lilryan

so on the way home last night i thought my headlights flickered. this is a low beam problem by the way. i thought they did this once before, but i chalked it up to me being tired and my eyes playing tricks on me. but it did it again last night so i pulled over when my lights flickered and got dimmer. my driver headlight was out. i can turn my light off and back on and they will work. i have never had them go out again after i have done the on off thing. maybe i havent had far enough to go to give them a chance.

so my question is, do you think this is a bulb or ballast problem. where is the best place to get either part. is there any upgrades i can do since i need to be replacing something anyway. what color are the stock bulbs. 6000K?

thanks
ryan

rlx015

only way you can find out is to replace bulbs (which I think are the issue) but then if you get flickering after replacing them it may likely be the balast...

BDoggPrelude

Before you replace the bulbs I would suggest having the battery tested. So many electrical issues in this forum have been with a new battery. These vehicles are very heavy on battery usage because of all the electronics.

swoosh

iTrader: (5)

1> take it to Autozone/Advanced Auto Parts and get a system check
2> trade the bulb spots....right <---> left....if the problem moves with the bulbs then your bulb is gone....if the problem stays then its the ballast/igniter
3> keep the bulbs at the same location and trade ballast....right <---> left....if the problem moves with the ballast...ballast is gone....if the problem stays then igniter

hope this helps....

Carbon Legend

If you need new bulbs and ballast i have OEM Bulbs and ballast for sale so you dont get raped by dealer.

lilryan

i was gonna pm you carbon legend and see if there was a simple upgrade i could do since i am having this problem.

white05rl

it's almost certainly the bulb(s). i had the same problem on my 05. for less than $100 you can replace both bulbs and be done with it. i did both of mine without removing the bumper. i bit of a pain, but start to finish it's less than a 45 minute job.

Carbon Legend

the simple upgrade that could be done is upgrading to a 50W ballast and clear lens swap. maybe switch to a 5000K bulb (I only recommend the Osram CBI bulbs $200-250 a pair)

lilryan

where did you purchase the bulbs.

white05rl

For the stock replacement, I used:

http://www.amazon.com/Sylvania-66240...0670693&sr=8-1

oo7spy

The stock bulbs are 4100K or 4300K I believe. 6000k is too blue and doesn't put out as many lumens as 4000-5000K.

swoosh

iTrader: (5)

Stock: 4300K
White with heavy blue tint: 6000K
Bluish: 8000K
Deeep blue: 10000K
Purple: 12000K

Carbon Legend

Stock GE Bulbs are 4300K. Only way to go with Bulbs would be a OEM GE, Philips 85122+ 4300K, Osram CBI 5000K those are the best ones to get and also have the best lumen output.

Philips use to make a Ultinon 6000K bulb, I believe it has been discontinued and i believe it was illegal in the US for automotive use

Here is a list of popular OEM bulbs that will work just fine with OEM ballast. These are pricier than the aftermarket bulbs but the quality is so much better

OEM GE Xensation 53500 4300K- 3200 Lumens @ 100 hours
Phillips Ultinon 6000K- 2400 Lumens @100 Hours
Philips 85122 4300K- 2900 Lumens @ 100 hours
Philips 85122+ 4300K- 3200 Lumens @ 100 Hours
Osram CBI 5000K- 3400 Lumens @ 100 hours
Osram Xenarc 66240 4300K- 3200 Lumens @ 100 Hours

tongr888

the Philips 85122+ is pretty much white, not really blue at all.

oo7spy

Here are 6000k in my fogs.

lilryan

what made you choose that color for the fog lights.

Carbon Legend

6000k will Perform better than halogen, its a upgrade/cosmetic look some people want a certain appearance for there car

swoosh

iTrader: (5)

I would not suggest anything more than 6000K for ur main driving lights....

6000K will look sweet....

8000K for fogs will look great....

Thats the setup am running LOL

Carbon Legend

8K for fogs? technically your fogs should be No more than 5000K.
I personally would not go above 4300K, I did try 5000K bulbs in my fogs since i had them lying around, they did not do well at all in wet conditions. i put my 3000K bulbs back in and fogs perform the way they should

oo7spy

eyi sold them to me for cheap. That's the only reason. If buying at full price, I would get 4300 or 5000K. The 6000K isn't good for fog b/c it causes a lot of reflection. 3000K or a similar yellow is best for fog purposes. Luckily for me, I don't drive in much fog. Like Carbon said, it is form over function, like my blue interior lights.

swoosh

iTrader: (5)

Carbon....8000K HIDS....

any brighter and people will throw stones at me LOL

oo7spy

Those no 8000K silly. Those too white.

swoosh

iTrader: (5)

^^^ you JDM whore

8000K will be anything but white....they are blue-ish....I just put a pick to show Carbon that they are bright to be fogs....

Carbon Legend

8000K is at the very high end of daylight spectrum with extra blue Hue. i wish i had some D2S bulbs to do some testing on just to show everyone what the difference is between Color and output. Also to show the effect of fog/snow/rainy conditions

here is a older test i did with some FX-R's i had around with 4 different bulbs

swoosh

iTrader: (5)

^^^ you dont have to reinvent the wheel buddy...:





PS: I cannot see the pic so do not know what you were referring to...

Also check this thread out:

https://acurazine.com/forums/3g-tl-2004-2008-93/hid-information-55w-bulb-testing-56k-no-802753/

Carbon Legend

i wrote that thread when i use to have a TL. I just forgot my password to that name..lol Bulb being lit by its self will not show the true color when you throw the reflector or projector assembly it can really change the output color through optics

swoosh

iTrader: (5)

^^^ really LOL....

well yeah i completely agree that a true color has a lot to do with lens upfront/projector/the headlight casing (lens)....the reason I put that picture is to give an idea of how the color differs right out the bulb....

the 2nd picture helps in finding out how to road looks from the drivers point of view with different color hids....

Carbon Legend

That would be me. i dont trust those ebay ad pictures that they put up. I am also a photographer so i set and lock my white balance. Same shutter speed same aperature same focal length same lens so that all the pictures come out with actual results.

So many vendors out there use stock pictures from there manufactures and i do not trust there images

swoosh

iTrader: (5)

so you dont trust the pictures, you did extensive research and found out 4300K to compare to 8000K compare to 5000K

people go with different Kelvin rating for color....even at 8000K main bulbs you will be able to see the road plenty and pass SAFETY for your state but I would not recommend it.....I would say NO MORE than 6000K for your main driving light....

also are you sure u trust those bulbs ? the vendor might have stamped 4300K on a bulb which is 5287K and maybe ur testing is wrong ?

oo7spy

All Carbon is saying is that it is undesirable, from a functionality standpoint, to use any color with a temperature above 5000k for fog lights for 2 reasons.

1) Your lumen output decreases beyond 5000k, so anything above that is not giving you optimal light output.
2) The more blue that is in the light, the more the fog will reflect the light. This means that you will be able to see the fog and not the road beyond the fog. It's the same reason you don't use your high beams in fog; they reflect too much light off of the fog.

For optimal light PERFORMANCE in wet/foggy/snowy conditions, it is best to use a yellow light that can output the most lumens possible at the lowest height possible. If your fogs are used for an appearance purpose only, like mine, then go with what looks best for your taste. At this point they are no longer truly "fog lights" any more than they are an aesthetic accessory.

Carbon Legend

Glad someone is paying attention lol

swoosh

iTrader: (5)

I hate you 007spy LOL...i typed a whole thing without reading ur complete post and u covered all the points I wanted to hit !!! LOL

but yeah my lower fogs are only aesthetic and hence 8000K....my headlights are 6000K....

about not going over 5000K I dont know since I didnt do an extensive research....all am saying is if you want bluish tint you have to go 6000K....and thats how this conversation started.....