LABachlr

I'm driving to Vegas on Wednesday and need a low beam bulb for the cheapest price. Dealer wants $170. That's not happening. Found a place in Wisconsin that sells it for $68, but I need to get it in LA so I can pick it up on Tuesday.

Also, is it easy to replace? Any links to instructions?

Thanks.

LIPPSTUH

iTrader: (2)

its easy to replace, you need to remove a screw behind the headlight and unscrew the round thing. then unclip the bulb . then go backwards.

i have an extra set but too bad its in my car which is in the shop

LABachlr

Cool. How much would you be willing to sell the set for? Are they brand new? Are they OEM? Would you be willing to sell just one of them? If so, how much? I could meet you at the shop. Thanks.

fsttyms1

Our vendor Excelerate sells them. To get it by wed though probably wont happen. Always replace HIDs in pairs. Look in the DIY thread. There is instructions on replacing the bulbs.

LABachlr

Thanks a lot. Why do you say replace them in pairs?

cyde7399

you will need a size 20 torx bit to undo the headlight. Other than that it is really easy.

LIPPSTUH

iTrader: (2)

sorry can't meet you at the shop they're closed until tuesday, and i won't be in the area

if u need it after your trip, then PM me. i have a blackmarket listing, no selling in regular forums forums.


anyways you should replace them as pairs or the color won't match

Bob_F

Be sure to get the tamper-proof variant of the Torx T20 bit or driver. The tamper-proof Torx bits have a hole in the center to accomodate a center pin on the bolt head. I bought a set of four tamper-proof Torx drives at Wal-Mart for about $7.

And definitely replace the bulbs in pairs for color matching, as was mentioned above.

Also stick with 4300K bulbs if you want maximum visibility at night. That's the Kelvin rating that all major car manufacturers select for their cars. If you go with higher Kelvin ratings you will be sacrificing useable light for color. Some forum members that have purchased bulbs that were 6000K and higher have commented on the reduce visibility. And the loss can even be more pronounced if it's raining.

Good luck getting your bulbs in time!

LABachlr

OK. Thanks for all the info. Too bad Walmart doesn't sell them.

Where did you guys get yours and how much did you pay?

I might drive to Vegas in the morning, which means I won't need my headlights to get there. Is there a place in Vegas that you guys know about if you don't know of any in LA?

01tl4tl

Try a performance import car shop- they might have them- kind of pricety for most places to stock
replace IN pairs because HID loses some brightness with age - so the intensity and color will be different , and if one dies the other has the same run time on it.....


I have 6000k and find in rain they make the road lane markings jump out thru several inches of water! thats a bonus in my mind
For the slight loss of whiter light directly in front of the car- add some good mini projector beams in the lower grill
Running my 01 with 6000 against an 03 with stock lights on a long trip one night- he had better` right in front` light- but I had farther warning of road signs- semi trucks and the lane marking paint with its reflecto stuff built in- the road comes alive!

LABachlr

Thanks. I found some at NAPA, which is cool. The thing is, I turned on the lights to go there, and they BOTH went on, which is very cool. What's the deal? When they burn out, they won't go on at all, right? Is it just loose? I checked it and everything seemed pretty tight.

What do you think?

LIPPSTUH

iTrader: (2)

do they flicker? if so its the ballast. try swapping the bulbs from left to right, if it is still on the same side after the swap, its the ballast

LABachlr

It doesn't really flicker. When I turn on the lights, it either comes on or it doesn't. If it doesn't come on, then I turn the lights on and off until it comes on. Then I leave it on. Could it be the ballast even though it doesn't flicker? If it is the ballast, then where is the best place to get one for a decent price?

01tl4tl

what exactly did you find at napa--- some regular headlight bulbs? what part number and bulb number?
How much were they $$$ ?
If they were anything but the special expensive bulbs- they wont take the energy being used to start and run them that the correct bulbs will !!!!!!
As we kept telling you- these are hi energy HID bulbs- with the high price

01tl4tl

bulbs will usually give off a funny color/often pink for the first few minutes then work at reduced light output- thats the normal warning sign of death
They may do that for a while- then turn on one day and a few minutes later Off forever

I am confused - you bought bulbs and they work?- or they are both not working now?

LABachlr

At NAPA, I found HID bulbs. The part number is D2R. The price is $89.99 each, but he was going sell them to me for $82.99 each. I did not buy them, because when I got in my car to go there, when I turned on the headlights, both lights turned on. I left it on for a few minutes, and it stayed on. Then I turned the lights off and on again, and the light went out (I just have a problem with the one on the driver's side). I then kept on turning the lights off and on until it came on again. After about 3 or four times, it came on again. So, one bulb always works, and one works often. I'm not sure how often, as I just noticed that this was going on yesterday.

I didn't really see pink, but I did kind of notice that they may be a slightly different color. One was more blueish and one was more white. Don't remember which one was which. It was very slight though, and I wasn't sure if it was real or in my mind.

LABachlr

The part number that I gave NAPA that the dealer gave me for the OEM part is 33116-S0A-J11.

01tl4tl

wow STOP flikking the lights on and off-
go to google- read up on HID lights- ignitors and ballast- thats about the worst thing you can do - on off on off
As we have said- they give a death warning.... which you already got

If it was ballast you get nothing at all for lights- ignitors will go out and not fire the bulb up- thats part of the left right bulb swap test to see what working

D2r is a bulb STYLE that we use, not a part number

Dont worry- they will die on the trip since you found a set for a decent price and didnt buy them!!!

fsttyms1

You ALWAYS replace bulbs in pairs. Especially HIDs. That way the color will match, and the other wont go out on you any time soon.

Stick with the stock color. (No offense tom) but 6ks suck in comparison to the stock in bad weather. I have 6k and i AM going back to stock 4300 after this weekends bad weather and spending time out in the country at night. They just dont light the road near as good (compared them to a friend at our cottage with stock bulbs in his 01TLside by side sat night) his lit up the road much further and better.

01tl4tl

I do think the 6s are good for those with poor night vision- such as myself-
the way they light up certain things I really need to see is amazing
And I do plan to run a set of small lights in the grill for added light

According to Excelerate, the Kaixen 5s are very close to the stock 4300s
Havnt you tried both now kris?

fsttyms1

They are just too blue. They do light up the road signs nice but i dont need them lit up. I need the animals on the side of the road lit up. I honestly think you would see more with 5k or stock as well. I havent tried the 5k yet. But after this past weekend im going back to stock after comparing them side by side with another TL and seeing his lit things up better.

MurkyRiversTL

automotivelightingusa.com

they are located in granada hills, ca. I picked up my Kaixen 6000k for 120.

Check the website, then you can order them online and pick them up in the store to save pn shipping.