Headlight Bulbs
Author
Discussion

CMYKguru

Original Poster:

3,017 posts

205 months

Sunday 19th October 2014
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One of the headlights on the CMYKguru-wagon had started to fog up and they are a sealed unit which would mean using a heat gun and taking the lens apart which is a bit of balls so managed to get a replacement light which was clean as a whistle from someone breaking the same car for the bargain price of £10, new from a dealer they are over £200.

While i'm fitting I figured since the winter is rolling in I should probably change the bulbs.

First name that pops up in a search is Osram Nightbreaker Plus and Nightbreaker Unlimited.

They are quite expensive for what they are. I need four so could be near £50

Are they worth the money over standard bulbs at £2 a go

My lights are H1 Jag but they aren't Xenons, will Nightbreakers give a whiter Xenon like light, better distance and quality.

Are there better bulbs other than Nightbreakers?

Where is the cheapest place to buy them, considering they are £20-£25 in Halfrauds?

Edited by CMYKguru on Sunday 19th October 01:47

ymwoods

2,194 posts

207 months

Sunday 19th October 2014
quotequote all
I had the night breakers in mine a little while ago and they did make a huge difference. I now have some phillips ones though that are even better still.

The Night breakers are well worth the money.

CMYKguru

Original Poster:

3,017 posts

205 months

Sunday 19th October 2014
quotequote all
Just spotted them half the price on ebay for £10.50 a pack

What is the difference between night breaker unlimited and the nightbreaker plus?

to3m

1,228 posts

200 months

Sunday 19th October 2014
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Last time one of my car's dipped bulbs went, I took advantage of Halfords' regular H7 BOGOF offer and got two high-intensity ones - Super Brilliance, probably - for £30. (That's not a great price for one, but seemed OK for two. They're cheaper these days.) I think they're better than the ordinary halogen ones, but it's not exactly night and day. I drive an E46 BMW.

Given how often you need to change bulbs, I think it's worth paying extra for brighter ones. I'd probably feel OK paying £50 for 4. But if you can get them cheaper, and with a proper brand to boot, do that!

jfbrin

415 posts

202 months

Sunday 19th October 2014
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Cant make out what model car you have.
I have used phillips vision plus in daughters micra and they are superb on dips and more daylight on heads which is much better than standard .
Try ebay, autobulbs direct and eurocarparts to find best price.
Have a look at some reviews too http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/car-maintenance/60972...

They are worth having and are reliable except for PIAA bulbs that used to fail regularly in my impreza.

lemonslap

1,029 posts

185 months

Sunday 19th October 2014
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I have used both the Osram and Philips bulb's, both are a fantastic upgrade. However with the Philips bulb the coating on the tip crumbled away leaving a nice mess inside my headlamp furious No issues with the Osrams so far.

carl_w

10,775 posts

288 months

Sunday 19th October 2014
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I used to get mine from here: http://www.powerbulbs.com/store/category/car-bulbs...

Seems if you get the blister pack (rather than the impossible to open plastic case) you can get the Osrams for £19.95 a pair for H1s, so £40 for 4.

Drive Blind

5,786 posts

207 months

Sunday 19th October 2014
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eurocar parts have had headlight bulb offers running for the last few weeks.
Philips extreme, nightbreakers, etc. Not sure if its still on

skip_1

3,514 posts

220 months

Sunday 19th October 2014
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I used to run the standard Nightbreakers which were good. The newer unlimited ones I hear mixed reviews on with some claiming they burn out very quickly, sometimes within 3 months. Maybe they are too intense?

I have just replaced all 4 of my H1 bulbs with Osram Silverstars, which are only +60% output, which I consider a decent upgrade and appear very reliable from reviews in the press and online. Four bulbs for ~£15 on Amazon, can't complain at that.

shoehorn

686 posts

173 months

Sunday 19th October 2014
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Drive Blind said:
eurocar parts have had headlight bulb offers running for the last few weeks.
Philips extreme, nightbreakers, etc. Not sure if its still on
Sorry fella,you can not comment on headlights with that usernamehehe

iva cosworth

44,044 posts

193 months

Sunday 19th October 2014
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Drive Blind said:
eurocar parts have had headlight bulb offers running for the last few weeks.
Philips extreme, nightbreakers, etc. Not sure if its still on
Just had a look,some were 50% off.

my Fiat headlamps are like dim candles,might get some uprated bulbs.

rscott

17,513 posts

221 months

Sunday 19th October 2014
quotequote all
CMYKguru said:
Just spotted them half the price on ebay for £10.50 a pack

What is the difference between night breaker unlimited and the nightbreaker plus?
Be careful on the bay of e, there are plenty of fakes on there.

Drive Blind

5,786 posts

207 months

Sunday 19th October 2014
quotequote all
shoehorn said:
Sorry fella,you can not comment on headlights with that usernamehehe
yeah, I keep meaning to change it.
I've had a few negative or silly comments on it.

CMYKguru

Original Poster:

3,017 posts

205 months

Sunday 19th October 2014
quotequote all
rscott said:
CMYKguru said:
Just spotted them half the price on ebay for £10.50 a pack

What is the difference between night breaker unlimited and the nightbreaker plus?
Be careful on the bay of e, there are plenty of fakes on there.
Reckon the ones I got are genuine. They're a decent business and have sold thousands. Plus you will spot them a country mile away if they're fake.

Not expecting HID Xenon beams but i do like the white light.

A friend of mine had to replace a single Xenon bulb in his car and cost over £100 (ouch)

CMYKguru

Original Poster:

3,017 posts

205 months

Thursday 1st January 2015
quotequote all
Put in Osram Nightbreaker and just over two months one has blown, so i emailed the seller and got this response


"Halogen bulbs do not carry a warranty beyond 30 days on them, lifetime will depend on useage.

Osram published test results shows that night breaker unlimited lifetime is approx 150-250 hours

Night breaker unlimited is not designed for long life time - only maximum light output / brightness"


250 hours seems very poor surely they're designed to last more than 2 months over driving around 4 hours at night on average

saaby93

32,038 posts

208 months

Thursday 1st January 2015
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CMYKguru said:
Put in Osram Nightbreaker and just over two months one has blown, so i emailed the seller and got this response

"Halogen bulbs do not carry a warranty beyond 30 days on them, lifetime will depend on useage.

Osram published test results shows that night breaker unlimited lifetime is approx 150-250 hours

Night breaker unlimited is not designed for long life time - only maximum light output / brightness"

250 hours seems very poor surely they're designed to last more than 2 months over driving around 4 hours at night on average
I had a google a few months back and founs this - it's not uncommon
There are other bulbs that claim a longer life as well as brightness, but it is a tradeoff

I dont know what car you have but the best thing is to buy a car with a decent size lamp housing with a big piece of glass on the front.
The sooner we move from narrow beam projector style housings blocked out by the slightest dead fly, rain or scratched plastic, the better

Edited by saaby93 on Thursday 1st January 21:30