headlight bulb replacement?

[aabase]

did u guys change the headlight bulb yourself or have someone or dealer do it for you? coz i tried to change the low beam bulb and boy what a f*&^#n pain in the ass. i couldnt open the metal wire that hold the bulb. no space to work on it too. so frustrated that i just put back the sealing and the connector to its original place. need help pls.....

edit: i think i found the URL on my question.. http://mazda3forums.com/viewtopic.php?t=4139 hehe:)

[bluntman]

I did my dad\'s (both) just the other day as one of his aftermarket bulbs burned out prematurely. The driver\'s side was a little more difficult to \"button up\" but I kept at it and eventually got it done. Of course it helped that it was relatively mild outside too.

[FLIPDADY]

That guy forgot to mention one thing. Some people put in higher wattage bulbs because they look more HID than the standard 55W. Doing this can cause the socket to melt and damage the headlight harness. Which isn\'t covered under warranty!! Just make sure the bulb you have is 55W and not higher.

[aabase]

well im tryin out the sylvanna silverstars H7ST. probably most of u guys have already bought before upgrading to HID\'s. i already installed the front left and im waitin for it to get dark to compare to the other side to see if theres really no difference like most of u have been writin. but in my garage, the SS is little brighter than the stock bulbs when i point it in the garage doors. and one more thing is im experiencing changing bulbs of my car in which i usually gave this work to other people or my dealer. nice experience. :) ouch. my finger hurts so bad on that retaining clip. :(

[RedRaptor]

aabase,

Once you change your bulbs once on your car, its very easy the second time. First time took me 6 min on one side, then the other side in 2 min. The clip isn\'t a big deal and from talking to other car owners, a lot of cars have a retention clip to hold their bulbs anyways.

The Sylvania Silverstars are brighter than stock. How much brighter? I would say about 20% at most but you will notice that your bulbs will shine more white. On our projectors, you\'ll notice the extra light output on the sides as the projectors now shine wider. If you want performance bulbs, you are better off with a set of Osram Silverstars. They put at least 30% to 40% on the road and you will notice the difference over stock during night time driving, no question about it. Unfortunately they are not sold in Canada.

All aftermarket bulbs will only give you so much light output over your stock bulb, but just the nature of a halogen bulb means you won\'t get that much light. If you want a big difference in night time driving, you are better off buying an HID kit rather than spending money on aftermarket bulbs.

With so many choices in HID kits nowadays and all of which are decent, you can get a kit starting at $300 CDN to $800 CDN. At $50 CDN for aftermarket bulbs, changing your bulbs 6 times will mean you\'ve spent enough to get a low end HID kit, which has a lifespan of easily 3-4 years.

[firstmazda]

Originally posted by bluntman
...one of his aftermarket bulbs burned out prematurely...

Yeah!! Did anyone else have this problem? I\'m going back to my stocks \'cause I\'ve been finding my silverstars only last TWO MONTHS!! and at $30 bucks a piece, that\'s
just nuts. I\'m finding it quite frustrating.

I REALLY want to go to HIDs but the $$ is a problem right now and I\'m quite concerned about the warranty issues (especially because of having to re-wire the DRLs)

(BTW I\'m using Silverstars they\'re 55W aren\'t they?)


Oh, Allan, yeah, it just takes practice. It\'s a little hard the first time, now I can do it in
the dark \'cause i\'ve had to change it so many times!

Ray

[RedRaptor]

Yes. Sylvania Silverstars are 55W which is standard wattage for an H7 bulb. They do give more off more light on the road but at the expense of a shorter bulb life.

At $60 a pop, changing your bulbs 6 or 7 will already give you an Xtec Kit kit (check Group Buy Section).

There are TWO ways of installing HIDs. The Sam Peng way or M3-GT\'s way. M3-GT\'s DRL Bypass way DOES NOT VOID warranty and to reverse the process, it would take 5 min or so. Sam Peng\'s way WILL VOID warranty since he will cut your H7 wiring harness and give you indepedent fogs. There are many threads on HIDs that will explain these two processes in detail.

I would stick with the stock H7 bulbs for now.

[aabase]

if my SS goes off within 2 months, ill put back my stock bulbs and wait to have $$ for a HID kit. now that i know how to replace it, it would be a piece of cake changing it unlike my first try. u guys are right, why would we spend so much $$ on bulbs to get a HID effect when we can save it for a HID kit. but i like to hear it from u guys first, if it will not void our warranty.;)

[firstmazda]

Originally posted by RedRaptor

There are TWO ways of installing HIDs. The Sam Peng way or M3-GT\'s way. M3-GT\'s DRL Bypass way DOES NOT VOID warranty and to reverse the process, it would take 5 min or so. Sam Peng\'s way WILL VOID warranty since he will cut your H7 wiring harness and give you indepedent fogs. There are many threads on HIDs that will explain these two processes in detail.

This is where I\'m torn, I\'d rather have Sam\'s way with the independent fogs BUT
of course there is the warranty issue.

M3-GT\'s dosen\'t void it, BUT I don\'t really wany my HIDs running 24/7

hmmmm what to do, what to do.....



I would stick with the stock H7 bulbs for now.

Yeah, I\'m going back to those :(
You\'re getting your HIDs put in anytime now aren\'t you? which way are you
going about it?

[RedRaptor]

Ray,

I ordered my Philips Polarion 4100K from XenonExpert this week so I should get it anytime now. I am going to go the Sam Peng route because I am more comfortable with using my HIDs only at night and having independent fogs for DRL. Yes, the warranty WILL BE VOIDED, but only on the headlights and foglights section. Sam Peng is a good guy and he does a good job. I trust that if I ever needed him to fix up something related to my headlights, he can do the job.

I\'m always about getting an OEM look on my car, hence I got a 4100K kit which is a very clean white light. I also want DRL fogs which are present on my many cars on the road like Hummers, Audi and etc.

M3-GT\'s method works great if you are thinking of reversing your HID kit install. But I am getting my HID kit for keeps (hence a Philips kit) so I have no problem with modifiying the car a little bit.

If you are worried about voiding warranty, then think about this. When you install a CAI, exhaust, springs, remote starter, alarm and etc. If the dealership wanted to be a b_tch about it, they can claim that all those mods \"void\" warranty. The lighting system isn\'t a complex one and it either works or doesn\'t. This is why I am not afraid to void my warranty on the lighthing system.

[firstmazda]

AHHHH!!! Thank you! for the info
See I don\'t know much about warranty\'s, and I thought it would screw EVERYTHING up!!
okay!! I\'m goin with Sam then!

hmmm... now where am I gonna come up with $600???
Maybe I\'ll start a fundraiser here and if everyone in the club simply put in $3
I\'ll have more than enough!!!!:D :D :D


Ray

[new2mazdas]

two questions for u guys

h7 is the headlight bulb correct, and h11 is the fog light bulb..
ive found the silverstars in h7 and h7st , st being the brighter,whiter look, but i havent found the fog light bulb in h11st, wil having the h7st headlamp bulb and h11 foglight bulb look awkward, i want them both to be the same..

when upgrading to a h.i.d kit, do u leave your factory h11 bulbs in or is there a whiter h.i.d. looking bulb that u use for the fogs so all the lights are similar..

im from the states so i wont have to worry about the drl issues u guys have...

great site btw, definately the most informative ive found thus far..

[bluntman]

Originally posted by new2mazdas


two questions for u guys

h7 is the headlight bulb correct, and h11 is the fog light bulb..
ive found the silverstars in h7 and h7st , st being the brighter,whiter look, but i havent found the fog light bulb in h11st, wil having the h7st headlamp bulb and h11 foglight bulb look awkward, i want them both to be the same..

when upgrading to a h.i.d kit, do u leave your factory h11 bulbs in or is there a whiter h.i.d. looking bulb that u use for the fogs so all the lights are similar..

im from the states so i wont have to worry about the drl issues u guys have...

great site btw, definately the most informative ive found thus far..

Having two different coloured bulbs won\'t look too odd, especially since the lowbeams will be whiter than the fogs. From my experience, what looks odd is if the fogs are whiter than the lowbeams.

I have a pair of Hoen Xenonmatch H11 bulbs used in my fog lights, they\'re white(ish) but not as white as my HID lowbeams. There are H11 HID kits available, but I won\'t be going for that.

[new2mazdas]

ok thanks a lot bluntman, btw have any one found the silverstars in h11st, or can any of you guys recommend a matching set of h7\"s and h11\"s that are as good as or better than the silverstars. i cant afford a hid kit right now but like whiter lighting like the silverstars, function over fashion is what im looking for in terms of lighting, the blue-ish looking headlights isnt what im out for, but im sure with a more useable white light, the headlight color characteristics will change as well

thank you..

[bluntman]

Originally posted by new2mazdas


ok thanks a lot bluntman, btw have any one found the silverstars in h11st, or can any of you guys recommend a matching set of h7\"s and h11\"s that are as good as or better than the silverstars. i cant afford a hid kit right now but like whiter lighting like the silverstars, function over fashion is what im looking for in terms of lighting, the blue-ish looking headlights isnt what im out for, but im sure with a more useable white light, the headlight color characteristics will change as well

thank you..

Finding an H11 bulb on the shelves is difficult, unless you go to Pacific Mall, a lot of the auto accessories stores regularly have those bulbs in stock. Otherwise, have Canadian Tire special order the H11 Silverstars for you. BTW, I bought my Hoen H11 bulbs online at http://www.hoen-usa.com

[aabase]

Originally posted by bluntman



Originally posted by new2mazdas


ok thanks a lot bluntman, btw have any one found the silverstars in h11st, or can any of you guys recommend a matching set of h7\"s and h11\"s that are as good as or better than the silverstars. i cant afford a hid kit right now but like whiter lighting like the silverstars, function over fashion is what im looking for in terms of lighting, the blue-ish looking headlights isnt what im out for, but im sure with a more useable white light, the headlight color characteristics will change as well

thank you..

Finding an H11 bulb on the shelves is difficult, unless you go to Pacific Mall, a lot of the auto accessories stores regularly have those bulbs in stock. Otherwise, have Canadian Tire special order the H11 Silverstars for you. BTW, I bought my Hoen H11 bulbs online at http://www.hoen-usa.com

i think hes from the states. better check the website bluntman gave you. or plan a long drivin goin here and look for the Pacific Mall.:)

[bluntman]

Who let the Yank in? :D

[cshih2]

so the low bean use H7 or H11?
high beam and fog??
i am just confused!

thx,
aaron

[majic]

Originally posted by cshih2


so the low bean use H7 or H11?
high beam and fog??
i am just confused!

thx,
aaron

umm.. click (http://torontomazda3.com/forum/read.php?TID=2474) :sarc

[dredd2099]

roll eyes = \'search\' function is ur frend

[stef37]

Hey, dunno where you\'re from, but there\'s a place in Sauga that sells the ultra white bulbs too, they usually carry H11\'s as well, they run for about 25 +taxes for the pair, and they have a one year warranty on them if you\'re worried about them burning out prematurely... The place is called Car Decor, i dunno if they have them on the website, but you can find the contact information there www.cardecor.ca hope that helps!;)