Side Lights, Any Good Upgrade Bulbs Around?

[shiwarrior]

I looked at my sidelights today, and I hate how dim they are

I have read that people change to LEDs ? is there any other options?

shame the sidelights don't go off when you put full lights on..

thanks

[supercmaxer]

Changed mine to LEDS. Makes it look better just not really any brighter. You can get different type LEDS, some brighter than others.

[artscot79]

Forget leds waste of money try getting diamond white xenons like these

http://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/151480611384?nav=SEARCH

Really white last for ages and cheap as you like

[shiwarrior]

Forget leds waste of money try getting diamond white xenons like these

http://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/151480611384?nav=SEARCH

Really white last for ages and cheap as you like

Cheers mate

that link you posted, are they the right ones ?

EDIT//

Just looked on the Phillips website, are these good ones ?

http://www.philips.co.uk/c-p/12961BVB2/bluevision-conventional-interior-and-signalling/overview

[artscot79]

The eBay ones are better much whiter and they will fit the Phillips have yellow tinge to them

[shiwarrior]

The eBay ones are better much whiter and they will fit the Phillips have yellow tinge to them

ouch, really ? I thought the Phillips ones would be better, im rather surprised if they are

ill get those from eBay then, thanks fella

going to go next to my night breakers unlimited

[artscot79]

The ones I linked to I've got in had them in for a long time now they are made by ultra I was surprised as IDE got the Phillips first thinking brand name better quality sadly they were a let down the ones I linked to were whiter than nightbreaker headlights

[theduke]

Most leds are crap especially the multi led ones they start flickering and burn out in no time had some cree ones on mine for ages with no problems

[madmole]

LEDs in mine, nice and white and brighter than any so called "xenon" bulb. BUT you do need the good LEDs

Good LEDs have a voltage range over 15v and will NOT burn out ( cheap ones will) and will stay bright for years unlike incandescent bulbs which gradually get dimmer

I have these in my park lights

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/XENON-WHITE-LED-SIDELIGHT-CAR-BULBS-12V-HIGH-POWER-Projector-Lens-T10-W5W-501-/280846085034?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item4163bb2baa

[shiwarrior]

LEDs in mine, nice and white and brighter than any so called "xenon" bulb. BUT you do need the good LEDs

Good LEDs have a voltage range over 15v and will NOT burn out ( cheap ones will) and will stay bright for years unlike incandescent bulbs which gradually get dimmer

I have these in my park lights

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/XENON-WHITE-LED-SIDELIGHT-CAR-BULBS-12V-HIGH-POWER-Projector-Lens-T10-W5W-501-/280846085034?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item4163bb2baa

interesting thanks

so its a toss up between these and the ULTRA ones...

[shiwarrior]

Couldn't decide, so I decide to buy both

I was more swayed to get the LED ones that madmole linked to

so I bought them, and the ULTRA auto bulbs as they are only £3 for the pair, so whilst the headlight is out of the car im going to try both of them

[troy45]

I've got a set of these as sidelights

http://www.epcivic.com/index.php?/topic/855-want-some-brighter-side-lights/

Were originally fitted to my pre-facelift ST, they're still going strong in my facelift so I can definitely say they're reliable.

Only little change I had to do was trim some of the plastic housing away from the bulb holder to the contacts fit deeper into the terminals of the holder, the metal housing of the bulb was hard up against the holder before I did this.

[shiwarrior]

sorry to bring this up again

madmole those LED lights you said to get, as apposed to the other crappy LED ones, because they are rated higher or something? do you mean they are rated 12v ? if that's the case, my dad says they are ALL 12v anyway? or is this untrue?

thanks

[madmole]

Not all 12v LED's are created equal

Our cars actually run up to 15v occasionally so a cheap 12v LED will blow or have its life shortened. Good LEDs have an operating limit of 0-15/17v so they survive these high outputs

unfortunately they are all listed as 12v LEDs,. so unless the specs detail their range its luck of the draw

The ones I listed work up to 17v so should last forevever in a foccus

[DJ_Andy_M]

shame the sidelights don't go off when you put full lights on..

That's called the law. They're actually called marker lights and they are to mark the outline of the car (important if a headlamp bulb fails). Granted I prefer the US way of using marker lights, i.e the indicators with dual filament bulbs. Much clearer marking!

[shiwarrior]

thanks guys !

[Jockstar]

I've been running front side light LED Bulbs since January 2014 and they are still going. However, I've managed to destroy two interior LED Bulbs (they were both the same as each other) and I've recently noticed that one of my LED number plate lights is dimmer than the other.

So I do agree that it can be a hit or a miss.

Before:

After:

I think it was a pair of these that I bought from Alltronix:

http://www.alltronix.co.uk/8-smd-led-canbus-error-free-501-w5w-t10-sidelight-bulbs-6000k-white/

[PHILIP1193]

Couldn't decide, so I decide to buy both

I was more swayed to get the LED ones that madmole linked to

so I bought them, and the ULTRA auto bulbs as they are only £3 for the pair, so whilst the headlight is out of the car im going to try both of them

How did you get on with the bulbs you ordered? Any pics?

[madmole]

I've had 14 years of LED experience running them in my Landrover. Its charging system goes to 14.5 volts and its blown many LEDs in that time. I learnt to check the specs to ensure the operating range went above 15v and then they last forever and don't dim

They last much better than normal bulbs and seem to survive a dunking into cold water when lit, something normal bulbs definitely don't

They also give a lovely white light and for brake lights they are fantastic as they come on much faster than a normal bulb

Now that it looks like LED headlamps are at last going to be feasable (they are coming out on production cars), I'll take them any day over HIDS or normal bulbs. On my focus the headlamps are the only non LED left now

[shiwarrior]

How did you get on with the bulbs you ordered? Any pics?

no sorry, I haven't fitted them yet

ill change one side, and them test to see if it works and to see the difference, could take a pic then before changing the other side ?

[luke.grimbley]

I have to disagree that LED's are no good. I have some Osram LED's in my side lights since i got that car and not one has ever failed and they are much brighter than the standard bulbs.

http://www.powerbulbs.com/product/osram-standard-led-retrofit-w5w-cool-white-bulbs-twin?gclid=CjwKEAiAgranBRDitfSQk_P7vnMSJAAhx5G5Wo67toj5tqCFpS_4zZjEHUyxHODR_MRB1GdRdN6FghoC7iLw_wcB

Not cheap but you get what you pay for! Have lasted 2 years so far and look so much better.

As for full beams the Phillips Blue Vision bulbs are great and are white rather than blue. I will get some pics tonight if you like?

[TomsFocus]

I'm not keen on LEDs myself, mainly because most people buy cheap rubbish I guess lol. But I have factory HIDs so the sidelights look awfully yellow! So keep meaning to change them for whiter xenon style if possible, how easy is it to change the sidelight bulbs on these Focii?

[luke.grimbley]

I'm not keen on LEDs myself, mainly because most people buy cheap rubbish I guess lol. But I have factory HIDs so the sidelights look awfully yellow! So keep meaning to change them for whiter xenon style if possible, how easy is it to change the sidelight bulbs on these Focii?

One screw and a twist of the bulb holder, very easy. Think its a T30 if I remember right, undo the screw. Then there are 2 tabs to press with a screwdriver and the headlight housing slides forward. After that there is a plastic housing you twist to remove the bulb.

As for the LED's I will stand by the Osram's. They are a single chip and much more reliable. My ones have lasted 2 years so far.

[shiwarrior]

my Dad has now changed all my bulbs over, in a hurry do didn't have time to take pictures

I now have osram nightbreakers H1 and H7 along with the Ultra Auto bulbs as posted above

did try the led ones in and we decided on the ultra auto bulbs instead

when we put the sidelight bulb in and switched them on, they didn't look any better at first, but defiantly "whiter"

will be testing them Friday and Saturday morning in the dark when im going to work at 5:30am

[Dave2358]

On 14 February 2015 at 9:43 PM, madmole said:

LEDs in mine, nice and white and brighter than any so called "xenon" bulb. BUT you do need the good LEDs

Good LEDs have a voltage range over 15v and will NOT burn out ( cheap ones will) and will stay bright for years unlike incandescent bulbs which gradually get dimmer

I have these in my park lights

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/XENON-WHITE-LED-SIDELIGHT-CAR-BULBS-12V-HIGH-POWER-Projector-Lens-T10-W5W-501-/280846085034?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item4163bb2baa

Sorry to resurrect an old thread, but thought it better than starting a new one. 

looking to put led's in the sidelights, but after reading about all the failures of bulbs etc from the heat of the bulbs next to them... i want to make sure i get the best bulbs i can which aren't going to go pop in 4 months...so ...these you listed here apparently don't fit the sidelights to my 13 plate focus, according the listing's compatibility list anyway. So was looking elsewhere, anyone got any suggestions?

i was looking at these http://www.autobulbsdirect.co.uk/501-Twenty20-Cree-LED-12V-W5W-Canbus-Wedge-Bulb.html?bulb_search=car but i'm almost sure the sidelights aren't canbus are they? 

or these http://www.autobulbsdirect.co.uk/OSRAM-501-Long-Life-Cool-White-LED-Bulbs.html?bulb_search=car anyone know if these are any good. i do want to get one's that are super bright but more importantly last a long time without burning out. 

cheers