C5 A6: replace OEM D2S bulbs with aftermarket ones for better brightness?

[estomax]

Hey Guys,

my oem HID bulbs are starting to wear out, one of them is starting to look off color compared to the other. I was wondering if anyone here ran Osram CBI or Morimoto XB35 bulbs and how their brightness / light output compared to the originals with a C5 A6? I am ordering up a set of XB35s for my car now and will report back with results too.

thanks
Marko

[cHive_oN]

Ya I too need to replace my bulbs after I clean my headlights,

Ive also heard replacing your lenses with TRUE CLEAR lenses can make a huge difference...

http://www.theretrofitsource.com/components/lenses.html

has anyone done this one the forum?

[V1nny]

I switched to Morimoto XB35 6K in the spring. Reason I mentioned color temp is that going with 6K (or above) you not improving brightness, just appearance. If brightness is your first priority, get Morimoto XB35 in 4.3K color, maybe 5K, but not above (not bluish, but more yellowish-white). Color temperature marked on the Morimoto box. You should gain some brightness just by the fact that you replacing worn out bulbs with new. You may get even more light output by polishing your outer lenses (without taking housings apart). To have output improvement, not just a cosmetic effect, you would need to polish mechanically, not just smear them with some magic snake oil, I used 3M kit, and spent all sandpaper in the kit, almost 2 hours of work, but results are noticeable. As for projector lens, I would start with removing it for good cleaning. My was covered with some waxy residue, and cleaning helped to get some more light. Also consider using vag-com procedure to aiming them a bit higher. If all of that is not enough, consider 55 watt bulb/ballast and/or checking your eyes with the doctor. Projector upgrade IMHO is more is about cosmetic improvements, such as sharp cutoff line, not actual output improvement.

[4rings2turbos]

Clear lens helps

Also:
•Philips xtreme vision is the brightest 35w bulb for D2S (I have this bulb, it is awesome sauce. HID concept runs that awesome deal quite often on these so shoot them a message on here. Always a benefit to support a supporting vendor)
•make sure your projector bowl is clean, you can clean it with ammonia. (only ammonia, remove it, place it in a plastic bag and shake, no wiping!)
•Make sure your projector bowl is not burned from leaving the headlights on during a hot summer day, etc.
•do the helmsman spar eurethane trick to the outside lens if they're foggy.

[mr_dave]

I went with the Morimoto 5.5k bulbs on both of my C5s. Excellent brightness and color. My first choice was the Osram CBI bulbs but I didn't feel like spending that much. I'm happy with the Morimotos.

[LakeTahoeQuattr]

Oream cool blue intense xenarc. They are 5K color, but have same lumen output as OEM 4K. Typically the higher Kelvin you go, the less lumen. These are one of the few who produce excellent blue and very bright. My .02

[estomax]

this is a test i read before buying the XB35s (4500k)

http://www.hidplanet.com/forums/show...-D2S-Bulb-Test

the phillips are not the brightest, Osram CBI and Morimoto XB35 are.

[LakeTahoeQuattr]

Cool find

[Racin2redline]

adjust your headlights with VCDS to raise the projector cutoff. wayyy better. you may get "brighted" often but screw them right?

i have no idea how old my bulbs are. but adjusted headlights+ 65w fogs is pretty bright for stock headlamps.

[LakeTahoeQuattr]

adjust your headlights with VCDS to raise the projector cutoff. wayyy better. you may get "brighted" often but screw them right?

i have no idea how old my bulbs are. but adjusted headlights+ 65w fogs is pretty bright for stock headlamps.

This is a good idea, however may suggest it may be better to adjust them up manually? Keep vcds the same

[Racin2redline]

i adjusted them manually but i was still unhappy with the beam cutoff.
so i changed the coding until i was happy.

Sent from my SM-G900P using Tapatalk

[4rings2turbos]

this is a test i read before buying the XB35s (4500k)

http://www.hidplanet.com/forums/show...-D2S-Bulb-Test

the phillips are not the brightest, Osram CBI and Morimoto XB35 are.

In a test where they aren't in a housing and not broken in and only the hotspot is measured, yes the CBI out performed. But in real world applications the Philips is the brightest in terms of largest hot spot and most remaining lumens after break-in.

The be honest though you can't go wrong with either CBI or XV for sure. The Philips just also happens to be cheaper so it's really a no brainer.

[4rings2turbos]

Here's a fun picture when I was driving my C4 back from purchasing. My father-in-law was driving one of my allroads with the XV bulb. Look at how bright they are and the awesome beam pattern and the projection.

[estomax]

valid point 4rings2turbos. the Osram and Phillips are higher end bulbs and will both do well im sure. i am taking a gamble with the morimotos and we'll see if i'm sorry or not :)

racin2redline can you post instructions on what to change through vcds to adjust the cutoff height?

[glennda5id]

Hey Guys,

my oem HID bulbs are starting to wear out, one of them is starting to look off color compared to the other. I was wondering if anyone here ran Osram CBI or Morimoto XB35 bulbs and how their brightness / light output compared to the originals with a C5 A6? I am ordering up a set of XB35s for my car now and will report back with results too.

thanks
Marko

I swapped to clear lens from TRS. Good improvement.

[4rings2turbos]

valid point 4rings2turbos. the Osram and Phillips are higher end bulbs and will both do well im sure. i am taking a gamble with the morimotos and we'll see if i'm sorry or not :)

Absolutely, how long have you had them now?

Never mind, idk what I was thinking when asking. You obviously just bought them lol.

[V1nny]

This is a good idea, however may suggest it may be better to adjust them up manually? Keep vcds the same

In my original post i suggested to raise headlight a bit higher:
"Also consider using vag-com procedure to aiming them a bit higher"
There is no alternative to using VCDS/vag-com/vag tool for audi's with auto leveling headlights. Do not attempt to adjust level without first putting headlights into learning position with VCDS:

Procedure for Aligning Xenon Headlamps:

[Select]
[55 - Xenon Range]
[Basic Settings - 04]
Group 001
[Go!]

Wait at least 20 seconds for the headlamp motors to move. The headlamps are now in their adjustment position. Turn on headlights. Adjust them via their manual adjusting screws as referenced against a suitable aiming target.

Scroll up to Group 002. The Xenon Range controller has now learned this position as its Home position.

Click the [Done, Go Back] button and you're all set.

[estomax]

cool thanks vinny i will give that a go. mine are auto leveling so ill have to put them in learning mode and give myself a couple more degrees, i dont need to blind others or do anything crazy.

still waiting on the bulbs to show up otherwise. ill try to take a before and after

[mithril]

Projector upgrade IMHO is more is about cosmetic improvements, such as sharp cutoff line, not actual output improvement.

Nope: http://www.audizine.com/forum/showth...lft-headlights

The sharp(er) cutoff line is a product of using a clear lens vs fresnel lens. Fresnel lens do cut light output somewhat through diffraction and diffusion, but there's a huge difference in overall output between 12+ yr old projectors and net new OEM+ projectors. The aftermarket replacement for facelift C5 has a much more polished bowl and better hotspot concentration than the OEM. When I swapped mine the OEM bowls weren't scorched like many other have experienced, but the chroming was almost matte by comparison. Regarding bulbs, Morimoto are decent enough budget bulbs but they can't match the OEM's (Phillips 85122+, Phillips 85122XV C1 and Osram CBIs) for actual lumens produced. Whether the OEM's are worth double or triple the price comes down to a personal decision.

[estomax]

ok, stock c5 a6 facelift headlights, projectors with stock d2s bulbs (probably 12 years old) vs the Morimoto XB35. I put the morimoto bulb on passenger side and left oem to driver side and went to a whiteish wall and took some pics with camera in manual mode for identical exposure settings. the wall was yellow so ignore color temperature, just going for lumen / brightness comparison here.

both lights on


passenger light on (blocking driver side with my ass) morimoto xb35


driver side light on (blocking passenger side) oem bulb


the significance seems huge when I compare the bulbs alone, not sure if the passenger side being aimed higher has something to do with it or not. i'll try to take a pic with morimoto in drivers side as well for more apples to apples comparison.

camera settings
f/2.5
1/100 sec
ISO1000
5mm focal length
Powershot S100

[estomax]

and my final update, both morimoto bulbs in, camera with same settings:

both headlights with morimoto bulbs:


passenger side with morimoto bulb(control photo should be same as previous post)


driver side only with morimoto



Conclusion: This 50$ set of bulbs are better than the OEM bulbs which are probably very old in your car. reasonable upgrade for the winter season. Osram or Phillips may be even better but I'm not baller enough to spend 200$ on bulbs :) if someone wants to send me a set I can do a side by side comparison and send them back :)

[julex]

You should do these things to improve light output tremendously in order of easiness:

1) replace old bulbs with CBIs, this alone will bump output by a lot
2) open the lights and clean the lenses, dust and hazing you have blocks a lot of light, but while at it do #3...
3) ultimate upgrade: replace lens with euro non-fresnel unit. This will give you more concentrated and clearly defined beam.

[mithril]

You should do these things to improve light output tremendously in order of easiness:

1) replace old bulbs with CBIs, this alone will bump output by a lot
2) open the lights and clean the lenses, dust and hazing you have blocks a lot of light, but while at it do #3...
3) ultimate upgrade: replace lens with euro non-fresnel unit. This will give you more concentrated and clearly defined beam.

#'s 2 and 3 are actually the same level of difficulty on a facelifted A6 since you have you bake the light open to get at the projector lens. My theory is if you're going to the effort of baking the light open you might as well spend the extra $100 and go all in and replace the projectors too, one and done it. There may not have been a big difference in low beam output between EvoX and OEM on your AllRoad, but there was a significant increase between my OEM E55's and the Evo's.

Ultimately just replacing the bulbs will be enough for most people. Realistically HID bulbs should be replaced every couple years with normal use but since they don't die when they burn out like filament bulbs do lots of people never replace them. The number of X5's and various Merc's I see driving around with pink bulbs is shocking. $50 for XB's to replace 10yr old bulbs will always be the biggest bang for your buck, unless you do a lot of nighttime backroad or highway cruising I doubt most people will really notice the difference under street lights.

[glennda5id]

You can replace the len's without baking the headlamp assemblies. The projectors can be unbolted and wiggled out. I put in TSX len's from the retrofit source and they look nice. I still have the stock bulbs as well.

[mithril]

You can replace the len's without baking the headlamp assemblies. The projectors can be unbolted and wiggled out. I put in TSX len's from the retrofit source and they look nice. I still have the stock bulbs as well.

Not on the facelift models. The facelift lights use the bigger E55's and there isn't enough clearance to remove the projectors with the reflector assembly in place in the housing. You have to remove the reflector from the housing to remove the projector and that means fully disassembling the lights.

[glennda5id]

I have an 02 Allroad. Isn't that facelifted?

[mithril]

The AllRoad didn't get an external facelift, it used the same bumpers/grill/lights through it's entire run. The AllRoad reflector assemblies are cosmetically different than the A6 but in terms of housing size and projector they are pre-facelift. That's why swapping them was popular with the pre-facelift guys for many years, direct swap.