Electrical: My head lamps are pitiful = Head lamp bulbs recommendations

[Blue 8]

Can anybody recommend some good over the counter replacement head lamp bulbs/driving bulbs IE from halfords or the likes, as the head lamps on my 850 are pitiful at best

They give off a dim yellowish glow yes my lamp glass is clean and yes the chrome reflectors are in tip top condition

Got to be the worst car I have owned for night driving due to poor head lamps

Before you start talking HD`s etc to me stop , I just want to pop down to my local halfords and pick up a set of better bulbs cheers fella`s

[RollingThunder]

I've used the Halfords +30% bulbs and found them a reasonable upgrade. Haven't tried the +50% ones and I can't remember if they're road legal...

The Philips VisionPlus and Osram SilverStar (not the sylvania with a similar name) are also excellent bulbs. Make sure you get the genuine article though as there are said to be loads of fakes on eBay...

[t5_andy]

I have the halfords +50s in mine and they're good.

I notice they are on bogof on the halfords website as are the 'Extreme' +90% ones so worth a look.

[stevo48]

Originally Posted by t5_andy

I have the halfords +50s in mine and they're good.

I notice they are on bogof on the halfords website as are the 'Extreme' +90% ones so worth a look.

Which is great but bear in mind with our cars having drl's the +90% or even the +50% will only have a short life, I was advised by one of halfords own people not to bother with the +% bulbs as they don't last as long as oem and have an even shorter life due to Volvo having the lights on all the time. The last h/l bulbs I bought were standard H3 £9.99 per pair.
@blue8 check the condition of the plugs at your headlamps see if there is any corrosion of the spade connectors as this can cause high resistance and poor light output, I replaced the connectors for my headlamps with new copper connectors and saw an immediate improvement in light output.

[Blue 8]

Cheers fellas

Are all the above road legal? and also will they be OK load wise The last thing I need is to fit something that is going to screw up my electrics

Cheers
Blue

[Blue 8]

Originally Posted by stevo48

Which is great but bear in mind with our cars having drl's the +90% or even the +50% will only have a short life, I was advised by one of halfords own people not to bother with the +% bulbs as they don't last as long as oem and have an even shorter life due to Volvo having the lights on all the time. The last h/l bulbs I bought were standard H3 £9.99 per pair.
@blue8 check the condition of the plugs at your headlamps see if there is any corrosion of the spade connectors as this can cause high resistance and poor light output, I replaced the connectors for my headlamps with new copper connectors and saw an immediate improvement in light output.

Cheers Steve

Will do

Not to bothered if the replacements last as long as OE just as long as they omit better light, mine hardly light the road up ahead at night they really are poor and if its raining also you really are screwed

[t5_andy]

Originally Posted by Blue 8

Cheers fellas

Are all the above road legal? and also will they be OK load wise The last thing I need is to fit something that is going to screw up my electrics

Cheers
Blue

I believe the halfords ones are still 55w so no increase in load, the difference comes from the gas pressure and type of gas used inside the bulb itself.

They dont say anything about NOT being road legal and I know they do put warnings on their 100w bulbs which aren't legal for road use so fairly safe to assume they are.

[PaulT5estate]

What about Osram Nightbreakers? You can get a pair off the 'net cheaper than Halfords.

Also, why not turn the DRL'S off? On most 850's its easy, a little screw by the light switch

[Blue 8]

Originally Posted by PaulT5estate

What about Osram Nightbreakers? You can get a pair off the 'net cheaper than Halfords.

Also, why not turn the DRL'S off? On most 850's its easy, a little screw by the light switch

Hello Paul

Yeah I`ve turned my DRL`s off do it ever summer but turn them back on for the winter months

I have called into halfords but I did not realise there were soooo many different bulbs to choose from , all I want is a nice white light not yellow and to be able light the road ahead a little better

[NewVolvo]

My 780's lights are not the best so fitted Philipps X-treme +80%. Normal H4 55W lamps and they are much better than the original.

Highly recommended.