2005 Mazda 3s Headlights Question

[scpink5]

Ok. I'm not at all car savy so I may not be able to provide too much info. I have a 2005 Mazda 3s (2.3L). For Christmas my boyfriend bought Sylvania Silverstar Low Beams & High Beams for my Mazda, and some fog lights (not sure the brand, they're halogens though)

I'm looking in the owners manual, and it says to not attempt to replace the low beams yourself, and to take it to your Mazda dealer.

The whole process of replacing the low beams, high beams, and fog lights, is it pretty simple? My boyfriend is a mechanic, so I think he should know what he's doing, but I'm still a little hesitant.

Thanks for your help!

 

[Katonk]

It's definitely a DIY (do it yourself) job. The high beams are the easiest. The low beams can be slightly annoying because of the retention clips holding the bulbs, but once you get the idea, it's no problem. The fogs might take you the longest if for no other reason than you have to take a few screws out to move the plastic piece under the front of the car out of the way.

 

[BHOUST528]

It's definitely a DIY (do it yourself) job. The high beams are the easiest. The low beams can be slightly annoying because of the retention clips holding the bulbs, but once you get the idea, it's no problem. The fogs might take you the longest if for no other reason than you have to take a few screws out to move the plastic piece under the front of the car out of the way.

Yea i totally agree the low beams are a pita to do and the fogs take the longest cuz you have to remove the plastic piece from underneath like stated above....if your bf is a mechanic you should have total confidence in him...i havent turned a wrench in the field in 2 yrs and my gf still asks me to look at her car check her brakes etc...he should be able to do it if not he should pick another profession

 

[scpink5]

Yea i totally agree the low beams are a pita to do and the fogs take the longest cuz you have to remove the plastic piece from underneath like stated above....if your bf is a mechanic you should have total confidence in him...i havent turned a wrench in the field in 2 yrs and my gf still asks me to look at her car check her brakes etc...he should be able to do it if not he should pick another profession

I trust him, I just wanted some other opinions too.

Do yall have any experience with Sylvania Silverstars?

 

[Katonk]

Do yall have any experience with Sylvania Silverstars?

That's what I'm currently running for my low beams. I originally swapped out my OEMs for PIAAs because I had very good experience with them in my Nissan Xterra (9004 vs H7 though) and they were definitely better than OEM, but both burned out in a couple months - yes, I had been careful not to touch the bulbs when I'd installed them.

I then switched to the Osram (European arm of Sylvania) Silverstars because someone had posted pics somewhere indicating they were noticeably brighter than the Sylvania Silverstars. Again, one burnt out in a couple months, so I bought the Sylvania Silverstars and was running one Osram and one Sylvania and, to be quite honest, I couldn't tell the difference either from the driver's seat or from looking at the headlights from in front of the car.

Eventually, the other Osram burnt out, so I put in the other Sylvania and I've been running those for over a year now with no problems.

All that being said, I'll buy the Sylvanias again if necessary. Your mileage may vary, of course, because you'll find a ton of different experiences with the Sylvania output and durability - like with anything else.

 

[scpink5]

That's what I'm currently running for my low beams.

What are you using for high beams & fog lights?

My boyfriend has the Silverstars in his Jeep Wrangler, and they've been in for a little over a year now, and they're bright. But he's also running 100 watt bulbs in each of his fog lights. But that's another story.

He hasnt put them in yet, and I'm excited for him to do it. He's supposed to go back & buy the high beams & replace those too.

Hopefully I'll have an update this week when he decides to do it.

Thanks for all your help!

 

[tsunami]

go big or go home.... tell him to get you hid


he should be fine changing those out for you and as others have said the quality of the sylvanias is a toss up some people get years out of them some only months... good luck with your lights and welcome to the forum!

 

[Katonk]

What are you using for high beams & fog lights?

My boyfriend has the Silverstars in his Jeep Wrangler, and they've been in for a little over a year now, and they're bright. But he's also running 100 watt bulbs in each of his fog lights. But that's another story.

He hasnt put them in yet, and I'm excited for him to do it. He's supposed to go back & buy the high beams & replace those too.

Hopefully I'll have an update this week when he decides to do it.

Thanks for all your help!

Let's see. Currently, I have yellow Luminics for the fogs and some generic cheapie blue bulbs for my high beams. Since I don't live near or drive on any deserted country roads, there's very little reason for me to use my high beams, so I put those blue bulbs in there just because they make the reflectors look blue when off. Yes, silly, I know.

I originally had yellow Nokyas for the fogs, but one developed a huge bubble, so I switched to the Luminics and I've had those in for almost 18 months. Due to my work schedule, most of my driving (>320 miles per week) is done at night/early morning with my lows and fogs on, so durability is important.

 

[scpink5]

go big or go home.... tell him to get you hid

he should be fine changing those out for you and as others have said the quality of the sylvanias is a toss up some people get years out of them some only months... good luck with your lights and welcome to the forum!

i'll bring it up, & see what he says. i may not be getting any lights then. haha

thank you very much.

 

[fourthmeal]

There are Silverstars and there are Silverstar ULTRA models. I chose the ULTRA ones, and I like them. Granted, HID's are certainly the best, but I don't regret the ULTRA's. The difference in road illumination is incredible, and they are very, very white in output. I bought them to upgrade from stock when I was preparing for a long road trip out in the middle of the U.S. I figured (correctly) that most of the highways I would travel on could use additional lighting.

I also swapped my 9006 Fogs with Hella Yellows, which were OK but IMO they weren't yellow enough. More of a Golden hue. Still, they were bright as heck, and to make sure all the light got on the road I yanked off the little metal cylinders inside the fog housings (with needlenose pliers and a lot of cussing), and the final result was fantastic compared with stock.

If I could do it again, I'd go HID, but I wouldn't go flashy with funny purples or anything. I saw HID's that looked legit for about $100 shipped, in a super faint light blue that looked just great. I'd go with them + some different Yellow fogs or maybe even HID fogs which would be pure yellow AKA Le Man's style.