Dredging up this thread. I replaced both halo bulbs yesterday with the silly-priced factory bits. The DS bulb had burned out (48K miles, 2007 car) and I decided to both at the same time. Good thing too because the PS bulb looked like it was not long for the world. I recommend doing both if you're doing one.
Now that I have two 'spare' bulb/housing assemblies I may do some experimentation with other bulb types. If so I'll be sure to post my results. But to be honest the new factory bits are pretty white, certainly much whiter than the old ones, so I'm not in a hurry to change them out.
R&R tips:
- I rolled the car up onto 2x12 blocks to give me a bit more room to work. I think it helped. (I was able to turn the wheels while they were on the blocks.)
- Pay attention to orientation. When removing the cover from the back of the headlight assembly, remember which way it was turned and angled in order to clear other objects. When removing the bulb, look at the assembly in your hand as soon as you remove it; one of the ears is larger than the other. Maintaining the same orientation when replacing these parts will make installation much easier.
- The bulb housing has two large ears that fix the assembly in place. The ears are large enough to grab with one's fingers; no need for tools. (I have average sized hands.)
- I used a mechanic's mirror-on-a-stick to take a look inside the headlight assembly before attempting removal. (The OP mentions using a phone camera for the same purpose.) Highly recommended.
- Rotate the assembly approximately 1/8 turn to release it.
- DON'T TOUCH THE NEW BULB. If you do, clean it with alcohol before installing. It's a halogen bulb; oil from one's fingers can contaminate the quartz housing and cause it to fail prematurely.
- The bulb/housing assembly will pretty easily find its way back into place if oriented correctly. Once inserted, another 1/8 turn clockwise will lock it in.
- It's really not that hard to do. Once I worked out the kinks on the DS I had the PS replaced in a couple of minutes.