Changing a daylight driving H8 bulb in the BMW X5 35D

Posted By on July 8, 2017

BMWX5H8BulbYou’ll need a small hand with a good grip to change the daytime running light bulbs in the sardine like corners of a BMW X5 35D, and assume other models. That doesn’t mean you can wiggle around and tweak a tool or two to fix and assist, but smaller hands would make the process a bit easier. 

I ended up using a large adjustable wrench to help break the seal loose on the cap that covers the headlight compartment. Once open, the first bulb is the H8 daytime running light. Since I was not upgrading to brighter lights or a different color, an inexpensive $9.99 halogen replacement is fine.

I was able to twist the old bulb out, but the pigtail on the locking plug was not easy to hang onto while trying to unclip. I ended up wrapping the tip of my needle nose pliers with a little padding (electrical tape) and was able to hold onto the plug while snapping in the new bulb (don’t touch the new bulb with your hands). Once twisting the bayonet bulb back in place and resealing the cavity cover with a finger tight twist, pat yourself on the back because you just saved over $100 and a trip to the BMW dealership.

BMWX5DaytimeRunningLight

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