After 12 years my driver side low beam headlight is out. Manual says Halogen H7 Long Life 55W 12V. Dealer wants $28.89 for the bulb! Found many Sylvania H7 bulbs at Walmart. Decided to get the standard one for under $10.00. Sylvania now makes 7 different H7 bulbs! After researching, it seems the whiter, brighter ones have much shorter lifespan 125 vs. 270 hrs. I will replace both sides since the new one will probably look brighter anyway. O’Reilly lists a Sylvania H7 Long Life but not available & have not seen it anywhere & not on the Sylvania web site. I’m hoping my new bulb will last another 12 years <GRIN>

My manual says to pinch/squeeze the plastic tabs to release bulb holder so can pull it back. The tabs don’t move! I’m ready to try tools but, concerned about breaking plastic parts. The low beams are in the center of the outer headlights. Easy enough to view but a bit cramped for large hands especially the tab on the outer edge.

Any suggestions for easy removal or comments on my choice of bulb?

 

sylvania silverstar ultra bulbs are nice and bright, that's what I got when one of my bulbs went out a while back. the manual is right, you can use a heat gun/hairdyer/a hot day or work on this after driving the car to warm up the plastic and make it more bendable without breaking

 

Thanks, I don’t doubt that the Bulbs you got from Sylvania are bright & nice & certainly their top of the line. But their own web site shows a much shorter life than their standard bulbs. I bought 2 Standard ones from Walmart & will attempt to install again later when it cools down. It was 110 today so, I doubt I need the hairdryer <GRIN>
I think I’ll try inserting a screw driver & prying the bulb holder off on one side while I press down on that tab which I now think does move but still cannot pull out the bulb holder. This AM I tried the other side to see & same issue. If I stick my hand in & just push with 1 finger on the inner tab I see it move in. If I put my hand in & squeeze both tabs I cannot see anything as my hand blocks my view. The tabs & bulb holder are black & they appear to grip a white circular plastic ring which must be the housing that the bulb holder fits into. I wonder if I must just pull harder.

Would all the X308s use the same exact bulb holder assembly? I hope others chime in with their experiences.

When I changed out an ignition coil I had a similar issue where the clip didn’t want to release & I had to squeeze while prying with a screwdriver.

Wish I could get both hands in there and see.

 

I broke off one of the tabs with the screwdriver before I was able to remove the bulb holder on the outer headlight.

I changed the bulb and was able to push the holder back into position and it is still holds it securely in there.

Plastic tabs are very brittle and it was hard for me to sqeeze them enough to release the bulb holder.

I used the screwdriver butt to push the bulb holder back into the headlight housing.

Jim Lombardi

 

Hi Jim,

Well that sucks! So did you deliberately break off the tab to release the bulb holder or were you trying to pry it out, as I plan, & it just broke?

 

I think you should try to wiggle them as much as possible - I did this last fall for the first time in a while and one of mine was stuck a bit. I drive with my headlights on as DRL so mine have been replaced a few times in the past 10 years.

One comment on the Silverstar Ultra's -- They were on sale with a rebate so I picked up two two sets last fall for about $60.00. They are whiter than the standard bulbs .... and made more of a difference in my Mercedes wagon then the Jaguar .... but I have had both of the bulbs fail on the Mercedes ....it is used more. Sylvania sent me a replacement pack when I called them -- they have a one year warranty -- but they don't last very long.

 

Iconoclast
No, I did not purposely break the tab on the bulb holder. I was using the flat slot screwdriver to try to press the tab in on the left side of the bulb holder when it snapped off.

I figured if I could get the left side tab catch released, then I would be able to get the right side tab free and pull the bulb holder out.

I have not had a problem with the bulb holder coming out, it is still in there.

Jim Lombardi

 

Success! I got both replaced! 90 degrees in garage 6:00 AM, will be 114 today.

Key is to do one side of bulb holder at a time. If I stick my hand in & just push with 1 finger on the inner tab, I see it move in. If I put my hand in & squeeze both tabs I cannot see anything as my hand blocks my view. The tabs & bulb holder are black & they grip/fit into a white circular plastic ring which is the housing that the bulb holder fits into.

So, push tab with one finger or use big screw driver flat of blade to push in hard to loosen up. Then use 2 fingers or index + thumb to push in hard on that one tab which is inner tab that I can see. While pushed in, rock bulb holder back & forth & up & down to loosen it. Eventually you will feel that one side move & pop out a slight amount. Then grab both tabs squeezing to push them BOTH in & rock side to side & it should suddenly come out! Note which part is the top, not sure you can replace holder upside down.

Wiggle old bulb out & make sure you use rubber gloves when handling new bulb so no finger oils or dirt gets on halogen bulb. The bulb itself as you can see has prongs similar to an A/C plug. It does not fit exactly flush with the bulb holder. It gets close. Not sure if the polarity matters since both prongs/tabs of the bulb are the same. Much like lamp cords used to be decades ago, b4 the newer polarized plugs. When you have fitted the new bulb, I would test it b4 you replace the holder back in that assembly in case it doesn’t work & you need to remove it again. Maybe the bulb holders will now quickly & easily come out & maybe it will be a pain once again.

Hope this helps other non-mechanics who DIY headlight bulb change first time.

 

Yeldogt,

You posted your reply as I was out in my garage working on the bulb change! I think if you had posted a day earlier, I would have wiggled the holder more & probably got it done a day earlier!


Re The Ultras, Even if the bulb change is easy, having 1/2 the life means changing twice as often. So, you are going to be driving with one light out twice as often. And how long till you realize a light is out?
I drive with front fog lights on at night so I’m more visible even with one low beam off. Never use the rear fog lights as they are too bright.

OEM is Long Life H7. Don’t think these are available anymore. At least not from Sylvania. Sylvania says standard last 270 hrs. & Ultra last 125 hrs. I wonder how long the (unavailable) Long Life ones last?

My OEM lasted 12 years. I don’t drive that often at night but at least a few times per week for maybe an hour. I’m guessing I will not get 12 years out of these new ones.

My old OEM bulb markings:


GERMANY
C008 (tiny 06 or 08 & small c underneath) H7 12V 55W UDOT 12972
E1 inside a rectangular border 22Z

 

Bringing back a dead thread here. My driver's side low beam is out, I got the bulb holder out but the bulb will not budge. I tried wiggling it side to side with my hands then with pliers, it didn't move at all. Am I missing something obvious here? I feel like an idiot.

 

In case it matters the car is an 02 xj8

 

So you have the plastic connection off of the bulb -- and the electrical connection is off? The bulbs do stick. You may have to wiggle it more -- or slightly tap it.

 

No I have the plastic housing that the bulb is set in pulled apart from whole headlight housing. The bulb is exposed and I'm assuming it should just pull out. It's not. What am I missing here? I used pliers until the bulb itself started to crack. I don't know how much more pressure I could really give it. The bulb was changed less than 6 months ago.

 

You have done most of the work. Look at the replacement bulb you bought & you’ll see it has 2 prongs just like plugging in a lamp into an extension cord. Your old bulb does pull straight out--it must just be “stuck.”

Can you grip it w/o holding the glass? Maybe one of those rubber holders designed to unscrew stuck lids on jars? Also I wonder if there is some liquid you can spray safe for electrical connections that cleans & lubricates? I don’t know if WD-40 or Silicone spray is safe for electrical connections.

Good luck, you’ll get it.