headlights

soggy · May 28, 2005

Ok i know there are a few other threads out there with this stuff. But yeah I'm confused. So i have halogens, I want the blueish look, so i picked up some Silverstars or w/e. I bought H7s, lol dropped em opening the package so I didnt put em in im going to get another set but I still have questions about putting them in.

How do i get access to the headlight on the right?

How many bulbs are there total? Not counting the lower fog head lights, what bulbs do i need to get? I got the H7s but what are the HUGE round ones on the outside?

soggy · May 28, 2005

wow im suprised no ones responded yet, well to answer my own question:

http://www.eautoworks.com/html/bulbSearch-1-SAAB.htm

I havent gone back to look for how to get into the right headlight, so advice on that is still needed.

jpk · May 28, 2005

If by right you mean driver's side, you need to remove the battery cover, pull the windscreen fill tube (the top part of the tube pulls straight up and comes out), then unclip and move the relay box from the front of the battery box. It's not nearly as bad as it sounds.

You should be able to get to the passenger side without removing anything. It is a little tight though.

btw - my silverstars burned out after only three months. I put the factory bulbs back in. I think there were a few other posts about other short lived headlight bulbs. It seems most bulbs don't like being on all the time.

zinfandel · May 28, 2005

jpk said:
btw - my silverstars burned out after only three months. I put the factory bulbs back in. I think there were a few other posts about other short lived headlight bulbs. It seems most bulbs don't like being on all the time.

I have the Xenon on my Aero, but on my '96 900 I had Halogens. Had the car for 9 years. Sometimes the bulbs would last only 4-6 months and other times they'd last over a year ( same amount of driving each week). I have read you must be careful when installing and not get the bulb dirty or greasy even with fingers. Not sure, but could be why soem are short lived

soggy · May 28, 2005

Yeah, ive heard that if you touch the bulbs with your hand they will burn out hella fast =/

M4Gunner · May 29, 2005

i guarentee that you touched them while putting them in. next time use seran wrap or wear rubber gloves. the oil from your skin makes them burn out quickly. i have no clue as to why, but it just does.

jpk · May 31, 2005

I'm positive I did not touch the bulbs putting them in - either with my latex gloved fingers or touching anything else with the capsule. Usually if you do touch the capsule with a finger, it will fail in hours or days, not months. The halogen bulbs burn very hot, and any kind of contaminant on the quartz capsule will cause a crack. I learned this many years ago, hence I am extremely carefull when I install them.
I was just poking around on Sylvania's web site - the life rating for the Silver star H-7 is 135 (no units are given, but I'm thinking hours.) The factory bulb - long life halogen is 510.
135 hours is about right - I'm usually in the car between 1 - 2 hours a day, with a few 6 hour trips every other week or so.

soggy · Jun 1, 2005

135 hours for the life span of 35 dollar bulbs.... no way, they have to last longer than that.

jpk · Jun 1, 2005

Here's the link:

http://www.sylvaniaautocatalog.com/sylvania/ProductBrowse_Highp_SilverStar.asp?BepartNo=&BatchId=70&ProductNumber=H7%20%20ST&PartNo=%20%20ST,%20%20%20ST

The H-7 isn't even that bad. The H-3 is only 100 hours.

black_linear · Jun 1, 2005

soggy said:
135 hours for the life span of 35 dollar bulbs.... no way, they have to last longer than that.

No kidding, that means it costs you 50 cents a hour to have your headlights on? You'd definitely would not want to put those in if you have your DRLs on still.

soggy · Jun 1, 2005

Well can anyone here who has silverstars verify that they burn out that fast? If they then I'll just buy a HID conversion kit because HID bulbs very very very rarely burn out. They have uber life spans.

black_linear · Jun 1, 2005

Well this chart seems to tell all. Bulb life seems to be about 1/3 of a standard halogen bulb, and perhaps about 1/4 or less the life of an HID bulb. Pretty crappy. And at $50 for the pair of Silverstars, plus the frequent hassle of changing them... it wouldn't take long for the HID's to be equal in cost.

soggy · Jun 1, 2005

Touche....

I just grabbed the package of the ones i bought and yup they are the suck =/
I think i might get a HID conversion kit for my low beams and maybe use some silverstars for my high beams since I almost never use them. So now that we've moved onto that, what HID conversion kit should I use and where should I buy it?

Also why doesnt saab offer an aftermarket upgrade kit like they do with the stereo packages? I think that everyone here should pull together and e-mail them to get an aftermarket kit because this sucks. The lack of HIDs bug the hell out of me and its all that I dont like about my car.

black_linear · Jun 1, 2005

Soggy...

Well, from looking around, there seem to be a ton of H7 HID kits on eBay. They seem to range from about $250 - $350. Although, I wonder about the ballasts, and ignitors, etc. Many claim to be Philips, Osram or Hella, but in the pictures, appear to be generic. Anyone know of a reputable place that sells a full install kit?

Another issue that I am not sure that has been dealt with, is that if you install the aftermarket kit, you will have to somehow find a workaround the bulb failure message. I don't know if anyone has. There was a thread about this last week.

P.S. Look at some of the ridiculous packages featuring 14000 K bulbs... Is that really even possible? So much energy must be converted to heat instead of light!

strat81 · Jun 2, 2005

Why would Saab offer an upgrade kit when they can be purchased as optional equipment on a new vehicle? If you want HID, check the box when you buy.

I also used some Sylvania Silverstars which burned out in about ~6000 miles. I saved my OEM bulbs so I just cleaned them with rubbing alcohol and reinstalled them. My lights are more yellow than blue/white, but they light the road better and they hopefully won't burn out as quick.

TexAero · Jul 2, 2005

Anyone have a really messed up beam pattern when using Silverstars?

I finally got my set in the mail and installed them, but to my dismay there qwas stray light bouncing everywhere and I couldn't see sh!t!
Is there a way to install these wrong?
pix in a moment.

Automaggot · Jul 2, 2005

If you don't get the bulbs in straight the light will be all messed up, or at least it was when one of my high beams was crooked. I got it straightened out and it looked fine.

BTW, I'm reading all this stuff about Silverstars not lasting a long time... I've had Optilux H7 highs and lows in my car for a LONG time without issue. They look good and seem to have very long life.

TexAero · Jul 2, 2005

Light just seems to be everywhere. this is after I practially had to max them out aiming them up. They were pointed at the ground before. These suck, I can't believe I just paid $35 for light that have an impossible beam pattern.

I can't see how they could have been installed wrong. They would only fit one way...but it seemed off. theres a notch at the top of the opening that the metal base of the bulb coulsn't get past to sit flush. I'm frustrated and tired and I guess I'll mess with thme tomarrow. I may just go back to my factory bulbs....

PS- I posted some pictures of how my lights looked before in another thread, if you wanna compare.

Automaggot · Jul 2, 2005

Your headlights are different than ours... you drive a 9-5. You may want to ask in that subforum.

headlights

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