Has anyone upgraded their headlights, and if so what to?

I've upgraded my DRLs and sidelights to Cree/led style bulbs, but need to do something with the very yellow looking headlights now.

I normally put HIDs in, but with the Rapid not having a projector style lense I'm a bit worried that they will be too bright for oncoming traffic.

Looking for some suggestions and ideas please, looked into LED headlights, but again I'm not sure what they would be like in a none projector type lense. Has anyone fitted a set of them yet to the Rapid?

All the factory bulbs (headlights, side lights, DRLs) are very yellow and dull. I replaced all of mine with white Philips bulbs (not LED, just better normal bulbs).

Do a search, there is a recent thread in the Rapid section about it with links etc.

Cheers Chris, for some reason I can never get the search function to work.

Are you referring to a thread you started? http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/339495-bulb-recommendations/

I'll have a read through it.

Just been looking through the post you made about your sat nav upgrade, I'm very tempted to order one of them.

Early Xmas present to myself :-)

Cheers Chris, for some reason I can never get the search function to work.

Are you referring to a thread you started? http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/339495-bulb-recommendations/

I'll have a read through it.

Just been looking through the post you made about your sat nav upgrade, I'm very tempted to order one of them.

Early Xmas present to myself :-)

That's the thread - lots of good links to bulbs other members have used and recommend.

I'm really so pleased with the sat nav - wish I had bought it a year ago when I got the car. Thoroughly recommend it.

Not LED or HID upgrades, but I have recently changed my headlight, mainbeam/DRL and sidelight bulbs as I found my headlights too dim.

 

As I had them on previous cars and really liked the brighter, whiter light with far more 'reach' to the beam, I changed the dipped beam to Osram Nightbreaker Unlimited, the DRL/Mainbeam to Osram Cool Blue Intense (theres a limited choice fro upgraded H15 bulbs) and, purely for asthetics, the sidelights to phillips whitevision.

 

I can really tell the difference - The dipped beam is a vast improvement, full beam has more reach. The whitevision sidelights are okay - definately whiter rather than weak yellow. The Nightbreakers are blue tinted which reflects in the housing when the lights are off, but the light when they are on is mainly just white. Fitting was very easy compared with the Flash-Gordon style 'lair of the woodbeast' challenge needed to  change bulbs on my previous cars! (Mg ZT, BMW 3 series, Nissan Quamquat...). Much easier on the Rapid, once I realised the headlight bulb is accessed through a pop-out panel in the wheel arch which isn't mentioned in the owners manual.

 

I used 'Powerbulbs.co.uk' for the order. Their prices were very competetive, delivery was free, quick and there was a further online code for a discount. There's a 20% off code on their homepage now even.

Not LED or HID upgrades, but I have recently changed my headlight, mainbeam/DRL and sidelight bulbs as I found my headlights too dim.

 

As I had them on previous cars and really liked the brighter, whiter light with far more 'reach' to the beam, I changed the dipped beam to Osram Nightbreaker Unlimited, the DRL/Mainbeam to Osram Cool Blue Intense (theres a limited choice fro upgraded H15 bulbs) and, purely for asthetics, the sidelights to phillips whitevision.

 

I can really tell the difference - The dipped beam is a vast improvement, full beam has more reach. The whitevision sidelights are okay - definately whiter rather than weak yellow. The Nightbreakers are blue tinted which reflects in the housing when the lights are off, but the light when they are on is mainly just white. Fitting was very easy compared with the Flash-Gordon style 'lair of the woodbeast' challenge needed to  change bulbs on my previous cars! (Mg ZT, BMW 3 series, Nissan Quamquat...). Much easier on the Rapid, once I realised the headlight bulb is accessed through a pop-out panel in the wheel arch which isn't mentioned in the owners manual.

 

I used 'Powerbulbs.co.uk' for the order. Their prices were very competetive, delivery was free, quick and there was a further online code for a discount. There's a 20% off code on their homepage now even.

I know what you mean. The thing that really highlighted to me how ineffective the factory bulbs are was a late night drive back from a Briskoda meet in deepest, darkest Hampshire. Unlit, narrow country roads at 11pm and with dipped beams I couldn't see a damn thing. Full beams were better, but not a massive improvement and not ideal for oncoming traffic. Doing the exact same journey after I fitted the Philips white bulbs was incredible - so much more light and clarity from the dipped beams.

The thing is, the crappy yellow factory bulbs I removed from my car were also Philips bulbs - but clearly made to a very low spec and low unit cost for VW.

I know what you mean. The thing that really highlighted to me how ineffective the factory bulbs are was a late night drive back from a Briskoda meet in deepest, darkest Hampshire. Unlit, narrow country roads at 11pm and with dipped beams I couldn't see a damn thing. Full beams were better, but not a massive improvement and not ideal for oncoming traffic. Doing the exact same journey after I fitted the Philips white bulbs was incredible - so much more light and clarity from the dipped beams.

The thing is, the crappy yellow factory bulbs I removed from my car were also Philips bulbs - but clearly made to a very low spec and low unit cost for VW.

 

You can see that I live in Norfolk - nearly every road near me is narrow, unlit and out in the middle of nowhere! However it was the 0530 start to my Monday commute along the Norfolk/Cambs border, in the dark, in a downpour, along a rat-run alongside a fen drain to avoid the A10 that sealed it for me! 

I know what you mean. The thing that really highlighted to me how ineffective the factory bulbs are was a late night drive back from a Briskoda meet in deepest, darkest Hampshire. Unlit, narrow country roads at 11pm and with dipped beams I couldn't see a damn thing. Full beams were better, but not a massive improvement and not ideal for oncoming traffic. Doing the exact same journey after I fitted the Philips white bulbs was incredible - so much more light and clarity from the dipped beams.

The thing is, the crappy yellow factory bulbs I removed from my car were also Philips bulbs - but clearly made to a very low spec and low unit cost for VW.

What about the drivers on the opposite direction? Is your light too bright for them?

What about the drivers on the opposite direction? Is your light too bright for them?

I can't speak for them, but I've not had any complaints :p

 

There's a bit of 'cant beat them then join them' mentality if I'm honest, I've noticed that every other car coming the other way has very bright lights even without main beam. I suppose that's the proliferation of xenons for you. It make night driving, especially on the UK's busy single carriageway A-roads, very tiring.

Edited 30 September, 201510 yr by PerArdua

I haven't replaced the bulbs in our Rapid yet, but on previous cars I've always used Osram Nightbreaker (or Nightbreaker Plus) and they make a massive difference compared to standard "yellow" bulbs.  I'll be putting some in the wife's Spaceback when I get round to it.

I can't speak for them, but I've not had any complaints :p

 

There's a bit of 'cant beat them then join them' mentality if I'm honest, I've noticed that every other car coming the other way has very bright lights even without main beam. I suppose that's the proliferation of xenons for you. It make night driving, especially on the UK's busy single carriageway A-roads, very tiring.

 

I only "join" the ones that deserve it, i.e. I turn the high beam on when the other car blinds me. I don't want to blind other people though, so I would never buy lights that do that. Also, they are illegal even in my near-third world country.

Osram Nightbreaker plus are legal on UK roads. I checked.

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I used Halfords Ultra Brilliance (I think that's the name). We're going strong after 18 months and were much brighter than Nightbreakers were. Had a nice pure White beam.

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Osram Nightbreaker plus are legal on UK roads. I checked.

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Then they are probably not *too* bright. Thanks

Hey guys I have a quick question.

 

I'm looking to upgrade all of the bulbs when I get my rapid. I just want to make sure I understand the bulb layout.

 

My understanding was there is a Dipped/Main beam that was the same bulb, and then the side slights are separate bulbs? Or is it 3 separate sets of bulbs?

 

Thanks!

Try Skoda Rapid Technical Guides forum next door.

 

Pictures of a complete bulb swap out I think.

Cool thanks I'll check it out now