Stupidity Award

[achr]

This evening I decided to upgrade to SilverStar headlamp bulbs.

Don't know who to be more angry at! The idiot who dreamed up the 9003 style headlamp bulb with the retarded metal retaining clip which incessantly slips out of it's slot, or Nissan for choosing to use this style headlamp bulb. Most of my previous vehicles have used the 9004 style lamp which required NO tools for removal/installation. Simply remove the electrical connector, twist the integrated bulb assembly and voila, it's out. Installation is a simple reversal, insert, twist and reattach the electrical connector. Done. This whole job should have taken less than 10 minutes to do both sides.

Instead, after an hour of struggles, my Versa is sitting in the driveway with one missing headlamp bulb awaiting morning again so I can at least partially see what the heck I'm doing as I try to reconnect that dastardly clip. Arghhh! Perhaps this is why the Nissan service manual suggests disassembling half the front end of the car just to change a freakin' headlight bulb. How retarded is that I thought and indeed, I had the old bulb out in pretty short order, albeit with some pretty fancy tools to loosen the Torx Head Lockdown Screw.

Any others who've attempted this care to share your pain?

[CodeRed]

This evening I decided to upgrade to SilverStar headlamp bulbs.

Don't know who to be more angry at! The idiot who dreamed up the 9003 style headlamp bulb with the retarded metal retaining clip which incessantly slips out of it's slot, or Nissan for choosing to use this style headlamp bulb. Most of my previous vehicles have used the 9004 style lamp which required NO tools for removal/installation. Simply remove the electrical connector, twist the integrated bulb assembly and voila, it's out. Installation is a simple reversal, insert, twist and reattach the electrical connector. Done. This whole job should have taken less than 10 minutes to do both sides.

Instead, after an hour of struggles, my Versa is sitting in the driveway with one missing headlamp bulb awaiting morning again so I can at least partially see what the heck I'm doing as I try to reconnect that dastardly clip. Arghhh! Perhaps this is why the Nissan service manual suggests disassembling half the front end of the car just to change a freakin' headlight bulb. How retarded is that I thought and indeed, I had the old bulb out in pretty short order, albeit with some pretty fancy tools to loosen the Torx Head Lockdown Screw.

Any others who've attempted this care to share your pain?

i had a real big pain also, i had to drop $5 for pep boys to do it for me FTW i bought the same lights

[MIdnkight-lude]

i have change headlight bulbs for many cars. so i am use to working with H4 bulbs. they are very common honda civic, and which was the customer base i delt with alot.

[achr]

My Bad! The job is done. Time to eat a little "Humble Pie" after my tirade. As the old saying goes, "Try to get some sleep and maybe things will be clearer in the morning".

What was really bugging me about this endeavor was that I've spent my whole career working in the Electro-Mechanical Field. I do all my own wrenching on my motorcycle and small engined equipment. Also, I grew up on a farm where mechanical skills are a necessessity for survival. Now I'm less than two months away from retirement and I can't even change a freakin' light bulb. Holy embarassment Bat Man!

While I take most of the responsibility for turning this episode into a less than desireable experience, I must point out that the Nissan Service manual is poorly illustrated and documented. Here is the exact headlight bulb replacement procedure as described in their Service Manual.

CAUTION:After installing bulb, be sure to install plastic cap and bulb socket securely to ensure watertightness.

HEADLAMP (HIGH/LOW)1. Turn lighting switch OFF.2. Remove the headlamp. SAY WHAT???? Refer to LT-25, "Removal and Installation".3. Remove back cover.4. Unlock retaining spring and remove bulb from headlamp.

That's it folks! I won't even get into step 2 of the procedure (removing the headlamp) which requires major disassembly of the front end of the vehicle and is completely unneccessary to accomplish the task of simply replacing the headlight bulb.

That "Back Cover" referred to in step 3? Well that is actually the "Plastic Cap" referred to in the CAUTION notice up top. Problem is, that PLASTIC cap would more accurately be described as a RUBBER sealing ring.

Step 4 is misleading as there are two possibilities for "Unlocking" the Retaining Spring. The one end of this "U-Shaped" clip is captured under a Torx Head lock down screw. The other side has two hooks which are maneuvered over a couple of metal standoffs. If you look at their illustration, it appears that the end which goes under the screw is split when in fact, it is one continuous piece of metal. The closed hook loops at the other end of the retaining spring aren't even shown on the drawing.

MY mistake was that I loosened the Torx Head screw to the point where it slipped out of position entirely. Once that tension on the back of the bulb was lost, the two hooks at the opposite side of the retaining spring disengaged and the whole thing popped off and went flying. At least I was then able to remove the bulb.

In hindsight, it MAY not even be necessary to loosen that Torx Head screw at all. I'll know when I attempt the other side tomorrow.

After going through this exercise, I have a much better appreciation why mechanics screw up so often when trying to do repairs for the first time. The problem is that manuals are too often written by people who are intimately familiar with how a procedure goes and vital steps are left out.

At any rate, one side of my Versa headlamp bulb replacement is complete. I want to go out in the country tonight to see if there REALLY is an appreciable difference between the stock lamp and these expensive SilverStars.

[eduenrique]

this is fun for me as I had this experience in my '91 Pathfinder. Once you do it the first time is easy.

[eduenrique]

exactly like 15 years ago...

[KimberKenobi]

I was thinking of silverstars as well, so put up a follow up after you check it out!

[CodeRed]

I was thinking of silverstars as well, so put up a follow up after you check it out!

there gread i use the same ones they are brighter then stock and are white so they illuminate things much better

[Scuba Steve]

I owned 4 sets of these bulbs and two other brands, I never got more than 3 to 6 months use out of them, the low beams always burned out. I was careful not to touch the bulbs with bare hands as the oil from your hand smear it and then the heat from the bulb over heats the bulb and blows. So I wrote the company and they sent a replacement, thus 3 months later...blown!!! I'm back to stock, good enough, but I did like the whiter brighter light of the high power ones.

[BenzTech Gone Versa]

i have change headlight bulbs for many cars. so i am use to working with H4 bulbs. they are very common honda civic, and which was the customer base i delt with alot.

Yeah I have worked on many diff. types of cars and this is the most pain in the butt design.its a bit easier for me now though.

[MIdnkight-lude]

Yeah I have worked on many diff. types of cars and this is the most pain in the butt design.its a bit easier for me now though.

yup i love my 9006, it was twist, pull out the bulb, unplug. and do that in reverse order and your done. sigh with h4, i got to pull the rubber holder, unplug, then unclipped two bracket holding the bulb in. Then i got to wedge out the bulb, and do that in reverse.

Then again i also have taken my headlight off my car. so i know what it looks like with the headlights out of the car. more work to change the bulb, but i was installing other stuff.

[achr]

Now this is somewhat funny, at least to me. My wife was out of town for the weekend and JUST HAPPENED to come home when I was sitting in my Versa across the street in the neighbours driveway with the lights on. "What the hell are you doing?" she asked. Actually, I was checking out the headlights on their White garage door. Ours is chocolate brown.

At any rate, there IS a perceivable difference in colour temperature between the Silverstar and stock but I wouldn't say, "Oh wow, is that ever amazing"! In fact, if I were approaching my car out on the streets, I'm doubtful I'd really notice that the two sides don't match. As far as actual brightness goes? That is a tough call. I'm well aware of the phsychological phenomenum of paying big bucks for something and convincing ourselves that it was worth the money. It's like putting louder exhaust pipes on a motorcycle and convincing oneself it is faster when in many cases it's actually slower than stock. I TRY to be as objective as possible when making modifications.

Before ending up in the neighbours driveway, I DID take the Versa out in the country after dark. Certainly the white line at the passenger side of the road was nicely lit. The lighting was generally pretty good on low beam (nice and even with reasonable light out to the sides for illuminating approaching deer, etc. The high beam still couldn't match a good 4 lamp system because all the in close lighting is lost. But they did project down the road a fair way as evidenced by road signs in the distance. I haven't had a lot of opportunity to drive my Versa in the countryside at night yet and must say that the Hi-Beam indicator could stand to be toned down a notch. I'll change the other side tomorrow and see how things pan out.

Based on the information a couple posts up, it sounds like I should keep my stock bulbs on hand. I'll be terribly disappointed if lamp life is as short as three months.

I think this whole "Hi-End" headlight replacement bulb such as Silverstars and GE Nighthawks would make a good episode for Myth Busters. I can't imagine it costs 4 times as much to make these things as a standard 9003 bulb and if they only last about 10% as long, the profits for the lighting manufacturers must be extreme!

P.S. The bulb I have changed out already is on the passenger side. Since the headlights are aimed slightly to the right anyway, I may not be getting the full effect of the Silverstar's ability to light the road since the driver's side bulb is still stock. Certainly, the right ditch was lit up pretty well. I'll let you know if I can sense a "GEE WHIZ" difference after swapping out the second bulb.

[proxim2020]

SilverStars are a waste of money. They only claim that you will receive 20% more light over stock. 20% isn't much at all when comparing them to the V's stock bulb. There's very very little difference. The bulbs are made of blue glass. This gives the light an appearance that the light is whiter, thus many people swear they can see more because of the slightly whiter light. Nighthawks are better, but they still aren't the best. They provide 30% more light and are made with clear glass, so you don't loose light due to colored glass. If you want a real upgrade, order from the UK (yes it is safe and they do ship to the US constanly). Some of the best bulbs you can buy are Ge Megalights, Philips Vision Plus, and Osram Silverstars (these are made in Germany). I've seen the Megalight and the Osrams and boy do they make a real difference. At $12-$20 a bulb, it's well worth it. They are on a totally different playing field than ones you can purchase in your local auto store.

[achr]

SilverStars are a waste of money. They only claim that you will receive 20% more light over stock.

Some of the best bulbs you can buy are Ge Megalights, Philips Vision Plus, and Osram Silverstars (these are made in Germany). I've seen the Megalight and the Osrams and boy do they make a real difference. At $12-$20 a bulb, it's well worth it. They are on a totally different playing field than ones you can purchase in your local auto store.

I purchased my lamps in a 2 pack kit at WallyWorld. Although the packaging says Sylvannia, the printing on the actual bulbs indicates Osram and Germany. There is no mention of Sylvannia. The original light bulbs had virtually identical writing on them with the exception of an ST designation on the new bulbs which I presume indicates SilverStar. Is it possible that Nissan has gone with the German bulbs as OEM equipment in the later models? My Versa was built in March, 2007. That may explain why I am seeing little difference between stock and the Silverstars other than a slight color temperature difference.

For a two light (as opposed to four light) system, the Versa's headlights were actually pretty good, even stock. It's just that my last few vehicles have had good 4 lamp setups, plus fog lights. I'm just trying to get as much as possible out of the Versa's headlights as I'm heading into Moose/Deer country this weekend.

[KimberKenobi]

link?

[achr]

O.K. I finally got around to swapping out the driver's side light bulb for a SilverStar on Saturday morning. As suspected, after going through the pain of trying to interpret Nissan's manual for the passenger side lamp, the second bulb replacement was a relative "Piece of Cake".

In short here are my PRECAUTIONS if you too are planning a headlamp bulb swap out:

NOTE: It is NOT necessary to remove the HeadLamp Assembly as suggested in the Nissan Service Manual.

1. Don't even attempt to do this task in the evening! Wait until a nice sunny day so you have a fighting chance of seeing how things are laid out in there. The space is a bit cramped but workable.

2. Do the driver's side FIRST as it is easier to see how the METAL retaining clip HOOKS over the metal standoffs. Those attachment points are more difficult to see clearly on the passenger side.

3. Do NOT loosen the Torx head screw which secures the opposite end of the METAL retaining clip. Chances are that it will go flying. That clip will simply swing out the way when the opposite end is unhooked.

4. CLEAN your hands thoroughly before attempting to install the new bulb. The electrical connection on the OEM bulb is coated with grease and you WILL get some on your hands when pulling the connector off. You don't want to risk getting any oils/grease on the glass envelope of your new bulb.

ACTUAL PROCEDURE:

1. Turn headlight switch OFF (well duhhhhhh!)

2. Wait for bulb to cool if you have been recently driving the car.

3. Pull FIRMLY on the Electrical Connector (straight back towards the windshield). The connection is quite tight but it DOES pull straight off.

4. Remove the large RUBBER moisture sealing donut from the back of the headlight assembly. There is a small tab which you can get ahold of to get it started.

5. Unhook the METAL retaining clip from the two standoffs. (Note: On both headlights, those standoffs are located towards the driver's side of the car. The opposite end of the clip is captured under a Torx Head screw and washer).

6. Swing the retaining clip out of the way.

7. The bulb should now be free to pull out of the headlamp assembly. Note that the 3 connection pins are covered in grease.

8. Set bulb aside and CLEAN your hands.

9. Grasp new Bulb by the electrical connection end (being careful not to touch the glass envelope) and insert it into the headlamp assembly. It will ONLY go in ONE way. There are 3 connection pins on the bulb and the orientation is correct when they're lined up with a connection pin on each side and one on the top.

10. Swing the METAL retaining clip back over the bulb and Hook the ends over the two standoffs/attachment points. Make sure it is securely hooked.

11. Re-install the Rubber sealing donut and make sure it is seated securely.

12. Now that there is no risk of getting grease on the bulb envelope, you should probably take some of the grease from the old bulb and smear it on the three electrical connection pins.

13. Re-install the electrical connector (it will only go on one way).

14. Test the system on both Low and Hi Beam.

15. Place the OEM lamps in the packaging which came with your SilverStars and keep handy for possible emergency replacement.

16. Go for a test drive at night and try to convince yourself that this whole exercise was money well spent.

My trip into the boonies begins tomorrow so I'll see how they perform.

[achr]

O.K. I finally got around to swapping out the driver's side light bulb for a SilverStar on Saturday morning. As suspected, after going through the pain of trying to interpret Nissan's manual for the passenger side lamp, the second bulb replacement was a relative "Piece of Cake".

16. Go for a test drive at night and try to convince yourself that this whole exercise was money well spent.

My trip into the boonies begins tomorrow so I'll see how they perform.

Have been gone on vacation for two weeks and had several opportunities to test out the new SilverStars on remote back roads in pitch darkness. In a nutshell, they're VERY GOOD for a two lamp system (better than most such systems) and will hopefully give enough warning when some deer or moose decides to step out on the road. However, I still miss the "in close" lighting of a good 4 lamp system when I switch to Hi-Beams since the Lo-Beam elements shut down when Hi-Beam is selected.

Would I say they're worth the $40 I spent for the two bulbs. Probably????

[Rockhound]

Just an FYI about Silverstars, and just about any brighter bulbs, they tend to go out fairly quick. In fact, I had two sets of Silverstars (9003 bulbs on a '93 Sentra) go out in less than 6 months per set.

On the other hand, Sylvania's Cool Blue headlights are far brighter and whiter than typical halogens, and I've been able to get just about 1 year out of them on my G20. The Cool Blues are not blue at all, and are not noticably different than Silverstars, at least not at $17/pair instead of $20/bulb. Different conditions will affect the longevity, however, so it varies from car to car.

Also, for those that mentioned Osram being a different company, it's not...Osram is Sylvania, just check the website.

[KimberKenobi]

See, I really wanted to get the silverstar turning lights...

But I'm thinking now I'm just going to go with red LED turn signals... (and prey my cop buddies don't pull me over... TECHNICALLY they're not illegal according to statute...)...(maybe if I flash my bad the cops will go away ;oD)

[daffyack]

I know this post is kinda old, but Im gonna replace the bulb. It would be nice to have pictures on how to replace the bulb. The instruction above is really nice, but if someone can post some pictures, I would really appreciated it.

thank you

[marleyfan]

Just follow the instructions above. It's really easier than it sounds. Once you get in there and have a look you'll see that it's no problem. Took me about 10 min total. And I'm a slow worker.

[Joker69]