have an 01rs and found out that my headlights went dead this morning. both of them are out.

i have sylvania silverstars (on car when i purchased it). it's weird that both went out at the same time though. high beam still works.

i'll check the fuses to see if that's the culprit. what else could be wrong with it?

thanks.

 

https://www.i-club.com/forums/showth...thday+sylvania

 

the bulbs suck. get NORMAL bulbs and make sure it is the bulbs. Then, even if it wasnt the bulbs causing the problem, atleast you have good bulbs

 

Get some PIAA's

 

Actually, they don't suck. Some people have bad luck with them but I haven't on a few different cars. I installed those particular bulbs in December of 2004 when I removed the janky *** duct-taped HID kit that was in the car when I got it. I'd say 2 years ain't half bad for a set of bulbs, however I doubt they both died at the same time.

 

+ 1 get the real Sylvania's

OSRAM Silverstars from the UK. You will actually get a better light out put with those as opposed to less light with the US Sylvania Silverstars.

Like these one here but the size you need

http://cgi.ebay.com/OSRAM-H4-SILVERS...QQcmdZViewItem

 

Many people complain about those bulbs.

I have had good experiences with PIAA bulbs.

Write to Daniel Stern at www.danielsternlighting.com. I have heard good things about him.

 

He suggestes these 4 brands from the UK

Philips VisionPlus, Osram SilverStar, Narva RangePower+50, Tungsram Megalicht


Q is, why does the uk get good lights and we get crap?

 

 

I know the Osram bulbs are far superior (these were OE in my SAAB and lasted 7 years) but seriously I have never had a problem with Sylvania CoolBlue or Silverstars and I have used them in a LOT of cars. I don't want to get in another argument here where someone tells me what I have seen didn't happen, but this has been my experience. I put some CoolBlue sealed beams in my '80 Celica in '00 and they were in the car when I sold it in November of '05. The RS (my old car) in this thread has had them in there for over 2 years. My WRX was sold with 2 year old working Silverstars as was the Maxima (3 yrs) before that. When I install them, I am super careful - wash hands first, NEVER touch the bulb or touch the bulb with something I have touched. Usually I install them with a fresh paper towel.

I really think a lot of people's problems is mis-handling of the bulbs. I have watched a few people install bulbs and touch them when they thought they didn't. It's pretty important.

 

Yeah, i know, I had Sylvania before as well... But I wasn't as lucky as you. But since the both of the blubs are out for him and the prices are about the same, might just well... The only thing is that you have to order them online and can't pick them up from Kragen or something.

 

thanks for everyone's input.

wombatsauce, you are right....it's weird that both lights went out at the same time. i checked the fuses for the left and right light and they were good. so i am still not sure if it's the bulbs or not.

what else could it be?

 

I can't really think of anything - and maybe they did just die. Do you use the headlights all the time? I used to during winter time or bad weather, so maybe the hours and hours killed them. Unfortunately with both of them out, you are gonna be stuck with getting at least one new bulb unless you can find someone to let you borrow one to test - but then you/they risk touching the bulb and killing it. It's just really odd that both died at the same time. Maybe take a look at the plugs as a last resort - unplug them and visually inspect them. The RH one is missing the cover from the previous owner who "installed" the HIDS but other than that there is nothing wrong.

Does anyone think maybe the headlight switch could be the problem? I dunno. Maybe someone got some PIAA's and has their old ones sitting around.. I have the OE Osram (one died) still from my SAAB but they are H7's.

 

Just wanted to back you up. I too have used silverstars in most of my cars and have never had any set last less than two years. I currently have silverstar low beams, highbeams, fogs, and turn signals in my vue with no problems for a year. Are there better bulbs? Sure. But these often go on sale at my local Kragen for less money than many of the others and I only have to drive two miles to pick them up.

-Chris

 

SAAB huh? Had a '87 9k turbo myself. No one is arguing here. I have no quality issues with Sylvania SS quality but with the US DOT's restrictions on them. They actually look like hey are a little brighter but actually provide less useable lumens. They were tested. I will look for where I got the info from if you are interested.

PS Please grow some thicker skin. People can respect/like you and still disgree and discuss things.