How often do you change headlamp bulbs?

[JWC]

I've read some threads in the past about headlamp replacement bulbs and you guys seem to be on top of current technology and replacement bulbs. I've never owned a car that didn't require the bulbs to be replaced every three or four years due to burn-out. The Volvo has had one tail lamp bulb replaced, but not a headlamp bulb--that I remember. This year the Volvo is fourteen years old and as far as I can tell has the original bulbs.

Lately, I've been blaming age for failing night vision, especially when driving. Until I rode in the 2011 Taurus and realized I could see pretty damn good---a lot better than I can with the Volvo. The Volvo has glass lamps, so clouding of the lens is not the problem. That led me to search for other possible problems and found a couple of articles about halogen bulbs growing progressively dimmer with age. This I did not know.

So, this leads me to ask:

Do you guys have a regularly scheduled period where you swap out bulbs for new ones?

Of the current replacement bulbs--what is the most popular and the brightest?  (Keeping in mind this is a 14-year-old car and I'm not spending more than $30 bucks per bulb.)

[68_427]

Once a year.  I usually buy the brightest bulbs I can find at whatever local auto parts store I go to.  I'm not against spending $30+ dollars per bulb either.  Better vision at night it well worth it to me.

[JWC]

Once a year? No wonder I can't see.

[68_427]

Once a year? No wonder I can't see.

The brighter the bulb the shorter the lifespan

[Gotta-Qik-C7]

I run HIDs in all my vehicles! Regular bulbs just don't compare.....

[JWC]

I run HIDs in all my vehicles! Regular bulbs just don't compare.....

What are the ones that appear blue? There are pickups around here with those and they blind everyone meeting them since the lights are right at eye level.

[68_427]

What are the ones that appear blue? There are pickups around here with those and they blind everyone meeting them since the lights are right at eye level.

Those are most likely Ebay HIDs

[FlatBlackCaddy]

I was at a buddies shop the other day and he showed me a new set of LED retrofit bulbs.

Like an aftermarket HID kit you just buy it based on the buld style(9006, etc) but they don't need an external ballast(bulb back is a bit bigger, but it's all built in). He said they are whiter and brighter than any of the other HID systems(aftermarket) he's seen.

Not really any more expensive either, I think the kit was like 90 dollars or so.

[Eye of the Tiger]

Original bulbs after over four years and 64K.
Now one will probably go out tomorrow.

[FlatBlackCaddy]

Also there is nothing wrong with a cheap HID kit(well not functionally wise, the bulbs just probably won't last long). The problem is with people that pick the wrong color temp.



You should pick something around 4K-5K, that will give you a nice "white" light. The problem is most people are idiots and pick the really blue(9K) kits. Not only do they look stupid but that actually make it hard to see anything. The light is so "dingy" and dull I don't know how they can drive with them.

[VTEC_Inside]

AFAIK, 4300k is what most OEM HID bulbs are.

[JWC]

Thanks....since I've gotten out of the car biz, I haven't kept up with info like this. Good to know.

[FlatBlackCaddy]

AFAIK, 4300k is what most OEM HID bulbs are.

Yes, that is what they normally are. Which is about right. The 8K and 10K kits are just stupid and I think the visibility is actually worse than a standard non HID bulb.

[FoMoJo]

Still got the original bulbs in my 14 year old Escape.  At this stage, I'm just curious to see how long they last.

[Gotta-Qik-C7]

What are the ones that appear blue? There are pickups around here with those and they blind everyone meeting them since the lights are right at eye level.

I run 6K kits in the bike and G8! No blue at all. The (AC Digital) kits I buy are 50-60 bucks and haven't given me and problems! The Ballast and bulbs have been in the G8 (Fogs and low beams) since 2012 and are still going strong. The bike Kits (High and Low) have been in since 2011 and I've had to replace the low beam ballast once.

[Byteme]

When one burns out I replace them in pairs.  I don't routinely replace bulbs "just because". 

[Gotta-Qik-C7]

Also there is nothing wrong with a cheap HID kit(well not functionally wise, the bulbs just probably won't last long). The problem is with people that pick the wrong color temp.



You should pick something around 4K-5K, that will give you a nice "white" light. The problem is most people are idiots and pick the really blue(9K) kits. Not only do they look stupid but that actually make it hard to see anything. The light is so "dingy" and dull I don't know how they can drive with them.

I had 4300 in the C6 and they weren't much brighter than a good halogen bulb IMO. 5K-6K is the was to go....

[Gotta-Qik-C7]

I was at a buddies shop the other day and he showed me a new set of LED retrofit bulbs.

Like an aftermarket HID kit you just buy it based on the buld style(9006, etc) but they don't need an external ballast(bulb back is a bit bigger, but it's all built in). He said they are whiter and brighter than any of the other HID systems(aftermarket) he's seen.

Not really any more expensive either, I think the kit was like 90 dollars or so.

Did he mention how hot they get?

[hotrodalex]

Did he mention how hot they get?

The fire created from roasting the wiring harness just makes the road that much brighter.

[FlatBlackCaddy]

Did he mention how hot they get?

Id think they wouldn't get hot at all. LEDs should run very cold compared to standard and probably even hids.

[68_427]

Id think they wouldn't get hot at all. LEDs should run very cold compared to standard and probably even hids.

Highend/power LED lights usually require some sort of cooling. 

[Gotta-Qik-C7]

Id think they wouldn't get hot at all. LEDs should run very cold compared to standard and probably even hids.

My 35 Watt HIDs throw a lot of heat!

Highend/power LED lights usually require some sort of cooling. 

Thats what I heard also. I'm gonna check into.

[12,000 RPM]

I was at a buddies shop the other day and he showed me a new set of LED retrofit bulbs.

Like an aftermarket HID kit you just buy it based on the buld style(9006, etc) but they don't need an external ballast(bulb back is a bit bigger, but it's all built in). He said they are whiter and brighter than any of the other HID systems(aftermarket) he's seen.

Not really any more expensive either, I think the kit was like 90 dollars or so.

LED is not there yet. They still haven't figured out how to emulate halogen filaments as well as they do with HIDs. So the resultant beam patterns are shite.

I am pretty anal about headlights. I replaced the headlights in the Z because the original HIDs sucked IMO. The new projectors are great, especially on the back roads I have to take to get to and from work. I will definitely retrofit the Civic. I have a pair of tuned Murano projectors (clear lenses rather than the stock cloudy ones) collecting dust in my closet that I hope will fit. I'm glad I didn't put them in the Z.

As far as halogen went I don't think I ever had to replace a bulb, aside from wifey's car. Even the Silverstars and shit I had were pretty good. I messed around with those lights a lot too though so I probably didn't have them long enough to burn them out.

[hotrodalex]

Yay sealed beams...

[FlatBlackCaddy]

LED is not there yet. They still haven't figured out how to emulate halogen filaments as well as they do with HIDs. So the resultant beam patterns are shite.

How do you mean?

[NomisR]

LED doesn't come close or at most only match most standard halogen head lights.  Most standard halogen I believe runs about  1200-1400 lumens, and that's about the average for LED at best for aftermarket.

You can also check out HIR headlights (which a lot of ebay HID are marketed as) which runs about 1800lumen at lower cost.

I think my Volt comes stock with HIRs

[FoMoJo]

LED doesn't come close or at most only match most standard halogen head lights.  Most standard halogen I believe runs about  1200-1400 lumens, and that's about the average for LED at best for aftermarket.

You can also check out HIR headlights (which a lot of ebay HID are marketed as) which runs about 1800lumen at lower cost.

I think my Volt comes stock with HIRs

I was driving into town the other day around dusk and was blinded by something approaching me...lighting was so bright I really couldn't tell what it was.  I could've been a space ship.  It turned out to be a pickup with a strip of LEDs across the front bumper.  Facing directly into it, it was like looking at the sun.  At a slight angle, the glare went away and I could see the individual lights.  I wondered what sort of illumination it provided for the driver.

[FlatBlackCaddy]

A purely unscientific observation would suggest LED's are much brighter than "normal" bulbs, at least when it comes to flashlights or cordless work lights.

I don't see how this would be any different when they are attached to the front of a car.

[12,000 RPM]

How do you mean?

Headlights are pretty sophisticated and require a light source that matches the geometry to work properly. Its specific to the point that if you flip a filament 90 degrees in any direction, the beam pattern may suffer appreciably.

Heres a halogen bulb



And here is a typical LED retrofit "bulb"



The whole yellow area of the LED illuminates. For the LED to have a beam pattern comparable to the halogen, it would need dies in the same shape.

OSRAM and Koito supply OEMs, but they work with the OEMs on headlights designed around their LEDs. Even with that though, the LED arrangements look like conventional filaments:



So it's not like they are reinventing the wheel.

When the aftermarket gets a clue that you can't just take a random die from LEDs R Us, slap it in a headlight, and get anything but complete shit, things will take off. There have already been teardowns of LED headlights by... headlight enthusiasts?... and I think full LED retrofit systems, with the LED and optics, are in the works. But the stuff out now is not worth the boxes they are shipped in.

[Speed_Racer]

When one burns out I replace them in pairs.  I don't routinely replace bulbs "just because". 

That's how I am. I replaced both of mine this summer after one burned out. It's the first headlight I've had die on any car I've owned. It was also a more tedious process than I expected...