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Recently I noticed the white front marker lamps on my 2011 xB had a yellowish tint to them, especially when compared to my puddle lamp LEDs. Also I noticed the headlamps had a yellowish tint too. So I decided to do something about it.
(This mod took place in mid July 2012. Click on any image to expand it.)
I did some shopping on Amazon and found these Philips H11 CrystalVision Ultra Xenon 55 watt halogen bulbs. They cast a very white light (color temperature of up to 4000 K) and are a direct H11 replacement.
I also went on eBay and found these T10 style LED bulbs. They use five 5050 type LEDs and are quite bright.
Here are the bulbs unpacked and compared: OEM on the left, new on the right. Note the Philips H11 bulb has a slight blue tint.
Installation is as easy as opening the hood, finding the bulb socket, and turning it counterclockwise. When installing the H11 bulb, be careful not to touch the glass, or the oil from your skin may lead to premature failure. The LED bulbs only light up if installed the right way, so if it doesen't work at first, reverse it.
Here is a picture of the driver's side with the new bulbs installed.
Here is the passenger side, still with the OEM bulbs.
Comparison of appearance: upgrade on driver's side, OEM on passenger side.
Comparison of color as projected onto a garage door: upgrade on the left, OEM on the right.
All in all, a pretty simple, plug-and-play upgrade, for a total of less than $35.
UPDATE: the life of the Phillips bulbs is somewhat disappointing. As of November 2019 I've gone to these LED bulbs (unfortunately the fanless version that I have is apparently no longer available):
which are available on Amazon for about $40 a pair. They produce a clean white 6500K light with well defined cutoff and a bit better brightness compared to the Phillips bulbs. They only draw 25 watts. Well worth the money!
Next: Light Frenzy 2
You can send your questions or comments to BrickPig2011xb@gmail.com
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