Camry Xenon Lights & Other Accessories

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Brian Grigg - 04 May 2004 21:08 GMT

Was wondering if anyone has installed any of the 'cheaper' Xenon headlight
kits. I'm not looking to spend $500, but have noticed the cheaper bulbs and
kits on eBay but was wondering if they are any good. I know you get what
you pay for and a $10 or $20 light isn't the same as $500, but are they any
good at all? Are some better than others? I've read that some will
overheat or burnout and you'll have to replace them. And what is the
difference in the temperature, some are 4-5k, others are 7k. Does higher
termp equate to brighter light? Also I saw that someone suggested using
Sylvania's new SilverStar lights, that they are much better quality that the
cheap Xenon knockoffs and are almost as bright.

Are there any good catalogs or online retailers out there, preferably that
have 2004 Camry accessories/parts? Just looking for head & taillight covers
or accents right now, but Lord knows what later.

Thanks,
Brian
2004 Camry SE (6 days old)

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NoSpam - 05 May 2004 02:56 GMT

Don't waste your money.

Brian

> Was wondering if anyone has installed any of the 'cheaper' Xenon headlight
> kits. I'm not looking to spend $500, but have noticed the cheaper bulbs and
[quoted text clipped - 14 lines]
> Brian
> 2004 Camry SE (6 days old)

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Rich Lockyer - 05 May 2004 07:59 GMT

>Was wondering if anyone has installed any of the 'cheaper' Xenon headlight
>kits. I'm not looking to spend $500, but have noticed the cheaper bulbs and
[quoted text clipped - 6 lines]
>Sylvania's new SilverStar lights, that they are much better quality that the
>cheap Xenon knockoffs and are almost as bright.

Stay away from the Ebay lights. They are NOT Xenon, and are not HID.
They are halogen lamps, sometimes overdriven (these are the ones that
burn out frequently), and sometimes just colored to look blue.
Unless seriously overdriven, you cannot get a color temperature higher
than about 4k out of a halogen.

Silverstars are as good as it gets without going to a true HID.

--- Rich
http://richlockyer.tripod.com/

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Joshua Smeltser - 05 May 2004 14:24 GMT

> Was wondering if anyone has installed any of the 'cheaper' Xenon
> headlight kits. I'm not looking to spend $500, but have noticed the
[quoted text clipped - 15 lines]
> Brian
> 2004 Camry SE (6 days old)

Save your money, the cheap bulbs will burn out in less that 6 months, I
tried 3 different brands before I simply gave up. I'm just using Sylvania
Cool Blue now, no complaints.

Josh

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jor - 05 May 2004 15:14 GMT

Click and Clack did a column on this question awhile back and they said
exactly what Rich said. The cheapies are not Xeon lights and should be
avoided. They are also likely to blind oncoming traffic so they are likely
illegal as well.
jor

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Brian Grigg - 05 May 2004 17:48 GMT

Thanks for all you comments, that's where I was leaning anyway. You always
try to cut corners and save money wherever you can, but a $500 light for
under $20 is just not realistic.

I order a pair of high & low SilverStars, I'm sure they'll be fine. And
even if I have to replace the low's once a year or so, that isn't too bad.

Thanks again everyone,
Brian

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Rich Lockyer - 06 May 2004 08:48 GMT

>Thanks for all you comments, that's where I was leaning anyway. You always
>try to cut corners and save money wherever you can, but a $500 light for
>under $20 is just not realistic.
>
>I order a pair of high & low SilverStars, I'm sure they'll be fine. And
>even if I have to replace the low's once a year or so, that isn't too bad.

The CoolBlues are a good, less expensive alternative to the
SilverStars if the budget is tight when it's time to replace the
SilverStars.

--- Rich
http://richlockyer.tripod.com/

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Gary Carter - 08 May 2004 02:56 GMT

Try Daniel Stern Lighting at http://www.danielsternlighting.com/ he will be
glad to help you make a educated decission. If you don't find your
information on his web site try e-mailing him. He posts once and a while on
the Doge truck news group.

Gary Carter

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