Hello,

So I was driving behind my friend's car tonight and he told me one of my headlights was out. So I went out and checked it and, sure enough, the passenger side HID bulb is burnt. I have a few questions: Where would I be able to find a stock replacement bulb? Can I purchase it at a local parts store or will I have to go to an Infinity dealership for it? Should I just go with an after market pair for both sides? How hard is it to change out the bulb for the passenger side? Sorry for the noob questions and not having time to do an actually thorough search. I just really want to get this problem fixed. Thank you.

 

Just go aftermarket. Go for 5600kor 6000k if you want to upgrade asthetics. 4300k? For stock look. I think you can get a pair of bulbs for about 50 to 100 or something like that. I believe the bulb type is D2S and you'll have to remove the wheelwell cover(I think that's what it's called). Pretty easy.

 

I am looking at installing some aftermarket 6000k bulbs. I am looking at bulbs on amazon and there are varying prices on each. Is there a recommendation on a really good brand? Thank you.

 

The best HID brands out there that OEMs use are Philips or Sylvania OSRAM. The best bulb out there currently the Philips Xenon X-tremeVision, which was just released last week, which you can only currently get in Europe. (85122XVS1) However, the Osram 66240 CBI is also highly desired, and it is a 5000k-5500k bulb. It is being sold as $160 a pair if you know where to look. Our bulb size is D2S.

You can get bulbs from www.theretrofitsource.com , or hit up www.hidplanet.com for more info. I wouldn't trust any other aftermarket bulb manufacturer and only go OEM. Aftermarkets have smaller hotspots, output less light, and do not last as long, and even once you go higher K, your visibility is reduced. I recommend going for the Osram 66240 CBI. I have it in my car and the output is amazing, much better than stock and bluer. It is the currently only 5000k-5500k bulb that can be obtained in the US that has the same lumen output as a 4300k stock bulb, meaning that the color is bluer but you don't lose visibility.

As for changing them, it should be easy. I just turn the wheel all the way to one side and go through the wheel well to replace the bulb. You just have to remove some clips that hold the wheel well in place. Otherwise, if you're not up to it, a local mechanic can do it for you for cheap.

Mercedes recently selected Osram 66240 CBI to use in their headlights. Acura uses Osram 66240 regular, and BMW uses either Osram or Philips in their cars for HID bulbs. Infiniti uses Koito bulbs from Japan as stock.

 

Thank you for the help. I am thinking of pulling the trigger on two of these:

 

They are the same ones Acura uses in their headlights, the Osram 66240 regular. Good choice! Just to warn you though, these lights will be yellow for quite a while before turning slightly blue. Also, be careful of fakes out there.

These are the exact same ones: http://www.theretrofitsource.com/pro...ducts_id=19311

 

Okay, im a little bit frustrated. I ordered both of the replacement bulbs. Tried the first one on the supposed broken one and no light. So I tried the other new one and it didn't work. Then i took out the driver side bulb and tried the new bulbs and they worked. Then I tried then I switched the passenger side bulb with the driver side bulb and the supposed burnt one worked. So I now know its not a bulb problem. I was hoping that it was.

Can you all tell me what may be the problem? I am afraid I will have to take it to the dealer ship and get raped on it. ouchhhhh. Please help.

 

Sounds like you have a ballast issue. You're going to have to get a used or new ballast off somewhere and take the headlight apart to install it.

If you're not tech savvy, then you might need to get a bodyshop or mechanic to do it for you.

This is what you need to get: http://www.theretrofitsource.com/pro...roducts_id=147

 

Double-check the connections, too. I know of a few folks who have loose connections either inside the housing or between housing and ballast.

Also, double-check to make sure there's no water inside the ballast. There's one version of the ballast (early '07's) that weren't sealed as well and it was easy for moisture to get into it. It's easy enough to dry out, but it is an inconvenience.

 

I am not very tech savvy and I don't really like to do a lot of the work myself. I have never worked on an Infinity before and I just don't feel comfortable take out the headlights or whatever else is involved to get the headlights off. I am just a bit frustrated and afraid to hear what the dealership wants to charge me to fix this problem. I made an appointment with Nissan because they were closer and hopefully a little bit cheaper than Infinity.

 

Well, I have given it a little bit of thought. I am going to be moving out of the country in about three months and my car will be in storage for at least a year. I am thinking I may give the DIY a try and remove the headlight and try that new ballast. Currently finishing off two more classes for my degree and currently unemployed. I am not sure if I can manage to shell out $500+ to let the dealership do the fixing for me.

How hard is it to remove the headlights? Will I need to remove the front bumper and all and how intensive would it be for a newbie such as myself?

 

Unless you take of this problem yourself, you are NOT going to like the $$$ the dealer is going to charge you. Removing the bumper and then headlight is not as hard as it sounds--just tedious. I'm sure there is a diy somewhere that can help you. You also need to do more trouble shooting. Are the other lights in the headlight OK? Did you check the fuse?

 

Well, the dealer will probably NOT change out the ballast for you. Currently the only way for the dealer to do this is to actually replace the whole headlight, in which the part alone will cost you $700 I believe. If you add in labor costs, you're going to be looking at at least $1000 to fix this at the dealer.

Removing the headlights does require you to remove the bumper. Also, the headlights are sealed with permaseal so you're going to have to heat it up to soften the seal so you can pry it open.

 

The other lights in the housing all work. It is just the HID that isn't working. I am pretty clueless when it comes to fuses so I am not sure which one to check.

Another thing is, I wasn't sure how to get the bulb out but had a general idea. I went ahead and squeezed on those two clamps holding the bulb and I broke the plastic pieces holding them in place. I am not sure if this will affect anything, but I was very discouraged after seeing that happen. I also did the same on the driver's side.

 

Permaseal and heating it up. How would I go about heating it up without damaging anything?