Headlight Bulbs

Check your car headlight bulbs

2010-12-09T15:14:00.002+00:00

With the weather as bad as it is at the moment it's worth checking all the bulbs on you car are in working order. You may even wish to upgrade your headlight bulbs if the stand bulb are providing a poor light output.

I'd recommend from experience either going for OSRAM Night Breaker or Philips X-treame bulbs. They both give off over 80% more light than standard bulbs with the Osram Night Breaker Plus giving off the most at 90%.

If your unsure of which bulbs your car need you can either check the user manual that came with your car or you can go to www.autobulbsdirect.co.uk who have a bulb finder which will tell you the bulbs needed for your car.

New OSRAM Nightbreaker Plus

2010-09-17T17:57:00.002+01:00

Following the success of the original Night Breaker Bulbs, OSRAM have announced the release of the new and improved OSRAM Night Breaker Plus headlight bulbs. They are designed as a direct replacement to the most popular sizes of headlight bulb, but provide significant performance improvements.

Up to 90% more light for vastly improved night-time visibility

Up to 35 meters longer headlight beam, giving more time to react to obstacles

Whiter light to reduce driver fatigue at night

Up to 50% longer life than the original Night Breaker headlight bulbs

The OSRAM Nightbreakers are now in stock at Autobulbs Direct.

H7 Philips X-treme Power +80% bulbs on Vauxhall Astra

2009-04-30T11:15:00.004+01:00

Thanks to Phil for emailing in with his review of H7 Philips X-treme Power +80% bulbs to his 2006 Vauxhall Astra.

"I have fitted a pair of H7 Philips X-treme Power +80% bulbs to my 2006 Vauxhall Astra and the difference in output between these and the standard bulbs is incredible.

With the OE bulbs, I was subconciously checking that my headllamps were switched on when travelling in the dark or on poorly lit roads, owing to the fact that little light was being thrown onto the road. When compared to other vehicles, especially those HID equipped, lamp performance was generally poor, with a dull yellowish light.

The X-Treme Power bulbs provide an intense white light, and project a solid, useable beam to beyond the focal point of the driver, making them excellent for negotiating dark, poorly lit roads.

These bulbs are ideal for those who have considered aftermarket HID kits, yet don't want to take chances with legality and fitment.
Certainly a worthy upgrade and worth every penny!"

Upgrade of MK4 Golf and Bora

2009-03-11T21:39:00.008+00:00

A mate of mine was looking to upgrade his MK4 Golf headlights and didn't know what to go for. I recommended Osram Night Breaker's as I've used them on my MK5 and I'm really pleased with them but he didn't know what size he needed so I searched and found this diagram whic also covers the Bora as well:

From this we could see what we needed so we went and ordered a set of H1 night breakers for the main beam, night breaker H7's for the side lights and finished off the front lights with a set of Philips Silver Vision indicator bulbs. He was well pleased with the result and all in all cost £50 to make his car look loads better.

Philips Bulb Bonanza up to 50% off

2009-02-03T14:11:00.007+00:00

Well if your looking to upgrade or replace your broken headlight bulbs Autobulbs Direct are now offering up to 50% off the Philips headlight bulb range.

There are savings on EcoVision, Blue Vision, Power 2 Night GT-150, Philips Vision Plus and Philips X-treme Power +80% bulbs.

To see the savings click here.

What are Xenon HID Headlight Kits

2009-01-26T15:11:00.006+00:00

Xenon HID lights are the brilliant, blue/white lights that first appeared on luxury and high performance cars and are now slowly becoming available Extra on an entire range of cars, trucks and 4x4s. HID lights provide twice the light of conventional halogen lights for the ultimate in driving safety.

Xenon HID lamps provide:

200% more light: earlier recognition of road hazards.
With a longer and wider beam pattern that projects trice the amount of light on the road, Xenon HID lamps lead to earlier and improved recognition of objects, cyclists, pedestrians, and road workers to name but a few.
At highway speeds, HID lights give you up to a full second more time to safely react to road hazards.

Brilliant daylight white light: better reflection of road signs and marking
The clear white light produced by the Xenon HID lamp is similar to daylight. This particular white light reflects road markings and signs better than conventional lighting.

With no less that 80% of all traffic accidents taking place in poorly lit conditions, Xenon HID light is vitally important to accident prevention.

Moreover...
...Xenon HID light consumes over 50% less energy and thus appeals to an environmentally conscious driver and has a lifetime 7 times longer.

50% Sale at Auto Bulbs Direct

2009-01-12T12:14:00.005+00:00

Just to give everyone the heads up Autobulbs Direct are having a up to 50% sale for January so if your looking to upgrade your headlights, fancy a set of silver indicator bulbs or want that HID kit you've been meaning to get and install nows probably the best time to get them!

What are the advantages of Xenon light?

2009-01-12T12:11:00.013+00:00

The xenon bulb outputs more than 3 times the brightness than a halogen light, whilst consuming only half the power (wattage).Not only is night driving safer and clearer, more power is freed up up for your car's other functions.

Additionally, you will be doing your part for the environment: less power consumption means less waste. The clear white light produced by the xenon bulb is similar to that of natural daylight. Research has shown that better lighting conditions make for better driving.

The unique white colour of xenon light also reflects road markings and signs better than the colors emitted by conventional lighting systems.

Cost-effective, the life span of a xenon bulb lasts the lifetime of a car, meaning that under normal conditions, you should never have to replace the bulbs!

This means, exceptional bright light, less power consumed & saves money.

HID kits are available in the following sizes: H1 HID Kit, H3 HID Kit, H4 HID Kit, H7 HID Kit. There easy to fit and provide stunning looks and vision when driving at night.

Have you changed your headlight bulbs recently?

2008-12-04T10:35:00.004+00:00

Your headlight bulbs are a vital safety feature on your car. Poor car bulbs can increase the chances of an accident, and driving at night with poor headlight bulbs can also cause you to suffer from stress and fatigue.

Headlight bulb on your car is just like any other part; it will wear out and the performance will weaken over time. Items like brake pads and oil get changed when your car is serviced but your headlight bulbs could be performing below their specification and not get spotted. It would be unthinkable not to change your brake pads for five years; the same should apply to your bulbs.

Simply replacing the bulb will make a difference. Upgrading, to a product such as Philips X-Treme Power or Osram Nightbreaker, will deliver substantially more light on the road. Be safe and be seen during these dark winter nights check your headlight bulbs.

Silver Indicators - Indicator Styling

2008-12-04T09:55:00.007+00:00

A lot of people are now trying to make there car look that little bit different to all the others on the road today.

Vehicle manufacturers have become more creative with headlight unit design - the 'clear lens' is an example of this. Many vehicles now have a clear indicator lens with an orange indicator bulb. This leads to what some drivers term 'the fried egg' effect.

A quick cheap way of losing the 'fried egg' effect is to swap your orange indicator bulbs for silver ones. There are a number of brands on the market including Philips Silver Vision, Osram Diadem (these are a blue oiled style finish) and Autobulb Directs own Silver Indicators. They come in a variety of sizes which you need to check your car manual to find out which bulbs fit your car, or you can go onto the Autobulbs Directs website and use there Find Bulbs Tool in the top right of there site.

I've swapped the indicators in both my MK5 Golf and my wife's Skoda VRS front and rear an love the subtle effect theses silver indicator bulbs give.

New Ring Xenon Max + 90% 12v 55w

2008-11-24T14:35:00.002+00:00

These fantastic new +90% bulb from Ring Automotive offers 90% more light on the road and a bright white light. This makes night driving much easier as it provides better reflection from road markings and signs. It also means objects can be seen more clearly at a distance of 75m on dipped beam, for greater safety.

Benefits

90% more light on the road over a standard halogen bulb
Safer night driving
Bright white light with enhanced performance for greater light output
Fully 'E' Marked and road legal
UV protected and suitable for use in plastic lenses
Ideal for professional, non-urban night drivers and family vehicles

Ring Xenon Max + 90% 12v 55w NEW! (pair) from £18.50

Available in H1, H4, and H7

Philips X-Treme Power bulbs the movie!

2008-10-27T15:05:00.004+00:00

It's funny what you find when looking around sites like Youtube but here's a movie showing just how good the Philips X-Treme Power bulbs are:

PHILIPS ECO VISION

2008-10-08T07:05:00.003+01:00

The world’s most environmentally friendly upgrade headlight bulbs. 20% less energy consumption, 10% more light and twice the life expectancy than standard bulbs. The bulbs are available in H1, H4 and H7.

Announcing the launch of Philips’ latest automotive lighting innovation - EcoVision.

Save energy & fuel
Over their lifetime, by consuming less energy, one pair of EcoVision lamps can save you up to 14 litres of fuel, which is equivalent to:

£17.50 GBP / 22 Euros (@ £1.23 / €1,55 / litre)
Over 124 miles / 200 km extra driving distance (@ 6 litres per 100 km)

Save money
EcoVision lamps last twice as long as standard lamps which means that you have to buy new lamps half as often. This saves you money on lamps: up to 15% on average.

Save the planet
Over their lifetime, one pair of EcoVision lamps will reduce your car’s CO2 emissions by up to 36 kg. If everyone switched to EcoVision, this would save 6 million tonnes of CO2 - the equivalent of 2 times the Black Forest.

Key Facts
20% less energy consumption
10% more light than standard
Twice the life expectancy of a standard bulb
Reduction in your car’s CO2 emissions by up to 36kg over the bulb’s lifetime.
Quartz glass construction - safe to use with plastic lenses
Standard wattage = fully road legal in the EU
Sold in pairs (a pack of two bulbs)

How do you know what bulbs to fit?

2008-07-18T14:00:00.005+01:00

When I come to change the bulbs on one of my cars I can never remember which bulb size is the right one???

Autobulbs Direct have a useful tool on there website that will give you a full breakdown of which bulbs fit your car.

Click here for the tool!

What are Xenon bulbs?

2008-07-18T13:30:00.003+01:00

Xenon bulbs are car bulbs filled with Xenon gas which gives a brighter, whiter light without increasing the wattage of the bulb.

Can I buy them in my local motor store?
Xenon bulbs can be difficult to locate in shops, but you can find them online quite easily I recommend Autobulbs Direct if your looking to save money.

How easy are they to install?
Xenon bulbs are no harder to fit than standard headlight bulbs I suggest that you always check your user manual for your vehicle this will give you instructions on fitting.

I have plastic lenses on my car. Are your bulbs safe to use?
Xenon bulbs have a UV filter to prevent melting or discolouration of plastic lenses.

Will installing these bulbs invalidate my warranty?
No Xenon bulbs are not a modification they are simply a change of the bulb.

How long will they last?
Xenon bulbs will last as long as your standard bulbs even though they give off a better brighter light.

Are these bulbs legal?
All bulbs should have an ‘E’ mark showing they meet ECE Regulation 37.

Are these bulbs the same as the blue coloured, powerful lights that I see on prestige cars?
Xenon bulbs are not the same as the Xenon headlights or HID headlights you get on a lot of new cars. You can buy HID kits to upgrade your headlights but this is more than just a bulb upgrade.

Autobulbs Direct Offer FREE Shipping World Wide!

2008-05-15T10:17:00.007+01:00

Yep you heard correct! Autobulbs Direct now offer free shipping on orders over £10 World wide.

That means you can get the great Osram Night Breakers and Auto Express winning Philips X-treme Power Bulbs were ever you are based!

Here's a breakdown of the postage charges:

FREE Shipping worldwide on all items on this website with the exception of the following:

Orders Over £100 (sent with added insurance)
- Free to the UK, £20 to Europe, £30 to the rest of the World
Orders Under £10 - UK
- 1st Class Royal Mail £1.50
- 1st Class Royal Mail Recorded £3.00
- Royal Mail Special Delivery (guaranteed next working day) £7.00
Orders Under £10 - Europe
- Royal Mail Airmail - £2.50
- Royal Mail International Signed For - £7.00
Orders Under £10 - Rest of the World
- Royal Mail Airmail - £3.00
- Royal Mail International Signed For - £7.00

If you want to see what Autobulbs Direct full range click here!

Philips X-treme Power +80% bulbs

2008-04-23T10:49:00.007+01:00

The Philips Xtreme Power +80% xenon headlight bulbs have been awarded the prestigious Auto Express Magazine "Accessory of the Year 2007", and Auto Express Best Buy in the 2007 Auto Express Auto Bulbs Test.

Philips X-treme Power headlamps project up to 80% more light on the road ahead and use the latest in xenon headlight bulb technology from Phillips Automotive Lighting.

The light is powerful and intense, and the extra quality and quantity of light provided by the Phillips X-treme Power lamps make them ideal for drivers who consider safety as there highest priority.

X-treme Power is fully homologated for use in all European countries without restriction as replacement for conventional lamps. It is compatible with most head lighting units, including today's modern complex-shape headlights.

Here are some of the benefits of Philips Xtreme Power:-

- Philips X-treme Power delivers up to an astounding 80% more light than standard halogen bulbs.
- DOT legal, and come with the same quality and performance we used in Philips OEMs bulbs around the world.
- X-treme Power is a new "must have" for motoring enthusiasts and high performance drivers providing a crisp, white xenon light.
- Interchangeable with existing H4 (472) and H7 (499) headlight bulb fittings.
- Legal for road use and safe to use with plastic lenses.
- Awarded Auto Express "Accessory of the Year 2007".

This is what Auto Express had to say about Philips Xtreme Power:-

"This is so new, we could not randomly select test samples, so cannot include it in our assessment. Yet performance of our pre production unit was staggering. Even compared with the current benchmark plus 50% bulbs, the difference was immediate and dramatic. Philips claim an 80 per cent improvement over standard units, but we think that this is conservative."

Philips Extreme Power +80% Headlight bulbs are sold in a pack of 2 and are available in H4 and H7 fittings.

OSRAM Night Breaker +90% 12v 55w bulbs

2008-04-18T10:26:00.009+01:00

With OSRAM's NIGHT BREAKER™ family of lamps, OSRAM is breaking records for the power and colour of headlights. Compared with standard car lamps, they shine up to 90% more light on to the road and produce a 10% whiter light.

Maximum performance make NIGHT BREAKER™ lamps particularly attractive for active and safety-conscious drivers. Improved illumination of the road provides optimum visibility for the driver and therefore optimum safety. NIGHTBREAKER™ lamps also make your driving experience more comfortable.

Drivers find the whiter light stronger and more pleasant than ordinary light, which is also of great benefit on long journeys.

OSRAM Night Breakers are available in H1, H3, H4, H7 and H11.

HID Xenon Headlights

2008-04-04T09:46:00.004+01:00

When we decided to upgrade the headlights on our 2002 1.8 Turbo New Beetle Colour Concept, we wanted to fit a HID kit to give it the ultimate xenon light.

HID means High Intensity Discharge the advatages of HID Xenon Headlights are:

More light output
Whiter light
Longer service life (HID bulbs will last, on the average, 3 to 5 times as long as a halogen bulb)

The first thing i wanted to consider was the law when it came to HID kits and I found the following by the Department of Transport:

Aftermarket HID headlamps
December 2006

In the Department's view it is not legal to sell or use after market HID lighting kits, for converting conventional Halogen headlamps to HID Xenon. If a customer wants to convert his vehicle to Xenon HID he must purchase completely new Xenon HID headlamps. The reason for this is that the existing lens and reflector are designed around a Halogen filament bulb, working to very precise tolerances. If one places a HID "burner" (bulb) in the headlamp, the beam pattern will not be correct, there will be glare in some places and not enough light in other places within the beam pattern.

The following is the legal rationale:

The Road Vehicle Lighting Regulations 1989 regulate the situation in the UK.
Under these Regulations, HID/Gas Discharge/Xenon headlamps are not mentioned and therefore they are not permitted according to the strict letter of the law.

However new vehicles have HID headlamps. This is because they comply to European type approval Regulations. The UK cannot refuse to register a vehicle with a European type approval. These are to ECE Regulation 98 (for the HID headlamps which are tested on a rig in a laboratory) and ECE Regulation 48 (Lighting Installation on the vehicle).

For the after market, a used vehicle cannot obtain type approval because it is only applicable for new vehicles. However we feel that saying "HID is banned in the after market" would not be reasonable. Instead we should make analogies with new vehicles. It would be reasonable to require HID in the after market to meet the same safety standards as on new vehicles. The same level of safety should apply.

Therefore a HID headlamp unit sold in the after market should:

1. be type approved to ECE Regulation 98 as a component.

2. when fitted to the vehicle should enable ECE Regulation 48 to be complied with (although no government inspection will take place).

3. Comply with RVLR as far as "use" is concerned.

In practice this means:

1. The headlamp unit (outer lens, reflector, bulb) shall be type approved to ECE 98 and be "e-marked" to demonstrate this. That can only be done by the headlamp supplier - Hella, Valeo etc. who must test the headlamp in an independent laboratory.

2. Once fitted to the vehicle it must have headlamp cleaning and self-levelling (which can be for the headlamp or can be in the vehicle suspension - some expensive estate cars have "self-levelling suspension" and that is adequate). Also the dipped beam must stay on with the main beam.

3. The headlamp must be maintained in good working order, kept clean, and aligned/adjusted correctly like any other headlamp.

Under the Road Traffic Act 1988 it is an offence to supply, fit or use vehicle parts which are not legal.

In summary it is not permitted to convert an existing halogen headlamp unit for use with HID bulbs. The entire headlamp unit must be replaced with one designed and approved for use with HID bulbs and it must be installed in accordance with the rules stated above.

My understanding of the above was that as long as the HID lights meet the standards of new car HID's then they are legal. If you want to read this off there site click here.

For the New Beetle we needed a H1 HID Xenon Headlight kit which we purchased a 6000k super white kit from Autobulbs Direct. The kit came with full easy to follow instructions and took about an hour to fit. Fitting consisted of removing the existing H1 healight bulbs and drilling a hole in the cap that covered the rear of the headlight to allow the HID bulb and wireing to feed out of the headlight unit. No wireing knowledge is required the kit connects directly to the existing wireing.

The quality of light from the kit was fantastic an increadably bright white light that lit up the road ahead. We drove the car for over twelve months with this kit fitted in which time we were never flashed by oncoming traffic and passed the MOT with no issues.

Over all for £100 the look and benefit of these kits is great you can pay over six time as much for a factory fitted kit!

Upgrade of sidelights and main beams on Skoda Fabia vRS

2008-04-04T09:00:00.003+01:00

We've upgraded the bulbs for our Skoda Fabia vRS this week. Since we got into the VW scene this is generally one of the first mods we do as its fairly easy and gets rid of those unsightly orange bulbs.

We purchased the following; H7 Osram Night Breaker +90% 12v 55w bulbs, along with 581 Silver Indicators bulbs to get rid of those horrible orange indicator a personal style thing I know and then because they look great at night LED Side lights (501 Super Bright White).

The Osram Nightbrakers are definatly a vast improvment over standard bulb, they give a very white light (not HID white) but definaly needs a second look to comifirm they arnt HID.

I think next to upgrade on the vRS are the fog lights to get rid of the yellow light completly.

Upgrade to Mk5 Golf GT TDI Review

2008-02-20T09:33:00.009+00:00

Well I have never been happy with the standard bulbs from the manufacturer they never seem to be that bright. So one of the first things I do is replace the main and side beam bulbs.

When I brought my MK5 Golf GT TDi the standard VW bulbs were not ideal. The main and side beams were not the greatest when driving at night so I tested a number of different bulbs to replace the standard ones.

The Golf MK5 uses H7 for both the main and side beams which made my life easier as I didn't have to try differen't bulbs in different sizes.

The first Bulbs I tried were H7 Osram Silverstar 50% bulbs these gave off a lot brighter white light than the standard bulbs. Driving at night they light up the road well and showed upcoming signs alot better. The Osram Silverstar's come in at a good price as well around £16 for the pair the provide a good upgrade for the money.

The second bulbs I tested were Philips Vision Plus these were slightly more expensive at around the £25 mark. The Philips Vision Plus gave off a bluer light than the Osram Silverstar and lit up the road just as well whether this is worth an extra £10 or not I'll leave that with you.

Finally I installed the Philips Power 2 Night GT-150 being the most expencive of the three sets I've tried on the Golf at nearly £30 I expected them to stand out from the others. After installing the bulbs I waited till it got dark and took the Golf out for a spin. The Power 2 Night gave off considrably more light than the previous two set highlighting road signs from quite a distance. They also gave off a nice blue xenon style light the two sets on the Golf gave of a great pattern of light on main beam.

Long term I have stuck with the Philips Power 2 Night GT-150. Mainly because the light reach that the bulbs give off on both main and side beam, is I feel worth the extra price tag. If you are on the road a lot and are fed up with sub-standard manufacturer headlamp bulbs I would highly recommend these to aid your driving journey.

How to install headlight bulbs

2008-02-11T09:13:00.003+00:00

The best guide for changing your bulbs is in your car manual if you look in your index you should find a

Here's sre five steps to change your bulb:

Step One
Open the bonnet and find the wires that go into the back of the headlight.

Step Two
Twist the black plastic ring at the back of the headlight to release the bulb.

Step Three
Pull out the bulb and unplug it.

Step Four
Carefully take the new bulb out of the box without touching the glass part with your fingers (see Warning). Plug it in and place the bulb back into the headlight.

Step Five
Twist the plastic ring back on and test the new headlight.

If your looking for a video guide to fit you replacemnt headlight bulbs I've found a great video on YouTube that is a basic guide. The video will give tou the basic's of changing your bulbs.

If you want to upgrade your bulbs try Autobulbs Direct.

LED Bulbs

2008-02-07T10:01:00.002+00:00

LED bulbs use less than 1 watt of power on average which reduces the power draw from the battery and in turn reduces fuel consumption. The average life of a LED bulb is around 30,000 hours which means it will outlast your car!

Because LED bulbs response time is instant this adds to their safety value when used as stop and tail lights as filament bulbs have a reaction time of 0.2 seconds. This might appear to be a small difference but 0.2 seconds equates to 5 metres stopping distance.

LED bulbs can’t be fitted on all cars easily as I’ve found with my MK5 Golf which required resistors fitted inline with the LED unit to prevent issues which I’ll mention later.

LED Car Sidelights

If your looking to change the style of the light from your headlights then another upgrade you may want to consider is LED sidelight’s these can help produce a bluish light giving your headlights more of a xenon style. LED bulbs have been developed for the motor industry because they are brighter, more durable, longer lasting, instant response and use much less power than standard bulbs. Car sidelights come in two sizes that I know of 501 and 233 these sizes are both available as LED bulbs.

With our New Beetle and Skoda Fabia vRS we have fitted 501 LED Super Bright White they give off a nice pale blue glow when just the side lights are on and when main beam is on add to the whiteness of the light.

This issue on the MK5 Golf was that the LED’s came on for 5 or 6 seconds then went off and flagged a warning light on the dash of bulb failure. To get round this you need to splice in resistors to the existing wiring which I wasn’t prepared to do.

With the MK5 Golf rather than LED’s I went for Phillips Blue Vision 501 bulbs and although they don’t have the same brightness of the LED bulbs they still changed the colour of the headlights to a brighter blueish white.

Bright headlights could be a lifesaver on a dark winter night, but which bulbs can you rely on?

2008-02-06T19:46:00.002+00:00

Through this blog I aim to test and review car bulbs. Do they make a real difference to the bulbs you get with your car from the manufacturer? Currently we've changed the bulbs on the following cars:

Honda Civic Type R
New Beetle 1.8 Turbo
MK5 Golf GT TDI
Skoda Fabia vRS

Over the next few posts I'll tell you what bulbs we decided to change to, why and what difference did they make. I'll also be looking into the laws regarding bulb upgrades and HID kits.

So do I think changing your headlight bulbs is a worth while upgrade to your car? If you drive a number of different roads from motorways to country side roads like I do in my daily commute then I feel it's an invaluable aid to your safety and driving.