Bulb Guide

[SubieDoobieDoo]

2005 SUBARU Legacy (Sedan)

 

Low beam headlamp: H7 - Plastic reflector, overwattage not recommended.

 

====================

 

Oh, boy ......... here we go again!

 

Using incandescent headlight bulbs, "over-wattage" = over heating. Basically, I agree: Melted lamp housings are a REAL bad career move. (Been there, done that!)

 

Now, let's see what brighter / overwattage/ led bulbs we can find for the for the ones that matter.

 

OK, how about passing on the over-heating issue and skipping straight to the heart of the matter - BETTER HEADLIGHT LUMENS: And some serious EXTREME BRIGHTNESS.

 

*** Cannot possibly recommend the 55W "racing" Apexcone after-market HID kits highly enough!!

 

They're *SO* bright and so incredibly beautiful, you'll be speechless - as many of us who have already installed them are.

 

Yes, technically, they're "illegal" for highway usage. Actually, they're simply not "D.O.T. approved" which isn't quite the same thing as "illegal". "Illegal" is murdering someone, cheating on your taxes - or making moonshine.

 

"Non-DOT approved" means the same Washington, DC idiots that make our laws simply haven't kept up with the latest in lighting technology. (They're too busy trying to figure out how to pull the wool over your eyes and tax American citizens to pay for health-care for illegals!)

 

Yes, aimed inaccurately, you WILL BE a nuisance to on-coming traffic.

 

AND, **YES**, YOU CAN "BURN A @#$%^& HOLE" IN THE VERY DARKEST OF NIGHTS AND SEE FAR, FAR BETTER AND DRIVE MUCH MORE SAFELY THAN YOU EVER DREAMED!!! (Chances are, you WILL hit what you can't see!)

 

Do a www.google.com search for "apexcone" to find the on-line retailer you feel comfortable dealing with.

 

These are a simple plug-n-play (PnP) installation - so easy a Geico caveman can install them in 45 minutes or so - then ... STAND BACK! Biggest time-consumer is where and how to mount the ballasts in modern (read that "cramped") engine compartments.

 

I've had mine + 3 years and they're as bright as ever and have had no replacement issues. Not one!

 

Most of the Apexcone on-line e-tailers have a "lifetime warranty" provision so as long as the e-tailer stays in business, you're kiester is covered.

 

As to this so-called "illegal" mumbo-jumbo someone is bound to post - consider the source and the facts: I've NEVER known ANYONE, ANYWHERE to be stopped for having "too bright" headlighting.

 

Odd colors, yes. Drive with "gangsta purple" and I'll bet you get pulled over in 30-40 seconds.

 

Stick to "pure white" - 5,000K or close - aim them accurately - and you'll NEVER have a problem. I've never been stopped - or even been "second-glanced" by "les gendarmes" - city, county or State Highway Patrol - and I've passed every State-required safety inspection with flying colors. In fact, some law-enforcement buddies of mine have installed them in THEIR vehicles!

 

Your Honor, the defense rests ......

[TSiWRX]

Thanks for the info, reading thru that thread you gave me looks way outta my league, lol!

 

^ Try finding a local Scooby hobbyist who's had experience doing the retrofit either on other vehicles or the LGT, they'll likely charge only a minimal fee (our customary, around here, for helping fellow club members is usually just a burger or two, plus a few beers or soft-drinks).

 

Otherwise, I would definitely recommend going, outright, to someone who knows what they're doing - on a for-fee basis.

 

The performance from a full retrofit will be superior. And although the stock projectors in the Legacy, combined with HID bulbs (i.e. "kit"), doesn't make for a "bad" fit in terms of glare and truly will get more light on road, it still won't be anywhere near as nice as a full retrofit.

 

Edited September 28, 2009 by TSi+WRX
Edited to reflect that I was addressing Bovesnh1

[SubieDoobieDoo]

Whatever a "full-retrofit" involves, if that in ANY WAY modifies the stock headlamp housing from the way it was shipped from the factory - i.e. a second owner can't re-install stock incandescent bulbs - I'd never do it. I drive a Subaru; not a rolling Dremel tool experiment.

 

Looking at the actual illumination point of my "old" 9007 bulbs vs. these hot chihuahua HID plug-ins, it would be hard to measure any discernable difference without totally destroying BOTH bulbs and ... well, that's not an option either.

 

I'll admit it: My simple, unscientific out-swapping of prehistoric incandescent bulbs for these marvelous HIDs may not be dead-perfect - but something that in ANY way modifies the stock lamp housing isn't a very good idea either. I don't like the idea of putting my car - OR ME! - at a "point of no return".

 

A brighter light source (these killer HID's) from an almost identical point to a stock halogen is simply close enough for me. Yeah, the imperfections in the design of the housing itself *may* be emphasized by applying a brighter lamp but that's just the way the cookie crumbles.

 

Given that it takes 4X the light to illuminate 2X the distance, it's a reasonable trade-off to me.

 

I don't blind my fellow drivers - I've been "flashed" exactly once in about 3 years - and the issue of replacing standard bulbs has pretty much disappeared. With no blazing-hot filament to burn out, I've put this problem behind me. But I do have a spare 55W HID of the same color - amazing 4,800K white - in the trunk just in case ...

 

And that's the point, I guess, I've been trying to get across all along: Other than mounting the damned ballasts in a tight engine compartment - one has to get rather creative! - this is nothing but a simple plug-and-play swap. No muss, no fuss. Simple hand tools - primarily a screwdriver - that we're all familiar with.

 

Didn't have to remove the headlight housing, grind anything, re-shape this ot that ... nothing. Just like taking one shoe off and putting another one on.

 

TSi+WRX, I respect your opinion(s). I do. But I can only surmise you've never actually *seen* my EXACT situation and the results of this wonderful, inexpensive conversion.

 

Sorry, but I don't need to see a whole lot more than I do in the pitch-black of the darkest night. I'm zipping along at the speed limit or a wee bit over and on lo-beams, I've got an incredible field of vision just BATHED in diamond-crystal white light! People keep harping about some odd colors of their after-market halogen or pseudo-HID bulbs and I just can't relate! MY headlighting is **SO** superior to anything that involves a "glowing filament" ... in a fashion, I'm already at a point of "no return" because I'll NEVER drive another car w/o HID bulbs - whether I have to install them myself or not!

 

Happy, safe motoring everyone. Remember: If you can't *see* it, you're in danger of hitting it. Safety starts - and ends - by being able to see better in the worst driving conditions and the darkest nights. YOUR safety is on the line; YOU make the call - and it's YOUR car.

 

Best regards,

[TSiWRX]

Here we go again is right....

 

Oh, boy ......... here we go again!

 

Using incandescent headlight bulbs, "over-wattage" = over heating. Basically, I agree: Melted lamp housings are a REAL bad career move. (Been there, done that!)

 

OK, how about passing on the over-heating issue and skipping straight to the heart of the matter - BETTER HEADLIGHT LUMENS: And some serious EXTREME BRIGHTNESS.

 

The lighting measure means next to nothing.

 

Check out the lumen rating on your average, common, 65-watt household bulb, and tell me that will throw a farther beam than a 100-lumen flashlight that's specifically configured to "throw" light. Take that naked 65-watt bulb outside to your yard, light it up, and see how far out you can see down your garden path. Now shine your flashlight down the same path.

 

Again, it's not just how much light there is, but how that light is managed.

 

You still fail to understand this basic principle.

 

 

*** Cannot possibly recommend the 55W "racing" Apexcone after-market HID kits highly enough!!

 

They're *SO* bright and so incredibly beautiful, you'll be speechless - as many of us who have already installed them are.

Again, your vehicle's application is very different from that of our BL/BP-chassis models' ---->

 

http://www.legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php?t=45991&highlight=scoobiedoobiedoo&page=14

 

The basic-knowledge point that you missed there - starting at post #202 - with your confusion of what type of headlamp you have, and how that differs versus that of our BL/BP models', makes your assessment above invalid.

 

Why?

 

Because you later try to use the same reasoning to say that my reasoning is invalid.

 

You not only lack sufficient basic knowledge and know-how in this area, but you're also being completely illogical.

 

Nevetheless, from about two years BEFORE you joined our community here, we've come to the realization that the "plug-and-play" kits work plenty well enough in our BL/BP's projector low-beam assemblies (with further glare control to be had through manipulation of the cut-off shield - typically requiring removal of the headlamp housing, total, from the vehicle, but with the procedure capable of being completed without the need to physically open the headlamp housing), and that given a careful eye to headlamp aim, glare to oncoming vehicles should not be a concern.

 

I've repeatedly pointed out this fact, and yet, you repeatedly try to make it seem as if myself and others are somehow trying to bury it.

 

Yes, technically, they're "illegal" for highway usage. Actually, they're simply not "D.O.T. approved" which isn't quite the same thing as "illegal". "Illegal" is murdering someone, cheating on your taxes - or making moonshine.

 

"Non-DOT approved" means the same Washington, DC idiots that make our laws simply haven't kept up with the latest in lighting technology. (They're too busy trying to figure out how to pull the wool over your eyes and tax American citizens to pay for health-care for illegals!)

No.

 

Illegal is illegal.

 

Illegal is 1+ MPH over the speed limit.

 

Illegal is taking out a cat. or two to "go 'Stage II.'"

 

We're all big boys and girls here - there's no need to try to justify things by saying that it's a little less harmful than just a little rape, just a little murder.

 

Yes, aimed inaccurately, you WILL BE a nuisance to on-coming traffic.

This is true with *ANY* type of vehicle-forward lighting, regardless of incandescent-halogen, HID, or LED.

 

As to this so-called "illegal" mumbo-jumbo someone is bound to post - consider the source and the facts: I've NEVER known ANYONE, ANYWHERE to be stopped for having "too bright" headlighting.

Again, that's just you, in the area you live in.

 

Here in Metro-Cleveland, such rules are not only enforced, but sometimes, are used to specifically target/"profile" vehicles and/or drivers.

 

Vehicle lighting codes are more enforced in some areas than in others, and that's a simple fact.

 

Just because you've never been the target of that type of enforcement doesn't mean that others are also exempt.

 

My father smoked for nearly 40 years - and doesn't have lung cancer.

 

Is that also bogus, then?

 

I know guys who have sped - quite a bit - ever since they've gotten their license some two or even three decades ago, and have never received a speeding ticket.

 

So, if you're one of those people, you'd also say that speeding laws are not to be worried about, either, right?

 

Odd colors, yes. Drive with "gangsta purple" and I'll bet you get pulled over in 30-40 seconds.

 

Most of the older vehicles with factory HIDs, if they are still functional, today, are already quite approaching the blue-to-purple coloration, as viewed from *outside* the vehicle.

 

Also, again, depending on where you live, this may not be a concern.

 

Although lighting codes are more strictly enforced in certain of the townships around where I live, there are others that just couldn't care less - and such outlandish "purple" lights don't raise an eyebrow, either.

 

Stick to "pure white" - 5,000K or close - aim them accurately - and you'll NEVER have a problem. I've never been stopped - or even been "second-glanced" by "les gendarmes" - city, county or State Highway Patrol - and I've passed every State-required safety inspection with flying colors. In fact, some law-enforcement buddies of mine have installed them in THEIR vehicles!

Correct - stick with close to "white," close to OEM, between 4300 to 6000K, properly aimed, and you'll typically be good-to-go.

 

But again, don't deceive yourself.

 

"Passing inspection" has nothing to do with legality - it just has to do with the knowledge-level (as well as integrity, in some cases) of your inspecting technician.

 

Here in NE-Ohio, in the emissions-checked counties, "Stage II" Subarus and other tuned vehicle that may lack one or more - or all - of their cats. routinely pass such inspections due to technical incompetence and/or simple bribery.

 

Whatever a "full-retrofit" involves, if that in ANY WAY modifies the stock headlamp housing from the way it was shipped from the factory - i.e. a second owner can't re-install stock incandescent bulbs - I'd never do it. I drive a Subaru; not a rolling Dremel tool experiment.

 

^ Again, this shows your lack of knowledge in this area.

 

BTW, stock-replacement full-lamp-housings are easily had, for any of our Subarus.

 

Looking at the actual illumination point of my "old" 9007 bulbs vs. these hot chihuahua HID plug-ins, it would be hard to measure any discernable difference without totally destroying BOTH bulbs and ... well, that's not an option either.

 

I'll admit it: My simple, unscientific out-swapping of prehistoric incandescent bulbs for these marvelous HIDs may not be dead-perfect - but something that in ANY way modifies the stock lamp housing isn't a very good idea either. I don't like the idea of putting my car - OR ME! - at a "point of no return".

Again, there's never any "point of no return."

 

In just the other thread I'd referenced above, you can see that affordable replacements for your headlamps are readily available.

 

The same is actually now also true for the BL/BP-chassis models.

 

And you don't need to be destructive to get an honest assessment of your vehicle's lighting strengths and weaknesses:

 

http://www.legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php?t=121150

 

^ Just be *honest* with yourself - and you'll see what the weaknesses are.

 

A brighter light source (these killer HID's) from an almost identical point to a stock halogen is simply close enough for me. Yeah, the imperfections in the design of the housing itself *may* be emphasized by applying a brighter lamp but that's just the way the cookie crumbles.

 

Given that it takes 4X the light to illuminate 2X the distance, it's a reasonable trade-off to me.

 

I don't blind my fellow drivers - I've been "flashed" exactly once in about 3 years - and the issue of replacing standard bulbs has pretty much disappeared. With no blazing-hot filament to burn out, I've put this problem behind me. But I do have a spare 55W HID of the same color - amazing 4,800K white - in the trunk just in case ...

 

And that's the point, I guess, I've been trying to get across all along: Other than mounting the damned ballasts in a tight engine compartment - one has to get rather creative! - this is nothing but a simple plug-and-play swap. No muss, no fuss. Simple hand tools - primarily a screwdriver - that we're all familiar with.

 

Didn't have to remove the headlight housing, grind anything, re-shape this ot that ... nothing. Just like taking one shoe off and putting another one on.

 

TSi+WRX, I respect your opinion(s). I do. But I can only surmise you've never actually *seen* my EXACT situation and the results of this wonderful, inexpensive conversion.

 

Well, if this is the case, then how can you say that your plug-and-play experience will translate to that of our BLs/BPs?

 

Let's go back, above, to the part that's highlighted in RED, shall we?

 

See how your reasoning doesn't make sense?

 

If you want to defeat me with that argument, you've defeated yourself, too, no?

 

 

And, once again, you still don't seem to understand.

 

Please re-read what's on this page, the exchanges between you and me:

 

http://www.legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php?t=45991&highlight=scoobiedoobiedoo&page=15

 

Most specifically - http://www.legacygt.com/forums/showpost.php?p=1518298&postcount=215

 

You still don't get it, do you?

 

 

Oh, and current ballasts are much smaller than what they used to be. There should be no problem, at all, fitting them into just about any space in the engine compartment, even ones typically "tight" of today's import vehicles.

 

Sorry, but I don't need to see a whole lot more than I do in the pitch-black of the darkest night. I'm zipping along at the speed limit or a wee bit over and on lo-beams, I've got an incredible field of vision just BATHED in diamond-crystal white light! People keep harping about some odd colors of their after-market halogen or pseudo-HID bulbs and I just can't relate! MY headlighting is **SO** superior to anything that involves a "glowing filament" ... in a fashion, I'm already at a point of "no return" because I'll NEVER drive another car w/o HID bulbs - whether I have to install them myself or not!

You might want to try LEDs, before you think that your HIDs is just "**SO**" superior, and "so today's technology."

 

And again, not all aftermarket halogen bulbs are of odd coloring, and once again, *all* HID bulbs will "blue shift" over the course of time.

 

 

Happy, safe motoring everyone. Remember: If you can't *see* it, you're in danger of hitting it. Safety starts - and ends - by being able to see better in the worst driving conditions and the darkest nights. YOUR safety is on the line; YOU make the call - and it's YOUR car.

Oh, and don't forget, blinding oncoming drivers could be a safety concern, too....

 

And so can having one or another component of your aftermarket HID system malfunction...it's not like that ever happens, though, right?

 

 

You're right - it's your car, it's your safety, you make the call.

 

I just don't like to impose my views on anyone else - I present *all* the choices available, *all* the potential positives and negatives (in as technically accurate of a manner as I can), and I let that other person make the choice for themselves.

Edited September 28, 2009 by TSi+WRX

[TSiWRX]

OK, scoobydoobiedoo, since you just don't seem to understand, let me break this down into simple points.

 

- The BL/BP ('05-'09) Legacy's projector optics are different from that of your '99's reflector/fresnel-lens setup. You cannot compare what you see with what we do.

 

- Supposing that what you say of your current plug-and-play HID setup is true: the fact that your reflector/fresnel-lens setup is capable of, with proper aim, "containing" the HID plug-and-play bulb's light output, and not render unacceptable glare, is due to superior design of the unit, not inferior, as you repeatedly insisted, prior (reference the other cited thread/posts above).

 

- What we see with a plug-and-play HID bulb insertion into the H7-lamp, projector optics of our BL/BPs is an "acceptable" result, with increased lighting capabilities and minimal increase in glare to oncoming traffic, either with or without modification of the cut-off shield. This is something that we've known, as a community, since late-2005/early-2006, and of which there is plenty of pre-existing (and routinely updated) photographic evidence of.

 

- Such plug-and-play fitment, while certainly making for better roadway illumination than the factory incandescent-halogen setup, produces light patterning and throw that is still noticeably inferior to a full-optics retrofit.

 

- Neither the plug-and-play nor the full-optics retrofits are truly "legal."

 

- Whether or not you will pass inspection and/or be cited for such lighting concerns is due in large part to both the knowledge level of the enforcer/inspection technician as well as the prevailing enforcement attitudes towards such modifications (as well as how "outlandish" your particular modification may be, including how "fitting" it is on your vehicle - i.e. an HID system would look less "out-of-sync" on a late model vehicle, than an older vehicle), as much as the actual existence of such laws/codes in your area or the areas which you drive through.

 

Is this clear enough, finally??????

[SubieDoobieDoo]

TSi+WRX, I applaud your campaign to make things perfect in an otherwise imperfect world. Either that or you're simply trying to play God to all of us: Guess what? 1, You're not worh a damn at it and 2, the job is already taken.

 

Next ... try telling everyone YOU'VE never done a *single* thing "illegal" in your life. Not even once - even if by accident.

 

Guess what #2? I say you're a liar. Last person who could make that claim was nailed to a cross more than 2k years ago ...

 

Just because MY Sube is aged BEFORE the advent of modern HID lighting is no reason whatsoever I should have to suffer the intimidation and the discrimination. My OEM lights were little better than a couple of 2 X D-cell flashlights duct-taped to the fenders!

 

I'll be damned if *I'M* gonna settle for that with the hoardes of BMWs, Lexii, Mercedes-Benzes, Infinitis and Acuras whizzing by me and coming at me with headlighting that is SO superior to MINE it pained me to find a simple, inexpensive cure. And I have succeeded beyond MY wildest dreams! And safely so, too!

 

That YOU don't approve is YOUR mental deficiency to deal with. Otherwise, stick a sock in it, pal!!!!

 

All I can figure is you're REALLY what's-his-name - Daniel Stern, is it? - the seller of up-charged incandescent headlight bulbs - and MY posted information is a potential risk to your income stream.

 

I'm sorry if that's the case ... but I thought this forum was for all to exchange ideas and swap information.

 

YOU and your Islamic Taliban-like attitude to squashing all information YOU don't agree with is terribly unflattering.

 

I just checked - again - with a local DOT authority in the county seat of my residence. I showed him EXACTLY what I had installed and told him I'd return in total darkness to show him just how ungodly *bright* they were and reiterated that the carton clearly stated "not U.S. DOT approved for highway use".

 

He looked at me like I was taking YOUR drugs! Ha! Ha! Ha!

 

His simple words of caution: Make sure they're aimed as "politely" as possible and quite simply - "we don't - and can't possibly - enforce what's not really enforceable". He CLEARLY stated that "non-DOT approved" was not - in ANY sense of the wording - construed to mean "illegal". He reminded me that when the authorities mean something is "illegal", you'll know it.

 

He asked me if I'd failed a State-mandated safety test with them. I said "no" and he replied, "well, then I'd say you're good to go!"

 

He reminded me of a late-night accident on an Interstate overpass in the next county a couple of months ago when a couple of kids were street-racing and one clipped 2 people on bicycles - killing a rider and his passenger - severely injuring the other rider for life. The driver was charged with 2 counts of second-degree murder ...

 

He grimly looked at me and said, "Hell, if they'd have had those super-bright lights you describe, maybe those dead people would be alive right now ..."

 

Then ... as an after-thought, he noted that on any given night, there are - statistically-proven - drunks, dopers, mechanically unsound vehicles and assorted other "sins" that ARE against the State and local vehicle codes - that pose a GENUINE danger to everyone!

 

He gave me a wry smile and half-asked, "have you broken a State law? Possibly but I'm not sure what it might be. Besides, do you really think we have the time and resources - with the latest round of State budget cuts - to give a damn about someone who has made a serious improvement to his headlighting and that improvement happens to use "non-DOT approved" equipment? Besides, Benie Madoff scammed investors out of 50 *BILLION* dollars so your little - what shall I call it, "indiscretion" - doesn't even make a blip on the radar ...

 

Then - he asked me for the website where I bought my Apexcone 55Ws.

 

"Gonna report them?" I asked.

 

"Hell no, I just might order a set myself!" he winked ...

[TSiWRX]

TSi+WRX, I applaud your campaign to make things perfect in an otherwise imperfect world. Either that or you're simply trying to play God to all of us: Guess what? 1, You're not worh a damn at it and 2, the job is already taken.

 

Yet again, thank you for the personal insult.

 

Once again, as in the other thread, when you cannot debate the actual topic, you resort to personal insults.

 

Thank you for proving my point, yet again.

 

BTW, I'm not trying to tell *anyone* what to do or what not to do.

 

I put all of the options out there on the table. I list all of the positives and negatives - and then I let the other person decide.

 

You are the one who's trying to impose your view on others, by repeatedly telling only the side of the story you're willing to see.

 

Next ... try telling everyone YOU'VE never done a *single* thing "illegal" in your life. Not even once - even if by accident.

 

Guess what #2? I say you're a liar. Last person who could make that claim was nailed to a cross more than 2k years ago ...

ROFL!!!

 

When have I *ever* said that I've never done anything illegal?

 

Anyone who has read any of my posts in this community or others knows well my involvement in speed-detection countermeasures. Everyone knows well that I'm running "Stage II." Everyone knows that I've done "illegal" lighting modifications, too.

 

I've never been on the high horse, and anyone who has ever read my past posts, in every community I participate in, knows this to be true.

 

I'm simply saying to own up to the fact that illegal is illegal.

 

I've owned up.

 

I've always cowboy'ed up to that fact.

 

Don't try to say that just because you've "passed inspection" or that enforcers have not bothered you about your modifications that you're somehow above this concern.

 

Illegal is illegal, period.

 

Just because MY Sube is aged BEFORE the advent of modern HID lighting is no reason whatsoever I should have to suffer the intimidation and the discrimination. My OEM lights were little better than a couple of 2 X D-cell flashlights duct-taped to the fenders!

 

I'll be damned if *I'M* gonna settle for that with the hoardes of BMWs, Lexii, Mercedes-Benzes, Infinitis and Acuras whizzing by me and coming at me with headlighting that is SO superior to MINE it pained me to find a simple, inexpensive cure. And I have succeeded beyond MY wildest dreams! And safely so, too!

Again, I don't understand why you're feeling this way, at all.

 

I've never looked down on anyone - including you - for your vehicle's lighting deficiency.

 

I've simply tried, REPEATEDLY, to explain where you erred in your thinking.

 

That's all that I've done.

 

I don't understand why you have this inferiority complex.

 

That YOU don't approve is YOUR mental deficiency to deal with. Otherwise, stick a sock in it, pal!!!!

 

All I can figure is you're REALLY what's-his-name - Daniel Stern, is it? - the seller of up-charged incandescent headlight bulbs - and MY posted information is a potential risk to your income stream.

 

I'm sorry if that's the case ... but I thought this forum was for all to exchange ideas and swap information.

 

YOU and your Islamic Taliban-like attitude to squashing all information YOU don't agree with is terribly unflattering.

Again, I thank you for your personal attacks.

 

None of which has any bearing on anything that's being debated here.

 

None of which corrects the fact that you lack basic technical know-how.

 

As for me being Daniel Stern?

 

That's laughable - I'm just a hobbyist hack, he's a true professional. Stern's knowledge and know-how, where it comes to vehicle lighting, surpasses mine by magnitudes. He is a true lighting expert, and he regularly travels to DC to help set policy as an actual subject-matter expert. They call him in, not the other way around:

 

Search the internet some, and you'll find articles from his consultancy to the US DOT/NHTSA, of which those bodies solicited Stern for his opinions as an expert.

 

And, once again, if you've done any homework at all, you'll know that I've - throughout the many automotive-related hobbyist Forums in which I participate - often cited the fact that he does have a vested interest (however small) in propagating the incandescents.

 

Similarly, if you've done any homework at all, you'll know that the last set of incandescent bulbs I've bought (for my wife's '09 Forester XT), with the exception of the low-beam H9 setup that he recommended (I felt I owed him the sale, as he was the one who made the recommendation), were all from other resellers (MaxLumens and PowerBulbs [uK]).

 

Heck, I've even been accused of, by some others, as being "against" Daniel Stern. It's amusing to see that, in your way of thinking, I'm somehow his greatest proponent - or even one and the same person.

 

Any other out-there theories that you'd like to bring into the discussion, to throw it further off-track?

 

And as for me "squashing" information?

 

How have I done so?

 

- I've listed the pros and cons of sticking with the factory-rated halogens.

- I've listed the pros and cons of going with higher-wattage halogen incandescent replacements.

- I've listed the pros and cons of using various "tinted" bulbs.

- I've listed the pros and cons of using an "improper" plug-and-play HID bulb. I've listed the pros and cons of a full-optics HID "retrofit."

- I've listed the pros and cons of utilizing specialized ancillary lighting.

 

I've shared EVERYTHING - in each case, openly debated the good and the bad of EACH setup - and simply asked for the end-user to make up his/her own mind.

 

How is that, in any way, playing favorites with any side of the argument?

 

You're the one who continues to rant and rave about what you think is best, and try to disqualify anything else as second-rate.

 

I just checked - again - with a local DOT authority in the county seat of my residence. I showed him EXACTLY what I had installed and told him I'd return in total darkness to show him just how ungodly *bright* they were and reiterated that the carton clearly stated "not U.S. DOT approved for highway use".

 

He looked at me like I was taking YOUR drugs! Ha! Ha! Ha!

 

His simple words of caution: Make sure they're aimed as "politely" as possible and quite simply - "we don't - and can't possibly - enforce what's not really enforceable". He CLEARLY stated that "non-DOT approved" was not - in ANY sense of the wording - construed to mean "illegal". He reminded me that when the authorities mean something is "illegal", you'll know it.

 

He asked me if I'd failed a State-mandated safety test with them. I said "no" and he replied, "well, then I'd say you're good to go!"

 

He reminded me of a late-night accident on an Interstate overpass in the next county a couple of months ago when a couple of kids were street-racing and one clipped 2 people on bicycles - killing a rider and his passenger - severely injuring the other rider for life. The driver was charged with 2 counts of second-degree murder ...

 

He grimly looked at me and said, "Hell, if they'd have had those super-bright lights you describe, maybe those dead people would be alive right now ..."

 

Then ... as an after-thought, he noted that on any given night, there are - statistically-proven - drunks, dopers, mechanically unsound vehicles and assorted other "sins" that ARE against the State and local vehicle codes - that pose a GENUINE danger to everyone!

 

He gave me a wry smile and half-asked, "have you broken a State law? Possibly but I'm not sure what it might be. Besides, do you really think we have the time and resources - with the latest round of State budget cuts - to give a damn about someone who has made a serious improvement to his headlighting and that improvement happens to use "non-DOT approved" equipment? Besides, Benie Madoff scammed investors out of 50 *BILLION* dollars so your little - what shall I call it, "indiscretion" - doesn't even make a blip on the radar ...

 

Then - he asked me for the website where I bought my Apexcone 55Ws.

 

"Gonna report them?" I asked.

 

"Hell no, I just might order a set myself!" he winked ...

 

First of all, thanks again for the slander - that's really great that you think that anyone who does not agree with you must obviously be "on drugs."

 

Really, I love the personal attacks.

 

Keep them coming. It shows people who you really are.

 

And again, I'm glad that you're taking the time out of your day to talk to your local "authorities."

 

Again, it proves absolutely nothing.

 

Illegal is simply illegal.

 

It doesn't matter how you debate this, it doesn't matter if your locals do not have the knowledge needed to understand why such items are "illegal."

 

It doesn't matter if your locals do not enforce the laws which govern this concern.

 

What matters is that *some* of us do have to watch out for this particular issue - that some of us live in areas where such codes are strictly enforced and thus can create a problem and/or that some of us live in areas where modified or even relatively-unmodified imports may be targeted/profiled, and thus need to watch out for this concern.

 

Like I said in that other thread, we should all be so lucky as to live where you do - where such rules are not enforced.

 

But we don't.

 

This is why I list such concerns.

 

It's not for me to say "oh, it's illegal, don't do it."

 

I speed.

 

I've swung illegal U-turns.

 

I've got two of my three cats. missing (and if it wasn't for my wife, I'd be totally catless).

 

I've got tints on my tail-lights.

 

I've got a not-totally-kosher rear fog setup.

 

I've got higher-than-factory wattage headlamp and fog-lamp bulbs (of which the latter is not "factory" aimed, to compensate for my vehicle's drop).

 

I've got VEIL on my headlamps, and I've got, as my friends like to say, enough active LIDAR jammers to bring down military jets. Hell, even my license plates aren't totally, er....cooperative?

 

I don't debate legality.

 

I simply tell the story as it is, and let others - who are every much the big boys and girls that we are - decide, for themselves, what to do.

 

Now, I'll once again, as I had in the other thread, ask you to refrain from the personal attacks.

 

If you want to prove me wrong with actual science and technical information, I welcome it - it won't be the first time I've been schooled by a fellow hobbyist, and I would truly, as I have always, under such conditions, welcome the education.

 

If you want to continue to sling crap at me on a personal level, know, simply, that you're just showing everyone else here who you are, and what you are about.

 

And once again, here are, as they always have been, the same take-home points:

 

- The BL/BP ('05-'09) Legacy's projector optics are different from that of your '99's reflector/fresnel-lens setup. You cannot compare what you see with what we do.

 

- Supposing that what you say of your current plug-and-play HID setup is true: the fact that your reflector/fresnel-lens setup is capable of, with proper aim, "containing" the HID plug-and-play bulb's light output, and not render unacceptable glare, is due to superior design of the unit, not inferior, as you repeatedly insisted, prior (reference the other cited thread/posts above).

 

- What we see with a plug-and-play HID bulb insertion into the H7-lamp, projector optics of our BL/BPs is an "acceptable" result, with increased lighting capabilities and minimal increase in glare to oncoming traffic, either with or without modification of the cut-off shield. This is something that we've known, as a community, since late-2005/early-2006, and of which there is plenty of pre-existing (and routinely updated) photographic evidence of.

 

- Such plug-and-play fitment, while certainly making for better roadway illumination than the factory incandescent-halogen setup, produces light patterning and throw that is still noticeably inferior to a full-optics retrofit.

 

- Neither the plug-and-play nor the full-optics retrofits are truly "legal."

 

- Whether or not you will pass inspection and/or be cited for such lighting concerns is due in large part to both the knowledge level of the enforcer/inspection technician as well as the prevailing enforcement attitudes towards such modifications (as well as how "outlandish" your particular modification may be, including how "fitting" it is on your vehicle - i.e. an HID system would look less "out-of-sync" on a late model vehicle, than an older vehicle), as much as the actual existence of such laws/codes in your area or the areas which you drive through.

Edited September 29, 2009 by TSi+WRX

[tjbev21]

anyone have a link to replacing the side mirror signal light?

[Windy Road]

anyone have a link to replacing the side mirror signal light?

 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v326/StevenCole/Sidemarker.jpg

 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v326/StevenCole/Sidemarker2.jpg

 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v326/StevenCole/Sidemarker3.jpg

[tjbev21]

thank ya sir my owners manual is back in stl

[jxjjang]

anyone know the bulb type that illuminates the window behind the ash tray?

[TSiWRX]

thank ya sir my owners manual is back in stl

 

^ I don't believe you'll find the above, in the Owners Manual.

 

Why?

 

Because that comes from the factory Service Manual. Search "Vacation Pics" or "Vacation Pix" or "Vacation Pictures," and you should find, still, a viable download link. There should also be a parts-catalog, associated with that, too, and it's also worth the download.

[tjbev21]

why thank you... so the above is like a helms or summin?

[TSiWRX]

^ I don't think so - AFAIK (which isn't much, BTW, I'm a tech lightweight ), it's the actual Subaru Service Manual.

[tjbev21]

lmao... yea basically the same thing...

[tjbev21]

anyone got the bulb size?

[TSiWRX]

^ You mean for the LEDs, for the mirror turn signal panel/array?

 

I honestly don't know that anyone knows, or has attempted a single-diode repair. IIRC/AFAIK, it's replaced as a full unit....

 

lmao... yea basically the same thing...

 

^ Ah! I didn't realize that the Helm's was that complete - until I realized, upon a second look at the website after you'd mentioned it, that Helm offers access to the authorized, factory, manuals. I thought it was like a Haynes, or something of that sort!

 

Still, the "Vacation Pix" are completely free.

Edited November 29, 2009 by TSi+WRX

[tjbev21]

no i was looking to change the side mirror turn signal bulb color to match my turn sigs on my headlights...(they're cleared and blacked out with clear sylvania silverstar bulbs) so they are more on the white side so i was lookin to switch the amber/yellowish turns to the white-ish sylvanias, but i didnt realize they were leds so i guess im SOL huh lol

[TSiWRX]

^ I don't know that you're SOL. Just that no-one has done it here, before, to the best of my knowledge.

 

If you're electronically savvy, I think it may be well worth the look.

 

Just be careful that you don't have too many "white" flashing light elements on your car - be sure that your local enforcers don't take unkindly to those modifications, and I'd also carry a set of amber overlays with you on interstate road-trips, just-in-case.

 

Our local enforcers seem to be much more strict on rear-of-vehicle lighting (i.e. "red-by-sight," even though there's no such ordinance on the books), and typically ignore what's going on at the front of the vehicle, unless it's strobing blues.

[tjbev21]

you know what i think im going to do..

 

switchback leds in the headlights.. you familiar?

[TSiWRX]

???? Please clarify?

[tjbev21]

its a led bulb that replaces our turn signal bulb in our headlight (3157) i believe... and basically when you turn the parking lights on the bulbs are a hyper white (to match 6k hid's) but when you turn on your turn signal they flash amber..

[TSiWRX]

^ Ah, gotcha.

 

Have a look around in the Forums here - someone did just that only a short while ago!

[TSiWRX]

http://www.legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php?t=114148&highlight=LED+turn

 

^ Made it easy for ya.

[tjbev21]

i was just skimmin that thread... lol