GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

Noticed today on the way back from class that one of my Silverstars burned out. First thing I did was cut out that damn DRL. I guess running the Silverstars at 3/4 power during the day doesnt do them much good. Question I have is the BMWs have a real nice set of headlights. They have a blueish glow to them that appeals to me. Now is it a HID or just fancy bulbs, and if they are fancy bulbs then what kind? If not, what kind would be close to the HID if there are any? Thanks!

The BMW's are likely true HID -- most are anyway.Closest bulbs to mimic the look and performance are #1 - the SilverStars, and #2 - PIAA Xtreme White's.Good luck....

Many of us have been running silverstars for months on end without problems.I've had my silverstars since last october, and i turn my headlights on full power whenever i drive (it's a habit i've always had, i will not drive without my headlights on), and i have not had a bulb burn out.might've been defective.

yes quite possible defective, but I believe that the DRL do not run the bulbs at full power which would be harmfull to a bulb if it were not made to do so. Either ways a HID would be way to expensive so I'll stick with my Silverstars.

i'd love to get a hid conversion kit for mine, but that would be hella expensive. i'll also stick with my silverstars

Most Xenon filled bulbs will give you that bright white/blueish color that is close to true HID. Try the cheap ones that Target carrys for only $15. It'll give you an idea.

There's another thread that about silverstars that has some posts about a few of us having silverstars burn out early. I had to replace mine after about 6 months. I have since disabled my DRL also, hoping that will make them last longer.

I havne't changed anything on the electrical of my headlight and running with my Silverstar for almost 1 year.

H4 HID kits that give you both hi and low beam are around $500 to $600.. Just a FYI

I'm running PIAA's in mine. Look and perform almost as good as true HID, and have a year warranty against burnout. True HID conversions can be had for $375-$400.

quote:I havne't changed anything on the electrical of my headlight and running with my Silverstar for almost 1 year.Ditto, next month will be a year for me!

My left silverstar headlight burnt out this weekend. I've had them for about 5 months now. This is very annoying. My right silverstar is working just fine. I'm not going to pay that much money for something that works so crappy. My headlights in my previous car lasted 3 years without burning out, and this piece of crap only lasted 5 months? no thanks.I will be contacting sylvania today

If you touch the bulb with your finger it can decrease the live if your bulb. I always installed my bulb using a paper towel, to avoid any grease on it.

Have had no problems with my Xenon lites And if they do burn out I 'd rather pay 30.00$ CDN for the pair than 28.99$ for a single Silverstar IMHO.Hey! Whatever works for you my friends!

quote:If you touch the bulb with your finger it can decrease the live if your bulb. I always installed my bulb using a paper towel, to avoid any grease on it.Very good idea Sub-Vibe-R. Skin oil on the bulb itself can shorten its life. The hotter the bulb, the more careful you should be not to touch it or get anything on it.

I went through 3 matrix(brand) bulbs before i realized my lh headlight housing was loose and jiggling the crap out of the bulb.The bottom bolt was loose,I had to take it to the body shop to get it fixed.The bottom bolt is behind the bumper cover and the clip was stripped out.They replaced the clip and so far,so good.It's been several months.

I just had a SilverStar burn out recently after about 6 months of use. As it stands, any problem bulbs have been on the passenger side lamp. So far the fog lamps have been equipped with SilverStars without problems, but have to take into consideration they aren't used as frequently as the headlamps.With the replacement bulb, I went back to the old APC SuperWhite bulbs I had previously used before the Silverstars. On a side note, when pulled up to the garage door, the APC bulb is noticably more yellow and "unfocused" when compared to the Silverstar still in use in the drivers side headlamp. I'll probably go back and buy another set of Silverstars once I run out of APC bulbs to use as replacements.

Just a note. I'd stay away from APC lighting products.

It's been little over a year on my SilverStars with no burnouts. I work with optics and light (spectrophotometry chemical analysis ) in my lab. When replacing any type of bulb you must make sure the bulb is dust free and oil free (fingers) or you will only see about 30% life of your lamp. If you do touch the bulb with your finger use rubbing alcohol to clean it and compress air to remove any lint before installing it.

Saw a post on this over at MatrixOwners and wanted to relay the information. Over on the Sylvania SilverStar site (the FAQ), they state the following about the lifespan of these particular bulbs:Quote »What is the life expectancy of SilverStar? The life expectancy of a SilverStar halogen light source is dependent on the driver’s use of the lights, which vary by season, time of day and number of miles driven. We estimate the SilverStar halogen lights to have a life span of up to one year under average driving conditions. source: http://www.sylvania.com/auto/sstar_faq.htmInteresting nonetheless, considering how much you pay for them.

Mine are at just about a year now...only had problems with one of the 4 bulbs since i put 'em in...

Nick, you also have to consider the fact of the DRL's will perhaps reduce that claimed lifespan as well. The very reason that I dis-connected them.

How can you disconnect your DTRL? I have been wanting to do that for the longest time, i think that lights running constantly during the day is rediculous. I live in Florida and there is plenty of light during the day!!!!

Quote, originally posted by viberator »How can you disconnect your DTRL? Read through this thread:http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=1188There are pics on page 2 of the thread.No problems with mine so far.

my drivers side light went out yesterday. i spent all day trying to find another 9003 bulb. no one had any. finally stopped in at the local schucks and they had a pair in a damaged package. they were on sale for $40 and knocked off another $10! so i got a new set of silverstars for $29.99!

I knew it would happen, but the driver's side Silverstar finally bit the dust as well - just a mere couple weeks from the passenger side. Looks like I may give them another chance being extra careful on installation, etc.

Quote, originally posted by silverawd26 »CohoCarl drives a lot and has time for them to get hot and his have popped a couple times. I think this is why he disabled the DRL. Yes. I had both sides burnout, each w/in a couple days of each other. We'll see how long this pair lasts now that I've disabled the drl's. My morning trip into work requires headlights, but not on my way home, so I figured, why put the extra "miles" on the bulbs when not needed. Yes, the drl's are safer, and I turn mine on if it's overcast, raining, etc. in the day if needed, but I think it's silly to have them on when it's a nice, sunny day.

I am wondering if our Vibe's "automatic headlight" has anything to do with the shortened life expectancy ?After all, lighting Silverstars in broad daylight isn't exactly healthy for Silverstars... or any other bulbs for that matter.

Quote, originally posted by huy397 »I am wondering if our Vibe's "automatic headlight" has anything to do with the shortened life expectancy ?It surely doesn't help - I disabled my automatic headlamp sensor about a year ago so the only real factors playing in my case would be the DRL's or possibly overheating as silverawd26 stated. I also try to keep the bulb as clean and touch-free as possible during install.