Replacing OEM xenon bulbs

[AB]

Car is now 6 ish years old. Headlights (as well as the sensor failing - another story!) seem to be getting dimmer. When you compare them to a newer car, their headlights really light up the road whereas mine seem like candles in comparison.

Will replacing the bulbs rectify this or is it just a case of newer technology or something?

Where would you buy?

4300k or 6000k? 8000k?

Advice appreciated, as usual!

[AB]

Could anyone offer any advice on this please?

[HellDiver]

Have you considered going to the representitives of the manufacturer? I hear they're called "dealers" and they have so many parts they'll sell them to you. I hear some will even get parts from the manufacturer if they don't have the part in stock. Mind boggling, I know.

[AB]

Can anyone offer any advice other that stupid and sarcastic ones please?

You see, the thing is, there are lots of places you can buy replacement bulbs, for example;

http://www.autobulbsdirect.co.uk/HID-D2S-Gas-Disch...

Now if you look at the customer feedback, there's a couple there that mention savings over dealer prices, in fact, in one case getting two bulbs for a little over half the price of the dealer.

So, why would I want to go to a dealer? Would you?

So therefore I've asked for some advice, so kindly stop being a whopper.

Can anyone recommend a source of decent quality, good value for money HID replacement bulbs in D2S fitment please?

[Beefmeister]

HellDiver said:

Have you considered going to the representitives of the manufacturer? I hear they're called "dealers" and they have so many parts they'll sell them to you. I hear some will even get parts from the manufacturer if they don't have the part in stock. Mind boggling, I know.

Oh don't be such a sanctimonious prick.

You may or may not have noticed, but a lot of dealerships are full of useless wkers who know feck all.

Plus it's daytime, so he may not be able to go there. Whereas there is a vast wealth of knowledge on PH, which can be easily tapped into via the medium of a thread.

This is kinda the point of PH, so neck -> inwardly wind.

[Jakg]

Pure white (i.e. the brightest possible colour) is 5000k.

I would go 4300k (it's what OEM's use) instead of 6000k (too blue imo)

[AB]

Thanks you two, I definitely don't want them to be blue, that'd annoy me but I'd say the bulbs have covered a good 70,000 miles of being on and they're not all that great anymore. I consider it to be very important i.e. being able to see when driving so not wanting to make a mistake with bulbs.

[DAVEVO9]

AB said:

Could anyone offer any advice on this please?

Hi AB.

I am assuming you have a BMW?

Have a look at this thread on HID Planet.

http://www.hidplanet.com/forums/showthread.php?369...

If your car has the ZKW OEM HID units fitted then you could have this problem with your lights. It is worth checking out before you just go out and buy new bulbs..

You say your lights are now like candles compared to other cars? HID bulbs will not deteriorate that bad to give such poor light.

My money is on the chrome being burnt.

If your projectors are in good health then I can recommend these bulbs that are a direct replacement for your car..

http://www.hids4u.co.uk/Osram-D2S-Upgrade-Cool-Blu...

Take no notice of the "Blue" description of the bulb.. They are not Blue at all, they are pure white 5000k and are rated at 3400 lumens. These bulbs are OEM factory fitted to the latest Mercs.

I use them in my car, they are the best OEM bulbs on the market to date. £112.42 (inc. VAT) for a pair is a bargain! You would pay that for 1 at a dealer.

HTH you, just shout if you want any more advice.



Sorry, just to add. you will have to register on HID planet to see the pics. It's worth the effort though, lots of very useful info on there and a very helpful forum.

Edited by DAVEVO9 on Friday 13th May 23:17

[dowahdiddyman]

Sorry but did you say over 100 quid for a bloody bulb!

[AB]

Cheers Dave, will take a look.

£100 to replace a bulb after 90k miles is a bargain considering when I had my Focus it probably blew a bulb every month!