I’m interested in adding those white ‘xenon’ lights to my ’98 ES300,
and on ebay I’ve seen those headlight bulbs for about $10. But I’ve
also seen some ‘Xenon kits’ that are much more expensive ($180+).
My question: Can I just add the $10 lightbulb or do I need to purchase
the kit? Will the light look ‘xenon’ white with my current headlight
cover?
Thanks.
27
Jan
adding xenon lights to '98 es300?
"VMI" <mye…@excite.com> wrote in message
news:1162503066.664721.179690@e3g2000cwe.googlegroups.com…
> I’m interested in adding those white ‘xenon’ lights to my ’98 ES300,
> and on ebay I’ve seen those headlight bulbs for about $10. But I’ve
> also seen some ‘Xenon kits’ that are much more expensive ($180+).
> My question: Can I just add the $10 lightbulb or do I need to purchase
> the kit? Will the light look ‘xenon’ white with my current headlight
> cover?
> Thanks.
If you are just looking to have the light from your headlights look whiter,
then there are some replacement bulbs that will do the trick.
If you are looking for a true high intensity discharge (HID) lighting
system, you will need to purchase a conversion kit.
—
Ray O
(correct punctuation to reply)
"VMI" <mye…@excite.com> wrote in message
news:1162503066.664721.179690@e3g2000cwe.googlegroups.com…
> I’m interested in adding those white ‘xenon’ lights to my ’98 ES300,
> and on ebay I’ve seen those headlight bulbs for about $10. But I’ve
> also seen some ‘Xenon kits’ that are much more expensive ($180+).
> My question: Can I just add the $10 lightbulb or do I need to purchase
> the kit? Will the light look ‘xenon’ white with my current headlight
> cover?
> Thanks.
I tried some of the cheap $10 bulbs off ebay. They LOOKED very high quality
and worked ABSOLUTELY GREAT … for about 3 months. I lost BOTH Hi-Beams at
the same time (??) and lost one of the Lo-Beams by the next morning. I
can’t say why this happened, but it still takes more than a half hour for me
to replace the bulbs. As I said, visually they looked well made … maybe
just defective?? I am still pondering whether to replace them. For now, I
am back on the orignals that have last for YEARS.
On Thu, 02 Nov 2006 22:52:46 GMT, "Jerohm" <jDrEmLoEh…@snet.net>
graced this newsgroup with:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -
>"VMI" <mye…@excite.com> wrote in message
>news:1162503066.664721.179690@e3g2000cwe.googlegroups.com…
>> I’m interested in adding those white ‘xenon’ lights to my ’98 ES300,
>> and on ebay I’ve seen those headlight bulbs for about $10. But I’ve
>> also seen some ‘Xenon kits’ that are much more expensive ($180+).
>> My question: Can I just add the $10 lightbulb or do I need to purchase
>> the kit? Will the light look ‘xenon’ white with my current headlight
>> cover?
>> Thanks.
>I tried some of the cheap $10 bulbs off ebay. They LOOKED very high quality
>and worked ABSOLUTELY GREAT … for about 3 months. I lost BOTH Hi-Beams at
>the same time (??) and lost one of the Lo-Beams by the next morning. I
>can’t say why this happened, but it still takes more than a half hour for me
>to replace the bulbs. As I said, visually they looked well made … maybe
>just defective?? I am still pondering whether to replace them. For now, I
>am back on the orignals that have last for YEARS.
we have an 00 ES300. I also ordered some of those "fake" Xenon
headlights. They *sucked*. And contrary to popular belief. White
light doesn’t necessarily mean *bright* light, nor will you
necessarily see further down the road.
However, I ordered a set of OSRAM 65W Ultra High Output H7 bulbs from
Daniel Stern lighting:
http://www.danielsternlighting.com/about/about.html
I ordered a set about 2 years ago and they’re still going strong and
the difference between OEM and these OSRAM high outputs is *amazing*.
And, if you have tried the Silverstars and or other similar bulbs, you
were ripped off. They suck as bad as the fake xenons off e-bay. I had
a set and they lasted 13 months before they both flamed out. And
during the time I had them, they threw off such little light I always
had the urge to put on my high beams.
Anyway, he doesn’t have a shopping cart. You need to email him and
tell him what kind of car you have and what you’re looking for. He’s
probably the most knowledgeable automotive lighting guy I’ve heard
about on the net. He’s well known in many automotive circles. Bulbs
aren’t cheap (I think I paid about $24 a bulb), but the difference in
light quality and quantity is well worth it.
Check it out.
<amsta…@home.com> wrote in message
news:hp8lk2hjueg85a9tpl8k23f6tlk4euj7b9@4ax.com…
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -
> On Thu, 02 Nov 2006 22:52:46 GMT, "Jerohm" <jDrEmLoEh…@snet.net>
> graced this newsgroup with:
> we have an 00 ES300. I also ordered some of those "fake" Xenon
> headlights. They *sucked*. And contrary to popular belief. White
> light doesn’t necessarily mean *bright* light, nor will you
> necessarily see further down the road.
> However, I ordered a set of OSRAM 65W Ultra High Output H7 bulbs from
> Daniel Stern lighting:
> http://www.danielsternlighting.com/about/about.html
> I ordered a set about 2 years ago and they’re still going strong and
> the difference between OEM and these OSRAM high outputs is *amazing*.
> And, if you have tried the Silverstars and or other similar bulbs, you
> were ripped off. They suck as bad as the fake xenons off e-bay. I had
> a set and they lasted 13 months before they both flamed out. And
> during the time I had them, they threw off such little light I always
> had the urge to put on my high beams.
> Anyway, he doesn’t have a shopping cart. You need to email him and
> tell him what kind of car you have and what you’re looking for. He’s
> probably the most knowledgeable automotive lighting guy I’ve heard
> about on the net. He’s well known in many automotive circles. Bulbs
> aren’t cheap (I think I paid about $24 a bulb), but the difference in
> light quality and quantity is well worth it.
> Check it out.
Thanks for the heads up. First, I am dealing with a 1990 LS400, so needed a
9004 replacement. These are what I ordered off ebay:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&sspagename=A...
I was actually VERY pleased with them when I first installed them. I doubt
if I used the Hi-beams more an 15 minutes total. The Lo-Beams, at least for
ME, were significantly superior to what I had been using. Forget about the
so called warranty… I REALIZE these were super cheap … the seller has no
real interest after the sale is completed… messing around with shipping
costs, isn’t worth it. If mine would have lasted 13 months, I might have
been actually satisfied, given the improvement.
On Fri, 03 Nov 2006 10:41:14 GMT, "Jerohm" <jDrEmLoEh…@snet.net>
graced this newsgroup with:
>Thanks for the heads up. First, I am dealing with a 1990 LS400, so needed a
>9004 replacement. These are what I ordered off ebay:
>http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&sspagename=A...
>I was actually VERY pleased with them when I first installed them. I doubt
>if I used the Hi-beams more an 15 minutes total. The Lo-Beams, at least for
>ME, were significantly superior to what I had been using. Forget about the
>so called warranty… I REALIZE these were super cheap … the seller has no
>real interest after the sale is completed… messing around with shipping
>costs, isn’t worth it. If mine would have lasted 13 months, I might have
>been actually satisfied, given the improvement.
*anything is better than OEM. The bulbs you ordered seem to indicate
that the blue iwll someone be more "natural" and throw off more "pure"
light.
Hogwash. What you saw as actually a shorter coverage area that
*seemed* brighter. Bulbs with "sunglasses on", will not throw off
more light.
Here’s his actual email reply when I asked him about his bulbs:
****************************************************************
Wow! Thanks for the quick response on a Sunday too!
Yes, I’ll take your recommendation and order a set of the
H7 rallye+65 H7′s as recommended immediately. I’ll call your
voicemail
with the information you requested.
Thank you for the education, you’re the only resource I’ve read on the
internet that makes sense, not hype. You’re doing people like myself
(who knows squat about lighting), a great service.
thanks again.
ps. please let me know when you receive the fax.
> My wife has a 2000 Lexus ES300 that takes the H7 bulbs.
H7 low beam, 9005 high beam, yes.
> I made the horrible mistake of purchasing the Sylvania Silver Star bulbs
> after one of her OEM bulbs burned out and quite honestly, they *suck*.
Oops, yeah, they do. Big scam.
H7s:
Standard H7: 55w, 1400 lumens, 500 hours
H7 ultra "Plus+50": 55w, 1550 lumens, 225 hours, $17.50/ea
H7 rallye+65: 65w, 2100 lumens, 500 hours, $24/ea <–Obvious choice!
The extra 10w is of no consequence as far as electrical power or heat.
(those 80w to 100w bulbs are a different story!)
High beams can be significantly boosted, too, with the new 9011 bulbs.
The new bulbs are not some tinted or overwattage version of 9005, but
rather employ a relatively new technology called HIR, Halogen
Infrared.
The mechanical dimensions of the bulb are all virtually identical to
the
9005, but the bulb glass is spherical instead of tubular, with the
sphere
centered around the filament. There is a "Durable IR Reflective"
coating
on the spherical glass. Infrared = heat, so the coating causes heat to
be
reflected back to the filament at the center of the sphere. This
causes
the filament to become much hotter (producing more light) than it can
by
passing electricity through it, *without* the shorter life or greater
heat
production that comes with overwattage bulbs (to say nothing of
overwattage bulbs’ incompatibility with stock wiring.)
Here’s the comparison:
stock: 9005, 12.8V, 65W, 1700 lumens, 320 hours
new: HIR1, 12.8V, 65W, 2530 lumens, 320 hours
These bulbs are spendy – $24/ea – but their cost is worth considering
in
context: Any number of companies will charge you more than this for a
tarted-up 9005 with blue colored glass (PIAA and Sylvania Silverstar
come
to mind) that doesn’t produce more light and has a very short
lifespan.
The HIR bulbs have a double-wide top ear on the plastic bulb base,
this is
to comply with the law requiring different bulbs to have different
bases.
The extra-wide plastic top ear is easily trimmed or filed to make the
bulb
fit your headlamp’s bulb receptacle. Once that’s done, they go
directly
into the headlamp, and the existing sockets snap on.
> I also feel that the reflector design of the 2000 ES300 isn’t all that
> great
True. The interchangeable 1995-1996 projector-beam units are better,
but
they were more expensive to make than the ’97 and later reflector
units.
> I just want her to have the best night viability legally possible. And
> quick!
Can ship ‘em out tomorrow.
> Also, am I to understand the OSRAM 65W Ultra High Output H7 bulbs are
> not recommended for low beam use?
They’ll work fine in that car — as long as the lamps are aimed
correctly!
ORDERING INSTRUCTIONS
Please indicate:
The quantity of each item you wish
The type of shipping you wish
(UPS trackable ground shipping is standard; all UPS service levels are
available)
The address to which you want the items shipped (if different from
billing
address)
Whether the UPS driver has permission to leave the parcel at your
doorstep
if you are not available to accept it in person.
You may voicemail or fax your order toll-free on 1-866-861-8668.
Please
note this is a recorded orderline only. If you wish to speak to me in
person, please use 416-766-2327.
Orders may also be sent via e-mail to: dast…@torque.net
We accept Visa and Mastercard. Orders are processed securely.
Whatever method you use, the following information is required in
order to
process a credit card order:
Card type
Card number
Expiry date
CVV code (last group of 3 or 4 digits on back of card)
Your name as it appears on the card
Billing address
Phone number
Please don’t forget to include a note (such as a printout of our
e-mail)
stating exactly which items you are ordering, and where you wish them
sent.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Best Regards,
DS
Thanks for the info.
The reason I was asking is because I see the newer Lexus cars (and the
BMW, MB, etc…) at night and those cars look awesome with the Xenon
headlights. I really don’t need to change my current headlights since
they’re working OK. I really just want to have that ‘xenon’ effect
that newer high-end cars have.
What’s the best way to get that? Can I get it by purchasing a good
Xenon light bulb like the one amsta…@home.com recommended, or do I
need to purchase the whole xenon kit?
Thanks.
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -
amsta…@home.com wrote:
> On Fri, 03 Nov 2006 10:41:14 GMT, "Jerohm" <jDrEmLoEh…@snet.net>
> graced this newsgroup with:
> >Thanks for the heads up. First, I am dealing with a 1990 LS400, so needed a
> >9004 replacement. These are what I ordered off ebay:
> >http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&sspagename=A...
> >I was actually VERY pleased with them when I first installed them. I doubt
> >if I used the Hi-beams more an 15 minutes total. The Lo-Beams, at least for
> >ME, were significantly superior to what I had been using. Forget about the
> >so called warranty… I REALIZE these were super cheap … the seller has no
> >real interest after the sale is completed… messing around with shipping
> >costs, isn’t worth it. If mine would have lasted 13 months, I might have
> >been actually satisfied, given the improvement.
> *anything is better than OEM. The bulbs you ordered seem to indicate
> that the blue iwll someone be more "natural" and throw off more "pure"
> light.
> Hogwash. What you saw as actually a shorter coverage area that
> *seemed* brighter. Bulbs with "sunglasses on", will not throw off
> more light.
> Here’s his actual email reply when I asked him about his bulbs:
> ****************************************************************
> Wow! Thanks for the quick response on a Sunday too!
> Yes, I’ll take your recommendation and order a set of the
> H7 rallye+65 H7′s as recommended immediately. I’ll call your
> voicemail
> with the information you requested.
> Thank you for the education, you’re the only resource I’ve read on the
> internet that makes sense, not hype. You’re doing people like myself
> (who knows squat about lighting), a great service.
> thanks again.
> ps. please let me know when you receive the fax.
> > My wife has a 2000 Lexus ES300 that takes the H7 bulbs.
> H7 low beam, 9005 high beam, yes.
> > I made the horrible mistake of purchasing the Sylvania Silver Star bulbs
> > after one of her OEM bulbs burned out and quite honestly, they *suck*.
> Oops, yeah, they do. Big scam.
> H7s:
> Standard H7: 55w, 1400 lumens, 500 hours
> H7 ultra "Plus+50": 55w, 1550 lumens, 225 hours, $17.50/ea
> H7 rallye+65: 65w, 2100 lumens, 500 hours, $24/ea <–Obvious choice!
> The extra 10w is of no consequence as far as electrical power or heat.
> (those 80w to 100w bulbs are a different story!)
> High beams can be significantly boosted, too, with the new 9011 bulbs.
> The new bulbs are not some tinted or overwattage version of 9005, but
> rather employ a relatively new technology called HIR, Halogen
> Infrared.
> The mechanical dimensions of the bulb are all virtually identical to
> the
> 9005, but the bulb glass is spherical instead of tubular, with the
> sphere
> centered around the filament. There is a "Durable IR Reflective"
> coating
> on the spherical glass. Infrared = heat, so the coating causes heat to
> be
> reflected back to the filament at the center of the sphere. This
> causes
> the filament to become much hotter (producing more light) than it can
> by
> passing electricity through it, *without* the shorter life or greater
> heat
> production that comes with overwattage bulbs (to say nothing of
> overwattage bulbs’ incompatibility with stock wiring.)
> Here’s the comparison:
> stock: 9005, 12.8V, 65W, 1700 lumens, 320 hours
> new: HIR1, 12.8V, 65W, 2530 lumens, 320 hours
> These bulbs are spendy – $24/ea – but their cost is worth considering
> in
> context: Any number of companies will charge you more than this for a
> tarted-up 9005 with blue colored glass (PIAA and Sylvania Silverstar
> come
> to mind) that doesn’t produce more light and has a very short
> lifespan.
> The HIR bulbs have a double-wide top ear on the plastic bulb base,
> this is
> to comply with the law requiring different bulbs to have different
> bases.
> The extra-wide plastic top ear is easily trimmed or filed to make the
> bulb
> fit your headlamp’s bulb receptacle. Once that’s done, they go
> directly
> into the headlamp, and the existing sockets snap on.
> > I also feel that the reflector design of the 2000 ES300 isn’t all that
> > great
> True. The interchangeable 1995-1996 projector-beam units are better,
> but
> they were more expensive to make than the ’97 and later reflector
> units.
> > I just want her to have the best night viability legally possible. And
> > quick!
> Can ship ‘em out tomorrow.
> > Also, am I to understand the OSRAM 65W Ultra High Output H7 bulbs are
> > not recommended for low beam use?
> They’ll work fine in that car — as long as the lamps are aimed
> correctly!
> ORDERING INSTRUCTIONS
> Please indicate:
> The quantity of each item you wish
> The type of shipping you wish
> (UPS trackable ground shipping is standard; all UPS service levels are
> available)
> The address to which you want the items shipped (if different from
> billing
> address)
> Whether the UPS driver has permission to leave the parcel at your
> doorstep
> if you are not available to accept it in person.
> You may voicemail or fax your order toll-free on 1-866-861-8668.
> Please
> note this is a recorded orderline only. If you wish to speak to me in
> person, please use 416-766-2327.
> Orders may also be sent via e-mail to: dast…@torque.net
> We accept Visa and Mastercard. Orders are processed securely.
> Whatever method you use, the following information is required in
> order to
> process a credit card order:
> Card type
> Card number
> Expiry date
> CVV code (last group of 3 or 4 digits on back of card)
> Your name as it appears on the card
> Billing address
> Phone number
> Please don’t forget to include a note (such as a printout of our
> e-mail)
> stating exactly which items you are ordering, and where you wish them
> sent.
> I look forward to hearing from you.
> Best Regards,
> DS
On 3 Nov 2006 06:12:21 -0800, "VMI" <mye…@excite.com> graced this
newsgroup with:
>Thanks for the info.
>The reason I was asking is because I see the newer Lexus cars (and the
>BMW, MB, etc…) at night and those cars look awesome with the Xenon
>headlights. I really don’t need to change my current headlights since
>they’re working OK. I really just want to have that ‘xenon’ effect
>that newer high-end cars have.
>What’s the best way to get that? Can I get it by purchasing a good
>Xenon light bulb like the one amsta…@home.com recommended, or do I
>need to purchase the whole xenon kit?
>Thanks.
actually, I didn’t recommend Xenon light bulbs. The bulbs I
recommended are halogen, just brighter with a longer life.
The ONLY way you can get what you’re looking for is to buy a complete
HID swapout kit and replace your existing lighting system. HID kits
are pricey but they’re much cheaper than even 5 years ago. Probably
because of the popularity of conversions but they’re still not cheaper
by any stretch.
I did a dogpile search and came up with several hits. Here’s one:
http://www.coolbulbs.com/HIDKits_body.asp
I have absolutely no idea if they’re any good or not but it gives you
a basic idea of what’s involved and how much it may cost.