Team-BHP - Auto Lighting thread : Post all queries about automobile lighting here

Quote:

Originally Posted by nainan (Post 3528160)

I am getting a new Elite i20. My dealer is suggesting to go with Genome HID(http://www.genome-group.com/) @ 20.5 k. Please advise if its wise to do so. The dealer claims it will not impact warranty for electricals.

I do not have any idea on the quality of genome HID projectors. But I would suggest you read up on what are the options available for HID retrofitting. Two important things

The kit should be projector kits. You should never put HID bulb on reflector housings
Ask him if the HID is for low beam only or if it comes with the solenoid assembly to simulate high beam (bi xenon in marketing terms)

Read http://www.theretrofitsource.com/ for more details and insist on getting in writing that it will not impact vehicle warranty in any way

Quote:

Originally Posted by aaggoswami (Post 3526917)

After reasoning a lot for my Grand i10's light being pathetic, I compared the bulb with my Wagon R. Wagon R has factory fitted Philips H4 60/55 W. Whereas Grand i10 uses cheaper Halonix H4 60/55W. I am searching for normal Philips H4 60/55W, but it seems most of online sites are running Xtreme Vision, Diamond Vision, etc.

Jalaram Car accessories in Vadodara told me that Hella bulbs are better, and I somehow do believe that.
Has anyone actually tried Hella bulbs ? XV, NB/NB+ do not last too which is what I read across the net.

Also, any Idea how to get H4 base dual filament HID bulbs ? I am seriously considering 4400K Hella H4 60/55W as the first step to upgrade. The OE light bulbs in my Grand i10 are worst I have ever come across. My Bajaj Caliber had better light and M800 with Halogens would suffice any modern car light requirement. Wagon R is nice, Innova is excellent, but I wonder how come Hyundai lights have become so weak. Xing lights are also very nice.

I used Hella H7 on my Manza (They have hi & lo both as H7 though the manual says that high is H1 & low are H7 but that is incorrect as when I opened up my headlights all were H7 :eek:). These Hella bulbs lasted just for 10 months though I took good care of them by not cranking the car with headlights on , using occasional dippers etc still they conked. Later got H7 Philips Rally (INR 350) and they are going strong since last 2 Yrs approximately with Philips relay & wiring kit (INR 850). :).

Finally got the Headlamps changed to Osram H4 60/55W. There seems to be some improvement. However, I fail to understand what is causing that dark black spot on right hand corner of attached images. That is a grey area. It seems that installation of RH bulb is slightly inclined ( i.e. the three prongs of bulbs are rotated a bit anticlockwise from drivers POV ). Is that correct ? IMO its done to avoid glare for on coming traffic, but the RHS headlight is pretty useless. Next to meaningless. Very poor focussing.
I could not replace the bulb on my own in the dark, so had to drive without RHS bulb ( to the shop where I had purchased the bulb ) and realized that most of lighting in provided by LHS only.

Halonix OEM High Beam :

Auto Lighting thread : Post all queries about automobile lighting here-halonix-oem-high-beam.jpg

Osram High Beam :

Halonix OEM Low Beam :

Osram Low Beam :

Quote:

Originally Posted by aaggoswami (Post 3533849)

I could not replace the bulb on my own in the dark, so had to drive without RHS bulb ( to the shop where I had purchased the bulb ) and realized that most of lighting in provided by LHS only.

Did you get the focus aligned after replacing the bulbs? If not, that might be causing the issue.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ishotmydog (Post 3533879)

Guys any advise for head lights replacement on a Fiesta classic? Any recommended shops in Pune?

Higher wattage bulbs in all four pods.
Hid in the fogs. You could also look for auxiliary lamps, as the classic can carry them(from the modification thread),though I could never bring myself to get it done.
Unless you're asking specifically for shops only in Bangalore, in which case, all the above is a Moo point. :)

Quote:

Originally Posted by nishantdlv (Post 3533870)

Did you get the focus aligned after replacing the bulbs? If not, that might be causing the issue.

The problem exists with both the bulbs, be it OE Halonix or new Osram. Its the installation which is the problem here. I am attaching a rough image to indicate what is, I believe, the problem. When I was driving the car yesterday night without right bulb (to the shop for installation of bulb ), most of lighting was done by left light. What a waste of right bulb!!! This could be done to prevent direct light from hitting oncoming traffic. Concept might be good, but implementation is pathetic. Let me try focusing, but I just cannot understand where the right beam is going. Looks like Projector is the way to go. Rs. 9500/- quoted by India Blaze or something, but will have to confirm how to get the thing installed in Vadodara.

Now I value how good Baleno lights were! With bulbs from Innova, even night driving was possible for an individual like me.

Hi,

I own a 2007 Getz and lately I am finding that the headlight intensity has diminished a lot. I find it difficult to drive in the night, especially when the cars in front have powerful lights. To add to my woes I noticed very fine scratches on my windshield which makes matters worse in the night.

My service center guy told me that there is nothing one can do about the bulbs, but I could get a off market accessory fitted which will enable me to install higher wattage bulbs.

I thought of getting some information before I go about doing this. Can someone help with the below queries?

1. Is there a way to improve the brightness by changing bulbs to any good recommended brands without adding any accessory like cut-outs etc?
2. If not, then will this off market accessory impact any other electrical component in the car? Is there any risk to any other component?
3. Is there any recommended brand for this kind of an upgrade?
4. What should one look out for when this installation is being done?
5. Any good recommended / trustworthy places in Pune for such an upgrade?

Last but not the least, can I do something about the fine scratches on the windshield.

Thank you.

Could you guys suggest a lighting upgrade for my motorcycle Honda Trigger?

The lighting seems inadequate on any non-lit roads and with everybody running on high beams in Hyderabad, I feel it's time to upgrade.

I'm looking at upgrading the headlight to brighter bulbs (if possible) plus installing auxiliary lights on the crash guard, possible one on each side of it.

The idea is to create some "width" perception for my motorcycle for anyone looking at me, while also lighting up the road without being blinded by oncoming high-beams.

Suggestions please, and thank you!

Quote:

Originally Posted by ptushar (Post 3534350)

Hi,

I thought of getting some information before I go about doing this. Can someone help with the below queries?

1. Is there a way to improve the brightness by changing bulbs to any good recommended brands without adding any accessory like cut-outs etc?
2. If not, then will this off market accessory impact any other electrical component in the car? Is there any risk to any other component?
3. Is there any recommended brand for this kind of an upgrade?
4. What should one look out for when this installation is being done?
5. Any good recommended / trustworthy places in Pune for such an upgrade?

Last but not the least, can I do something about the fine scratches on the windshield.

Thank you.

The best bet for you is to upgrade to a better brand sticking to the same wattage. This wont risk other electrical components since you are changing the bulbs only and not adding additional parts. You can check out Philips Xtreme vision. There wont be a huge difference in visibility but expect it to be better than stock bulbs.

As for the scratches, you can take it to windshield experts to clear it out.

Quote:

Originally Posted by nainan (Post 3528160)

Hi,
I had Genome kit installed 2 years ago. My Feedback on the Mini H1 3 inch
- Quality : Acceptable. Initial hiccups, but got sorted out
- Bulbs and ballast : Still going strong
- Projectors : Working fine
- Service : Good. They have people on the ground, atleast in NCR
- Attitude : Very Good. They listed and support.

The Genome projectors have both hi and low beam functions, with the high beam of projectors activating when switching to high beam. This is done by a solenoid inside the projectors moving a shield that lets more light pass through. On low beam, this light is blocked.
Regarding beam quality and experience, here is my take. I had them installed in my Honda Civic, which has separate bulbs for low and high beam.
The projectors are installed in the low beam reflector. On low beam only, they provide decent light and spread.
On High beam, the main halogen high beam and the projector high beam get activated. But the projectors do not have a good beam concentration required for long distance lighting. It is more of a flood.
So in your i20, if there is a single headlight bulb for both low and high, then my suggestion would be to not go for the Mini h1 projector, whether it is from Genome or somebody else. You wont get good distance lighting.

In such a case, it would be better to go with an FX-R or hella, that provide a good high beam. But that may require cutting of the bowl for fitment.

Hope this helps

It seems my problem is partially solved. Yesterday when I had parked the car in office, while walking towards the main office for card punching, I realized that "Yellow Sticker" might be hampering performance.
So at night, I removed the sticker and applied it a position where it would hamper significantly less. Success! The light performance improved by 50%!

The fact that I had adjusted the light beam a bit high as compared to left beam also became apparent. This was done in my earlier quest to improve lighting.
At last some relief. The Yellow sticker almost forced me to get projectors ( which BTW I am still considering ).

Apparently there is a separeate thread on yellow sticker required in Gujarat. The thread goes by the name "Yellow Sticker Shakedown"