OEM e-codes and Philips Xtreme Vision 4800k - disappointing results!

[SteveYem]

In the vein of helping out the community and not my own HID bulb resale goals, I want to share my experience with OEM B8.5 E-code headlights into which I recently retrofitted a set of Philips Xtreme Vision 4800k HID bulbs.

First, let's get a baseline. My car is 2015 S4 with OEM e-code headlight assemblies. The headlight covers have Xpel Ultimate .008" clear (not tinted) protective film applied to them. The headlight assemblies are a mix-matched set due to the driver side having to be replaced after someone backed into me and broke the headlight last year - as a result, the driver side headlight started out with an OSRAM Xenarc D3S 35W bulb while the passenger side headlight started out with a Philips XenEcoStart D3S 35W bulb.
I believe the bulbs are different due to year of manufacture of the headlights, i.e. the passenger side headlight was bought used from a 2012-2013 car, while the driver side is a brand new unit purchased in 2015. All of the aforementioned headlights were purchased as complete assemblies including all electronics and bulbs.

Here is the light output from the above equipment:


You can see there are 'hot-spots' at each bulb position and some yellow-ish coloration around those areas, including at the 'humps' in the cutoff line.



Last weekend, I swapped in a brand new set of Philips Xtreme Vision 4800k D3S bulbs and changed nothing else. Below are the results after maybe 3 hours of cumulative use of the bulbs:

Notice the relatively more focused and more yellow-ish "hot spots". I can actually see the yellow-ish focused beams from each headlight within the overall light output while driving, which is kind of distracting:



Garage door opened and the car moved closer, note the yellow coloration induced on the passenger side headlight of the other car. This is the driver side bulb "hot spot" and cutoff pattern from the S4:



I also noticed yellow-brown coloration at the clear headlight covers (which have Xpel Ultimate film as previously mentioned):

Passenger side:


Driver side:



This phenomenon was present with the originally installed bulbs, but not as severe as shown above with the Xtreme Vision bulbs. It is clear to me that the increased discoloration at the headlight cover is being projected forward as shown above. I do not know enough about light, filtering, refraction etc. to explain why this is happening. My original thought was that the clear Xpel film is not actually perfectly clear and is causing the light color to shift unfavorably, but others have vouched for the Xpel film on their headlights not altering the light output.


I have to say that the light output with these bulbs looks awesome within the first 2 seconds after turning them on. It's a nice pure white with a tinge of blue/indigo at the cutoff. But it's only transient, and after a few seconds it settles into the unusual (and disappointing) result shown above. I will continue to update this post as I put more hours on the bulbs, but for the time being I do not see this as being an upgrade.

If anyone can offer advice as to what is really going on here, and whether I should expect to see any change (improvement) as the bulbs wear in, that would be much appreciated.

[infinkc]

My xtreme bulbs took around 12 hours before they got brighter, i have read that this is common for them.

Side note also, did you buy them from a reputable source? cause there are a bunch of fake ones floating out there also which might explain it.

[SteveYem]

My xtreme bulbs took around 12 hours before they got brighter, i have read that this is common for them.

Side note also, did you buy them from a reputable source? cause there are a bunch of fake ones floating out there also which might explain it.

Did you have any of the yellow coloration that mine are exhibiting, and if so did it diminish/disappear as the bulbs wore in?
The bulbs were purchased from HIDConcept earlier this year.

[SwankP3RF3ct10n]

Phillips Ultinon 6k bulbs is what you want, not the 4800 you got.

[snowmuch]

Same case here, I got the 4800 and disappointed with the yellowish color. Got a 6000 instead. Who wants the 4800 pm me.

[DBL R]

be careful for fakes, I ordered mine from xenondepot and received fakes. The box was brown and the website routed to a fake authenticator that isn't on the official philips website. Just a heads up, they are out there. The lights I received also had terrible hot spots, and awkward light coloring.

[SteveYem]

Phillips Ultinon 6k bulbs is what you want, not the 4800 you got.

I made the choice to go with 4800k because it should be whiter than the stock bulbs (which should be 4300k per DOT rules), and because increasing the color temperature decreases brightness. It seemed that 4800k was the "happy medium" choice, while I really think something in the ~5300k range would have been the sweet spot.

[SwankP3RF3ct10n]

I made the choice to go with 4800k because it should be whiter than the stock bulbs (which should be 4300k per DOT rules), and because increasing the color temperature decreases brightness. It seemed that 4800k was the "happy medium" choice, while I really think something in the ~5300k range would have been the sweet spot.

Well, you can go with the new DAMA bulbs they just put out, but I wouldn't. If you want something that matches up well with your DRL LED strips, get what I said.

[SteveYem]

be careful for fakes, I ordered mine from xenondepot and received fakes. The box was brown and the website routed to a fake authenticator that isn't on the official philips website. Just a heads up, they are out there. The lights I received also had terrible hot spots, and awkward light coloring.

Interesting! I'll take another look at the packaging tonight. I always got the impression that HIDConcept is a reputable seller, though, so I'm fairly confident that they are selling legitimate product.

Did your 'fake' bulbs result in light output similar to the photos I posted?

[DBL R]

Interesting! I'll take another look at the packaging tonight. I always got the impression that HIDConcept is a reputable seller, though, so I'm fairly confident that they are selling legitimate product.

Did your 'fake' bulbs result in light output similar to the photos I posted?

I didn't take pictures of the light output (which I should have), so I can't be 100% sure if the output was the same...but I was so dissatisfied with them that I almost immediately put the stock lights back in...

[johnstah]

Did you have any of the yellow coloration that mine are exhibiting, and if so did it diminish/disappear as the bulbs wore in?
The bulbs were purchased from HIDConcept earlier this year.

I am dissapointed in the extreme vission too. I encounter the same issues but I did not have the yellow coloration too. I bought it from HIDConcept but it was D1S for my C63. Based on the recommendations, I will try the philips ultinon. Btw guys, I found them cheaper on theretrofitsource website.

[SteveYem]

I didn't take pictures of the light output (which I should have), so I can't be 100% sure if the output was the same...but I was so dissatisfied with them that I almost immediately put the stock lights back in...

Yeah I had the thought to swap the original bulbs back in, but I'm going to give these a chance to settle in first. I reached out to the vendor to take a look at this thread and provide their insight. Maybe the hot spots and discoloration are normal and will go away with use....but if that's the case, then it seems every new car rolled off the showroom floor would have wonky headlight output and new owners would be pretty dissatisfied.

[infinkc]

Did you have any of the yellow coloration that mine are exhibiting, and if so did it diminish/disappear as the bulbs wore in?
The bulbs were purchased from HIDConcept earlier this year.

I dont recall them being yellow as yours, they were pretty pure white from what i remember. I sold them with my ecodes so i cant go out and check.

[SteveYem]

be careful for fakes, I ordered mine from xenondepot and received fakes. The box was brown and the website routed to a fake authenticator that isn't on the official philips website. Just a heads up, they are out there. The lights I received also had terrible hot spots, and awkward light coloring.

Thinking back to it, if I remember correctly the boxes for my bulbs were kind of a dark orange color. Meanwhile all of the other "legit" examples I see online are packaged in white boxes. I'm wondering now if I got fakes? The light output sure does make it seem that way...

EDIT:

My bulb boxes look like this:



while most examples I am currently seeing online look like this:



So what do we think.....was I supplied a knock-off product?

[yjypm]

I just bought this from HIDConcept and will post a comparison thread vs. Philips X-tremeVision when they arrive.

based on the specs they are definitely more blue-ish than x-tremevision, and even a bit brighter (3600lm vs 3200lm)

[mike@hidconcept]

Steve,
First of all, it's something we heard before but it is most likely the headlamp itself (how it's designed).
Depending on which vehicle it is used on, hotspot may/may not give some yellowness, which will eventually blend in as you go through break-in period (color gets whiter and brighter).
To back up this statement that it is not the bulb, see comparison photos below.
This video shows stock 4300K bulb (new), XV bulb (new), and XV bulb (after 10 days use/colorshifted).

If the bulb itself is generating yellowness in hotspot, this comparison photo should also contain yellowness, right?
Thus, it leads me to believe that it is the design of projector lens and reflector behind the lens.
We also witnessed hint of yellowness in hotspot when we used 6000K bulb as well although the level of how yellow it was different than XV.

As far as authenticity goes, when Philips released XV bulbs, they came in white packaging boxes.
Then, Philips recently changed packaging box to brownish color, which I personally don't like but there isn't much we can do about it. :D
One thing we can assure you, is that we only offer 100% authentic Philips products as Philips official authorized dealer, which you can confirm on Philips' website as well.
https://www.philipsautolighting.com/...line-retailer/

Conclusion:
XV bulbs are rated at 4800K, while stock OEM is 4300K.
500K difference would still make the color tone different but if you wanted something definitely whiter, going with 6000K bulbs would have been a better option for you.
The downside of 6000K Ultinon series, is that you could possibly lose about 1000 (800 - 1000) lumens, which would be a huge trade off just for color.

I personally used XV bulbs on my personal vehicle because of two reasons.
1. From the test we ran on XV, I confirmed that the color tone really has become whiter than initial start after we left it stay lit for 10 days straight (24 hours a day).
2. I see things better/brighter than OE bulbs. Although I don't feel that it is 50% more brightness, I do know that it is definitely brighter than stock (feels like around 20-30%).

Just in case you are curious, I am using DAMA bulbs now because color is much better and I still get significant increase in brightness than stock. :D
However, Philips XV bulb is definitely one of the top performance bulbs.
Let me know if you have any other questions.

Thanks,
Mike @ HID CONCEPT

[yjypm]

Steve,
First of all, it's something we heard before but it is most likely the headlamp itself (how it's designed).
Depending on which vehicle it is used on, hotspot may/may not give some yellowness, which will eventually blend in as you go through break-in period (color gets whiter and brighter).
To back up this statement that it is not the bulb, see comparison photos below.
This video shows stock 4300K bulb (new), XV bulb (new), and XV bulb (after 10 days use/colorshifted).

If the bulb itself is generating yellowness in hotspot, this comparison photo should also contain yellowness, right?
Thus, it leads me to believe that it is the design of projector lens and reflector behind the lens.
We also witnessed hint of yellowness in hotspot when we used 6000K bulb as well although the level of how yellow it was different than XV.

As far as authenticity goes, when Philips released XV bulbs, they came in white packaging boxes.
Then, Philips recently changed packaging box to brownish color, which I personally don't like but there isn't much we can do about it. :D
One thing we can assure you, is that we only offer 100% authentic Philips products as Philips official authorized dealer, which you can confirm on Philips' website as well.
https://www.philipsautolighting.com/...line-retailer/

Conclusion:
XV bulbs are rated at 4800K, while stock OEM is 4300K.
500K difference would still make the color tone different but if you wanted something definitely whiter, going with 6000K bulbs would have been a better option for you.
The downside of 6000K Ultinon series, is that you could possibly lose about 1000 (800 - 1000) lumens, which would be a huge trade off just for color.

I personally used XV bulbs on my personal vehicle because of two reasons.
1. From the test we ran on XV, I confirmed that the color tone really has become whiter than initial start after we left it stay lit for 10 days straight (24 hours a day).
2. I see things better/brighter than OE bulbs. Although I don't feel that it is 50% more brightness, I do know that it is definitely brighter than stock (feels like around 20-30%).

Just in case you are curious, I am using DAMA bulbs now because color is much better and I still get significant increase in brightness than stock. :D
However, Philips XV bulb is definitely one of the top performance bulbs.
Let me know if you have any other questions.

Thanks,
Mike @ HID CONCEPT

how do you rate your DAMA 5500K HID Bulbs against xtremevision?

[SteveYem]

Mike,
Thank you for chiming in. I guess time will tell, and so I will keep an eye on it and update this thread.
As far as the projector assembly causing the yellow coloration, I'm not denying it because I can't back it up, but I would ask why it is so much more prevalent with the Xtreme Vision bulbs than with the OEM bulbs.

Honestly, I was not expecting the color to be much whiter in color than the stock bulbs because I realize that +500k is not much of an appreciable difference. My main goal was to shift the color slightly closer to the DRL LEDs while also gaining higher visibility at night. What I got, so far, is color shifted closer to yellow than white, with clearly visible and distracting yellow hot-spots. Again, if you say that the hot spots will diminish with use, then I will wait and watch.

[mike@hidconcept]

how do you rate your DAMA 5500K HID Bulbs?

Simply awesome! Color is good, it's brighter, and it's priced reasonably.
More importantly, we offer rock-solid warranty.

[yjypm]

Simply awesome! Color is good, it's brighter, and it's priced reasonably.
More importantly, we offer rock-solid warranty.

Is it as bright as Philips Xtreme vision? White?

[mike@hidconcept]

Mike,
Thank you for chiming in. I guess time will tell, and so I will keep an eye on it and update this thread.
As far as the projector assembly causing the yellow coloration, I'm not denying it because I can't back it up, but I would ask why it is so much more prevalent with the Xtreme Vision bulbs than with the OEM bulbs.

Honestly, I was not expecting the color to be much whiter in color than the stock bulbs because I realize that +500k is not much of an appreciable difference. My main goal was to shift the color slightly closer to the DRL LEDs while also gaining higher visibility at night. What I got, so far, is color shifted closer to yellow than white, with clearly visible and distracting yellow hot-spots. Again, if you say that the hot spots will diminish with use, then I will wait and watch.

Steve,
It can only get better than now as more usage applies.
I also wanted to point out on one more thing.
We had a customer who also had a B8 with clear E-codes. He had a very identical issue, which gave yellowness in hotspot. He first thought that it was the defective bulb. Then, we put the stock bulb in it to find that the yellower part in hotspot still existed but it was showing more strongly on XV bulb.
We concluded that because XV gives more lighting output than stock, it shows yellow part in hotspot stand out even more than stock.
As comparison, B8 A4 with stock US-spec bi-xenon does not have such hotspot.
See video here.

This is the only thing I can think of.
Cheers!
Mike @ HID CONCEPT

[mike@hidconcept]

Is it as bright as Philips Xtreme vision? White?

It's almost as bright as Philips XV but much whiter than XV.
Try them on and you will not be disappointed.

Mike @ HID CONCEPT

[SteveYem]

Steve,
It can only get better than now as more usage applies.
I also wanted to point out on one more thing.
We had a customer who also had a B8 with clear E-codes. He had a very identical issue, which gave yellowness in hotspot. He first thought that it was the defective bulb. Then, we put the stock bulb in it to find that the yellower part in hotspot still existed but it was showing more strongly on XV bulb.
We concluded that because XV gives more lighting output than stock, it shows yellow part in hotspot stand out even more than stock.
As comparison, B8 A4 with stock US-spec bi-xenon does not have such hotspot.
See video here.

This is the only thing I can think of.
Cheers!
Mike @ HID CONCEPT

OK - so it seems there is a difference between the projectors of a B8 versus a B8.5, resulting in different outcomes using the Xtreme Vision bulbs?

[AudBoost]

Simply awesome! Color is good, it's brighter, and it's priced reasonably.
More importantly, we offer rock-solid warranty.

I just ordered a set as well to replace my OEM's. I had originally ordered CBI's but cancelled my order for the DAMA bulbs. Can't wait to get them.

[yjypm]

It's almost as bright as Philips XV but much whiter than XV.
Try them on and you will not be disappointed.

Mike @ HID CONCEPT

I have already been running with philips XV for a year now. I'm already a little disappointed now since you said they are not whiter than XV. The only aspect I don't like about my XV is that it's not white enough.

[SteveYem]

I have already been running with philips XV for a year now. I'm already a little disappointed now since you said they are not whiter than XV. The only aspect I don't like about my XV is that it's not white enough.

Have you experienced any of the yellow hot-spotting with your XV bulbs similar to what I posted? Also, I think you mis-read Mike's post....he said the DAMA bulbs are much whiter than the XV.

[yjypm]

Have you experienced any of the yellow hot-spotting with your XV bulbs similar to what I posted?

I've never felt that. I'll snap you a picture in the evening. The hot-spotting might be there but I have never noticed.

[waxxonMTL]

not on ecode, but never noticed a yellow spot with mine. ordered from hidconcept with brown box too. Could be the ecode vs oem headlight. I will try to notice more next night drive. I have to admit, these headlight must have about 50hours break-in thought ( if not more..).

I'm curious about the DAMA as they are much more cheaper and apparently they are almost as bright as XV, yet much more white/blue hue, but then, I just bought these bulbs and they are not that nice to swap lol.

[wilazn]

It's almost as bright as Philips XV but much whiter than XV.
Try them on and you will not be disappointed.

Mike @ HID CONCEPT

Can you send a link for these dama bulbs?

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

[mike@hidconcept]

not on ecode, but never noticed a yellow spot with mine. ordered from hidconcept with brown box too. Could be the ecode vs oem headlight. I will try to notice more next night drive. I have to admit, these headlight must have about 50hours break-in thought ( if not more..).

I'm curious about the DAMA as they are much more cheaper and apparently they are almost as bright as XV, yet much more white/blue hue, but then, I just bought these bulbs and they are not that nice to swap lol.

Actually, you will see difference after about 200 hours of use (50 hours is too short).
Please note that DAMA's current price is introductory special price and AZ member gets to use additional 20% discount. :D

[mike@hidconcept]

Can you send a link for these dama bulbs?

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

Here it is.

[yjypm]

Actually, you will see difference after about 200 hours of use (50 hours is too short).
Please note that DAMA's current price is introductory special price and AZ member gets to use additional 20% discount. :D

Too bad since I just bought the DAMA ones with winter15 coupon which was only 15% off. Didn't know there is a better discount for us. :(

[NPuter]

Actually, you will see difference after about 200 hours of use (50 hours is too short).
Please note that DAMA's current price is introductory special price and AZ member gets to use additional 20% discount. :D

Do the DAMA's have as long as a break in? (I don't drive my car that much, so a non forced break in would be difficult for me) What's the AZ discount code?

[mike@hidconcept]

Too bad since I just bought the DAMA ones with winter15 coupon which was only 15% off. Didn't know there is a better discount for us. :(

You got a PM.

- - - Updated - - -

Do the DAMA's have as long as a break in? What's the AZ discount code?

It gives good color from the beginning but it also does shift to become even whiter/bluer over usage just like any other xenon bulbs.

[NPuter]

You got a PM.

- - - Updated - - -



It gives good color from the beginning but it also does shift to become even whiter/bluer over usage just like any other xenon bulbs.

I've been wanting to swap to xtremevision, but it sounds like the DAMA's have me intrigued now. How do I order with the AZ discount?

[SteveYem]

Actually, you will see difference after about 200 hours of use (50 hours is too short).
Please note that DAMA's current price is introductory special price and AZ member gets to use additional 20% discount. :D

Wow. I'd be surprised if I log 200 hours driving in a year. Bummer.

[MrFunk]

I have the Xtreme Visions. They are much brighter than OEM. I've not noticed yellowing. I do have hot spots though. But I think that's a component of the housing vs bulb.
I need new HID's for my S2k and I'll probably try the Ultinon HID's - Unless Mike you suggest something else? I'd have gone with Dama's but they don't have D2S size I need.

[mike@hidconcept]

I've been wanting to swap to xtremevision, but it sounds like the DAMA's have me intrigued now. How do I order with the AZ discount?

Use coupon code DAMA20 during checkout.
Please note that this special 20% discount is for limited time only.
Thanks,

[yjypm]

You got a PM.

- - - Updated - - -



It gives good color from the beginning but it also does shift to become even whiter/bluer over usage just like any other xenon bulbs.

Thank you very much!
I am happy that you guys actually apply the discount to my order AFTER it was placed.
Thank you!

[yjypm]

I've been wanting to swap to xtremevision, but it sounds like the DAMA's have me intrigued now. How do I order with the AZ discount?

Just order it and there will be a place to enter the discount code. It's on the same page where you enter your payment info. You won't miss it.