C5 X7 DRL bulb replacement guide

[nevdixon]

Just after acquiring my 2008 (58) C5 VTR+ the passenger side DRL bulb blew – not a problem I thought – I’ve got loads of spare bulbs in the garage and bound to have one that’ll fit - only to find that you can only get the bulb from Citroen for approx £38!!!!
After Googling and translating many French websites it became apparent that although this is a common problem and there are no direct replacement aftermarket parts, common fixes or How To’s to help owners in the same position so I thought I would document my version of a “fix” to help out the community – so here goes!!

1. Removal of existing bulbs.
According to Citroen, in order to remove / replace the DRL’s on a C5 X7 you have to remove the bumper – NOT TRUE.
The drivers side bulb can easily be removed with the use of a T45 Torx and a bit of Blu Tac. Access to the bulb is quite easy and needs to be loosened a ¼ turn with the T45 Torx but due to the design of the bulb holder there is nothing to get hold of to remove the bulb holder. Que the Blu Tac. Feel for the Torx hole in the bottom of the bulb holder and stuff it full of Blu Tac then insert the T45 Torx bit again and with a bit of a wiggle the bulb holder will come out.
Removal of the passenger side is exactly the same but the access is a lot harder unless you have additional joints in your arms!! The solution is to remove the battery for increased access space then removal is exactly the same as the drivers side.

2. Replacement bulbs
After searching ebay and many other sites I decided to try 2 options – an LED option and a Halogen option.
For the LED option I chose the following G4 LED bulb from ebay (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/G4-26-SMD-352 ... OC:GB:3160) for £1.99
and for the Halogen I chose the following G4 bulb from Screwfix (http://www.screwfix.com/p/halogen-capsu ... of-5/70825) at 5 for £4.18.
Once the original bulbs are removed from the car they can carefully be removed from the holders by prizing apart the plastic tabs on the holders.

The new bulbs just push in to the holders (for the LED bulbs the –ve pin goes nearest the tab on the holder). They can be glued in place but I think it is going to take a hell of a lot of vibration to shake them loose but up to you.


3. Refitting in the car
In true Haynes fashion, refitting is the reverse of removal the only difference is that the bulb holders can be tightened by hand. Refit the battery, start the car and bask in the knowledge that instead of spending between £38 and £76 you have replaced both bulbs for less than £5.

Below is a picture of the car with a LED bulb in the passenger side and an Halogen bulb in the drivers side.

Personally I thought that the 2W LED was a bit dim so I went with two Halogens (bottom pic) but I’m going to have a look for some 5W or 7W LEDs to see if they are any better


Hope this Helps someone out

Cheers

Nev

[qprdude]

That is brilliant. I was almost dreading finding a DRL bulb blown. No problems so far, but your method and bulb selection will certainly be a big help, cheers.

[Will]

Thanks - a really handy guide. Quick question re DRLs - do they stay on when the main headlights are switched on? Reason I am asking is that I have had no luck in getting mine switched on yet (Dec 2008 C5 VTR+). One dealer declared that the bulbs were blown and quoted a ridiculous amount to replace the bulbs, (which didn't need doing as I had checked them previously, and ignored the fact that the DRL option was missing entirely from the parameters menu). Another dealer spent an hour on it plugged into the computer (FOC, can't fault Duxford Service station for their customer service!) but they didn't manage it - concluding that it may be an issue with the BSI of the car (worrying!). I guess DRL function just might not be available on my model/age?

So I thought why not just connect them up taking a feed from somewhere that is always on with ignition with a relay, but I don't know what the regs are for using DRLs with normal headlights too.

If any of that makes sense!

[nevdixon]

The DRL's turn off when either side lights or head lights are turned on.

Mine's a Dec 08 model and also has no option in the parameters menu but the DRL's are activated.

Have you tried the simple stuff like the fuse or removing the bulbs and cleaning the contacts?

Nev

[qprdude]

They will be there mate,you just need go the right place,of find someone with a Lexia near you.You can do a BSI reset if need be, but I doubt if that's the problem. Look up the lexia thread and check the map for a helpful member locally

[Zvekics]

Oh man you saved me after so many years. Thx a lot for this info