Halogen bulbs

[planehazza]

Hi all,

Got a main headlight bulb out so going to replace both with a new set. What halogen bulbs would you recommend?

Thanks!

[littleade]

I've got Osram Nightbreaker extremes in mine from Amazon or there's Philips extreme visions if you prefer those. Either will be brighter than the standard bulbs but not as good as zenons

[planehazza]

Haven't got xenons. Assume I'd need a whole new setup and vcds programming for that?

Edited 17 June, 2015 by planehazza

[littleade]

Haven't got xenons. Assume I'd need a whole new setup and vcds programming for that?

I don't know how you'd go about converting to zenons TBH, but it will be a big job so probably isn't worth the effort even if it's possible to do. If you do decide on buying some bulbs online I'd get them direct from Amazon rather than fleebay to avoid the possibility of getting fake ones.

[ryan-re]

Philips xtreme visison 130%. Got these as my main beam and are awesome

[Nikonite]

Not sure about the facelift but I got a none canbus set of Xenons for my pre fl  from ebay for £28 and fitted in 20 minutes, bit of vcds coding and I was done. The seller was called London colour or something and was recommended by the nice folk on here. Had no issues with them at all. There are loads of threads about it on here just search xenons.

[abarth_1200]

Philips xtreme visison 130%. Got these as my main beam and are awesome

+1 on Philips extreme vision, although in have the 100% bulbs they are very bright and white! comparable to my xenons.

Have been through halfords, ring and Osram night breakers, don't get anything else but Philips

[ryan-re]

The 130% are the latest in the extreme vision range.

If you do go for them make sure they are 130% version as the old version is still sold in many places much cheaper

[mikey vrs]

The 130% are the latest in the extreme vision range.

If you do go for them make sure they are 130% version as the old version is still sold in many places much cheaper

Do you know roughly what you paid for them? i have aftermarket xexons fitted & the dip beam is great but the main beam not so now so im tempted to try some of these. Are they just a straight swop,no wiring modifcations required due to the extra brightness?Is it H7 bulbs  for main beam?  

[ryan-re]

H1 for main beam iirc

I paid about £22 for them

[Guest]

www.regalautobulbs.co.uk/product/109/H1_COBALT_II#.VYKiKjNw1kc

[Jelibeli]

Check the life expectancy of the high output bulbs - I has Osram Nightbreaker Unlimiteds fitted, and when I calculated how many miles I drive at night, they weren't worth having (150h life was used up in 15 weeks).  I got through a few sets of bulbs a year, as opposed to one set lasting several years.

 

EDIT: a this is more relevant to the dipped beam bulb, not the main beam...

Edited 18 June, 2015 by Jelibeli

[RainbowFire]

Check the life expectancy of the high output bulbs - I has Osram Nightbreaker Unlimiteds fitted, and when I calculated how many miles I drive at night, they weren't worth having (150h life was used up in 15 weeks).  I got through a few sets of bulbs a year, as opposed to one set lasting several years.

 

The lamp that burns twice as bright, burns half as long.

[Fr0d]

On my car - Ring Xenon Ultima 120%, 

 

Way cheaper than some other branded halogens and so far, have lasted a year and a half. 

 

Pretty good usable light, but no good if you're a part of the "they're too yellow, innit" demographic.

[ryan-re]

Check the life expectancy of the high output bulbs - I has Osram Nightbreaker Unlimiteds fitted, and when I calculated how many miles I drive at night, they weren't worth having (150h life was used up in 15 weeks).  I got through a few sets of bulbs a year, as opposed to one set lasting several years.

 

EDIT: a this is more relevant to the dipped beam bulb, not the main beam...

on a product like headlight bulbs are you really saying you will buy cheap because they are dimmer and last longer?

Thats like saying I will buy hard compound cheap tyres because although they dont grip they last longer

[planehazza]

When people say main beam are they talking headlight or full beams? My octy is a vrs so no sides...

[ryan-re]

I think a lot of people say main beam when they mean dipped beam

[littleade]

Regarding the life expectancy I've changed both main and dipped beam and had the Night breaker extremes in mine for over 2 years without any of them blowing yet.

[Jelibeli]

on a product like headlight bulbs are you really saying you will buy cheap because they are dimmer and last longer?

Thats like saying I will buy hard compound cheap tyres because although they dont grip they last longer

Not at all, and I didn't mention price either.  I gave a viewpoint from my own experience without offering judgement, just information.  I also mentioned that I bought several sets of those bulbs, so if I didn't appreciate the point of them, I would have stopped at one set.

 

Please be careful with your assumptions about people.

[Nikonite]

Nothing safe about driving with a headlight out on the motorway at night. Worse still changing one on the hard shoulder, that's presuming you even had one handy. If I did a lot of driving at night I'd want longer lasting vs brighter lamps too. People buy what suits them based on what they want vs what they can afford. I don't buy the best tyres but I drive within my limits,different strokes for different folks.

[paddypaws]

I have HIDs in my FL Scout for 2 years and do a lot of night driving. They are fantastic. However the strike voltage of 25k is death to sensitive electronics if it gets to the wrong place. My guess is there is always chance that this strike voltage could flash over damage the cars BCM in unforeseen  circumstances like faulty ballasts or damp ingress. Put the ballast inside the headlight and code properly.

Edited 19 June, 2015 by paddypaws

[softscoop]

Is there something different on the factory xenons that would stop the bcm being fried? Or is it just down to pure luck that some HID kits are drawing more power on occasion.

[paddypaws]

I think we would be seeing lots of posts if HIDS regularly were damaging FL controllers. but we're not. Lots of members on here have done it.  In this thread :

 http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/264447-hid-aftermaket-kit-help-for-definitive-how-to/page-9?hl=+hid%20+how  people with FLs were having success with coding byte 4 bit 14, which is what mine needed done to it. 

 

As I say my HIDs have been in over 2 years with a lot of use, and I just leave the headlights in auto, so they come on all the time when going under bridges etc. If it was going to damage anything due to incompatibility in my cars electronics It would have happened by now. A semi conductor will fry immediately if it is over driven. or sees static discharge (like the 25k strike voltage of a HID).  I know there have been a couple of reports of damage to BCMs, but whose to say it was the definitely the HIDs? It could be so many causes, a duff batch of ballasts, a duff batch of BCMs possibly? My money is on duff installs or damp causing the 25Kv strike to flash over or possibly poor insulation / isolation in the electronics of the ballast. In my case it certainly is possible to successfully fit HIDS to a FL.

Edited 20 June, 2015 by paddypaws

[Guest ProfesorDeBuceo]

I 'm not convinced.  There have been far too many instances of HIDS frying  BCM  units . I personally know of one member on here whose  BCM blew within a couple of days of fitting the HIDs.  The  BCM was replaced under warranty having put the halogens back in,  and another attempt made to fit the HIDs again.  And within 48 hours the BCM was fried again.  Fortunately that was replaced under warranty again. That was a 62 plate  VRS. And yes the coding was correct and a non-canbus kit used. 

 

This was the main decider for me to refuse to get involved in HID coding on anything else that has a BCM. 

 

Mike 

 

Mike has summed it up, not much for me to add, except that I don't believe in "3rd time lucky" so I didn't push it any further.

[paddypaws]

Its Inconclusive. Can't just says its a problem with all Facelifts, that's patently untrue. We need to know why this has happened in some cases. There are plenty of FL members have done this successfully..

Edited 20 June, 2015 by paddypaws