Updated: Silverstars blew... again (Replaced with Phillips X-Treme Power bulbs. See Pg 2)

Alright, so I've gone through two sets of Silverstars and they both blew out before 12 months were up.

So needless to say, I'm not going to get another pair because their lifespan is pathetically short.


Keep in mind that mine's a Canadian vehicle so I do have the bulbs running as DRLs.


So, with that in mind, what other bulbs do you suggest I try? I do like the whiteness and the slightly brighter lights of the Silverstars but not their lifespan. Judging by sushi's thread, the HID conversion takes a bit of work and seems costly (although if I had the time and money, that would probably be the route I take and solve my problems with the stock lights).


Are there any other aftermarket bulbs that you guys have tried and are worth the cost?

Thanks!

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Sean Blumenthal @ Sep 23 2007, 12:21 AM) [snapback]516475[/snapback]</div>

Yeah supposedly it's abnormal but after two sets, I'm basically sold that they'll last under 12 months under my conditions (DRLs + longer winter nights). I mean if you live in the southern states, they'll probably last for years.


I gotta get replacements quick. The right side is the one that blew and the left one will not be far behind. I don't intend on driving around with foglights. I mean, they work in the daytime (treat them as DRLs so I don't get pulled over) but I don't think they're sufficient at all for night time driving.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(lenjack @ Sep 23 2007, 02:53 PM) [snapback]516631[/snapback]</div>

I don't tihnk 1 year was what they had in mind, esp. not if they're charging $70/pair.

 

Both.. colour and intensity. My main concern is illumination (without blinding other drivers of course), how it looks comes second. Most American Priuses were sold with HIDs and I've seen those (whenever you guys decide to drive up here) and they're fantastic. No glare whatsoever (even when I saw them head on), and nice and bright.

 

Sylvania... they're from Canadian Tire

 

I've ended up with these

http://www.powerbulbs.com/product_detail.asp?prod=43

and they've arrived < 2 weeks. Impressive!

They're quite bright and are a bit hot (but not as hot as the foglights). I can definitely feel the heat on the headlight covers though. The colour of the light is closer to the stock than the white of the Silverstars but with the foglights on, there's still a colour difference.

I'm pretty satisfied. They actually light a wet road in the dark on a road without lampposts. With the Silverstars, I get NO light in those conditions and it's kinda scary.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(usbseawolf2000 @ Oct 5 2007, 08:38 AM) [snapback]521751[/snapback]</div>

I've changed the headlights once a year so I'm already getting pretty efficient at it (even though I've complained about how much of a PITA it is to change the bulbs).

Umm.. I guess I could whip one up. Gimme a few days. Today is sunny but the weekend is gonna pour so I'm not gonna take photos then.

Err.. DIY the owner's manual is pretty good but I'll see if I can make one for you if you want it.

 

Here are some pics earlier today. Just note that the headlight covers are really dirty. Today's the first sunny day in a week. Night time pics to follow. They're really bright at night.

The shots are south facing shots at 3pm.

Normal height
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Bumper height
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1 car length away
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2 car lengths away
[attachmentid=11865]

DIY:

1. Remove all 6 clips holding down the front cover. The "screw" needs to be elevated relative to the ring in order to make removal easier

2. Remove cover and set aside.

3. Focus your attention to the passenger side of the car. You will see the vent that leads to the engine air filter box

4. Locate the flathead button and use a flat blade screwdriver to lift it up. Once the button is up, you may remove the vent. It's up to you whether to leave the button pin there or not but just don't lose it!

5. Start with the passenger side cause that's the easiest. Unplug the socket from the base of the bulb and set it somewhere where you can retrieve it later.

6. Locate the rubber seal. Rotate it anti-clockwise. A few degrees is enough and it should come loose. Once loose, wiggle it to remove.

7. Locate a spring lever/catch. This lever holds the bulb in place. On the passenger side, if you were to look at the headlight straight on from the outside, it would be ~ "NW" or the top left side. Important! When you locate the lever, MAKE A MENTAL NOTE OF HOW IT IS REMOVED AND REPLACED. It'll make it easier when you reverse the steps as you cannot really see the back of the headlights.

8. For the passenger side, push the lever towards you and up. Once loose, swing it away. You might have to move it around a black wire (not sure what that wire is). Note the bulb will be loose at this point. At this point, you may attempt to put the lever back to get a feel of how far to push the lever towards you before you push down and let the lever catch. There is quite a bit of resistance.

9. Once you're done, carefully remove the bulb. You may have to move it around wires and the lever.

10. Replace the bulb with your new one. Again be careful when manoeuvring the bulb around the wires and the lever.

11. Once the bulb is in the headlight housing, look from the outside and make sure it's set properly and firmly.

12. Carefully replace the lever and make sure the bulb doesn't move out of place in the process.

13. When the lever's back in place, find the bulb base and move it to confirm that the bulb doesn't move. Plug the socket back into the bulb and test that the bulb works.

14. If everything's fine, then proceed to replace the rubber seal. This is the hard part and will probably take the longest time

15. The rubber seal has to sit just right so that when you rotate it clockwise, it'll lock, otherwise, it'll just rotate and nothing will happen. The best way I've found is to grab hold of the seal around the edges with your hand. This way, when you put the seal back, you can get a feel of where the outer edges of the headlight housing is and where to seat the seal. Once you think it's in, rotate it and see if it locks. THere is no click or anything so as long as it doesn't move on its own AND you can access the base of the bulb with the socket, you're fine

16. Replace the socket

17. Do the same for the driver's side. This one is a bit harder because access is tight. You can remove the fuse box cover if you wish. The top part of the cover comes off easily. The bottom part with a single clip needs a bit of force.