FYI. REPLACEMENT HID BULB INFO. (Somewhat long...)
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Joined: Oct 2001
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From: Seattle
Hi everybody:
Barely avoided getting bent over by my local Honda dealer with my dead right-side HID and thought I'd pass along some knowledge.
Dealer wanted $192.50 for the bulb and $375.82 for the ballast! I found them online at Majestic Honda for $150 and $250, respectively. The dealer also wanted $95/hour to fix the problem, which entailed removing the inner fender well.
Before I gave them the go-ahead, I asked them if they had either part in stock, to which they replied "no." I decided I wasn't going to pay them 95 bucks to tell me I had a burned out bulb, then pay them another 95 bucks to replace it when they finally got the part.
So, I decided to go it alone. The factory shop manual said to replace the dead HID bulb with a "known good one" to diagnose. This would've meant removing BOTH fender wells so I could switch them and check. I decided "no fu*king way." I figured I'd gamble on the cheaper part and buy a new bulb from Majestic. I was a little pissed about their $8 "handling fee" in addition to shipping.
When the bulb arrived, I went down the street to my local auto body shop specializing in Hondas at about 5:30, after the big-bosses had left and walked in the garage door (not the front door), went up to the mechanical tech and explained my situation and offered some cash since no one else was around. He said just to buy him some drinks at the bar next door and he'd be happy to switch out the bulb. As it turns out, the bulb was the problem and my HID's are working fine once again. It only took about a half-hour and another hour's worth of drinks next door...
Even though there is a happy ending, if I had to do it over I'd do the following differently:
The shop manual has a procedure for checking the ballast with a multimeter. It looked to me like you could get to the passenger-side ballast from under the hood, without messing with the fender well and test it that way.
It also looked to me that, with a really bright flashlight, you might be able to see through the HID lens and tell if the bulb is obviously burnt out. When we removed my bulb it was seriously cooked.
Finally, now that I know the Philips part number, there is absolutely no reason to buy a bulb from a dealer ever again. The part number is 85122. The full info on the bulb says this:
PHILIPS GERMANY
D2S 35W 85122
03V DOT 9D07
With only minimal effort, I was able to find this bulb on the Internet for considerably cheaper.
Finally, the bulb was held in place with a TAMPER RESISTANT TORX T25 screw (with the post in the center)... very unusual. I would have been swearing up a storm if I'd encountered this screw instead of my new bodyman friend...
Hope this info helps out someone down the road.
Hasta,
Curt Nelson
Seattle
2000 New Formula Red.
Barely avoided getting bent over by my local Honda dealer with my dead right-side HID and thought I'd pass along some knowledge.
Dealer wanted $192.50 for the bulb and $375.82 for the ballast! I found them online at Majestic Honda for $150 and $250, respectively. The dealer also wanted $95/hour to fix the problem, which entailed removing the inner fender well.
Before I gave them the go-ahead, I asked them if they had either part in stock, to which they replied "no." I decided I wasn't going to pay them 95 bucks to tell me I had a burned out bulb, then pay them another 95 bucks to replace it when they finally got the part.
So, I decided to go it alone. The factory shop manual said to replace the dead HID bulb with a "known good one" to diagnose. This would've meant removing BOTH fender wells so I could switch them and check. I decided "no fu*king way." I figured I'd gamble on the cheaper part and buy a new bulb from Majestic. I was a little pissed about their $8 "handling fee" in addition to shipping.
When the bulb arrived, I went down the street to my local auto body shop specializing in Hondas at about 5:30, after the big-bosses had left and walked in the garage door (not the front door), went up to the mechanical tech and explained my situation and offered some cash since no one else was around. He said just to buy him some drinks at the bar next door and he'd be happy to switch out the bulb. As it turns out, the bulb was the problem and my HID's are working fine once again. It only took about a half-hour and another hour's worth of drinks next door...
Even though there is a happy ending, if I had to do it over I'd do the following differently:
The shop manual has a procedure for checking the ballast with a multimeter. It looked to me like you could get to the passenger-side ballast from under the hood, without messing with the fender well and test it that way.
It also looked to me that, with a really bright flashlight, you might be able to see through the HID lens and tell if the bulb is obviously burnt out. When we removed my bulb it was seriously cooked.
Finally, now that I know the Philips part number, there is absolutely no reason to buy a bulb from a dealer ever again. The part number is 85122. The full info on the bulb says this:
PHILIPS GERMANY
D2S 35W 85122
03V DOT 9D07
With only minimal effort, I was able to find this bulb on the Internet for considerably cheaper.
Finally, the bulb was held in place with a TAMPER RESISTANT TORX T25 screw (with the post in the center)... very unusual. I would have been swearing up a storm if I'd encountered this screw instead of my new bodyman friend...
Hope this info helps out someone down the road.
Hasta,
Curt Nelson
Seattle
2000 New Formula Red.
Thread Starter
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Joined: Oct 2001
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From: Seattle
Cheapest Philips D2S 4200k that I could find were about $130. I did find GE D2S with a 10,000k (!) color temperature for $82.
Those suckers have got to be bright... and also illegal in the US. I'll probably give 'em a try if I lose another light.
These guys seem to be about the best. Free shipping anywhere in the world, too.
Hasta,
Curt Nelson
Those suckers have got to be bright... and also illegal in the US. I'll probably give 'em a try if I lose another light.
These guys seem to be about the best. Free shipping anywhere in the world, too.
Hasta,
Curt Nelson
Registered User
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 7
Likes: 0
Registered User
Joined: Nov 2002
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From: Jacksonville, FL
Originally Posted by Curt Nelson,Apr 29 2004, 02:29 AM
I did find GE D2S with a 10,000k (!) color temperature for .
Those suckers have got to be bright... and also illegal in the US. I'll probably give 'em a try if I lose another light.
Hasta,
Curt Nelson
Those suckers have got to be bright... and also illegal in the US. I'll probably give 'em a try if I lose another light.
Hasta,
Curt Nelson
Spend the extra $$$ and get the $130 Philips bulbs. I think it'd be worth it.
Craig
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Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 532
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From: Redondo Beach, CA
The temperature rating is the color, not the brightness. As JAXsaid, 10,000k is quite purple. Your light output will become worse.
Every OEM system uses 4100-4300k bulbs. Some people like to upgrade to 6000k philips ultinon bulbs, which are a tiny bit on the "blue" side, but still very white.
If I were you, I'd stick with a well-known brand of 4100/4300k OEM bulb. Either osram, or philips.
You can find many rebased ones (which are advertised as 'new' for some reason) on ebay for pretty cheap.
Keep in mind that when you replace only one bulb, the newer bulb will appear more "yellow" than the old bulb. The bulbs tend to colorshift over time and become whiter and whiter.
You might want to check out www.suvlights.com
Although his site is under construction right now, I'm pretty sure he'll reply to your email or phone calls. He will be able to get the bulb you need, brand new, for pretty cheap also.
Every OEM system uses 4100-4300k bulbs. Some people like to upgrade to 6000k philips ultinon bulbs, which are a tiny bit on the "blue" side, but still very white.
If I were you, I'd stick with a well-known brand of 4100/4300k OEM bulb. Either osram, or philips.
You can find many rebased ones (which are advertised as 'new' for some reason) on ebay for pretty cheap.
Keep in mind that when you replace only one bulb, the newer bulb will appear more "yellow" than the old bulb. The bulbs tend to colorshift over time and become whiter and whiter.
You might want to check out www.suvlights.com
Although his site is under construction right now, I'm pretty sure he'll reply to your email or phone calls. He will be able to get the bulb you need, brand new, for pretty cheap also.
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