Candles for head lights - What's a good bulb replacement?

[Oggy Bongo]

Driving our Oggy from Cornwall tonight it was so apparent that my headlights are quite simply no better than 2 candles.
Knowing that the normal bulb replacement is either the Halogen 55 or the 60W is the Halogen 55 the best and brightest bulb available for my Oggy and is there anything more i can do to improve things?
Cheers
OB
ps. it was very very windy and very very wet and very very scary.

[Doone]

It's frightening isn't it. The first time I drove one, it was in rain and high winds, I wasn't used to high sided vehicles and I stopped because I thought there was a problem with the steering (there wasn't). The poor headlight bulbs are a common complaint, there's some helpful advice HERE and HERE

[mister munkey]

Theres a few answers here somewhere


http://www.igmaynard.co.uk/bongo/forum/ ... headlights

[dom_e]

A good, cheap and brighter replacement has been the H4 fitting Tesla bulbs from Lidl. £4.

[hembramacho]

Try this thread

http://www.igmaynard.co.uk/bongo/forum/ ... 44&t=36133

Andrew

[David Edwards]

Or if you have a "what" store nearby, they sell H4 50% brighter blue or white light bulbs for £2.80 a pair.

[mikeonb4c]

If youv'e got an FDB to mount 'em on, me and Mr Munkey can thoroughly recommed some 100W spots wired to work with main beam. Problem solved big style

[steviebongo]

has anybody tried a hid conversion like these http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Xenon-HID-Convers ... 4cec249814.



cheers stevie

[mikeonb4c]

has anybody tried a hid conversion like these http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Xenon-HID-Convers ... 4cec249814.



cheers stevie

Wish I knew what HID was all about - sounds like it could be great. His ad says stuff like:

This Ballast is the thinnest mini ballast in the market, which is only7×6.2×1.2cm and only 0.25kg weight.

This ballast passed ROSH and has CE, E13 certification. So this production is 100% legal to install

on the vehicles in U.K. and your insurance policy will be not broken.

This size of ballast is very easy to find place around the light unit to install the HID kit,

it's standard 35W ballast and comes with standard HID bulbs connection, is suitable for any

standard 35W HID bulbs.

Which leaves an old codger like me befuddled. I thought ballast was a load of old stones in a tipper truck . What are these HID lamps actually about, what are ROSH and CE, E13 certification, and why should I buy them (which is what I'd be making him think about if I was a marketing consultant advising him on how to grow his market)

[mister munkey]

& no H4 either.

[dave_aber]

I had a Xantia a while back - both main and dip (seperate) bulbs are in the same headlight housing. They have a big problem in that the dip cut off is quite low, so if you adjust the lamp up, the main beam shines at trees, not the road.

I fitted a set of Phillips high intensity 55W bulbs, and to my surprise they really improved things. Just done a quick google, and found these http://gbdriver.co.uk/index.php?main_pa ... 1f727c9535. can't be sure they are the same thing, but looks like it. Pricey though.

As for the HID conversions, there has been a lot of discussion on here previously about them. I have a set in a Toyta hilux, and I can confirm that they are brighter. Much brighter. However, there are issues.

1. Sone HID conversions are dip beam only, so you end up with no main beam. Obviously not 100% legal.
2. The construction & use regs for HID bulbs stated that the lamps must be self levelling if fitted with HID bulbs, and they must have a lens cleaning system (to prevent / reduce glare from the higher intensity lamp). All the manufacturer's standard fit HIDs are compliant with this. Bongos, obviously are not (neither are Hiluxes!) - not legal, but a fine point which may or may not be known by a policeman doing a roadside check.
3. Biggest issue really. Fillament bulbs have a very small emitter (the fillament), about 5-8mm long. So, the reflectors and lenses are designed to work with this light source which is almost a single point of light. The HID bulbs have very long emitters, about 25-35mm long. There is no way that the lamps will perform correctly with these if they are designed for a filament bulb. in theory, you will have a crap beam pattern, and lots of wasted light going where you don't need it and not enough light on the road. In theory, the dip beam cut-off should fail an MOT.

However, in practice the Hilux does have a lot more light 'down the road' with the HID bulbs. I have driven with it following me, and the dip beam cut-off is fine.

I guess it's a case of paying your money, taking your chances that a) they will be better, and b) you won't get pulled over by a smart-arse copper who's been reading up about the legality of retro-fitting HIDs to older cars. As this becomes popular, I imagine that there will be a number of such officers of the law.

As for my Bongo - the lighting performance out the front seems OK (no idea what bulbs are fitted, still whatever came from Japan). But I might try HIDs anyway one day when I've run out of other mods to do.

BTW, the ballast is just a wee circuit board in a waterproof box that takes the 12v feed from the car wiring and amplifies it to a very high voltage to create the arc required to light the HID. Once the arc is struck, the ballast controls the voltage to the bulb, typically 85 or 42 volts, a.c.

[mikexgough]

I have some Tesla H4 blue from Lidl..... £4...... and also some +50% white Tesla's in my glovebox as spares.......... Mine had a yellow "tint" on the lamps which obviously dulled the output somewhat...worth checking if yours has a yellow coating/film applied

Tesla male bulbs for many companies including Osram ( I believe and stand to be corrected...... they own Osram).....
Now I have my Tesla bulbs from Lidl fitted, my pal who has an Audi A3 says my lights are better then his.....

[steviebongo]

hid is a retro fit xenon kit and yes they do an h4 kit also .the kit comprises of a bulb and coil pack that fits to ure original wiring,a few people in my work ave fitted these types of kits before the light is so much better,the only concern that i ave is can the h/lamp take the heat? being plastic and of an older design.


cheers stevie

[mister munkey]

Good point there Stevie, melted lenses have been mentioned on here before.

The Mazda placcy ones don't seem to like too much heat.

[scanner]

I guess it's a case of paying your money, taking your chances that a) they will be better, and b) you won't get pulled over by a smart-arse copper who's been reading up about the legality of retro-fitting HIDs to older cars. As this becomes popular, I imagine that there will be a number of such officers of the law.

Or you follow somebody on a country road with the dazzling light from your HID's bouncing all over the back of their car and into their rear view mirror so that at the next junction they jump out and dip them permanently with a wheel wrench....................................