First time changing headlamps...have a few ?'s

josholiver1 · Post by **josholiver1** » Mon Oct 09, 2006 8:39 am

Yea i know Its the first time i have changed my headlamps so i have a few questions:-After i take the bulbs out, do i have to aim them? My OEM are pirfectly aimed and i dont want to spoil that angle.-I would like to buy some bulbs with blue tint, i have heard that the "cool blue" dont look blue, are there anyother manufact' that make a better "blue" bulb? I dont care about the price. I dont really care if there brighter, i know it sounds stupid, but when i drive down the road i want mine to stick out among the other cars. Any info on the subject would be great!

josholiver1 · Post by **josholiver1** » Mon Oct 09, 2006 8:50 am

i live by the public golf-course, i dont know if this is going to make sence but...You take a right at 19th hole res.Go all the way down Golf Course RoadThen turn On Dow Dr.Last house on the left, my vibe is out in the front

mathteacher'04vibe · Post by **mathteacher'04vibe** » Mon Oct 09, 2006 9:54 am

I had Cool Blue in a G/A and was told they looked blue. They were bright. I just put SilverStars in and they are fantastically bright, but do not look blue-I was disappointed about the color, but the light is awesome. I no longer have to use my high beams!As far as the angle, when replacing, unless you are He-Man, you should not have to worry about affecting the angle.One more thing, on the driver's side, moving the battery out of the way makes it a little easier getting in there. I have a CAI, so I don't know if the OEM airbox or intake tube will be in the way.Hope this helps.

CAN-AWD-VIBE · Post by **CAN-AWD-VIBE** » Mon Oct 09, 2006 1:24 pm

these will make you stick out and be brighterhttp://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=25357

mspalmer · Post by **mspalmer** » Mon Oct 09, 2006 11:43 pm

When replacing with Silverstars I have a couple questions.1. I was told not to touch the bulbs with my bare hands. Will latex gloves be sufficient? I'm assuming it is due to the oils on the skin.2. Do you need to use dielectric grease like was recommended by the guy I bought the lights from?Thanks,mike

ragingfish · Post by **ragingfish** » Tue Oct 10, 2006 12:12 am

Quote, originally posted by mspalmer Â»When replacing with Silverstars I have a couple questions.1. I was told not to touch the bulbs with my bare hands. Will latex gloves be sufficient? I'm assuming it is due to the oils on the skin.2. Do you need to use dielectric grease like was recommended by the guy I bought the lights from?Thanks,mikeRealistically, you should avoid touching the glass part of ANY bulb, even stock ones. The oils in your skin create hot spots on just about anything, and can impact overall bulb life. Gloves are more than adequate. It may seem overkill, but when I installed my HID's in my G6, I would pick up the bulb with gloves, and then, before installing it, use a cotton pad soaked with rubbing alcohol to clean the bulb -- even fresh out of the package. Then I immediately install it (translated - don't stop, put it down, let it get dirty, then come back to it...). I figure this 30 second step could remove any small patch of oil that could result in me having to spend money all over again for new bulbs.As for the dielectric grease -- do you have to? Not necessarily. But it certainly can't hurt. Any steps you take now to prevent rust or corrosion are worth it. I know advance auto parts and auto zone tend to have small packs, about 1 inch square, for like 99 cents at the register. If you don't want to buy a regular sized tube, of course...

Katscan · Post by **Katscan** » Tue Oct 10, 2006 1:38 am

Quote, originally posted by mathteacherÃ¢Â€Â™04vibe Â» I no longer have to use my high beams!They high beams are nessesarily brighter, they are aimed higher. Thus the term "High" beams. If you look on how your headlights are aimed, the normal headlights are aimed downward at a slight angle(The driver side is also aimed to the right a little bit to keep it from beaming into oncomming traffic). All the "high beam" does is the light is aimed up more to beam the light further down the road, the downside to this is that it will also beam directly into the eyes of any oncomming driver.

zionzr2 · Post by **zionzr2** » Tue Oct 10, 2006 2:23 am

+1 to all that was said above.Even with gloves try avoid touching the glass any more than is neccessary. The battery is not required to be moved or removed to change the bulb on that side, BUT it Definatly makes it easier. Its a tight fit but it is possible to do with out moving the battery.

josholiver1 · Post by **josholiver1** » Tue Oct 10, 2006 4:19 am

Thanx you guys,but the link says error "invalid topic" for me

CAN-AWD-VIBE · Post by **CAN-AWD-VIBE** » Tue Oct 10, 2006 1:51 pm

its gone now... I dunno where but I cant find itIt was a link to a groupbuy for HID

Katscan · Post by **Katscan** » Wed Oct 11, 2006 2:10 am

Quote, originally posted by zionzr2 Â»Even with gloves try avoid touching the glass any more than is neccessary. The battery is not required to be moved or removed to change the bulb on that side, BUT it Definatly makes it easier. Its a tight fit but it is possible to do with out moving the battery. I changed mine without gloves and didnt come close to touching the bulb. I would honestly recommend removing the battery, I changed mine without removing it and it was a very big PITA. I got it done but removing the battery would have made a world of differance.

josholiver1 · Post by **josholiver1** » Wed Oct 11, 2006 6:55 am

What are HID's-- High Intensity Discharge? And would i have had to change the whole headlamp setup to adapt them, or are they just the light bulbs to?

Mrizzle05 · Post by **Mrizzle05** » Wed Oct 11, 2006 6:58 am

thats the name... i dont know how they connect. but they replace the bulb, you headlight housing is the same i believe.I was gonna get a set....but have other more needed things to get/do.

josholiver1 · Post by **josholiver1** » Wed Oct 11, 2006 7:35 am

So then i guess the cool blue bulbs wont give me that true BMW look, unless i install HID. I saw some sweet blue light bulbs(HID i thnk) on a Cady DTS and i was like why didnt pontiac do that for the vibe!

Mrizzle05 · Post by **Mrizzle05** » Wed Oct 11, 2006 7:55 am

lotta the higher end cars have them stock now-a-days.They arent too much... compared to every other major mod. but they work wonders i hear. look cool and brighter.

CAN-AWD-VIBE · Post by **CAN-AWD-VIBE** » Wed Oct 11, 2006 12:33 pm

the caddy was hid. bmw, acura, infinity, lexus... etc the housing stays but bulbs are different. you also need install the ballasts... but thats usually all in "kit".very bright and very white or blue or purple... depends on colour temp.more info on the web... surf it out.

josholiver1 · Post by **josholiver1** » Thu Oct 12, 2006 8:47 am

Heres another question..I whent to walmart and they had an off brand of lights but the # was 9004. I know the exterior light bulb repalcement form says that it needs 9003, but can i put the 9004's in? Will i burn up the wiring?They look really cool and they had alot of blue tint to them,( they had the most blue tint out of all of the blue lights) and they were like 16 bucks for a pair. Granted they will probably only last for a few months im guessing, but the price is great and the picture on the package looked promicing...

CAN-AWD-VIBE · Post by **CAN-AWD-VIBE** » Thu Oct 12, 2006 11:24 am

you cant switch these two parts... VERY DIFFERENTthey are out there- 9003 aka H4 thats it.pepboys, autozone wherever the Auto Parts Stores are.Wal-mart is good for oil but little else for cars.

ragingfish · Post by **ragingfish** » Thu Oct 12, 2006 1:44 pm

Quote, originally posted by josholiver1 Â»What are HID's-- High Intensity Discharge? And would i have had to change the whole headlamp setup to adapt them, or are they just the light bulbs to?I had HID in the Vibe, and now in the G6. As has been stated, it's an entire lighting system. You have ballasts, ignitors, and the capsules. You also usually need to rewire because the DRL system could kill your HID ballasts...They're VERY much worth it IMHO, but you do pay a price for the luxury...I spent almost $900 doing a full HID conversion for the vibe...

CAN-AWD-VIBE · Post by **CAN-AWD-VIBE** » Thu Oct 12, 2006 4:11 pm

Quote, originally posted by ragingfish Â»I spent almost $900 doing a full HID conversion for the vibe...thats exactly what I will end up spending on silverstars over the life of the car

josholiver1 · Post by **josholiver1** » Sat Oct 14, 2006 8:46 am

Well i just picked up my new bulbs...There 9003/CB 60/55 Watts..The guy at Advance was really cool, but he wanted me to buy the silver star ultra, but i told him i didnt care so much about being brighter, as much as i cared about being "bluer"...He told me that they look like HID, what audi's have, and i just kinda laughed LOL.It's the closest i can get to HID but i paid $28.53 for the pair I guess it wont come close to HID but its a step in the right direction..I am changing them on tuesday in autoshop..so ill post pics soon!THanx again guys!

ragingfish · Post by **ragingfish** » Sat Oct 14, 2006 12:30 pm

Put your car side-by-side with a true HID system and I bet any bulb - even those claiming to give you the "look of HID" - will be yellow.

CAN-AWD-VIBE · Post by **CAN-AWD-VIBE** » Sat Oct 14, 2006 12:33 pm

Quote, originally posted by ragingfish Â»Put your car side-by-side with a true HID system and I bet any bulb - even those claiming to give you the "look of HID" - will be yellow.+1

First time changing headlamps...have a few ?'s

First time changing headlamps...have a few ?'s

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