side that you are changing the bulb, you will have enough space to see and access the bulb. it's a little hard to see the top of the clip, but with the pics in this thread, it's very straightforward to feel the clip release and reinstall.

Glad I could contribute!

[Polo08816]

Good thread.

One of my original bulbs just burned out after 142,000 miles and always having the low beams on.

[Wellingtonz]

does anyone know if the F20 and F30 uses the same xenon bulbs?

[x-m4n]

Originally Posted by mattpete13

amazon has em

A few people advise to be careful with fakes.

I have used Powerbulbs UK through the years but this time I got the OSRAM XENARC CBI NextGen from Amazon (key that the item was both dispatched and sold by Amazon).

To triple check authenticity, used the Osram website to check serial numbers:

https://www.osram.com/appsj/trust/fr...o?locale=en_US

Originally Posted by kaleb

FYI instead of removing the wheels, I turned them full lock (left or right depending on which side I was doing) and used a floor jack to raise the car about 2-3" on whatever side I was working on.

This was a great tip, I managed to do it without lifting the car - a bit awkward but this awesome guide + youtube made it a lot easier...

Originally Posted by Daggers

FYI this round cap simply twists about 30 degrees and releases easily. No breaking of anything required

I tried my best but still managed to "hurt" those little teeth... still hanging there somehow, just hope they manage to hold the cap going forward...

My left bulb lasted 10 years which is great but you can notice the difference now - not a cheap part but I should have upgraded ages ago.

Now the issue is the fog lamps which often help with turning - they are also 10 years old now but they are so yellow/different... off I go to find instructions on how to get to those...