TimC.

Did a search on the forums but didn't see anything....
Driving home the other night my left Xenon bulb had a purple color to it and not very bright at all....seems like its on it way out? Is this the warning before it truly dies? If so thats pretty cool
Called the stealer and he wanted $250 for 1 bulb. No one else around here carries them...AutoZone, Napa, etc
So my question is where have you guys have bought replacements? Its the OEM Philips D1S Xenon Bulb.
Also when looking around it seems the OEM one is 4300k of power but you see some aftermarkets going higher up to 6000k...is this worth it?
One brand I saw was called OSRAM not sure if they are better or worse.
Sylvannia sells one for $112 on-line
Thoughts? Comments? Ridicule? LOL

Dennis C

My experience with HID lights is that they become dim and purple as they age and begin to die. They will sometimes flicker too. I recommend that you replace both bulbs at the same time. If you don't, you'll notice a big difference in color and light output, even if you select another 4,300K bulb.

4,300K refers to the color temperature of the bulb, not the power. OEM systems use 4,300K because the light output is close to the color temperature of natural sunlight, and provides excellent visibility. Higher color temeratures will provide more of a blue or even purple light, but there is actually less usable light put down on the road. I would recommend sticking with 4,300K, unless you are going for a specific look.

I haven't purchased HID replacement bulbs recently, but I would think that you can find them online for prices much lower than the dealer. Have you tried Sunset Imports?

wilfred

Unless you plan on replacing both bulbs, I would just get the Porsche one. Check Sunset Imports in Oregon or Suncoast in Florida as they seem to have good pricings. All the brands (Philips and Osram/Sylvania) you mentioned are major manufacturers but the problem is they make them in so many different color temp the last thing you want is to have different color headlights. Also, beware there are probably more knockoffs on the market than the real thing. If you look on ebay, you will find thousands of them using words like German "engineered" or "whatever brand name" replacement.... Some of these Made in China bulbs are good and will last just as long as the real thing. But some of these won't last a month or two. The tough part is you just don't know which ones are good and price has nothing to do with it.

Also, 4300k vs 6000k is the color temperature. I can't find the website that explains the ratings on it but IIRC, anything around 5000k is good = white light. If you go higher like 7000k+, it becomes blue-ish or purple-ish = ricey

ltc

Make sure you wear cotton gloves when installing HID lamps.
Do NOT touch the surface of the lamp with your fingers during installation.

TimC.

Thanks for the clarification on that !! Going to try Sunset next

TimC.

ljugete

Sunset Porsche is where I do all of my shopping (Suncoast Porsche can't touch their prices in my experience)!

Erzengal

Osram is Sylvania, which is equal to the Phillips. Any of the three will work as a replacement as long as it is a D1S Bulb.

TimC.

I will let you know how these work out....the guy has 100% feedback from everyone who bought these units. Seems like he is buying them in bulk.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/NEW-P...QQcmdZViewItem

ltc

FWIW, it is recommended to change both at the same time.
You can keep the currently functioning bulb as an emergency spare.

95Rover

I have purchased several bulbs and replacement lights at: www.rallylights.com They carry Hella.

CaptPegLeg

https://www.autohausaz.com/index.html
I just ordered a set from these folks. Good prices and great on customer service and returns. Good for your wiper blades as well.

TimC.

Yesterday the delivery showed up and I installed both new XENON bulbs in 15 minutes!! $150 for both bulbs
Everything checked out and worked 100% - no touch the bulb either
Turns out the old ones that were in there were the OSRAM Xenarc bulbs.
The ones I bought are the PHILIPS XenStart D1S bulbs which I believe are better than the Sylvannia bulbs
FYI - If you want to use something other than the factory wrench (mine broke last year) to pop the light housing out, you can use a 6mm socket with an extension

Dennis C

I'll bet they are noticably brighter than what you had...

Iclickjohn

I have the bi-xenon lights on a 2006. So my one light is yellowish and on high beam not as bright. I've got two of the Sylvania HID D1S bulbs ordered from Amazon. On Pelicanparts it shows a high beam light replacement as well. That totally confused me as to what I need to purchase for the bulb. One source said that the low and high were on the one bulb (D1S). Now I'm not sure. It looks easy enough to remove the light so I plan on replacing the D1S first and then see what it looks like. But if I can do it all at once, that would be better. Thanks in advance.