Low beam bulb type for 2003 C4S

[xxaarraa]

Hey guys,

I searched and some hits said the low beam is a D1S bulb, but I also found some hits for H11? Can anyone confirm what type of low beam bulbs are in a 2003 C4S?

I have the projector lamps, but they don't seem to be HIDs. Did the 03's not come with HIDs? I want to put in a plug and play HID kit (bulbs and ballasts) - have done this on my motorcycle and truck (both came with projectors from factory) and have been very happy.

Thanks in advance,

.

[BAD124]

I am in the same situation. From the pics I found online of replacement bulbs they look to be D2s. If I cant confirm I will pull mine out and verify

[xxaarraa]

I am in the same situation. From the pics I found online of replacement bulbs they look to be D2s. If I cant confirm I will pull mine out and verify

I'd be very interested to hear what you find/verify. Still no answer on my end.

[Loren]

Does your car have option 601 (Bi-Xenon Lamps) or standard Halogen lamps?

[xxaarraa]

Does your car have option 601 (Bi-Xenon Lamps) or standard Halogen lamps?

I will look at my window sticker today Loren, but I am fairly sure it's the standard halogen lamps.

Here's what I got (bulb on left is stock bulb, bulb on right is the HID kit bulb):

Here's my bulb holder:

Full headlight (does have projector lenses):

Edited November 4, 2013 by xxaarraa

[roadsession]

You DEFINITELY have halogen lamps...(not HID).

Go here: https://www.sylvania.com/en-us/applications/automotive-lighting-systems/Pages/lrgmain.aspx and select halogen (NON HID) as the option)

(Btw one of the first C4S i've seen w/out HID - didn't know they even sold any w/out Xenon HID for a $100K+ car!!!)

Edited November 4, 2013 by roadsession

[xxaarraa]

You DEFINITELY have halogen lamps...(not HID).

Go here: https://www.sylvania.com/en-us/applications/automotive-lighting-systems/Pages/lrgmain.aspx and select halogen (NON HID) as the option)

(Btw one of the first C4S i've seen w/out HID - didn't know they even sold any w/out Xenon HID for a $100K+ car!!!)

Oh please, don't even get me started. Porsche sold (and continue to sell) plenty of $100k cars without a rear windscreen wiper or power seats or BT. I think the air inside the cabin was an option :)

Thanks for the link. The link says I have an "H7" does that sound right?

Edited November 4, 2013 by xxaarraa

[roadsession]

You DEFINITELY have halogen lamps...(not HID).

Go here: https://www.sylvania.com/en-us/applications/automotive-lighting-systems/Pages/lrgmain.aspx and select halogen (NON HID) as the option)

(Btw one of the first C4S i've seen w/out HID - didn't know they even sold any w/out Xenon HID for a $100K+ car!!!)

Oh please, don't even get me started. Porsche sold (and continue to sell) plenty of $100k cars without a rear windscreen wiper or power seats or BT. I think the air inside the cabin was an option :)

Thanks for the link. The link says I have an "H7" does that sound right?

Yes. H7.

BTW if you want the absolute best Halogen bulbs, I recommend this site. http://www.powerbulbs.com/us/blog/2013/10/auto-express-2013-bulb-test-winners

The Europeans take lighting more seriously than here - and they test these bulbs...I've ordered from this site before - shipping to US is free.

Edited November 4, 2013 by roadsession

[Loren]

Yes, H7 is a halogen bulb for the headlights.

[xxaarraa]

Loren and roadsession, just to clarify, if I want to order an HID kit (bulbs, ignitors and ballasts), I have to get the H7 type bulbs correct? When you say "H7 is a halogen bulb", I want to make sure it also applies to the HID bulb.

[Loren]

Different color light and different power (wattage).

Be careful here inside a plastic housing -- too high a wattage will melt plastic or discolor it.

I would stick close to the stock wattage (in your Owners Manual).

[xxaarraa]

Different color light and different power (wattage).

Be careful here inside a plastic housing -- too high a wattage will melt plastic or discolor it.

I would stick close to the stock wattage (in your Owners Manual).

Thanks for the tip, will do. Stock should be 55W, and color temperature equivalent of about 3000 Kelvin correct?

Upon reviewing the website roadsession linked to in his post above, I may experiment with one of the Phillips BlueVision or X-treme Vision bulbs. That website's price seems reasonable, however, Amazon seems to carry some of the same Philips H7 bulbs for half the price.

Edited November 5, 2013 by xxaarraa

[BAD124]

3000K is yellow, like you would find in a fog light.

OEM HID's are 4300K which is the whitest color range. 6000K will start to look blue and 12000K is purple.

The further away from 4300K you get, output decreases.

There is a great article on DSL that covers this - http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/bulbs/superwhite/superwhite.html

Why not upgrade to HID though? Quality bulbs will cost almost as much as a full conversion anyways:

http://www.theretrofitsource.com/product_info.php?products_id=3893

Edited November 6, 2013 by BAD124

[BAD124]

Confirmed: Stock HID bulb is D2s

Edited November 10, 2013 by BAD124

[roadsession]

Why not upgrade to HID though? Quality bulbs will cost almost as much as a full conversion anyways:

http://www.theretrofitsource.com/product_info.php?products_id=38

Many European cars since the late 80's came with halogen lights under projector lens setups.

Although some people have done the conversion of those halogen projectors to HID, some say it's really not ideal (and in Europe the car would automatically fail inspection).

The reason that it fails inspection in Europe is because the halogen projector capsule is a different design than an HID projector capsule - even though it looks cosmetically similar. Also the halogen projectors weren't required to have self-leveling motors - whereas HID projectors have self leveling systems that dip the lens in accordance to sensors on the front suspension.

If I were stuck with halogen projectors as the original poster is, I'd pop in high quality halogen H7 bulbs and call it a day....