Just got a dipped beam fault message on my Ford Focus and so I need to replace one of the headlights with an H7 bulb - may as well do both I think and get some new ones altogether. I really like Xenon lights - can anyone recommend a decent brand / pair?
Xenon Headlights
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Soldato
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You can't just swap halogens for xenons, need a conversion kit, which won't pass an MOT
Get some Phillips XtremeVision or Osram Night Breakers - the Philips are a touch better for things standing out in the dark, Osrams a bit more LED white like if that is your thing.
As above can't just change between bulb types trivially.
As above can't just change between bulb types trivially.
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Definitely get Philips Xtreme Vision over the Osram Nightbreakers. The Osram bulbs seem to have a realllly short life span (tested three pairs in three different cars and all lasted around 15 months). The Philips Xtreme Vision ones all lasted 2.5 years+ (cars got sold so no idea how long they actually lasted for).
Halfords +100 are normally pretty good, and don't seem any shorter in terms of longevity compared to some of the brightest options
www.halfords.com
H7 477 Car Headlight Bulb Halfords Advanced Up To +100 percent Brighter Single Pack | Halfords UK
Shop the latest H7 477 Car Headlight Bulb Halfords Advanced Up To +100 percent Brighter Single Pack at Halfords UK
www.halfords.com
Don
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not this thread again, its been covered to death already
do you hive Bi-Xenon headlights or halogens OP?
do you hive Bi-Xenon headlights or halogens OP?
God forbid people use a search engine, will come back with exactly the same results
TBF to the OP I've just searched the topic header and in 3 pages of results (excluding this thread) not one would have answered his question.
@smr
If the car takes H7 then it's not going to take a Xenon/HID bulb. To have HID/Xenon you would need to replace both headlight units with their HID/Xenon variant. Depending on the age/equipment of the vehicle you would also need levelling sensors and headlight washers.
You can buy brighter bulbs with a colour temp similar to xenon output. Philips RacingVision or Osram Nightbreaker 200 are optimum choices, though the Osram ones seem to have a shorter lifespan. If the price of those is a little overbudget then there are plenty of others to chose from in the 4600/6500k colour temp range.
Philips Racing Vision
Osram Nightbreaker 200
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Dunno about the Racing Vision as I've not used those but the Osrams are closer to LED kind of look with a whiter light, the XtremeVision are probably closer to Xenon as they have a slight blueish tint on main beam, but a yellow tint on dipped.
Dunno how long the Osrams last as I don't have that much experience with them but the Philips have stood up well for me - but I've also seen people accuse the Philips of having relatively short lifespan - which hasn't been the case in my experience.
Personally prefer the Philips, though the Osrams make your car look it it is something newer/higher end, as the Philips seem to have some kind of biasing/CRI tweaks which make things stand out better in the dark.
EDIT: Though that probably depends a bit on the exact model as I see Osram have several different colour temp versions.
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Don
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i use racing vision, they are good, best your going to get and because its a Philips bulb they last longer
been on the car for 12 months now, still going
been on the car for 12 months now, still going
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Soldato
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If you're ok with regularly changing bulbs then the super bright ones are great. When I had a Focus I switched to super bright bulbs and they were better, but they only lasted a couple of years max before one went. This was usually during winter and I got tired of changing bulbs. The side on the same side as the battery tray was a pain to do.
In the end I fitted some guaranteed high milage bulbs and they lasted for the next 6 years until the car died. They weren't particularly bright, but they lasted!
In the end I fitted some guaranteed high milage bulbs and they lasted for the next 6 years until the car died. They weren't particularly bright, but they lasted!
yep an earlier thread https://forums.overclockers.co.uk/threads/headlight-bulb-upgrade.18907377/#post-34234396
but had forgotten to add Halfords bulbs to the list of candidates , but if you look for deals the philips are probably as cheap, last ones £14/pair warehouse 2018
but had forgotten to add Halfords bulbs to the list of candidates , but if you look for deals the philips are probably as cheap, last ones £14/pair warehouse 2018
Don
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yep, osram don't last long at all, which is why i never use them anymore
Philips and Ring for me
Philips and Ring for me
Don
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Just seen these , don't know if they work in reflector headlights
But, my racing visions are £22 a time, if they blow every year
You may as well get these instead
Philips Ultinon Pro9000 LED Car Headlight Bulb (H7), set of 2 https://amzn.eu/d/6LyZf0T
If I was keeping the car I'd get them
But, my racing visions are £22 a time, if they blow every year
You may as well get these instead
Philips Ultinon Pro9000 LED Car Headlight Bulb (H7), set of 2 https://amzn.eu/d/6LyZf0T
If I was keeping the car I'd get them
Will fail an MOT depending on how switched on the tester is IIRC, also they're a pain to fit if you've not got a lot of room to play with behind the headlight.
Soldato
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I need to do something about my headlights too, they are dire I can barely see anything on nighttime motorway driving. It's ok if I'm the only car but when other cars come up behind with brighter lights the area in front of mine goes dark shadow which is dangerous imo.
Its likely the existing bulbs are cheap ones so I will try some Philips or Osram first.
But there are some YouTube videos of people with reflector lights having perfectly fine beam patterns with the right type of led bulb so it is doable. The trick seems to be as small a led as possible and a really thin flat bulb dimension.
Its likely the existing bulbs are cheap ones so I will try some Philips or Osram first.
But there are some YouTube videos of people with reflector lights having perfectly fine beam patterns with the right type of led bulb so it is doable. The trick seems to be as small a led as possible and a really thin flat bulb dimension.
Should still fail the MOT if it's been fitted in a headlight unit not designed for LEDs and the vehicle was manufactured after 1986, like I said just depends how on the ball the tester is.
Soldato
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Oh yes for sure, it would have to be reverted back for MOTs.
£100+ for a set of LED bulbs is a big risk to take if they don't have the right beam pattern. Would like to see more solid user testing out there to settle on a good product.
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