low beam headlight

[henzilla]

Having the ability to change ones bulb on the road must be OK as a DIY since the how-to is in my Owners Manual and doesn't say "Take it to the dealer".

I'll look for the certificate on the BMW techs wall saying he attended bulb changing school.
Have a few longtime tech friends who have also broken the bulb retainer, must have missed the training

 

[36654]

Having the ability to change ones bulb on the road must be OK as a DIY since the how-to is in my Owners Manual and doesn't say "Take it to the dealer".

I'll look for the certificate on the BMW techs wall saying he attended bulb changing school.
Have a few longtime tech friends who have also broken the bulb retainer, must have missed the training

Overheard at the Honda shop..........

"How many BMW techs does it take to change a light bulb?"

 

[rocketmanli]

That's why I had the R1200RT H7 bulb clips manufactured. I snapped one leg off, called the dealer and was told I had to buy an entire headlight assembly to get a clip. Obviously someone, somewhere in the planet manufactures the clip and sticks it into the assembly before BMW installs it in a bike. Nobody would tell me anything, so I had them built myself.

I sold a few at my cost, kept a few for a rainy day, and sold the rest to Mike at Beemer Boneyard to re-sell. The one I had made fits a few BMW models with a little tweaking, but there are so many models, and so many different clip configurations & dimensions, it is mind boggling.

I like and support the dealer network, but kind of feel good when someone here can buy a cheap new bulb retaining clip that I had made, and saves $700 on a new headlight assembly.

 

[rockbottom]

Why is the RTW so hard on bulbs?

I don't know that it is. I wondered why I'm on my fourth on a 2014 but I looked at the bulb packaging and the estimated life is around 130 hours, and that's about what I'm getting.

And my beef isn't with the design but with the difficulty in getting to it. I could change a bulb in my R1200R in less than five minutes on the side of the road. That ought to be the standard for all motorcycles.

 

[rockbottom]

I like and support the dealer network, but kind of feel good when someone here can buy a cheap new bulb retaining clip that I had made, and saves $700 on a new headlight assembly.

I'm pretty sure if I broke off the clip and my only option was to buy a $700 headlight assembly, I'd just ride it to the Triumph or Ducati dealer and take what I could get for it in trade.

 

[36654]

That's why I had the R1200RT H7 bulb clips manufactured. I snapped one leg off, called the dealer and was told I had to buy an entire headlight assembly to get a clip. Obviously someone, somewhere in the planet manufactures the clip and sticks it into the assembly before BMW installs it in a bike. Nobody would tell me anything, so I had them built myself.

I sold a few at my cost, kept a few for a rainy day, and sold the rest to Mike at Beemer Boneyard to re-sell. The one I had made fits a few BMW models with a little tweaking, but there are so many models, and so many different clip configurations & dimensions, it is mind boggling.

I like and support the dealer network, but kind of feel good when someone here can buy a cheap new bulb retaining clip that I had made, and saves $700 on a new headlight assembly.

Apparently, it's a fairly common replacement part in the UK,

http://www.ebay.com/itm/BMW-UNIVERSAL-HEADLIGHT-BULB-RETAINING-SPRING-CLIP-H1-H3-H4-H7-/331623425495

But thanks for giving us an option via BeemerBoneYard.

I have a good relationship with my local car shop and they usually point me in a better direction when faced with the ....... "the clip broke so you need to buy the whole assembly" dilemma. It happens with all brands, not just BMW.

 

[greenwald]

I just replaced the low beam headlight on my 2014 RTW. Is this supposed to be this difficult or is it just me.

No .. it's not you. There are legions of frustrated owners out there.

Suggest you take out stock in Band-Aid LLC.

When engineers design a light-bulb replacement mechanism to be this annoying (or profitable for them?), they need to be sent back to the drawing boards ASAP.

 

[36654]

When engineers design a light-bulb replacement mechanism to be this annoying (or profitable for them?), they need to be sent back to the drawing boards ASAP.

No, the "engineer" needs to be sent back to his CAD station and the design team lead needs to be fired.

Flogging the workers for stupid management decisions is pointless.

 

[greenwald]

No, the "engineer" needs to be sent back to his CAD station and the design team lead needs to be fired.

Flogging the workers for stupid management decisions is pointless.

My apologies to the workers.

I concur with your assessment.

 

[rocketmanli]

Apparently, it's a fairly common replacement part in the UK,

I bought that exact item first and none of the clips came even close to working. Legs either too long, too close or too far apart. No matter what I tried, none of that assortment would work.

 

[36654]

I bought that exact item first and none of the clips came even close to working. Legs either too long, too close or too far apart. No matter what I tried, none of that assortment would work.

Good to know.

 

[jamesevans]

you could try the Philips Longlife EcoVision H7 Headlight Bulbs available from http://www.powerbulbs.com/ca/product/philips-eco-vision-h7-car-headlight-bulbs. They seem like a good price and claim 4x the life.

 

[rockbottom]

you could try the Philips Longlife EcoVision H7 Headlight Bulbs available from http://www.powerbulbs.com/ca/product/philips-eco-vision-h7-car-headlight-bulbs. They seem like a good price and claim 4x the life.

Interesting but the Amazon reviews on it are sort of mixed.

 

[cjlam]

After bleeding from the knuckles, I decided to step back and look at the instrument cluster on my 06 RT. I noticed that the screws are T25 torx. I removed them and gently pried open the surround on the cluster and viola! Successful access to both sides for the headlight bulbs. Try it !

Then there is that way..


Should have read this earlier..

 

[vegasbeemerguy]

LOW BEAM bulb change

FYI I'm on my 3rd bulb at 39k plus. They last about 16-17K then their done unless you ride on very rough roads, which I did w/ the last one that only lasted about 5,500 miles.
You have to change the thing blindly by feel.
Reach up from the front and feel for the plastic cover. Rotate it clockwise and it comes right off.
The hard part is the connector on the bulb is so dam tight that it doesn't want to come off the bulb.
Once it's off then unclip the left clip then the right clip and out it comes.
Replacing the bulb is not too bad. Get it in place and feel for the clip on each side. latch one, then the other, then plug the plug onto the new bulb. Lastly put the plastic cover back on and turn it, counter clockwise to place.
DONE! It really should only take about 5 minutes once you get the hang of it?

 

[BMW Triumphant]

Is the clip easy to get off and then on? For putting the first clip on, is this a two handed job or does the bulb click into place and stay?

I know, I should just try it. But, with the stories about the clip, it's kinda scary for hamfisted types...

 

[jamesevans]

First time is the worst. It's not that bad.

 

[KenDittrick]

Would this one work http://www.beemerboneyard.com/r12h7bulbclip.html ?

Jay

Beemer Boneyard works but the cheapest shipping method (USPS) quotes $33.00 to ship it to Canada - shameful for a product that is very small and is almost weightless!

 

[ncpbmw1953]

If the RTW's headlamp retention mechanism is the same as my '13 F800GT's then...

...this is a killer solution to breaking the bloody awful plastic tabs off which eventually WILL HAPPEN!

http://f800riders.org/forum/showthread.php/89829-Headlight-beam-mounting-clip

My local dealer makes something a lot like this which is what BMW should have done in the first place!

Cheers

 

[exgman]

Center (Low-Beam) Bulb Replacement on 2015 R1200RT

I was halfway home to Boston from the Fontana Rally when my center (low-beam) bulb failed. I read through the earlier posts on this thread, and decided to bite the bullet (so to speak) and see if an Eastern Virginia dealer could handle it for me. Long story short, Adventure BMW in Chesapeake, VA jumped right on it, and I was in and out in less than an hour. They charged $52.50 for half an hour labor, and $15.64 for the H7 bulb. Also on my bill was $2.63 for shop supplies which maybe was for the Band-Aids for the technician? I dunno...

Anyway, if I didn't have 600 miles to go and a severe weather warning pending, I'd have waited to do this in my garage (with no grandkids present). As it was, kudos to Adventure BMW for their quick work!

FWIW, this RT had been in service for almost exactly one year when the bulb failed with 7550 miles on the ODO. Of course, much of that was on the glass-smooth roads of Massachusetts.