Vectra Dipped Beam Bulb Replacement

pennypincher3562

The dipped beam bulb on my Vectra C 2007 has gone, and I want to replace it myself.

I've looked for replacement bulbs on Ebay. For my car would I go for 'H7 Xenon 2 prong' bulbs?

Thanks in advance.

Tokk

Assuming they're standard H7 (that's the bulb type/shape - IIRC they should) then yes, you need to order H7 bulbs.

The advice to change them in pairs seems to make some sense to me (I then keep the one that was still working as a spare).

IMHO, it's not worth scrimping over a couple of quid here - get bulbs from a reputable brand and they last longer (I generally go for Osram or Philips, whichever I can find on offer at the time), I've had poor experiences with unbranded and Halfords own brand bulbs but YMMV.

Richard53

Or go for Osram Nightbreakers - much better light output without needing any wiring mods. In theory, they don't last as long because the filaments run hotter, but I have been using them for years and never had one fail. Well worth the small extra cost IMO.

Chrishazle

Not sure you can legally fit Xenons if original fit for car is normal halogens. As above, if you have normal halogens, I'd replace both with Nightbreaker Unlimiteds - they're as good or better than NB Lasers but cheaper, and far better than normal halogen bulbs. I had normal halogens on my MB and have tried most versions of NB, hence my recommendation is based on actual experience of them!

pennypincher3562

Sorry, getting a bit confused now, with various options e.g. Xenons, halogens, nightbreakers, etc.

I just want standard Vectra C bulbs. What should I go for?

Thanks.

Tokk

pennypincher3562 wrote: »

Sorry, getting a bit confused now, with various options e.g. Xenons, halogens, nightbreakers, etc.

I just want standard Vectra C bulbs. What should I go for?

Thanks.

You need H7 bulbs.
They will be halogens.

Some may be marketed as "xenon effect" (or similar) which basically means they're supposed to mimic xenons as much as possible for a halogen bulb - actual xenons won't work without more modifications (plus the conversion won't be legal in 99% of cases).

Nightbreaker is an Osram marketing badge - they're basically brighter than stock bulbs, in theory at the expense of longevity (in practice, they'll last longer than cheap bulbs but not as much as high quality standard brightness bulbs).

You just want standard H7 halogen bulbs - Osram Nightbreakers (there's multiple models) are good bulbs as are Osram silverstars. Philips makes good bulbs too.
Ultimately, the +X% brightness bulbs will claim a trade-off of extra brightness in exchange for reduced longevity - it's up to you whether you want max brightness (Osram Nightbreaker laser, Philips racingvision), slightly increased brightness with better longevity (Osram silverstar, Philips whitevision) or standard brightness (ie: don't say "+50%", "+100%" etc).

An important thing to remember when changing them is not to get fingerprints on the the glass of your new bulbs - they won't last long if you do!

AdrianC

"Xenon" as a term is used in two different ways.

Some incandescent filament bulbs are filled with Xenon gas rather than halogen. That may or may not give better illumination. H7 describes the shape and fitment of the bulb. All H7 filament bulbs can be swapped around, no problem at all. You need to get bulbs that are e-marked to be legal - some are too high power to be legal, which will give extra light but may cause problems with the wiring.

Legal - https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/163183083333
Illegal (too high power) - https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/153125023221

"Xenon" is also used to describe what are properly called HID - High Intensity Discharge - lights. They don't have a filament, like a traditional bulb - they're a gas arc instead, running at a much higher voltage. You cannot retrofit those legally, even though they are available in H7 packages.

Illegal HID conversion - https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/323780132293

pennypincher3562

I ended up taking the car to a local garage, who fitted and replaced the new bulb for free. So a very successful outcome from a money saving perspective. :beer: