[JB1001]

Hi. My v40 has 'regular' headlights not the bi-xenon types. Ive tried both as demo had xenon and they were massively better I have to admit but too much of a costly upgrade for me. Driving in the dark a lot now I would be interested if there is a simple bulb upgrade to do for improved light? I thought I saw that some people had upgraded their stock bulbs in the non xenon units to Osrams? Anyone have any experience in this and suggest what bulb types to purchase (wattage, fitment type etc) ?

 

[marc V40]

Very good
http://www.ebay.com/itm/PIAA-17655-...Parts_Accessories&hash=item27f20bf3e8&vxp=mtr

 

[DefinitelyV40]

Seems like a nice idea.
Just make sure u don't void your warranty.

 

[JB1001]

"It's still a 55w bulb so I can't see how it could effect the warranty unless the wattage was increased. Opted for Phillips X-treme Vision +130% which were £20 euro car parts. Supposed to be the best of the improved range type bulbs from Osram, Ring etc. I'll let you know what the difference is once I've put them in.

 

[denn1s]

Night rakers are good have had them in the full beam lamp I the at for years, near match to the colour of the OE HID's and provide a good light.

 

[JB1001]

Couldn't find an upgrade h9 for the mains?

 

[raytint]

"It's still a 55w bulb so I can't see how it could effect the warranty unless the wattage was increased. Opted for Phillips X-treme Vision +130% which were £20 euro car parts. Supposed to be the best of the improved range type bulbs from Osram, Ring etc. I'll let you know what the difference is once I've put them in.[

I wait for your feedback, thank you !

 

[marc V40]

Seems like a nice idea.
Just make sure u don't void your warranty.

No problem with warranty...


I have Philips blue Vision on High Beam and it's great .

 

[denn1s]

I have philips diamond vision on the Elise's driving lights, they work well but when not lit the light going into the lamp reflects on the bulb glass and colours the lamps blue when looked at at certain angles

 

[jifen]

Thing I found with a lot of aftermarket 'brighter' bulbs is they didn't seem to last 2 minutes. The Osrams were terrible and literally lasted a few months (a few years ago).

So pre Xenon I just opted for the higher wattage (ahem strictly for off road use :angel

 

[JB1001]

Thing I found with a lot of aftermarket 'brighter' bulbs is they didn't seem to last 2 minutes. The Osrams were terrible and literally lasted a few months (a few years ago).

So pre Xenon I just opted for the higher wattage (ahem strictly for off road use :angel

Good shout Jiffen - I've already decided that's what I'll do if I get poor life out of the care enough visions. For when I'm off road clearly

 

[JB1001]

Well I fitted the Phillips extremes earlier. Made me laugh as I took Phillips bulbs out! Good to know Volvo use a good brand as basic stock I guess. Anyway, bar they look far less yellow than the stock ones I could tell no noticeable difference in brightness on the road. If someone had fitted them for me and not told me then I wouldn't of noticed. Waste of £20. It's ok though as I am rich! When they blow I will fit Osram rallyes and be done with it...

 

[MJW75]

I've tried a lot of upgrade bulbs in the past but found Osram Night Breaker Unlimited to be the best. I put them in my old Astra when I first got it and sold the car 3 years later with the bulbs - so no life issues from my experience.

 

[DarrenCC]

Two rules of motoring that I abide by...don't skimp on lighting (will never deviate from Bi-Xenon from here) or tyres...two elements that aren't worth a blog post as you either believe in paying for the best or you cut corners. Just my opinion. cheers DC

 

[Tiff]

When I got my V40, I was very surprised about how poor the lights were on dip,but at the time had a company van so didn't really use the car often at night. After changing jobs I put the car on the MOT beam setter at work and found they were set below the level that would even pass an MOT- even though I asked for them to be checked at the first service with Volvo. After adjusting them up to the correct height they are now pretty good. May be worth popping in by an MOT station for a quick check before going down the road of changing bulbs etc.

 

[MJW75]

Two rules of motoring that I abide by...don't skimp on lighting (will never deviate from Bi-Xenon from here) or tyres...two elements that aren't worth a blog post as you either believe in paying for the best or you cut corners. Just my opinion. cheers DC

Agree with the tyres, but lighting is down to individual use. If you do 7,000 miles a year and 95% of those miles are done in daylight or lit roads, then the extra cost of Xenons would be disproportionate to the benefit they will give per mile. I find the standard lights on my V40 just fine. However, if I had to drive 60mins of country lanes each day (like I used to), I would 100% go for Xenons. Obviously, if price isn't a major issue, just get them.

 

[Rowan83]

I upgraded the main bulbs in mine with these....

http://www.powerbulbs.com/product/philips-whitevision-h7-twin

They are fantastic IMO, light is much whiter and coverage on the road is good. You may not notice the difference at first but now I appreciate how good they are.

 

[JB1001]

I was going for brightness rather than styling really. The extremes I changed to have a higher spectrum output than the standard bulbs. If I was to have one blow I'd put Osram Rallyes in which are 65w although the temperature output is 'normal'.

 

[denn1s]

I am in the process of removing my retrofit HID's from my lotus and going for the latest night brakers, I do not want to be associated with the Chavs with cheap blue HID's shining all over the place

 

[jraven212]

I've bought these bulbs: http://www.powerbulbs.com/product/ph...vision-h7-twin. Looking forward to seeing how they look and replacing those orange side bulbs... :/