Recommendations of type & brand for headlight bulb replacements?

[RMcG]

One of my headlight bulbs has apparently failed: dim low beam, but good high beam. So it is probably the bulb, not a connection. So the other headlight will likely soon fail as well. I think these are the factory bulbs, even though the car is 14 1/2 years old. It has about 115K miles on it. I think the bulbs now in there are halogen incandescent. But, I think these type of bulbs are becoming obsolete. HIDs and LEDs seem to be taking over now.

Can anybody recommend a good replacement bulb?

HIDs or LEDs?

I am not interested in super performance, just something that works well in terms of lighting, is durable in terms of lifespan and is not expensive.

I mainly drive in city/suburbs which are well lit, but fairly often in rural areas.

I want to get one that lasts a long time so I don't have to do this again soon. Because there seems to be controversy on the forum about how difficult it is to change them. Some people (and apparently the Toyota repair manual) say you have to remove or loosen the bumper. Other people say, no it's not that hard, you just do it the way you normally do: reach in, unscrew the old, screw in the new.


Thanks,

R.

[RMcG]

Here are some interesting articles from Consumer Reports. One of the main takeaways for me is that using a headlight restoration kit can really help your headlights.

LED Headlights Can Be Brighter but Often Lack Clear Advantages

Are HID and LED Headlights Worth Buying?


DIY Car Headlight Replacement
(The end of this article is not available unless you are a Consumer Reports subscriber. I checked the entire article in the library and there really wasn't much to the end of the article. It just talked about how to install your own headlight bulb.)

Old Headlights Can Be Dangerously Dim, Study Finds

Do Car Headlight Restoration Kits Really Work?


Headlight restoration kits

Sylvania Silverstar halogen headlight bulbs

[sh0rtlife]

LED's SUCK...they lack the range and depth of field

if you want something "cheep" yet good..look at innovited on amazon..im running their HID kits in a handfull of rigs now..thire CS is amazing as well should you have any issues

if you just want a stock upgraded replacement go with he silverstars..longest lasting brightest bulbs on the market that i know of

all said tho the HIDs are not much more than the SS

[mitch9521]

HID/LEDs in halogen reflectors is a big no no. Run good quality halogens or do a projector retrofit.

[remcafee]

i like led bulbs for the interior lights, i put little 6000k white bulbs, but i find the bigger bulbs dont have a good light beam compared to halogens, like the head light bulbs you need halogen, leds will only give you a sliver of light and halgoen will cover a wide area

[thetut]

The original bulbs lasted 14.5 years and are still available so why not replace both now and hope for another 14 years.

[sh0rtlife]

Originally Posted by thetut

The original bulbs lasted 14.5 years and are still available so why not replace both now and hope for another 14 years.

and very not bright yellow

Originally Posted by mitch9521

HID/LEDs in halogen reflectors is a big no no. Run good quality halogens or do a projector retrofit.

how is that a no no, the only issues ive seen with an HID in a halogen headlight is sometimes you get more scattered beam , but thats almost always just a "depth" of HID center...which can just as much be an issue with projectors as the center of light being focused is the real important bit when it comes to ALL lenses...the other issue is "heat" but only in the most tightest of bulb fitments and the hottest running bulbs

[Compeer]

Ive always used Narva halogens, but just have stockers in right now until I get the new lens kit to replace my faded one.

But the narva halogen blues are bloody bright compared to the stock bulbs, totally worth the money. Before hid and led headlights you could tell these bulbs on cars at night because of the white/blue and much brighter light.


https://www.supercheapauto.com.au/p/...5w/287154.html

[sh0rtlife]

narva blues..best i could ever tell they are identical to the SS, the exception being the SS are available everywhere and the narva are order only, ive had a set or 2 of those..great bulbs