Ordered some D2S Philips 6000k bulbs to replace the burnt out/flickering ones I currently have.

Using advice from another thread I opened the thing up and got as far as removing the metal housing and old bulb. Does anyone know what the correct method is for removing the bulb from the black plastic at this point? It feels way more difficult than it probably should and I'd feel silly taking it to a garage...

Thanks

 

Not sure I understand your question. If you have already removed the old bulbs, the new ones just go in the opposite way of removing them. What black plastic are you referring to?

 

Your mistake is buying the D2S bulb. Our 2004 and up XJ series are using D1S bulb which included the metal housing you're talking about. The metal square housing is the built in ignitor for the bulb.

 

Really? I bought the wrong bulbs?

I read a post by an active member who claimed that it was D2S for the 2004+ XJ...

Upon scoping Ebay it looks like you are correct...don't I feel sheepish. I don't know why I thought D2S... Thanks for your help!

 

If you go to a auto store they say the replacement bulb is a D2S but it is a D1S, I almost made the mistake. Incase you don't find out it is not neccessary to remove the bumper cover to replace the bulb

 

Not sure where you are getting your bulbs but the prices vary a lot.
I and some others have found a deal here. A pair for $80 and you can find discount codes.
D1S HID Bulbs - D1R HID Bulbs | Xenon HID Headlights | HID Light Bulbs

 

Luckily the fellow I bought the D2S off is giving me a refund (edit: bought my bulbs off ebay)

Dsetter: I saw a link for these elsewhere, how do you like them so far? I definitely want to go with 6000k and was about to order some Philips Xenstart 6000ks before I saw your post.

 

FYI the factory spec is 4300K, going to higher kelvins will actually decrease lumens/brightness. Osram 66144 is the OEM replacement.

 

Also be very careful when taking out and putting back the HID bulbs. It is very easy to exert too much pressure in your frustration in working in such a confined space and can break one or more adjuster tabs, which will mean you'll be back on ebay buying whole HID sealed beam unit....

 

Thanks for the help everyone, ordered 6000k D1S bulbs from iJDMtoy today. Recommended, competitive price and got 10% with an easily accessed coupon code

Tim: I'm not sure what you mean by the adjuster tab? When I pulled the one bulb out the first time I managed to drop the metal safety bracket into the abyss (replaced with electrical tape) but I didn't see many pieces that would break off...

 

Crikey, you'll need to find that metal loop that holds the bulb in place. Plastic electrical tape will last about 2s before melting! Also there is good chance that the piece of metal floating around there will either short something out or end up being visible when it slides to the front of the headlight.

You've already discovered how difficult and tight access is to these headlights. I would seriously recommend you take off the front bumper (searc h the forum, 1/2 hour tops), remove the sealed-beam units (2 minutes per side) and work on this on a bench where you can see what you are doing and recover the lost piece.

Finally what is was referring to is the fragility of the holder that the bulb slots into. The holder is connected to a whole frame inside the light that has the lens and dispersion shaper and is tied to 2 stepper motors for X & Y light beam adjustment. Any rough handling of the bulb, such as pushing or wiggling, will lead to the adjuster tabs to the stepper motors breaking - they are thin pieces of plastic and go brittle with the heat of the bulb and age. The end result is a drooping headlight and an even more expensive fix. You need to get the tabs in the bulb lined up with the holder before you insert the bulb and use a small mirror and light so you can see what you are doing, if you choose not to remove the whole sealed beam unit from the car.

Although changing the bulb should not a difficult process, it can be very fiddly and the dangers of damaging the light are very real.

Good luck

- Tim

 

@04XJwpg, I have only just installed the ijdmtoy 6000k D1S bulbs. In comparrison to the failing and flassing intermittant ones they replaced, they work much better! I am glad the ballasts seem ok. I do not think they have any/much blue tint and are fine. Some other post I saw a user that has had them 1.5 years and no issues.

I did not install from the top and elected to remove the bumper.
While there are only about 8-10 torx screws to remove, nothing and no one prepared me for how hard I had to pull the bumper away from the guard. O do not normally like to use much force.

In any case, I was much happier changing the bulbs after removing the bumper and it gave me a chance to see what was under it and clean out underneath.

 

I just changed the bulbs (H1S) and did it from the top. Need to be patient. I also dropped the metal clip and used safety to hold cover in place. Wound up replacing the turn signal/headlight switch to fully correct problem.

 

The clip I lost isn't the large one that holds the cover in place, but is instead the small one that holds the bulb in place within the cover.

I will probably remove the bumper anyways just to get inside and see whats going on, but will decide how much time I have to fiddle around when my bulbs arrive.

 

It took me about one hour start to finish to remove the bumper cover and headlamp, replace the arc capsule, and reassemble.