BMW Car Club Forum Homepage
The BMW Car Club
of Great Britain & Ireland
Forum Rules
Contact Forum Admin
Join the Club
Forum Home Forum Home > Cars & Registers > 1-series
  New Posts New Posts RSS Feed - Bulb Change
  FAQ FAQ  Forum Search   Events   Register Register  Login Login

*** BMW Car Club GB website - see https://bmwcarclubgb.uk/ ***

*** Looking to buy or sell? ~ Checkout our BMW Car Club GB classifieds ***


Bulb Change

 Post Reply Post Reply
Author
Message
Chopped View Drop Down
Forum Member
Forum Member
Avatar

Joined: 10 Jan 2016
Location: Hook, Hants
Status: Offline
Points: 43
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Chopped Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: Bulb Change
    Posted: 31 Jan 2016 at 2:57pm
I bought this set of bulbs for my car:  H7 H7 H11 501 100w Super White Xenon HID High/Low/Fog/Side Light Bulbs Set

I've just checked in the manual & it says 12v 55w for all bulbs,  Is this ok to have 100w bulbs in or could it do some damage.
Back to Top
Sponsored Links
BMW Car Club Forum Homepage

Back to Top
RParkinson View Drop Down
Club Member
Club Member
Avatar

Joined: 28 Nov 2012
Location: North Yorkshire
Status: Offline
Points: 183
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote RParkinson Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 31 Jan 2016 at 6:00pm
100W bulbs may well get too hot and start to melt or burn things, they are also illegal for road use in the UK.
2013 F06 M6 Gran Coupe
2003 E39 M5
1980 E26
Back to Top
Chopped View Drop Down
Forum Member
Forum Member
Avatar

Joined: 10 Jan 2016
Location: Hook, Hants
Status: Offline
Points: 43
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Chopped Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 21 Feb 2016 at 3:45pm
Changed the 100W bulbs for the standard 55w Super White bulbs, so much brighter than the standard ones.
Back to Top
Mike Fishwick View Drop Down
Forum Member
Forum Member
Avatar

Joined: 04 Aug 2006
Location: France
Status: Offline
Points: 2742
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Mike Fishwick Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14 Jul 2016 at 2:54pm
Orignial bulbs are usually of the 'Long Life' type, where brightness is sacrificed for life, so reducing the manufacturer's liability to replace bulbs under warranty.  If you look closely you will find something like 'Philips H7 LL' on the back of the mounting flange, this denoting a Long Life bulb.

Once power exceeds about 85 watts the larger filament makes focussing very difficult, the law of diminishing returns coming in.  The  current taken by a 100 watt bulb is double that of a 50 watt bulb, which causes additional voltage drops in the wiring, and increased load on the switches and relays.  These bulbs generally do not focus well, most of the additional power being lost by poor beam control, so producing dazzle to annoy approaching drivers.

Another problem is that most of these bulbs are made in anonymous factories in the  far east or eastern europe, and in spite of the 'EC' marking they do not comply with its requirements.  This applies to most bulbs, including Ring, Bosch, PIAA, Lucas, Halfords etc etc.  Only buy bulbs marked as Philips, Osram, or Sylvania, which are properly made, with correctly-aligned filaments.


A Z3 is not just for Christmas - it's for life!
Back to Top
 Post Reply Post Reply

Forum Jump Forum Permissions View Drop Down

Forum Software by Web Wiz Forums® version 12.03
Copyright ©2001-2019 Web Wiz Ltd.

This page was generated in 0.109 seconds.