If HID's are a no go which are the best bulbs?

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c180081c

c180081c

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C250 AMG Sport Coupe
Just looking for opinions. I have just bought my second w203 c class and the headlights are pretty dim and yellow with bog standard bulbs so who's are best??...HID kit is out of the question I dont really want to go hunting for projector lights and then fitting the naff ballasts etc...Ive looked at the phillips range but noone can really give a definate answer as to which produces the best white light and brightness? Ideally I want to swap all the front end bulbs so they match in colour. Also are the fog light bulbs that hard to change??
 
Make sure your lenses are in good shape, and that the voltage to the bulbs is close to the battery voltage (i.e. no drop along the wiring). Probably not wise in a too-smart-for-its-own-good Merc as you'll confuse the bulb failure detection; but in lesser, simpler cars a good mod is to rewire the lights with a decent relay supplying the bulbs straight from the battery.

It's illegal to use fog lights except in seriously-reduced visibility, so don't bother changing those.
 
As above, Nightbreakers and check your wiring. 203 standard headlamps are amazingly good so as you reporting poor performance you may have a problem.
 
Surely the Philips Extreme are better than the nightbreakers? They just won the 2014 AE bulb test. Philips X-tremeVision | Auto Express These bulbs will not appear to be anything like a xenon colour but will give excellent visibility.

The 130% will be even better than the ones that won the AE test http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00NMEEV9W/?tag=amazon0e9db-21

However if you want a white light that replicates xenon then that is something entirely different - manufacturers basically paint the bulb glass blue to achieve a different colour light - this will dim the bulb but give you a 'pleasant' aesthetic.
 
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lordlee said:
Surely the Philips Extreme are better than the nightbreakers? They just won the 2014 AE bulb test. Philips X-tremeVision | Auto Express These bulbs will not appear to be anything like a xenon colour but will give excellent visibility.

However if you want a white light that replicates xenon then that is something entirely different - manufacturers basically paint the bulb glass blue to achieve a different colour light - this will dim the bulb but give you a 'pleasant' aesthetic.

The 130% will be even better than the ones that won the AE test Philips 12972XV+S2 X-tremeVision Halogen Headlamp H7, 12 V, 55 W, Set of 2: Amazon.co.uk: Car & Motorbike
Click to expand...
Nightbreakers are cheaper and arguably better at range, which is 'surely' where it matters.
Osram Night Breaker Unlimited | Auto Express
 
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Are you taking the 130% Xtreme's into account with that statement?
 
I polished the lenses on my W208 and bought four Halfords best on sale 2 for 1, supposedly +150% better. Result:
Lenses look nicer.
No difference in light output.
I now have 2 sets of bulbs and still unhappy.
When will I learn??
 
lordlee said:
Surely the Philips Extreme are better than the nightbreakers? They just won the 2014 AE bulb test. Philips X-tremeVision | Auto Express These bulbs will not appear to be anything like a xenon colour but will give excellent visibility.

The 130% will be even better than the ones that won the AE test http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00NMEEV9W/?tag=amazon0e9db-21

However if you want a white light that replicates xenon then that is something entirely different - manufacturers basically paint the bulb glass blue to achieve a different colour light - this will dim the bulb but give you a 'pleasant' aesthetic.
Click to expand...

I've had both over the years, and consistently preferred the nightbreakers. I haven't tried the 130% bulbs yet, but as my car now has LED headlamps not sure I will...

Just hoping manufacturers start making LED bulbs in H1/H4/H7 fitment...

M.
 
With H7 bulbs I've consistently preferred the Philips but I guess its each to their own - I live in the countryside so good bulbs are very important as many roads have no lighting at all. Both cars now have Xenons so we dont suffer the same issues but I always liked the Philips.
 
Thanks for the replies guys, hunting around the net the consensus is generally the same, either stump up and fit legal xenon or keep chasing the perfect bulb. Might give the nightbreakers a try and see what difference is achieved
 
Osram Nightbreaker is now on its 3rd Generation called Nightbreaker Unlimited (the 2nd generation was called Nightbreaker Plus).

Performance-wise I can't fault them, very bright and good beam, but service life remains an issue.

You would expect brighter bulbs to burn quicker, but even so I think that it could be better than 6 months to 2 years which is what I am getting out of mine.

To be fair, I do drive with the headlamps (dipped beam) switched on at all times.
 
markjay said:
Osram Nightbreaker is now on its 3rd Generation called Nightbreaker Unlimited (the 2nd generation was called Nightbreaker Plus).

Performance-wise I can't fault them, very bright and good beam, but service life remains an issue.

You would expect brighter bulbs to burn quicker, but even so I think that it could be better than 6 months to 2 years which is what I am getting out of mine.

To be fair, I do drive with the headlamps (dipped beam) switched on at all times.
Click to expand...
The lifespan of the first-gen plus bulbs was appalling. I'm told the unlimited are much better... the prove is fitted with the unlimited for 6 months of so now, without issues. Hopefully it stays that way!

M.
 
markjay said:
Osram Nightbreaker is now on its 3rd Generation called Nightbreaker Unlimited (the 2nd generation was called Nightbreaker Plus).

Performance-wise I can't fault them, very bright and good beam, but service life remains an issue.
Click to expand...

I fitted a set of Nightbreaker Unlimited to another car (not a Merc) a couple of weeks ago. It was only slightly brighter than standard bulbs. Nothing to shout about. Better than nothing though. Every little helps I guess.
 
Troon said:
Legally, not a chance. The incandescent bulb lamp assemblies expect a precisely-positioned intensely-bright filament, can't be done with LED.
Click to expand...

Makes sense - same issue as with aftermarket HID.

That said, I believe that the QQ Tekna (LED) and the QQ-others (filament) share the same lens. I may be wrong... I think only the back is different.

Obviously they've gone through type approval... but I wonder if it'll be possible to get aftermarket assemblies (lens+the lot) with LED.

One can hope... if not, I'll need to stock up on filament bulbs before they stop making them :p

m.
 
Have you got washer jets on your W203?

Just that someone on ebay sells projector headlights which you can fit H7s to that have self levelling built in.
They were around £350 with the bulbs but it is worth considering.
 
Spinal said:
The lifespan of the first-gen plus bulbs was appalling. I'm told the unlimited are much better... the prove is fitted with the unlimited for 6 months of so now, without issues. Hopefully it stays that way!

M.
Click to expand...

One of my Unlimited went last week - it was just 6 months old.... I suppose I could have chased their warranty but I just binned it and used one if the older '1st gen' I had as spare.

Might be just bad luck though...
 
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