Tantrix

I have a 2007 and have that intermittent headlight shutting off issue . I hear the early models had faulty hid bulbs

can anyone reccomend some good 5000k replacements ?

SW17LS

I'd use Osram CBI bulbs. In fact I may upgrade to them myself. 5000k color temp without losing light output.

Lynzoid

Be extra careful about those HIDs. Market is flooded with chinese knockoffs, which will haze your headlights from inside.

SW17LS

Just make sure to buy them from a reputable source

roadfrog

Many if not most members here have used Retrofit Source for their bulbs. I installed their 5000 K Morimoto bulbs about 2 years ago and they're still plugging along nicely.

Here's their website: https://www.theretrofitsource.com/co...termarket.html

Tantrix

Thanks guys . hope the install is simple to do

SW17LS

I haven't attempted it, but I've looked into it and its not the easiest. You have to access them from the wheel well which requires removing the front wheels or at least turning them all the way around to lock.

roadfrog

Yes....they are somewhat difficult to remove/replace. But turning the steering wheel in the appropriate direction to access them is the key. There are DIY's here at CL to help you.

Dr. Jekyll

iTrader: (1)

I replaced mine with the CBIs and posted pics in another thread. It took me less than a couple of hours to do it with a couple of hand tools and a floor jack. Haven't regretted it one bit. The 5000k is perfect!

roadfrog

Yes 5k is perfect. Not blue and not yellowish like the originals. I'd even get 5.5k if I did it again. 6k gets into the bluish spectrum.

Tantrix

OK guys, so I installed some 17 dollar set of 5000k HID bulbs from ebay. It definitely fixed the intermittent headlight problem I was having.
It was actually a very easy swap and you do not need to remove the wheels at all.

let's just hope it doesn't melt the headlamp covers as other's have mentioned.

CRowe14

$17 for a pair of HID bulbs?
That seems like a very low price, and though I hate to say it, in this case when speaking of a quality HID bulb, you get what you pay for.
I absolutely hope they last you some time and work out okay, however, that is a very cheap price for 2. Very cheap.
I'd also be willing to guess that the kelvin rating isn't quite 5K and the longevity of the emission quality will fade quickly.
When it comes to certain things, HID bulbs in particular, its worth spending a little bit more money to get a quality product.
Regarding what Lynzoid said, he didn't say they would melt the headlight covers. What he said was (and its true), is that cheap bulbs will haze the inside of the lens in your headlight housing.
I do hope that these bulbs work out for you.
Perhaps you stumbled upon a great product for a really low cost.

mckellyb

My wife's '02 RX300 had one bulb become noticeably dimmer than the other, and I had a flaky passenger's bulb on the LS, so I hit up Amazon for four Phillips bulbs...under $100 for the four.

Previously, I had no idea HID bulbs dimmed as they aged. I can say, for a fact, both of our cars have brighter headlamps, now.

Is the interior lens hazing caused by excessive UV radiation in low-grade bulbs?

roadfrog

Yeah, I went that route one time and they worked for about a month before dying. This is one of the few times where buying a cheap Ebay part didn't work out. I usually do well with Chinese sourced parts. This was not one of them.

Tantrix

Yeah even the brand names one are from China, I couldn't see any measurements that showed one type to be better than the other.

The 5000k do look nice though