[Dr.Naren]

Originally Posted by manjubp

Thanks Naren. You are right it is D3S. I would prefer to stick with OEM rating, as it has speed adaptive lighting. Once again opening headlight is not an option, as I want to maintain in stock setup.

Osram CBI is the only option which meets your requirements . There are some options from Philips too. Do not expect huge difference in output, but it should be better than OE bulbs. I think the OE bulbs are entry level Philips bulbs in Jetta.

[DRIV3R]

Originally Posted by manjubp

Thanks Naren. You are right it is D3S. I would prefer to stick with OEM rating, as it has speed adaptive lighting. Once again opening headlight is not an option, as I want to maintain in stock setup.

Would recommend this over what Dr.Naren is recommending, which is Osram CBI which has a cooler white light, might look bling but functionality wise, OEM Kelvin rating of 4300k is best for mixed conditions. I am using same version albeit in D2S avtar.

[AShubrah]

Originally Posted by manjubp

I am looking for only HID bulb replacement.

I recommended this to a fellow BHPian when he wanted to upgrade the D3S bulbs in the bi-xenon unit of his Audi Q5, as these cars are filled to the brim with electronics that constantly monitor if everything used is OEM or not, and unless a little bit of tinkering is done, it is most likely to mess with the same.
You can either go ahead with the above mentioned Osram Xenarc, which will be very close to the OEM output, or you can go for the Osram Xenarc Nightbreaker Unlimited, which will have a slight boost over OEM, and the 4350K colour temperature will provide you a good balance between looks & output.

[Myth_sx]

Originally Posted by manjubp

Acquired a pre-owned 2014 HL(AT) Jetta. However the through and brightness of Jetta's OEM project headlight is not good enough for a drive on highways.

May be I am spoiled with custom made projector headlights in my Vento.
Jetta's OEM projector headlights are not a match for FX-R 3.0 with OSRAM night breakers.

Any suggestion on upgrading the HID bulbs, certainly not looking for replacement of headlight assembly. Also is it DIY or do I have to visit workshop?

Congrats on the new purchase!
If you are going for just bulb upgrade then you can consider the following options.
Osram CBI - from powerbulbs. They are authorized, cheaper than most and they have a 20% discount sale going on most of the time. CBIs are rated at 6000k but visibly the color is much lower. Probably a 5500k(35w ballast) or <5000k(with 50w ballast).
Morimoto XB 5500k - My personal favorite. Output is less slightly than CBI but costs much less. I believe xb 5500k comes out as one of the top 3 in the lux tests.

Now, since you did not mention budget and bulb temp, I have suggested something is a balance of road visibility and slight bling factor. Check out powerbulbs and TRS sites for other options in terms of pricing and color.

I am not sure but I dont think changing just the bulbs is going to be a major challenge. It might just involve removing the rear dust cap or at worse, loosening the bumper, few screws from the headlight unit, switch bulbs and reverse.
Note : Make sure you dont touch the bulbs at all above the holder.

[manjubp]

Originally Posted by Myth_sx

Congrats on the new purchase!
If you are going for just bulb upgrade then you can consider the following options.
Osram CBI - from powerbulbs. They are authorized, cheaper than most and they have a 20% discount sale going on most of the time. CBIs are rated at 6000k but visibly the color is much lower. Probably a 5500k(35w ballast) or <5000k(with 50w ballast).
Morimoto XB 5500k - My personal favorite. Output is less slightly than CBI but costs much less. I believe xb 5500k comes out as one of the top 3 in the lux tests.

Now, since you did not mention budget and bulb temp, I have suggested something is a balance of road visibility and slight bling factor. Check out powerbulbs and TRS sites for other options in terms of pricing and color.

I am not sure but I dont think changing just the bulbs is going to be a major challenge. It might just involve removing the rear dust cap or at worse, loosening the bumper, few screws from the headlight unit, switch bulbs and reverse.
Note : Make sure you dont touch the bulbs at all above the holder.

Thanks Myth_sx

Budget is not a big limiter, can go upto Rs.12-15K, as long as it improves the things considerably(40-60%).

Big issue for me is that, I couldn't fine any documentation on DIY for Jetta MK6, projector.

[Trojan]

Originally Posted by Trojan

Now I am on the lookout for upgrading my Aria further, last year we installed the Osram H7 HIDs in the projector (low beam) and that was very helpful.

That still leaves out the high beam and the fogs, I was wondering if it is possible to upgrade to LEDs for the high beam or should I just upgrade the bulbs (please suggest) or focus on improving the fog lights.

So finally took the plunge to decide what would work best. It was important to get this done before we hit the road this weekend for a 6K trip.
Went to local accessory store, checked for options available, they had the Philips Ultinons LED in stock, had read great reviews about it so asked them to fit the same for the High Beam.

Working on the Aria is a slightly difficult affair with not many technicians aware on how to access the assembly.

Once fit, tried it for a couple of days (Sunday & Monday) and realised

1. It is great for flashing while overtaking, people give way instantaneously with the super white blinks.

2. Point No.1 was the only good thing, it was not illuminating the road, could clearly see the cut-off from the low beam HIDs and then there was darkness (at least on the road), though the trees on the light and left seemed to have daylight on them.

Now this was not what I was expecting, called up the dealer again, explained to them the issue. Most likely cause could be the reflector design but can't really say for sure, the reflection on the wall did show a very good hotspot.

Decided to change it over to HIDs - Osram H7 4200K and the store owner was very gracious in replacing them.
Took it for a short night ride to see the impact and boy am I impressed. Finally we have a good set of lights. Night driving should be a pleasure now, will update post our trip on how it performed.

Also upgraded the fogs to a Korean brand - forgot the name (silly me). Net expense post fogs and HIDs was INR 11400.

Cheers,
Trojan

[suku_patel_22]

Originally Posted by Trojan

Decided to change it over to HIDs - Osram H7 4200K and the store owner was very gracious in replacing them.
Took it for a short night ride to see the impact and boy am I impressed. Finally we have a good set of lights.

How well do the high beams work in the reflector setup? Being HID's they will take time to warm up, hence are they good for flashing?

Could you share some pics of the low and high beams?

[Myth_sx]

Originally Posted by manjubp

Thanks Myth_sx

Budget is not a big limiter, can go upto Rs.12-15K, as long as it improves the things considerably(40-60%).

Big issue for me is that, I couldn't fine any documentation on DIY for Jetta MK6, projector.

Bulbs upgrade is a good option and economical as well. The only bottleneck might be the OEM fresnel projector lenses. That will reduce the sharpness and output to an extent.

Check out the TRS site. They should have some suggestions for your car since its a global model.

Domestic options include avstuning, xenonplanet and a morimoto dealer at delhi (forgot the name).

[CrippledLucifer]

Originally Posted by suku_patel_22

How well do the high beams work in the reflector setup? Being HID's they will take time to warm up, hence are they good for flashing?



Could you share some pics of the low and high beams?

I can tell you with confidence that HIDs in reflector housings designed for halogens are an overall terrible idea.

The light scatters like no tomorrow blinding other drivers and in fact actually reduces your ability to see properly.

The best way to install HIDs is to retrofit projectors for the most optimum output.

[catchdoon]

Which relay is suggested to install Philips Rally 100/90W?
Any online reliable link is also welcome :-)

Need to upgrade the stock H4 bulbs in Eon to the above ones.

[Trojan]

Originally Posted by suku_patel_22

How well do the high beams work in the reflector setup? Being HID's they will take time to warm up, hence are they good for flashing?

Could you share some pics of the low and high beams?

Here you go. Couldn't really find a place with total darkness but guess this is good enough to see the difference.

With only low beam projectors on



Low Beam plus High beam. You can see the difference and it is more evident to the naked eye as compared to the photo



I have also made a short video of the same

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOdVq7yl5WY

As compared to the LEDs or the stock bulbs there is a world of difference. Have not got a chance to capture flashing, will do that and share.

I wasn't sure of how the projectors will function in this set-up but it is working really well. I had put my money on the LEDs which was also an easier fit with no ballast, but unfortunately and strangely those didn't work at all.


Cheers

[audioholic]

Originally Posted by Trojan

Here you go. Couldn't really find a place with total darkness but guess this is good enough to see the difference.

I wasn't sure of how the projectors will function in this set-up but it is working really well. I had put my money on the LEDs which was also an easier fit with no ballast, but unfortunately and strangely those didn't work at all.


Cheers

Though you have got a near ideal setup, there are two observations:
1. The RH projector is not aligned properly, it seems to be pointing downwards.
2. Consider changing to quick start ballasts, especially for the high beam. The greenish initial state will go and the light will come to life almost instantly. In your case, it seems to take a long time to stabilize the actual 4200K output.

Is the HID kit originally Osram? I was of the opinion that Philips and Osram provided good ballasts which could start quickly. The chinese stuff on my bike starts instantly and the colour output stabilizes in a second when cold and instantly when warm.

[Trojan]

Originally Posted by audioholic

Though you have got a near ideal setup, there are two observations:
1. The RH projector is not aligned properly, it seems to be pointing downwards.
2. Consider changing to quick start ballasts, especially for the high beam.

Is the HID kit originally Osram? I was of the opinion that Philips and Osram provided good ballasts which could start quickly. The chinese stuff on my bike starts instantly and the colour output stabilizes in a second when cold and instantly when warm.

Thank you Audioholic, the HIDs have really helped in upgrading the illumination quotient.
The kit is original, both the low and the high beams were bought from a reputed dealer.

Regarding
1. Yes, that hotspot is something which I want to have aligned, not getting the time to visit the service center. Is this something I can do by myself?

2. I wasn't aware of quick start ballasts will check on those with the dealer, which ballasts are you using. That will be a great addition and will make it very potent.

Cheers

[chiranjitp]

Originally Posted by chiranjitp

Every time I used to follow a TATA Zest during night time, I used to ogle at the rear number plates which were illuminated by white LED bulbs.

Recently I was driving my cousin's TATA Tiago & this time I was impressed by the white LED interior lights. So, I went through the Ecosport's user manual to find out the type of bulb used. The user manual strangely has only the specification of the vanity mirror & luggage compartment bulbs, both of these were W5W type (aka T10). Upon closer inspection of the user manual, I found a photo of the interior cabin lamp bulb. From the photos, it did look like a W5W bulb. Do note that many Marutis & Hyundais come with festoon type of bulb for the interior cabin lamps.

Photos from the user manual:





Anyways, I opened the rear cabin lamp & luckily the bulb was W5W type. Now, Ecosport has 6 bulbs to illuminate the interior, 2 main cabin lamp bulbs (one in front & the other one at the back), 2 bulbs for the reading lamp at the front, 1 bulb for the luggage compartment lamp & 1 bulb for the vanity mirror lamp. For the meantime, I ordered 2 sets of bulbs, 2 to go in the main cabin lamps & the rest 2 for the reading lamp.

Here is a photo of the rear cabin lamp, W5W bulb confirmed:





The front cabin lamp compartment:





Next up, the installation was fairly simple (plug & play). Now, as for the results, the white lights have made the cabin look a bit cooler at night. Though the new lights could do with a bit more power, I only did fit 0.5 watt bulbs. In the next phase of the upgrade I might order the 1.0 watt bulbs & move two of the 0.5 watt to the vanity mirror & luggage lamp positions.

Before photos:







After photos:

[superutp]

Hi all, any thoughts about this beam patterm from a led bulb on my cruze?