GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

so did anyone else here already get sick of the low life Silverstar headlights?I just changed out my last pair this weekend and put the stock ones back in. This last set only last about 5 months, so I'm going to write Sylvania and see what they have to say.

hey! here here! mine went out AGAIN... last one was replaced in Oct. phil was here so i got a cool blue one. had those in my tundra and never had to change it for the 2 yrs. maybe one, but that would be it! and i'm sick of paying that fricken $50/pair too! plus, i don't even have drl! i disabled that. only time i'm running them is when it's night or i'm driving the seward hwy! and in the summer, it doesn't get DARK here!!!! so yes, we should bombard them with nasty grams on a crappy product!

They are really, really nice lights though, if you ignore lifespan and price. I still swear by them. Shake the Sylvania tree and a free replacement pair will fall in your lap.

been almost a year and i haven't burnt one out yet, on either headlights or driving lights and I have my sensor is covered so mine are on all the time.no complaints here. but if you write letters and they send you a certificate for new lamps I'll lie. oops! I don't have silverstar headlamps mine are GE super blues ignore my opinion on this subject.

I've had mine about 10 months and they haven't gone out yet. I have my DTRL disabled though. I want a pair of those sweet lights that change frmo blue to white depending on your angle....how much and what kind should I get for the Vibe?

Salsa! had a couple of threads about silverstar life expectancyhttp://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=8904http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=9275

Quote, originally posted by scherry2 »been almost a year and i haven't burnt one out yet, on either headlights or driving lights and I have my sensor is covered so mine are on all the time.no complaints here. but if you write letters and they send you a certificate for new lamps I'll lie. Now that you said it, both will burn out at once.

I had the first pair burn out in 8 months, with the DRLs and without the Auto headlights. When I changed out the new silverstars, I disabled the DRLs, so we'll see how long they last.The life expectancy is sad, but I still love the output. Most of the other "xenon" headlamps just look too hokey, and don't give out the great plain white the Silverstars do..Never had to replace the fogs yet, tho, and I have them on all the time with the headlamps.

The wifes silverstars in her vibe just went out the other day. I bought a new pair but have yet to put them in. I don't know if I will either. I may head over to the cycle shop and check out their 9003 cycle lights.

Quote, originally posted by Merzbow »I want a pair of those sweet lights that change frmo blue to white depending on your angle....how much and what kind should I get for the Vibe?I believe you are thinking of HID headlights and a kit for the Vibe is around $500 I think.

Yeah, I had one go about 3 weeks ago, put it back to stock. Right now, runnig one stock, one silverstar, and hating the stock. But I won't spend any more money on those damn bulbs. THe fogs and parking lights have been great! Haven't had to replace any of them. But the heads are horrid.

I gave up on Silverstar's after having them all die on me, and tried the Sylvania Xtravision bulbs. This morning, one died. It really hasn't been that long that they've been in there. So, I just bought two standard GE 9003's for $7/each and have decided to just live with it. I've got plain ol' Sylvania 9006's in the fogs right now as well.To be honest with ya, I really wish I had never yanked out the stock bulbs! Too bad I couldn't find where I put them.Oh well, back to the dim and yellow - fine with me, as long as it lasts.

With all the money I put out for Silverstars I probably could've paid for an HID conversion by now.

I had a Silverstar go out after about 5 months. I wrote a email to the company and they said all I had to do was send them a copy of my email and tell them what kind of vechile I had and if it had DRL'S and about how much I drove a week. And then they would look into sending a new one. I just never got around to sending it to them, because I went and bought a new set. Maybe for anyone else it may be worth the time.

Mine burned out a little over 1 year..I wrote an e-mail to Silverstar and they send me 1 new bulb.For sure when another one will burn out, I will put back the stock bulb.

Jebus! $500? Can't I get those cheap APC "street tunerz" lights for like$25?

Yeah, but they don't have the same effect. Those're just a brighter colored usually blue/purple.. They also don't have the "ramp up" effect when they turn on.

got home last night from my kayak trip and wouldn't you know, but now the passenger side ss is out! (removed)??? these over priced lights are waste of money! no more ss for me!

ok, so I didn't really notice that huge of a difference after putting my OEM lights back in, and I was curious.Last night, I switched out one of the OEM's and put back in the only working silverstar I had... and to my surprise, there was such a little difference in performance that is just does not warrant the money for the SilverStars.STOP WASTING YOUR MONEY ON THIS WORTHLESS PRODUCT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

man, i could have told y'all they were a waste to begin with!! i mean, how big a deal is a different colored headlight anyway?if you think stock is bad, you should see mine w/the blackouts on them.the light is browner that MrPoopypants'.... well, pants

My 1st silverstar burned out about 1 month ago. I called Silverstar to complain and they gave me a new bulb for free.But guess what, the other head light burned out yesterday!! Now I have the choice, buy another Silverstar, or put back the 2 stocks bulbs (by chance I keep them.)

I kept mine because I was very skeptical about the silverstars.I recommend just tossing the lights. On that note, if anyone wants a silverstar headlight at half-life, get me an address, and cost of shipping, I'll send you the one I have that DIDN'T burn out.

i'd do it if you were gonna be at the meet this wkend brian. too bad. oh well.... still have to replace my passenger's side now. but since it's daylight 24/7 right now, it's not a big deal. i'll do it after my next trip next mo.

I found an interesting article about Silverstar while surfing over Howstuffswors.comhttp://auto.howstuffworks.com/...bulbs/Take a look to the 3 last paragraphs....

Amazing in-depth info! Hmmm... My SilverStars read "Osram...Germany" on the metal base, but they still died in 5-7 months; guess Canada gets the c**p "North American" design, regardless of where they are actually made...

The link seems to be broken now...But, I think I found it: http://www.danielsternlighting....htmlIf anyone has a few minutes, read the other articles on that site - very interesting...

>Warning! Lengthy Technobabble Alert!I thoroughly perused the most informative Daniel Stern site that Sub-Vibe-Rand Colonel Panic supplied, and then dropped him a line. I'm sure everyonewillfind his replies below, posted with his pemission, most 'illuminating'(sorry; who could resist?). Can you believe the SilverStar lifespan numbers:70 hours in North America, 250 in the rest of the world? (Note that theclue as to which you have is the blue tint, not the country of origin.)>MadBillFirst, I want to commend you on creating by far the most in-depth site I've ever seen on automotive lighting! Your response to DOT's request for input re regulatory changes is of a calibre they should be gratified to receive from a consultant they had paid in the six figure range.>Daniel SternHowdy, Bill. Y'know, although I worked for months at $0.00/hr to put thatreport together, I fervently wish they *had* paid me six figures (or even five,or maybe four?) for it. It would make it a lot easier to swallow the fact that not the tiniest bit of science contained in that report will ever beacted upon by US regulators, and that Canadian regulators, who *do* knowtheir hind-ends from holes in the ground, will forever be handcuffed to the US regulators' incompetence.>MBI hope you might be able to answer one question re the "SilverStar Story": I have such bulbs in my vehicle here in Canada, and would assume fromyour desciption that they are the iniquitous over driven, over pricedand short lived "North American" design, despite the fact that they read:"Osram...Germany" on the base?>DSThey are. Here's the confusing story:Osram bought Sylvania from GTE a little over a decade ago. Production of the Sylvania product line takes place all over the world -- mostly in theUS and Europe, but they're switching many of their signal bulbs over tofinest(...) Chinese "quality".Sylvania's headlamp bulb range in North America is: Long Life (self explanatory)Standard (Ditto)Xtravision (high output "Plus 30", clear glass)CoolBlue (light blue absorption filter)SilverStar (Dark blue absorption PLUS dichroic filter) Osram's headlamp bulb range everywhere else in the world is:Long LifeStandardSuper (high output "Plus 30", clear glass)SilverStar (ultra high output "Plus 50", clear glass)CoolBlue (Dark blue absorption PLUS dichroic filter)So, what is sold as "CoolBlue" in the rest of the world is known here as"SilverStar", what is known in the rest of the world as "SilverStar" isnot sold in North America. Rest-of-world CoolBlue was the US-market-typeCoolBlue, but the light-blue coating has been *replaced* in the rest ofthe world by the dark blue double filtration (bluer light, less of it and MUCH shorter life).>MB>DSWell, yeah. Look at some lifespan numbers. H1 bulbs for example:Long life: 600 hoursStandard: 400 hoursSuper (Plus 30) : 325 hoursSilverStar (rest of world Plus 50 clear glass): 250 hoursCoolBlue (rest of world, = US SilverStar): 70 hours(!)>MB No wonder the NA SilverStars die so regularily, with a design life of 70hours! To make things worse, besides daytime running lights, my '03 PontiacVibe has a badly located twilight sensor that brings on fullheadlights in broad daylight much of the time. Any thoughts on the bestchoice for a "no gimmicks-just good lighting for my aging eyes- bulb"?>DSBest choice: Osram (not Sylvania!) SilverStar which has clear glass andproduces gobs of nice white light. US$17/ea.>MBFor my wife's '97 Buick Park Avenue, the solution has been 70/100 w. BritishPhillips Rallye bulbs; above legal limits here but which give great light,have lasted 3 years and counting and have never induced anyone to flashme....>DSVERY DANGEROUS in your plastic headlamps and with your stock wires. Youare begging for slowly-caused but eventually-extensive vehicle damage --get 'em out of there. The reason they've lasted so long is the voltagedrop their extra current draw is causing in your circuitry. This starvesthe bulbs which greatly lengthens their lifespan (and greatly reducestheir output, and greatly stresses the headlamp wires, switches, etc.).Better: 9011s and 9012s. Seehttp://www.bmwz.org/articles/lighting/0506trick/Bulbs are spendy but better output and MUCH better safety than theoverwattage ones you've got now.Also remember that "Nobody's flashed me" is NOT a reliable indicator thatnobody's being glared. Nobody flashes even those fools who run high beamsin traffic.ORDERING INSTRUCTIONSPlease indicate:The quantity of each item you wishThe type of shipping you wish(UPS trackable ground shipping is standard; all UPS service levels areavailable)The address to which you want the items shipped (if different from billingaddress)Whether the UPS driver has permission to leave the parcel at your doorstepif you are not available to accept it in person.NEW! Toll-free ordering!You may now phone-in or fax-in your order toll-free on 1-866-861-8668Orders may also be sent via e-mail to: dastern@torque.netWe accept Visa and Mastercard. Orders are processed securely.Whatever method you use, the following information is required in order toprocess a credit card order:Card typeCard numberExpiry dateYour name as it appears on the cardBilling addressPhone numberPlease don't forget to include a note (such as a printout of our e-mail)stating exactly which items you are ordering, and where you wish themsent.I look forward to hearing from you.Best Regards,DS

Great work! That might be my next step. But knowing what i'm armed with now, I think this might be my last pair of silverstars.

So does this guy sell the euro osram SS's?Or is he selling HIR bulbs? In either case, how can i order them?i'm confused.

Hi Mike.I assume he sells them, from the fact that he gave a price but no other source. I think he didn't want to come off as an infomercial, so he soft-pedalled it, but his e-mail address, 1-800 # and order info are near the bottom of the post. The HIR bulbs are apparently available from this site: http://www.candlepowerinc.com/?url=16, as listed on the BMW site shown further up the page.

Do you know which is better, SS or HIR?

I think the HIRs are superior, based on Stern's preference despite their 2X price, but I didn't see an actual lumens output comparison anywhere. He seems very willing to expound on the subject, so maybe you should drop him a line. (I don't want to bombard him with too many questions and start sounding like a lightbulb groupie.)

I finally got tired and I changed my 4 Silverstar to the stock one.Now the lightning is a little worst, but a least they are all working, and for a while!

Quote, originally posted by Sub-Vibe-R »I finally got tired and I changed my 4 Silverstar to the stock one.Now the lightning is a little worst, but a least they are all working, and for a while!I also kept my stock ones for the day the silver s die....at 68$ a pair its a little expensive