Auto Lighting thread : Post all queries about automobile lighting here

[Daddy]

Originally Posted by Lord Lucan

Will really appreciate, if you can disclose the (Bangalore) price and the Hella Rallye model (3000, 4000, Compact ??) that you are considering

In JC road, the 4000 pair was told around 10K.. and FF1000 pair was 4.5K.
Looks like the prices are negotiable but i am not sure whether these guys are selling original Hella or what.. 4000 one looks sturdy but its too heavy..i cant fit that unless i go for a bullbar which is one more R & D..I am looking for 1000FF which i can fit with minimal setup.

I need more info/help from you guys.

[theMAG]

Originally Posted by sanchits

i want to know which are the best brands

Most of the HID kits that are available anywhere across the world are of Chinese-make. Point number one.

There are duplicate "Bosch", "Hella" HID kits available from the same Chinese manufacturers. The packaging is more authentic looking than that of the original companies themselves. Read my earlier post about this here: https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/655165-post2.html .
These are sold without any B&W. Even if "warranty" offered, its a dealer word and the rate goes upto 1/3 extra over the price of the kit otherwise. Point number two.

The better quality HID kits are "Autogauge" and "RaceTech", perhaps some others I may not be aware of. These come with B&W and cost upto Rs 14000 depending on the customer's gullibility. Point number three.

No established player such as Philips, Hella, Bosch, Narva etc ever make full HID kits - since HID-conversion from halogens is frowned upon by the law in most countries. These players manufacture HID systems - such as the bulbs, projectors and ballasts as individual components for sale directly to the car manufacturers. If you can source these directly from Europe (for e.g.), they are the best quality HID systems ever available. They'll cost on average, 2.5 times the cost of an entire Chinese HID kit. Point number four.

HID bulbs are designed to work with well-matched projectors. Most of the aftermarket projector setups available are designed more for looks rather than functionality. Be aware of this fact before concluding "my HIDs suck" after installation. Final point.


HID Color Ratings and usability:

1. 3000K: Pure yellow. Rare. Mostly useful as fog lights.
2. 4100K ,4300K, 5000K (rare): White with a yellow tinge. Mostly direct OEM equipment. Most usable.
3. 6000K: White with a slight blue tinge. Next usable.
4. Beyond 6000K: Blue/purple. Never use this unless you're using your car as a stationary show piece never driven. Least usable.

Remember that as HID bulbs age, their color spectrum shifts towards blue. So concentrate on either (2) or (3)

[Bala_R]

I am a newbie to this forum. Are clear lens headlight available for 97 model M800? What will be the cost?

Does fitting clear lens headlights give more light than the OE lights with the stock bulbs for a 97 model M800?

I feel that light from my current standard headlight is awfully insufficient. I wish to change the bulb to Philips Clearvision 55/60w bulbs & clear lens headlights.

Bala_R

[prince85]

Originally Posted by theMAG

No established player such as Philips, Hella, Bosch, Narva etc ever make full HID kits - since HID-conversion from halogens is frowned upon by the law in most countries.

Are u sure Maggie??? Since i myself have seen Philps HID kits with an authorised philips dealer i.e.Choksi Motors in Milan Subway, Mumbai selling fully packed Philips HID Kits in H4 size for 20k. He also has them installed in a Philips demo board and by the look of it, it look genuine to me, i maybe wrong though!.

Secondly i have noticed in a few editions of ACI wherein Philips themselves have proclaimed through an advertisement of their HID systems which they claim is now available in the aftermarket.

Plz shed some light on this since i am planning on installing the same in my SX4 and don't mind shelling out 20k if it is genuine Philips since i have a lot of respect for that brand.

Cheers

[akshay1234]

prince you right. philips do make hids kits.

[gopinathann]

I currently have Philips Crystal Vision on my headlamp. I am planning to upgrade to HID kits. I got a quotation of Rs.8000 for BOSCH - 6000K (taiwan make, it's not the original BOSCH) with 6 months warranty including the bulb. I thought of first trying them to my fog lights and after a year if it runs good, upgrade the headlights as well. If I fix to my fogs will there be more light spread compared to the existing one ? any comments ?

[pkumar]

Originally Posted by playlife

I would suggest u go for the more powerful philips rally130/100 . In my experience, this has been much better than the xenons or the blue vision in all weather conditions. would cost u max 1000Rs with the relay, wires and the labour. I have been using them for the last 8 years. in various cars- the 800, sierra, uno and now in the ikon.

@playlife ; I have fitted Philips rally 100/90 on my Ikon. i was told that it doesnt need a relay/cutout since Ikon already has (something). My observation is that brightness has improved considerably but the headlamp compartment feels very heated with just 15 minutes of usage.
My question is, will it be safe for the holders, reflectors etc. to use this for looong highway drives? Is this caused by NOT using relay or you suggest using relay anyways?

Thanks.

[theMAG]

Originally Posted by prince85

Are u sure Maggie???

Originally Posted by akshay1234

prince you right. philips do make hids kits.

At the thought of having posted obsolete data, I checked thru the various international Philips automotive lighting websites and found the following links. Philips doesnt mention "HID Kit" as any of their currently available commercial products:

1. Philips United States: I draw your attention to this quote from this site:

NOTE : Xenon HID bulbs can only be used in vehicles that have HID lighting systems. They cannot be used as an upgrade in conventional headlights.

. That quote will not be given by a manufacturer of an entire HID kit.

2. Philips Australia: Please go thru their HID product listed here. The HID products listed here are HID bulbs - which reiterates the "Point number four" in my earlier post. The quoted description of this HID product:

Xenon HID bulb for quality replacement

. Btw - also to be noted is the genuine Philips packaging on that product for future reference.

3. Philips UK: The entire listing of their Xenon products. All bulbs.


The following conclusions can be reached:

1. Philips does not sell entire "HID kits" at the time their above webpages were browsed i.e., as of 5-03-2008, 11:00 pm

2. Philips legally sells their HID bulbs to end-users.

3. The other possibility is that Philips have setup an Asia-specific "HID kits" manufacturing facility. If this possibility is to be true, so would Microsoft make "legally free" versions of their applications only for Asia, whereas they charge for the same applications worldwide.


As regards to the Philips systems spotted and advertised, it is possible that individual legally available Philips HID components - bulbs, ballasts etc. are packaged together and sold as an integrated kit by operations independant of any Philips factory. But then again, there is no way of ascertaining beyond the shadow of a doubt that these "Philips" HID components in that kit were actually manufactured by Philips.

[amohit]

Hi guys,
Need some urgent inp
I just gave my car for service to suraksha, and have asked them to upgrade the stock headlamps to philips rally 90/100.

They convinced me that Philips Rally 100/130 are better option..
Is it ok to get these for 250/- a pair.
They are obviously also changing the wiring harness and relay(marinda/miranda brand).
Total cost estimate ~1k.

I would like the punters to tell me if 130W will be ok for the esteem, in the sence it will not melt the plastics/burn the lens?

Also is the cost ok or should i look elsewhere.

Regards,

[amitwiz1]

^ Since it is their sugesstion, they would know better right ?

[amohit]

Originally Posted by amitwiz1

^ Since it is their sugesstion, they would know better right ?

Cant be sure of that....since they are there to do business...they will push of things that gives them max margin

But t-bhp is the place which one can blindly trust!

Regards,

[kaynmantis]

Originally Posted by pkumar

@playlife ; I have fitted Philips rally 100/90 on my Ikon. i was told that it doesnt need a relay/cutout since Ikon already has (something). My observation is that brightness has improved considerably but the headlamp compartment feels very heated with just 15 minutes of usage.
My question is, will it be safe for the holders, reflectors etc. to use this for looong highway drives? Is this caused by NOT using relay or you suggest using relay anyways?

Thanks.

I was told the same thing while upgrading to 100/90 for my Ikon. My holder got burned. I fitted Relay kit and solved the problem. Note, relay Kit comes with thicker wires too. Stock wiring are not sufficient to take the extra load and seems to make the wires & holders heat up.

[ashthedivx]

Originally Posted by amohit

Cant be sure of that....since they are there to do business...they will push of things that gives them max margin

But t-bhp is the place which one can blindly trust!

Regards,

I would suggest you to stay away from 100/130 as it will not only endanger your holder to be burnt but also endanger you reflectors which are otherwise meant for 55/60 level only.

Safest bet is 90/100 if you are adamant on upgrading them to a higher voltage.

Cheers

[raghosh]

New joinee to team-bhp and my first post ! I have a 2007 Indigo Marina Dicor but headlamp seems very insufficient to do more than 90 kmph at night. Started looking at various options including HIDs.

But first need to educate myself on automotive lighting specifications. Needed to know what is actually meant by H1, H4, H7 etc. Apart from these what other specs are important e.g. Watt, Amp, Color Temperature ?

Tried google, philips website ( Philips Lighting Asia Pacific ), bhp posts but still struggling. Can someone educate me ?

[Epic]

Hi everyone.

I have just purchased a set of Nokya H8 35/55W Artic White bulbs for my Swift's fog lamps and i must say im pretty impressed by them. Purhased them from Ebay. Got delivery yesterday and fitted them immediately. I am very happy with the results. They cannot be compared with HIDs but are definitely brighter than the stock fog lamps. I am using Narva 100/90W white H4 bulb for my headlamps and the combination compliments eachother well and delivers good lighting on the road. Do visit Nokya USA to check out other bulb options.

Ofcouse, lets see how long they last or else will upgrade to HIDs.

Epic