Replacement Headlight bulb frustration: Sylvania Silverstar

[mazdadude]

Has anyone else had any experiences with the Sylvania Silverstars?

About 6 months ago, I needed to replace one of my burnt-out headlight bulbs and decided to "Upgrade" all of mine to the Sylvania Silverstar Bulbs for both low and high beams.

Since then, I have had to replace different burnt out low beams 2 times in 6 months, whereas the "Stock" bulbs lasted 3 yrs.(flame2)

There is no water in the lens, I never touch the bulbs, the car is started and then the headlights get turned on, I just can't figure out why these bulbs seem to be so fragile.

 

[GoFast]

yep this happened to me on the wifeys SI!!! I was so aggravated. I figured that I had touched the bulb accidentally because only one light burnt out so I just replaced that on and not even a week later, the other side blew.

 

[Davicho]

Yep, same here. Silverstars look nice but do not last very long. Sadly to say I went back to regular bulbs. Dishing out $40 or so every 6 months is not what I want to do.

 

[martispeed]

Yea they even show on the boxes or what ever they come in that the life is extreamly short on those. i guess they run much hotter which explains the shorter life...

 

[kickniteasy]

I've heard the same thing which is why I stayed away from them.....after a couple years (or less) you could have just upgraded to HIDs and called it good.

 

[DKaz]

Yea, HIDs last about 10x longer than halogens, justifying its $200 initial cost. There are HIR bulbs as well but I don't know if they make them for projectors.

 

[Bigmouth]

I heard that no aftermarket HID is considered as street-legal. Is that true?

 

[el_Don]

I really don't know, but so many people have them these days. Not to mention the growing number of cars that come with HID's from the factory. If you do put HID's you'll never go back to regular halogens. Just be sure to aim them down.

 

[DKaz]

The Mazda 5 has projectors so it will not create glare for oncoming traffic so HIDs are just fine. It's putting them in reflectors headlights not designed for HIDs which they cracking down on, but there are certain reflectors are designed for HID like the Toyota Prius and Nissan Z350 for example.

Otherwise stick with standard bulbs, I used Silverstars before and yes they don't last long.

 

[OilGuy]

Phillips Vision Plus bulbs offer good value with good performance from the past research that I've done.

 

[mazdadude]

Thanks for all of the responses, I guess it is good to know that I am not the only person to have had lower than expected longevity on these bulbs.

 

[Bigmouth]

The Mazda 5 has projectors so it will not create glare for oncoming traffic so HIDs are just fine. It's putting them in reflectors headlights not designed for HIDs which they cracking down on, but there are certain reflectors are designed for HID like the Toyota Prius and Nissan Z350 for example.

I see. Thanks a lot for the information. HID quite tempts me but it's not available in Canada as an factory option for M5. I was thinking about an aftermarket conversion kit but worried about getting a ticket, on top of the high initial cost.

Yeah it makes sense that HID is a good fit for M5 because the HID is an factory option -- at least in the states. Is anyone using an aftermarket conversion kit and if yes could you recommend one based on your experience/reputation?

 

[morethan5]

The Mazda 5 has projectors so it will not create glare for oncoming traffic so HIDs are just fine. It's putting them in reflectors headlights not designed for HIDs which they cracking down on...

There is a difference between an optical system designed for a halogen bulb, and one designed for an HID bulb. The geometry of the source of light is different between the two. Whether optics are reflectors, refractors or a combination has no bearing on the fact that an HID bulb will do poorly in a system designed for a halogen bulb.

 

[DKaz]

You still get a better cutoff with the projector which makes sure that light does not scatter above a certain level. I'm pretty sure they use the same headlamp housing for the halogen and HID option, it doesn't make sense to have two different parts.

 

[morethan5]

You still get a better cutoff with the projector which makes sure that light does not scatter above a certain level. I'm pretty sure they use the same headlamp housing for the halogen and HID option, it doesn't make sense to have two different parts.

It is true -- if it didn't make any difference, Mazda would use the same headlamp assembly (reflector, lens and housing) for both halogen and HID.

As it is, however, a headlamp assembly will only work acceptably with the source it was designed for. For the cut-off feature of the optical system to work, the light needs to come from the intended location. Halogen and HID bulbs have different mechanisms for producing light, and different geometries from where the light originates.

The OEM Mazda halogen headlamp assembly lists for about $700.
The OEM Mazda HID headlamp assembly lists for about $950.
Both prices are for one headlamp.

One can certainly rig an HID bulb to fit inside a halogen headlamp assembly, but it will not work as well as an OEM HID assembly. The rigged assembly will either annoy on-coming traffic or be less useful than the original halogen bulb.

 

[Davicho]

I agree 100% with morethan5. No matter whether it is a reflector or projector type of housing, if the headlamp was designed to work with a Halogen bulb, installing an HID kit will not make it more efficient. Non-HID factory headlamp housings will not light up as well because of the geometry and location of the light source if retro fitted with HID bulbs. If you want a true HID upgrade find a used HID headlamp housings and install an HID kit or better yet a complete factory set-up.

 

[lacklustre484]

Has anyone else had any experiences with the Sylvania Silverstars?

About 6 months ago, I needed to replace one of my burnt-out headlight bulbs and decided to "Upgrade" all of mine to the Sylvania Silverstar Bulbs for both low and high beams.

Since then, I have had to replace different burnt out low beams 2 times in 6 months, whereas the "Stock" bulbs lasted 3 yrs.(flame2)

There is no water in the lens, I never touch the bulbs, the car is started and then the headlights get turned on, I just can't figure out why these bulbs seem to be so fragile.

I've had the same problem. Every time it happens, I email Sylvania and they send me a new set for free. So far on my 3rd free set.

 

[DKaz]

Either go standard halogens or go HIDs. Don't waste your money on so called HID like halogens.

Although I like Phillips Night Guide Tri Colour headlamps.

 

[JDM Sam]

This is the third bulb to blow out in four months; why does this keep happening?
Bulb failures caused by voltage surges have become more common as new vehicles have placed greater demands on factory electrical systems. The main lamp ground wire must be connected to the battery negative terminal or to a cable leading to it. If a voltage surge occurs, the bulb will look like it was struck by lightning! The metal base & glass will be burnt or the filament will blow up! Refer to the Trouble Shooting section of this web site for more information.

http://piaa.com/FAQs/FAQs.html

 

[wmzda5]

Go HID its waaaaay cheaper in the long run. besides HID are cheaper nowadays