[viprman]

I was changing out my stock halogen bulbs on Saturday for some Sylvania Cool Blue ones. Anyway, I was taking off the headlamp like my Haynes manual told me to and I had a problem. It appears that the torx screws and nuts they use crack the plastic housing frame that holds the light into place. I was shocked that every one of them that I tried I broke! I then looked at the other light and it appears that someone else also did the same thing. I think the nut on the bottom of the housing that is apparently molded into the plastic ceases to the screw and the twisting breaks the plastic before unloosening the nut. Everything turned out OK thanks to my engineering abilities (hee hee).

Has anyone else had this problem? This is nuts, my car isn't that old. How much for new brackets??

 

[Wutang15m]

Yes i had the same problem well almostone of the things that holds the screws was cracked i just glued it onlyon side just be carefulk

 

[MedicMan]

I have had the same thing. I glued them with "Goop" which does hold well. They seem to use cheap magnesium screws which lock up in the plastic and also strip. Here in Canada the replacement ass'y is sold at "Canadian Tire" for $73.00 each. Not bad considering Dealers are much more.

 

[2low4u]

I HAD THE SAME PROBLEM WITH BOTH HEADLIGHTS.
I THINK IT'S JUST A BAD DESIGN AND THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL FOR IT.

 

[p3]

i think everyone has this prob. i have one screw on each light that is stripped and one of the other ones is cracked. i only have one good screw left ...as for the sylvania cool blue lights. if you are looking for lights that ACTUALLY look blue, dont get those. thats what i have and i was disappointed.

 

[viprman]

Glad to see that I am not the only one with this problem. As for the blue lights, I just wanted some cheap street legal lights that were better than stock. These seem to be a bit "whiter" than the stockers. For $20, I am not disappointed. At least I know how old my bulbs are (didn't before).

 

[p3]

i have to agree, they are whiter than factory installed bulbs or plain halogens. If you pull up behind someone with a chrome bumper you can sometimes tell that they are blue...i notice stupid things like this

 

[Sdwndr]

Originally posted by Wutang15m:
Yes i had the same problem well almostone of the things that holds the screws was cracked i just glued it onlyon side just be carefulk

Great, so this is what I have to look foward to when my Eaglite Xenon bulbs come next week. Has anyone managed to get them out without breaking them?

 

[Sk8-4ever]

I installed Xenon Plasma filled HID bulbs and they are nice! So white and bright! I love them . i got my bulbs here for cheap

 

[Sdwndr]

Originally posted by Sk8-4ever:
I installed Xenon Plasma filled HID bulbs and they are nice! So white and bright! I love them . i got my bulbs here for cheap

Yeah, those are the ones I ordered. So they look pretty good? Did you get the higher wattage ones or just the regulars?

 

[Sk8-4ever]

i ordered the 80/100W but they sent 65/55W. Bastards. oohh well they still look dope!

 

[79lilred]

You may wish to read about blue lights if you haven't already. Dan Stern is THE authority on headlights:
http://home.earthlink.net/~strider2/300zx/blue.html
http://lighting.mbz.org/

[ November 27, 2001: Message edited by: 79lilred ]

 

[Djnrg]

I am going to order the Eaglite bulbs from Midnightmoose too. I want the 80/100Watt bulbs, but apparently they can melt your housing, and fry your wires from what I hear. The site claims that they do not, but better safe than sorry I guess. For those of you who do have the Eaglite Xenon bulbs, how much better are they than stock? Is it even worth getting the 100Watt ones, or are the 55/65Watt bright enough?

 

[1mz-fe]

wow, thanks 79 for posting that. i had no idea that those things were actually illegal, i just thought they were a little "rice," and yes, now i'm gonna hear it for that comment. guess i'll be pulling a buschman and get an entire new assembly when i have the $ to get new heads. thanks again 79.

 

[79lilred]

The site claims....

What else would you expect them to say about a product they are selling?
It's real hard to find NON-biased opinions on lights, that's why I was so glad when I ran across Dan's site.

I think Dan's most profound observation is all these junk blue lights are MADE IN KOREA even when boxed by a big name company.

I did run the higher wattage lights once (not blue!) and they burned out real quick - about 6 months and they burned out a week apart. Didn't notice that I could see any better. The problem with most of our headlights is the beam pattern because styling took precedence over functionality! Add more wattage and you still have a cruddy pattern.

-steve

[ November 28, 2001: Message edited by: 79lilred ]

 

[Veeb0rg]

Originally posted by 79lilred:
What else would you expect them to say about a product they are selling?
It's real hard to find NON-biased opinions on lights, that's why I was so glad when I ran across Dan's site.

I think Dan's most profound observation is all these junk blue lights are MADE IN KOREA even when boxed by a big name company.

I did run the higher wattage lights once (not blue!) and they burned out real quick - about 6 months and they burned out a week apart. Didn't notice that I could see any better. The problem with most of our headlights is the beam pattern because styling took precedence over functionality! Add more wattage and you still have a cruddy pattern.

-steve

[ November 28, 2001: Message edited by: 79lilred ]

the catch with the "blue bulb" is as long as they have a DOT number on them.. their legal becasue they've been approved for street use by the Department Of Transportation..
thats how i buy my bulbs.. i look for DOT numbers..

 

[79lilred]

Now, this is not a slam....I'm just trying to share information. OK?

their legal becasue they've been approved for street use by the Department Of Transportation..
thats how i buy my bulbs.. i look for DOT numbers..

This is how misinformation spreads!

The following is from: http://lighting.mbz.org/tech/info/bulbs/blue/bad/


I FOUND BLUE-TINTED HALOGEN BULBS AT MY LOCAL RETAIL AUTO PARTS STORE. THE BULBS WERE MARKED AS BEING DOT APPROVED. ARE THESE OK?

No. This marking is fraudulent for two reasons:
?There is no such thing as "DOT approved". DOT does not "approve" products as the European regulatory body does.....

Yes, there are "legal" blue lights, but does that make them "better":

Recent tests by the US Department of Transportation's Office of Crash Avoidance Standards found that a standard-wattage 9004-type blue headlamp bulb reduced the road lighting ability of a standard headlamp by 67%, and increased glare for oncoming and preceeding trafic by 33%.

Read for yourself: http://lighting.mbz.org/tech/info/bulbs/blue/good/

I really recommend that all of the info Dan Stern provides (which is unbiased, unlike the stuff you read from folks trying to get your money!) be read and understood.

[ December 03, 2001: Message edited by: 79lilred ]

 

[Veeb0rg]

Originally posted by 79lilred:
Now, this is not a slam....I'm just trying to share information. OK?

This is how misinformation spreads!

The following is from: http://lighting.mbz.org/tech/info/bulbs/blue/bad/


I FOUND BLUE-TINTED HALOGEN BULBS AT MY LOCAL RETAIL AUTO PARTS STORE. THE BULBS WERE MARKED AS BEING DOT APPROVED. ARE THESE OK?

No. This marking is fraudulent for two reasons:
?There is no such thing as "DOT approved". DOT does not "approve" products as the European regulatory body does.....

Yes, there are "legal" blue lights, but does that make them "better":

Recent tests by the US Department of Transportation's Office of Crash Avoidance Standards found that a standard-wattage 9004-type blue headlamp bulb reduced the road lighting ability of a standard headlamp by 67%, and increased glare for oncoming and preceeding trafic by 33%.

Read for yourself: http://lighting.mbz.org/tech/info/bulbs/blue/good/

I really recommend that all of the info Dan Stern provides (which is unbiased, unlike the stuff you read from folks trying to get your money!) be read and understood.

[ December 03, 2001: Message edited by: 79lilred ]

oh i wasn't slammin anyone sorry if u took it this way.. i don't like the blue ones to start with.. and besides i only buy like sylvania brand bulbs.. mine are XENON White bulbs from someone *company name exscapes me at the moment thou*

 

[79lilred]

No, I didn't take your comment as a slam either....it's just sometimes reply that differ in opinion can be taken the wrong way so wanted to insure that all knew I was not being confrontational. Plus, I'm a "new guy" here!

I went thru all the different lighting possibilities back when we bought the Concorde and I needed to hold a flashlight out the window to see to drive at night. I tried the hi wattage lights (burned out quick), looked into getting some E-code lights from Belgium ($500 I think! can't do that) and added some fog lights that were promptly knocked off by a curb.

Did lots of research and finally settled on running the lights off relays via heavy gauge wire to minimize voltage drop (can be several volts with the puny factory wires and running thru the switch). Then fixed it where the low beams stay on when the hi beams are on (via a relay energized with the hi-beam) - made a world of difference! Eliminated the dark spot right in front of the car. I make sure the lights stay clean and aimed right and then learned to live with it.

[ December 03, 2001: Message edited by: 79lilred ]

 

[DCREPID'00]

ok, read that whole thing on 'upgrading headlights' on that site from 79lilred. man...seems like a lot of work-taking out the 'puny' gage wire and replacing it with heavier gage wire and adding relays to control the system remotely. I mean it all makes sense (electrical school at Aviation Technical Center). I get to troubleshoot electrical problems on aircraft and fix them and I still don't think I'd feel comfy 'creating' a whole new system...and for what? 79lilred did I hear you right that you've done this upgrade yourself? how much of a hassle was it? worth it?