[aaggoswami]

After much thought process I had installed new bulbs on my Swift Vxi ( around a week or so ago ) which is barely 4 months old.

The new bulbs are Philips Xteme Vision+ 60/55W which cost me Rs. 1600/- for a pair. The other option was to have new wiring, new holder, relay and Hella 100/90W bulbs; this option was very tempting as the impact on wallet was Rs. 1800, but I get new wiring, relay, holder and 100/90W bulbs.

Still went in for Philips option so as to avoid any warranty breach concerns. There is a significant change from OE Osram 60/55W bulbs. OE bulbs now feel useless and I wonder how did I manage with them till date.
With new Philips XV+ bulbs, how much better they are as compared to OE :

Low Beam Improvement : 40%
High Beam Improvement : 30%

Low beam is now so strong, that what the OE bulbs did on High beam can now be done by low beam. The throw and intensity is that good. I can actually adjust the lower beam so good, that high beam is rarely required. At such level, when I switch to high beam, other oncoming road users have a difficult time. So, I am keeping setting almost similar to OE bulbs, and enjoying much better intensity. Even for expressway ( not regular highways and single lane highways ), lower beam is easily enough till 80-90 kmph, which is what I feel is safe speed for night driving.

About my car, I dont know how my driving has increased in last 3.5 months. Grand i10 did approx. 88-89XX kms. in 18 months, Swift has already done 3510 kms. in 3.5 months. My overall running is supposed to be less, but lets see how the kms. rake up by end of the 4th month. This much running wasn't expected when I bought the car.

[aaggoswami]

Yesterday, my Swift's second service was done.
I had particularly asked my driver to inform SA for checking coolant level and check fog light alignment.
After the car was dropped, within 30 mins I received call that fog lights are OK and function of Fog Light is to provide light below the car. Bewildered.
Said OK.
Tonight, realized that the over smart guys have messed up with the headlight alignment which earlier was simply excellent for me.
Now the beam is as useless as it was in my Grand i10. The blackness ahead of RH side has returned. I am damn frustrated. Now, I will be spending 5-6 evenings to get this thing corrected myself. The very purpose of buying this car was peace of mind and my personal safety, comfort. Mental comfort they have already eaten into along with safety with such useless light setting.

To highlight my point, I am attaching images which I took tonight on a dark, deserted road. The car was stopped before taking the images.

Only Fog Light. Wonder why all the 70W are going.


Only Low Beam, you can clearly see that the blackness in front of RH headlamp and overall light pattern are not good. Its very easy to miss stones of road divider which are often fall off or any obstacle.


Only High beam. Almost pointless to use them.


Can anybody tell me how to do the horizontal alignment ? Vertical alignment I am aware of, but not Horizontal.
This car is now useless for night drives. Thanks Maruti and Kiran Motors for make feel as if I have wasted my hard earned money.

[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by aaggoswami

Yesterday, my Swift's second service was done.

Can anybody tell me how to do the horizontal alignment ? Vertical alignment I am aware of, but not Horizontal.

Hey, look at this post and the following two posts to get an idea what to do!

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/modifi...ml#post3838873

[aaggoswami]

Originally Posted by a4anurag

Hey, look at this post and the following two posts to get an idea what to do!

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/modifi...ml#post3838873

A4anurag, thanks !
Along with those horizontal adjustment, another thing that came in very useful was an image about specific adjustments. Attaching that image too which mentions alignment distance and optimum range.
After this, the ride tonight was simply awesome. The particular benefit is from high beam, where as low beam is also now better, atlesat more driveable.

I was wondering if installing 90/100W hella with ceramic holder, relay and wiring would void my warranty. Really inclined towards it as my night drives have increased more than what I expected.

[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by aaggoswami

I was wondering if installing 90/100W hella with ceramic holder, relay and wiring would void my warranty. Really inclined towards it as my night drives have increased more than what I expected.

Do check my thread for the 100/90W upgrade and it has been over 35K driving and all is good totally. No regrets and no discoloration.

I do recommend the upgrade.

Bulbs: philips rally 100/90W
Wiring harness by Hella that withstand upto 130/100W bulb.

It is Totally reversible upgrade and won't void warranty as it is totally reversible.

[aaggoswami]

My Swift has completed 5600 kms today. Had a nice highway drive of 350 kms. Ride quality is nice, but the car does get skittish and lose composure due to small wheelbase.
Engine is, as I mentioned, anemic in lower range and good at top end. But what amazes me is excellent refinement.

My Front right fog lamp was replaced in warranty after it failed to adjust. Must say that Kiran Motors workshop did respond well to my complaint and did everything to ensure that I leave service center more satisfied. Not so sophisticated staff, but its acceptable. Original Fog lamp had Philips bulbs and the replacement had Halonix or Pheonix bulbs ( cant remember exactly ). With the vertical alignment done for both fog lamps, things improved, only for urban driving and driving in out skirts of city. Bulb is part of fog lamp assembly.

Another issue that has cropped up : Horn does not sound in cold weather. Does not happen with Waggie ! I am sure its only wiring stuff or a bad horn, but today morning drive was tough due to lack of horn. While returning in evening, it was working good.

Originally Posted by a4anurag

I do recommend the upgrade.

Bulbs: philips rally 100/90W
Wiring harness by Hella that withstand upto 130/100W bulb.

It is Totally reversible upgrade and won't void warranty as it is totally reversible.

Today's night drive made me believe that even Philips XV+130% are not enough for highways. Looks like I will end up upgrading the bulbs with new wiring and relay. The local accessories shop is pushing Hella 90/100W bulbs and I want Philips Rally 90/100W as its proven with so many reviews.

Fog lights also need an upgrade to 55W H11 bulbs if highway driving is going to be the norm.

[ZMG]

Hi,

I have a 2012 Swift VXI which has done about 24000 kms.

I have been sensing some kind of weird noise from the steering wheel. It is a very feeble noise and a little bit of jerk can be felt.

Also the car does not feel very smooth now.
What can I do to get this sorted?

Also I wanted to upgrade my headlights.
Can I order some headlights online (Philips? ) and fit them on my own?

Thanks.

[amalji]

Originally Posted by ZMG

Also the car does not feel very smooth now.
What can I do to get this sorted?

Show it to a Maruti authorized service center! Take their inputs and then put the inputs from them here for discussion.

Originally Posted by ZMG

Also I wanted to upgrade my headlights.
Can I order some headlights online (Philips? ) and fit them on my own?
Thanks.

Yes, you can do that yourself. Refer your owner's manual. Make sure that you buy one with the correct jack. Philips Xtreme Vision plus is the one I would recommend because

• The power consumption is the same and hence doesn't affect any of your electricals.
• Doesn't cause ageing of the head lamp assembly
• Brightness is much better than the stock
• It's not the White light which fairs poorly when you really need it ( raining, fogging etc )

[ZMG]

Originally Posted by amalji

Philips Xtreme Vision plus is the one I would recommend because

• The power consumption is the same and hence doesn't affect any of your electricals.
• Doesn't cause ageing of the head lamp assembly
• Brightness is much better than the stock
• It's not the White light which fairs poorly when you really need it ( raining, fogging etc )

What rating should I look at ? 55 / 60 (Sorry I don't know much about it)
Also how is the life of these bulbs? Do they conk off soon compared to OE bulbs?

[amalji]

Originally Posted by ZMG

What rating should I look at ? 55 / 60 (Sorry I don't know much about it)
Also how is the life of these bulbs? Do they conk off soon compared to OE bulbs?

The advantage of Phillips extreme vision plus is that it doesn't consume more power than the stock bulbs ( 60/55 ), but at the same time, brightness is much better.

And regarding life, yes they have a shorter life span than the normal bulbs.

[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by ZMG

What rating should I look at ? 55 / 60 (Sorry I don't know much about it)
Also how is the life of these bulbs? Do they conk off soon compared to OE bulbs?

There are two choices for headlight upgrade.

Option 1) Get a better bulb at the OEM rating (60/55W H4) - I suggest Philips Xtreme Vision and they are the best bulbs available that last long without much issue and provide better vision at OEM specifications.

Option 2) Get a higher rating bulb and a compatible wiring harness that has a dedicated fuse and ceramic holder to compensate for the extra load and bear the heat generated by the bulbs.

With my personal experience, I have tried both Options and I am happy with the second one. I am currently running on Philips Rally (100/90W H4) with wiring harness from Hella that can bear up to 130/100W headlight bulbs. Bulbs cost 260 (per bulb) and harness costs 1000 bucks.

It is a reversible modification and is totally safe as it has been over 20K kms in my car. No blackening or reflector damage issues.

[aaggoswami]

Originally Posted by ZMG

Hi,

I have a 2012 Swift VXI which has done about 24000 kms.

Also I wanted to upgrade my headlights.
Can I order some headlights online (Philips? ) and fit them on my own?

Originally Posted by amalji

The advantage of Phillips extreme vision plus is that it doesn't consume more power than the stock bulbs ( 60/55 ), but at the same time, brightness is much better.

And regarding life, yes they have a shorter life span than the normal bulbs.

Originally Posted by a4anurag

There are two choices for headlight upgrade.

Option 1) Get a better bulb at the OEM rating (60/55W H4) - I suggest Philips Xtreme Vision and they are the best bulbs available that last long without much issue and provide better vision at OEM specifications.

Option 2) Get a higher rating bulb and a compatible wiring harness that has a dedicated fuse and ceramic holder to compensate for the extra load and bear the heat generated by the bulbs.

It is a reversible modification and is totally safe as it has been over 20K kms in my car. No blackening or reflector damage issues.

I have installed Philips Xteme Vision+ 60/55W bulbs in my Swift VXi, and on highways the light is not sufficient. Also, may be the color temperature, but I found them inadequate, but they are good for city driving.
Another option is to get Ring Automotive H4 60/55W Xenon Ultima bulbs which I had installed on my Grand i10. They were even better than Philips Xtreme Vision+ bulbs. Ring Automotive bulbs are available on Flipkart and I got them from Flipkart too. But they do cost more than Philips Xteme Vision+, and I found them worthy of their commanding price. As far as my reading on net goes, Philips Xteme Vision+ is having shorter life span than normal bulbs. If my memory serves me right, Philips Xtreme Vision bulbs are 4300k color temperature, and Philips Rally are 3000k color temperature.

Link for the Ring Automotive Bulbs.

However, as a4anurag mentions, the second option is better. I have ordered Philips Rally H4 90/100W bulbs from ebay ( as they were not available in my city and the shop guys were busy pushing down Hella bulbs ). If my memory serves me right, Philips Xtreme Vision bulbs are 4300k color temperature, and Philips Rally are 3000k color temperature. Even though my car is in warranty, I would still get Philips Rally bulbs installed with relay and wiring.

[amalji]

Originally Posted by aaggoswami

However, as a4anurag mentions, the second option is better. I have ordered Philips Rally H4 90/100W bulbs from ebay ( as they were not available in my city and the shop guys were busy pushing down Hella bulbs ). If my memory serves me right, Philips Xtreme Vision bulbs are 4300k color temperature, and Philips Rally are 3000k color temperature. Even though my car is in warranty, I would still get Philips Rally bulbs installed with relay and wiring.

The only reason why I do not recommend the Philips Rally bulbs are because of the long term reliability issues. I've used it on our Maruti Zen as well as Esteem. Both developed electrical issues after 4 years or so. ( Issues ranged from holder, relay, fused bulb etc ) and had a much higher chance of failure as it ages. Especially when my parents used these cars for a long drive, I was not confident to give the car to them for night drives.

Switched to Xtreme Visons and never faced issues. Several of my friends use the same. So, if you go for the rally bulbs, I would recommend that you proactively change everything ( relay, holder and bulb ) every 3 to 4 years to have peace of mind.

Originally Posted by aaggoswami

Another option is to get Ring Automotive H4 60/55W Xenon Ultima bulbs which I had installed on my Grand i10. They were even better than Philips Xtreme Vision+ bulbs. Ring Automotive bulbs are available on Flipkart and I got them from Flipkart too. But they do cost more than Philips Xteme Vision+, and I found them worthy of their commanding price.

Link for the Ring Automotive Bulbs.

The xenon ultima option seems to be an interesting option. It has the same power consumption as stock and hence should be good.

Originally Posted by aaggoswami

If my memory serves me right, Philips Xtreme Vision bulbs are 4300k color temperature, and Philips Rally are 3000k color temperature.

The color temperature of Philips Xtreme Vision plus is 3700k

Originally Posted by aaggoswami

As far as my reading on net goes, Philips Xteme Vision+ is having shorter life span than normal bulbs.

Yes, life will be shorter than normal bulbs. You will get around 60 to 70% life of a normal bulb.

[aaggoswami]

I upgraded from Philips Xtreme vision plus bulbs to Philips rally 90/100 W bulbs. This was done along with wiring upgrade, the wiring kit and relay from Lumax. The throw is nice, but the focusing is gone all wrong. This should not happen as the bulbs are regular H4.
Attaching a few images where the wiring is dressed, low beam and high beam.
As far as vertical alignment goes, with Philips Rally, my headlamps don't have a firm \___\___ throw profile as indicated in the image. Is this focusing problem or poor reflection due to fake bulbs ?
High beam needs horizontal alignment which is a very tough process for me.
I ordered the Philips Rally bulbs from Ebay and they did cost me Rs. 555/-.
Did anybody need horizontal and vertical alignment after installation of Philips Rally bulbs in Swift ?

Else, I would either go back to Philips Xtreme vision or get Osram Bilux 90/100W. As the throw profile lacks \___\___, I am not able to adjust the beam correctly ( and don't want to blind oncoming traffic with poor approximations ). Also, current settings are perfect for Philips Xtreme just in case I have to revert back.

The wiring dressing


Low beam only. \___\___ is not achieved


High beam. Dark spot in front center.

[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by aaggoswami

I upgraded from Philips Xtreme vision plus bulbs to Philips rally 90/100 W bulbs. This was done along with wiring upgrade, the wiring kit and relay from Lumax. The throw is nice, but the focusing is gone all wrong. This should not happen as the bulbs are regular H4. As the throw profile lacks \___\___, I am not able to adjust the beam correctly ( and don't want to blind oncoming traffic with poor approximations ). Also, current settings are perfect for Philips Xtreme just in case I have to revert back.

Here is my Swift's headlight (Philips Rally 100/90W).


PS: Pic taken from mobile cam so it is imparting a white shade. Light is yellow!

From what I can see posted in the pictures, the left headlight does actually give the "\___" whereas the right one isn't that pronounced. Can you interchange the bulbs once and see?

Also can you post a picture of the box in which you got these bulbs?