Interesting find...BRIGHT sidemarker wedge bulb found

[GTS Jeff]

So I was looking into replacing my OEM dome lights with LEDs, so I wanted to search the OEM bulb specs to form a basis for comparison...to see just how much output would be lost in going to LED over the incandescents. To my surprise, I've uncovered a wedge bulb that is brighter than even W5Ws!



Here is the site that helped me to locate the bulb:

http://realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?...69&hg=63&fg=30

Then with some googling, I found specs on this bulb:

http://html.alldatasheet.com/html-pd...1/1260XLF.html

So it's 6W and xenon gas filled, and rated at 85 lumens. It fits where your typical 194, 168, or W5W normally would. And it should be easily/cheaply purchased at any BMW dealer. Suffice it to say, I won't be replacing these with LEDs anytime soon! But I thought I would pass along the find to anyone who wants to try these out to brighten their wedge bulbs. I'll be experimenting with these on my wife's car.

[Scheinwerfermann]

New source, but not new bulb. Osram #2886X is the 6w Xenon 85-lumen direct replacement for W5W, been the favorite upgrade replacement for W5W (168, 194, etc.) for quite a few years. 9mm bayonet-base version (replacing T4W) is 3886X, and double-ended festoon version (replacing C5W) is 6486X. All of them are about $4/ea at Candlepower and probably other vendors, too; I hesitate to imagine what BMW charges for it.

[GTS Jeff]

Very interesting...I wonder why this isn't more widely publicized...I've only come across W5W as being the brightest. Even on Daniel Stern's site..

And more interestingly...it would seem that BMW specs 10W festoon bulbs too. http://www.rmeuropean.com/Part-Numbe..._2439488A.aspx I guess BMW's interior lighting is already top notch...

But here's a cheaper source than CPI http://www.ecstuning.com/ES174578/

[Alaric Darconville]

I might get one for the trunk light in the Corolla. I've got a 921 in there now, but the little cage thingy won't close since the bulb is that much larger than the 194 that *should* go in there. (Nice and bright, though.)

[Qship1996]

New source, but not new bulb. Osram #2886X is the 6w Xenon 85-lumen direct replacement for W5W, been the favorite upgrade replacement for W5W (168, 194, etc.) for quite a few years. 9mm bayonet-base version (replacing T4W) is 3886X, and double-ended festoon version (replacing C5W) is 6486X. All of them are about $4/ea at Candlepower and probably other vendors, too; I hesitate to imagine what BMW charges for it.

Would this Osram 2886X also be a replacement for the #158 bulb which is 3-3.5 watts? My car uses the #158 in each door puddle/step light, and could use a little brighter bulb.

[Alaric Darconville]

Concerning the pictured bulb, is it going a bit too far to remove the labeling from it? You know, because it does add a bit of shadowing to the light and all that. What is the recommended process to do that with?

[Scheinwerfermann]

Would this Osram 2886X also be a replacement for the #158 bulb which is 3-3.5 watts? My car uses the #158 in each door puddle/step light, and could use a little brighter bulb.

Yes, probably without problems even if the puddle lights are cheap plastic items, because they're lit for such short periods of time.

[Scheinwerfermann]

Concerning the pictured bulb, is it going a bit too far to remove the labeling from it? You know, because it does add a bit of shadowing to the light and all that. What is the recommended process to do that with?

Wow...that's a level of obsession I haven't experienced. Maybe denatured alcohol would remove it? Personally, I wouldn't bother.

[Qship1996]

Time/usage will take care of that writing on the bulbs all by itself.My Infiniti Q45 came from the factory with Toshiba bulbs installed everywhere,and the wedge bulbs writing on them has faded so much that it is almost impossible to see. {good quality bulbs too, as almost every one of the interior bulbs{and outside side markers & tag lamps} are still original at 16 years and 283,000 miles of usage !

[Alaric Darconville]

Wow...that's a level of obsession I haven't experienced. Maybe denatured alcohol would remove it? Personally, I wouldn't bother.

OCD: I haz it. (Really, I do)

{good quality bulbs too, as almost every one of the interior bulbs{and outside side markers & tag lamps} are still original at 16 years and 283,000 miles of usage !

Probably good vibration control, and even better voltage regulation.

I wonder how much dimmer those bulbs have gotten, I'd almost expect them to look like black pearls. I took a set of bulbs out of my wife's car's license plate lights. One of the two had failed, both had this crazy coating inside the envelope that would have made for some nice jewelry.

[Alaric Darconville]

Somehow dupli-posted

[Qship1996]

OCD: I haz it. (Really, I do)



Probably good vibration control, and even better voltage regulation.

I wonder how much dimmer those bulbs have gotten, I'd almost expect them to look like black pearls. I took a set of bulbs out of my wife's car's license plate lights. One of the two had failed, both had this crazy coating inside the envelope that would have made for some nice jewelry.

Yes,if you place the old bulb on a white surface, you can see the glass has a grey/black tinge to it.Replaced the tail/stop and turn signal bulbs with Stanley 3496/3497 Krypton ones and the old 1156/1157s looked like smoked glass! the still working original Wedge bulbs are not as clear as new,but not too dark,and not in critical positions{ door puddle/footwell/glovebox/trunk,etc mostly courtesy lights....but I am considering replacing them all at the same time with the 2886X model.

Now, do they make a brighter bulb to replace a 921 too? Maybe a krypton version?

[GTS Jeff]

Or....a big fat 18 watter...http://www.1000bulbs.com/category/we...n-light-bulbs/ or 10W if you want to keep the same size.

[Alaric Darconville]

Now, do they make a brighter bulb to replace a 921 too? Maybe a krypton version?

Sadly, nothing to replace the 921. It would be nice to get a little extra oomph from my reverse lamps...

[Qship1996]

Yeah, most reverse lamps seem to provide inadequate lighting. I replaced mine with #796 35W halogen, and still feel like I am in the dark.....must be the aging process-I remember reading that a 50 year old needs 2x the light to see as well as a 30 year old person.

[Alaric Darconville]

Yeah, most reverse lamps seem to provide inadequate lighting. I replaced mine with #796 35W halogen, and still feel like I am in the dark

The 796 worked wonders for the Previa.

One thing I found that works well is making sure I'm night-adjusted before driving off. Sometimes it's harder to do-- when I leave a particular friend's house, he turns on the outside lights (so I close my firing eye until I've driven away). I also dim or turn off the dashboard lights.

I need to get some dark red goggles to wear while fueling the vehicle at night-- many gas stations have tons of dazzling light at nighttime. Maybe one dark red lens, and opaque for my firing eye. (That might be going overboard.)

[Bullzeyebill]

bshanahan14rulz, I deleted your post. If you want to talk about it, please PM me.

Bill