Headlamp bulbs - -96 LHS

Have never been satisfied with the headlight output of my ol' '96
LHS....... Ihave them adjusted much higher than factory settings, but
have been doing more nite driving than usual and they are really
unsatisfactory (don't seem to have much reach, not all that bright) (or
maybe seem worse compared to our new Ford).

The lenses are in good shape - not fogged or crazed:

do the bulbs just give off less light as they get old ------would it
help things to put in new factory-type bulbs

or are there any super-duper high output bulbs that I should try?
(besides all the "exotics". I see Sylvania is now running tv commercials
for some supposedly improved bulbs).

Thanks for any advice!

 

Bulbs wear out and get progressively dimmer way before total (filament
breaks) failure. If you drive at night a lot, new bulbs once a year
wouldn’t be excessive maintenance. I see the SilverStar Ultra ads also;
still a marketing scam to sell blue-tinted bulbs at an outrageous price.
If you like the Sylvania brand of bulbs, go for the XtraVision model(s).

 

I've owned a '94 LHS and a '97. The headlights on the '94 were about
as bright with the switch in the "off" position as they were in the
"on" and I'm not kidding when I tell you I was nervous driving the
thing at night, especially on roads without streetlights.

I had the original headlight assemblies swapped out for a revised
design, under warranty, and this improved their performance
considerably. It never had an issue with the '97, so I assume the
problem must have been corrected sometime after your vehicle was
built. In any event, your dealer should be able to provide you with
more information.

And, no question, the high-performance halogen IR lamps provide a
noticeable boost in light output and are well worth the extra dollars.

Cheers,
Paul

 

True enough on the modified Toshiba 9011 & 9012 HIR bulbs; I have the
9011 bulbs in my (9005) high beam sockets. The increased light output is
amazing, but will only retrofit easily to headlamps that take 9005 or
9006 bulbs. Another thing that works well to increase headlamp light
output is to install headlight relays, which puts close to system
voltage at the headlight bulb sockets; just a 5% voltage increase at the
socket will produce close to 20% more light from the filament. The
relays can be bought just about anywhere, but the easiest thing to do is
spend $50 or so to buy a commercially available harness from any of
several Internet vendors.

 

Hi Sharon,

Hmm... something about headlight relays that sends chills down my
spine. I had so many problems with my SAAB but one that caused me
particular anguish was the failing headlight relay (that should read
plural, as was true for most issues with that car).

With its demonic sense of humour and uncanny timing, it loved to play
the "let's-see-if-we-can-get-him-to-crap-his-pants-again" game.
Flying into a curve on Route 6 in northern Maine at 3:30 in the
morning and ***CLICK***, total darkness.

Sorry, won't put my life in the hands of BOSCH ever again. ;-)

Cheers,
Paul

 

Well, Bosch had some problems a few years back (late '80s) and the
reliability of its automotive relays wasn't the highest. Since I’ve
almost always used Hella relays, I wasn’t affected. Every vehicle I own
has had headlight relays added by me, and have had a problem with
exactly ONE relay in 30-odd years, and that was most likely caused by me
by mounting the relay too close to the windshield washer reservoir. In
addition to producing more light at the bulb (at some bulb life expense,
of course), relays also take almost all of the electrical load off the
headlight & MF switches, either of which is a lot more trouble & expense
than to change a $5 socketed relay.

 

Hi Sharon,

OK, I'll accept everything you say, except that last part about the
$5.00 relay. You've obviously forgotten this is a SAAB (you know, the
car where every replacement part is hand crafted by Swedish elves and
sent over here on Viking sailing ships). Those relays were over a
$100.00 each. Yes, call me a fool for having it serviced by the
dealer, but they (Budd's in Oakville) were the only ones I could trust
to do the job right.

I have to tell you I loved that car ('84 900 Turbo, black) and I took
exceptionally fine care of it, but it bled me to death and every time
I started it up I asked myself what fresh hell it would bring.
Eventually, I gathered my senses and returned to Chrysler (is that
snickering I hear among the crowd?). :-0

Cheers,
Paul

 

I once owned a SABB Turbo 4 door. Parts were more expensive than those for
an expensive Italian sports car. Great seats. Never again.

Richard.

 

Hi Richard,

I hear ya. It's a shame because there were so many things I truly
loved about that car beyond its quirky, "ugly duckling" styling (mine
was a two-door). A huge, wrap around window for a commanding view of
the road; a seat you could push so far back you couldn't touch the
pedals with the tips of your toes (and I'm 6ft 1); the kick-ass
acceleration when you engaged the turbo; the superb handling in just
about any kind of weather; a simple, clean, no-nonsense dash and
instrument panel; and, yes, even the placement of the ignition key
between the front seats. I also greatly admired the company's
commitment to vehicle safety and its emphasis on environmental
responsibility, long before those two things became so highly
fashionable. But at the end of the day, that wasn't enough; I needed
something more reliable or, failing that, a vehicle that could be
serviced by any competent mechanic and one for which parts were both
inexpensive and widely available.

Twenty years later, I sometimes feel the urge to buy another SAAB but
like you, I also remember why I swore "never again". Moreover, you
get the impression GM has sucked the very soul out of the company and
its products -- styling has become bland and mainstream and there
isn't the same spark and passion. You might as well buy a Buick. :-0

Cheers,
Paul

 

That's right, it's a GM European product called a SAAB.

 

hi you might want to try the silver star i replaced the oem ones with
silver star and so far im happy with way they seem to light up and if
that doesn't work for you. you might want to think about investing into
h.i.d conversion kit those will light up really bright

 

hi you might want to try the silver star i replaced the oem ones with
silver star and so far im happy with way they seem to light up and if
that doesn't work for you. you might want to think about investing into
h.i.d conversion kit those will light up really bright

 

hi you might want to try the silver star i replaced the oem ones with
silver star and so far im happy with way they seem to light up and if
that doesn't work for you. you might want to think about investing into
h.i.d conversion kit those will light up really bright

 

thanks for all the advice.

I see I have to remove the panel above the headlights, and the headlight
assemblies themselves to change the bulbs.

I'll wait until the temp is out of the teens......which will give me
time to shop for some good bulbs!

 

The bad news is, those two bolts that hold the headlight bucket in won't
really come out. Then you'll be stuck. You might want to figure out if you
can spray any penetrating oil on the threads ahead of time. I'm not sure
you can actually get to them. I just know they don't come out when you want
them to.

 

The problem with the LHS is not the bulbs, its the lamps. They're cheap
plastic junk with terrible optics. No amount of re-aiming will help
(it'll just piss off oncoming drivers). And overwattage bulbs will ruin
the lamps completely, as well as the wiring harness. About the best you
can do is Sylvania Xtravision bulbs (NOT "Silverstar" or other
blue-colored bulbs) or the new GE high performance bulb.

Sorry, but that's it.

 

It shouldn't. What sends chills down *my* spine is the fact that most
carmakers try to get away with running the full headlamp current into
the cabin, through all the dash wiring harness, THROUGH the very switch
you turn with your fingers, back out through the firewall connections,
and out to the lamps. It wastes power, heats wires, and is generally Bad
Design (tm). I say this as an electrical engineer by profession.

Relays are far better because they minimize the wire lengths that the
heavy currents have to run through and guarantee a robust switch contact
(if good relays are used).

The fact that Saab couldn't get relays right doesn't mean that it still
isn't a superior technique.

 

Of course, GM Saabs are actually reasonably reliable for the first time
in the history of the company. Whine all you want, but GM has improved
Saab almost as much as Ford has improved Jaguar and thats a LOT.

 

Hi Steve,

I'm sure this is true. I know six individuals who own current
generation SAABS and I haven't heard any horror stories thus far. Of
the six, one has told me he won't be replacing his 93 with another
SAAB at the end of his lease and another is leaning towards something
else. The other four seem perfectly content and, in fact, one of
these individuals owns three -- he, his wife and their daughter all
drive a SAAB.

So, yes, GM has done a remarkable good job in this area and deserves
full credit.

Cheers,
Paul

 

Hi Steve,

I'm not an engineer but all of what you say makes sense. I've only
driven one car with a headlight relay system and, unfortunately, on
two occasions the relay failed and one of these times I was very
nearly killed as the result. When you beat a dog with a broom, they
never look at it the same way again.

Cheers,
Paul