Lights Out!

[havanisda]

I went through 2 headlights and a foglight in less than 6k miles. I do work @ night so mostly they're on even tho I have the DRL's disabled but isn't this a bit excessive? HID's the only way 2 remedy this? I might go this route if this is gonna be an ongoing problem. Any1 w/HID's reccomend a brand?

[TSi+WRX]

What brand of headlight bulbs were you using? You may want to try a replacement bulb that is specifically designed for longer life.

Give brother outahere's post on .com a read, maybe you'll find something to your liking?

In the Automotive Lighting FAQ (which is itself associated with HID Planet, if I remember correctly), I believe that the quoted life-span for most aftermarket (Asian) HID bulbs is said to be < 900 hours (I think that this may have been a pessimistic estimate, and that it may also be a little out-dated; most quality aftermarkets are indeed lasting longer than that). That's actually not that much of an improvement over standard halogen incandescents - and is something that is, I feel, being borne out by the number of people asking the .com aftermarket HID Vendors to either supply replacement bulbs or are seeking warranty claims on theirs (and in light of this, no pun intended, I would recommend that you do pursue a "lifetime warranty" with one of the larger, more established retailers, so that if your bulb does go within a year or two, you can get a free/minimal-cost replacement).

Will HIDs help with this side of the equation? I think that yes, it will - but exactly how much, that'll be anyone's guess.

[havanisda]

OK Allen, I been using Silverstars. I was over on .com and I saw the vendor Xenonexpert is offering a special til the end of the year. If u buy an Apexcone 35w kit u get a free DDM kit upgrade 4 $155(shipped) w/a lifetime warranty. I know nothing of HIDs. Is this a good deal/is this a good vendor/good manufacturer? http://www.legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php?t=76761&highlight=HID
Thanx 4 your help

P.S. He also says further down in the thread that heat/cold have no effect on HIDs and they last about 4 years. What have u heard regarding this statement?

[john]

I've been on a set of sylvania silverstars for 22k miles and they are still going strong.

[Dookie]

^^ Suprised that they have lasted you this long. I have a set in my wifes car and they both burnt out just over 1 year.



Give brother outahere's post on .com a read

Outahere does have a great thread on several different bulbs tested.:tup:

[TSi+WRX]

^ +1 - outahere is one of the best-informed when it comes to lighting - he's got a much deeper knowledge-base than me, and is much better-read! He's definitely *the* guy when it comes to this stuff.

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havanisda, I wish I could help you better on this, but I honestly don't know :redface: . I have, to be again completely honest, not kept-up with the latest in terms of aftermarket p-n-p HID kits in order to comment, at all, on their quality.

I do feel, however, that the claim of 4-year life-span may be a bit optimistic. Certainly, I think it's possible, but if you looked around on just .com itself, there's more than a handful of aftermarket HID bulb failures at even around the two year mark (if not sooner). Even in light of this, though, I still think that the odds of your having longer-lasting lighting with the aftermarket HIDs is likely better than with any incandescents - however, whether or not the cost-ratio will bear this out in the long-run (i.e. at the time point at which you do have to replace your aftermaket HID's bulb[s]) - or whether or not it's worth subscribing to the various retailer's available "lifetime warranty" programs, will be the real question.

Regarding the Sylvania SilverStar bulbs -

Overall, having long-lasting Sylvania SilverStars is the exception rather than the rule - and this is coming from a guy who really, really, really liked his silverstars. :) :o I've had SilverStars in just about all of my vehicles (with the exception being the wifey's WRX; my own LGT actually used Sylvania SilverStars until just this past summer, when I switched the +65 solution), and upon my recommendation, they've made their way into many of my friends' and relatives' vehicles, too.

The biggest problem with the Sylvania SilverStars have been unpredictable life-spans. Particularly on an already rather "short lived" application as our H7s (which has the double-whammy of being used as DRLs). This is something that's not only been reported on .com or even just the general Scooby community, but is widely known throughout the enthusiast community in-general.

Of the many sets that I've had, I've got ones that are now going on their 3rd year of burn ( so yes I can back-up brother john's claim; and yes, I know that's how long I've had them, since I bought and installed those bulbs for my father only a month or so before my then-new radar-detector and laser jammer combo showed up on my doorstep :lol: ), and others have burned out after just months or even weeks relatively little use (and yes, all were installed with great care; and yes, this is on a variety of different automobiles, with a variety of bulb applications). I've even heard/read of fellow enthusiasts who've had their Sylvania SilverStars burn out just days after installation. ( Aside: One of my SilverStars on the LGT burned-out after about a year, also with DRL disabled; the other one still burned just as bright as its replacement, up until the point I took both out for the overwattage Hypers. )

It's highly, highly inconsistent. (Aside: Even the Osram SilverStars showed this tendency.)

See, havanisda, if you don't get longer life from a switch to a different brand - particularly one that cites longer burn-life as its main aim.

Honestly, the only true benefit to the SilverStars is their "whiter" color - which was my own preference, too (i.e. whiter than conventional, but noticeably more yellow than even OEM HID). If you can give this up, you may find a longer lasting solution, that's more friendly to your wallet than HIDs, too. :)