Xenon bulb replacement question
Thread Starter
Member
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 96
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From: Milano
SL 350
Xenon bulb replacement question
One OEM xenon light bulb of my car is broken so I have to buy a new one.
What xenon bulb is better to buy? Can I replace it with a more powerful one? Are there differences between xenon light bulb? Suggestions are required.
Thank you a lot
What xenon bulb is better to buy? Can I replace it with a more powerful one? Are there differences between xenon light bulb? Suggestions are required.
Thank you a lot
Member
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 79
Likes: 0
From: San Diego
2000 CLK430 Cabrio
I'd suggest buying a new pair of bulbs instead of just one, as trying to match xenon bulbs is really tough. For example, let's say you have OEM Philips D2R 85126 bulbs and you replace one with a new one of the same model. They will appear to be of different color for the first couple hundred hours of use, which is when the "color-shift" or "color-drift" occurs. After that, they'll look closer, but still not exactly matched. To address this, Philips sells a 85126+ that is intended to match color-shifted bulbs, but I'm not sure how well that works. Buying a matched pair is the best way to go.
As far as what kind to get, the OEM bulbs are Philips or Osram and have a color temp of 4300K. If you want a more blue light than stock, you can find on eBay plenty of higher color temp bulbs (such as 6000K or 8000K). The higher the K, the more blue the light, but also more dim. Also, these bulbs are generally lower quality and don't last as long as OEM bulbs. Philips does make a higher color temp bulb called the Ultinon 6000K, but they are expensive and not street legal here in the US.
My suggestion: stick with stock color and get a pair of Philips 85126's or spring for Ultinons if you want a better color.
As far as what kind to get, the OEM bulbs are Philips or Osram and have a color temp of 4300K. If you want a more blue light than stock, you can find on eBay plenty of higher color temp bulbs (such as 6000K or 8000K). The higher the K, the more blue the light, but also more dim. Also, these bulbs are generally lower quality and don't last as long as OEM bulbs. Philips does make a higher color temp bulb called the Ultinon 6000K, but they are expensive and not street legal here in the US.
My suggestion: stick with stock color and get a pair of Philips 85126's or spring for Ultinons if you want a better color.
