Car headlight bulbs - why all the choices?

[Paul_B]

Needed a new headlight today and Halfords stock way top many options. Why? Surely the car should be designed for one type of bulb and your replace like for like?

So now you can get oem, extra durable, extra life, standard brightness, 50%, 90%, 125%, 150%, 200%, HiD, etc. Prices from £20 for two lights up to £39 for one. So which is best?

Best for you might be the brightest but is that the best because you will probably dazzle oncoming traffic.

Then if you're like me you'll decide on a bulb and buy it. Get it in and one side is brighter than the other. Does that matter? Do you replace both bulbs at the same time? Do they fail quicker if you have different bulbs? I doubt it because the current, voltage is fixed the the model of bulb (reference number common to all bulbs suitable for your car.

These are all the questions running through my mind when I'm choosing my bulb. As I said above, the manufacturer should specify the bulb and anything other than a bulb of the exact same specifications should not be available.

What's your view? Get at close to OEM or get as bright as possible because it's for your safety right?

 

[santaman2000]

Personally I like having choices. Are you just replacing the bulb on your everyday grocery getter? Then yeah, OEM is fine. On the other hand are you replacing bulbs on your favorite off roader? Then I'd upgrade to brighter and if money permits, add an auxilliary light bar on the roof and more forward lighting on the front bumper as well.

Yeah, it's usually recommended in most manuals to replace both (left and right) bulbs at the same time although I almost never do that.

 

[snappingturtle]

H4 150% brighter, bosch job done

 

[Paul_B]

Mine need h7 number 477. Standard, +50%, +90%, +130%? Which to get due the best I don't one but I think we aphid have got the +130% because it seems the one that was left working was the same. The failed one read standard brightness. The +90% ones in now look a bit dim compared to what it looked like with +0% & +130% that was in before.

On road car and only car. Mixed road use so some use for bright lights.

 

[Broch]

I got fed up of replacing the bulbs on my Defender so upgraded to brighter rally spec ones (actually not road legal) and they lasted a lot longer.
However, I have now replaced all my Defender lighting with LED and they are much better (so far ).
Cheers,
Broch

 

[Paul_B]

A family member had one of a cluster of rear LEDs fail. He had to replace the whole light cluster including the whole light unit. Expensive indeed.

Be careful if you break any of your LED clusters if you can't replace them easily. They're not as easy to replace as bulbs in some designs.

 

[Broch]

A family member had one of a cluster of rear LEDs fail. He had to replace the whole light cluster including the whole light unit. Expensive indeed.

Be careful if you break any of your LED clusters if you can't replace them easily. They're not as easy to replace as bulbs in some designs.

Easy to replace on the Defender; each unit is available separately and no more expensive than replacing a standard light unit and bulb. The headlights on the other hand would be a bit pricey if any damage was not covered by insurance but, thinking about it, no more than a modern car LED headlamp unit.

 

[Wayne]

Hi I’m looking to upgrade the lights on my T4 Van. Candles are often brighter. Although the thought of having to replace the whole unit if an led fails puts me off.

 

[Stew]

Super bright headlights are a danger to other road users in my opinion. I'm surprised that there aren't more accidents. I actually think it should be regulated (if it's not already) to a lower level than you can purchase now.

 

[daveO]

I hate being given too much choice. It's like trying to buy toothpaste. Way too many options for basically the same product.

For what it's worth my last car had woefully dim headlights. I tried all the extra bright bulbs and found no difference in real terms. It might have made one spot on the road brighter but the overall effect was the same. Now I just stick to named brands like Bosch or Osram. I chuck heavy duty ones in the Defender and long life in the car because the bulbs are a pain to change so the less I have to do it the better.

 

[Stew]

I hate being given too much choice. It's like trying to buy toothpaste. Way too many options for basically the same product.

For what it's worth my last car had woefully dim headlights. I tried all the extra bright bulbs and found no difference in real terms. It might have made one spot on the road brighter but the overall effect was the same. Now I just stick to named brands like Bosch or Osram. I chuck heavy duty ones in the Defender and long life in the car because the bulbs are a pain to change so the less I have to do it the better.

The paraox of choice!

https://www.ted.com/talks/barry_schwartz_on_the_paradox_of_choice

 

[bobnewboy]

I can thoroughly recommend Osram Nightbreaker bulbs. I have used them in my car, my other half's car, and our motorbikes. A much better, whiter light than OEM bulbs, fully legal and they seem to last well. A direct plug and play upgrade which has always been worthwhile.

 

[Janne]

Well, there is a legal limit how powerful they can be.
I am trying to obey the various laws, but this one is the one I always break and have done so since the time I ran into a flock of reindeer.
I just did not see them until it was to late. Was driving below max speed, a nice clear autumn night.

I own one car with HID lamps, good visibility.
Another with 150 W halogens - those blueis ones - fantastic
The Defender has LED headlights, but cheapo ones, not so fantastic. Will replace them next year.

 

[daveO]

The paraox of choice!

https://www.ted.com/talks/barry_schwartz_on_the_paradox_of_choice

That was an interesting listen. My pet hate (if you'll excuse the phrase) is pet insurance. So much choice, so many options and variations that it makes it impossible to get a decent comparison between quoted prices. Then when it comes to a claim you've never got sufficient cover anyway or the excess makes it not worth putting a claim in. It's a blatant strategy to frustrate people into paying for things they don't need but for some reason it doesn't get regulated. It has been tried with energy suppliers and they still find ways to overcomplicate their tariffs so you struggle to know what you're signing up for. I pay insurance for 3 cars, pet insurance, house insurance, contents insurance, life insurance, office insurance, PI insurance the list goes on. Surely by now we could just have a policy that covers everything from one company with a nice discount for bulk (not through a broker as I don't want to pay their fees on top of everything else).