DB7 bulb upgrade.

[steve lyden brow]

This question may well have been asked before !

Has any one thought it sensible to upgrade their DB7 headlamp bulbs ?

If they have do so can they please advise on the results ?

An upgrade is offered for about £120 plus vat by a firm near me. They replace the existing bulbs of 55 watt with others of the same wattage but are alleged to give 50% extra brightness.
SLB

[VirginiaUSA]

It's a very sensible upgrade. The price quoted seems on the high side. You have a two options: halogen bulbs or a xenon kit. Xenons will burn cooler than halogens but are more expensive. 50% better output for halogens is optimistic, I'd rate it at something like 35% but in any case, it's a significant improvement over the stock bulbs. Xenon kit is the perfect solution IMHO. There are three Xenon kits I know of in the US, running from $800 to around $1300 with the higher priced units having a smaller transformer. Everything can plug into the existing wiring harnesses. Calculate install costs as well, see if the nose cone needs to come off and how much labor is involved. Suggest you contact Chiltern for bulb costs if you go halogen only.

[goodlife]

I got some of these

http://www.astonparts.com/prod2161-h1-philips-visi...

Very good making a big difference, plus a lot less costly than you've been quoted!

[V8LM]

As said above, 50% improvement by changing the bulb is amazing. Have you been promised this? There is quite a bit of traffic on the AMOC forum regarding bulb upgrades in the Bloxham section (although I think you need to be a member to see this).

[V8LM]

There you go - I just read the blurb on the Phillips bulbs posted above "which can offer up to 50% more light on the road than a standard bulb".

[steve lyden brow]

Thanks, guys, I am hugely grateful for your input ! I shall reply to each post independently.
SGL

[steve lyden brow]

Sorry guys, it doesn't seem possible to reply to each mail separately, thus I shall try to cover all in the post below.

I think that the price I was quoted will obviously more due to the labour costs involved ( as I understand it, anything to do with DB7 headlamps is invariably expensive due to the complexity of accessing the units i.e. the bloody nose cone seems to have to come off just to replace a frigging bulb ! ). The bulbs offered me quote UP to 50 % extra light and even the Phillips bulbs mentioned in the websites suggested to me and called "plus 50%" only offer UP to 50% more strength !

As kindly suggested by VirginiaUSA I did contact ChilternDB7 ( they were the firm that I spoke to in the first place ), but despite my asking them they failed to supply details of the bulb type - this, coupled with the fact that they don't guarantee their replacement bulbs ( is it dumb of me to expect a guarantee ?) has stopped me going ahead with them and persuaded me to seek advice from you guys. I am encouraged by your responses and will check out the Bloxham section of the AMOC forum but have not been too impressed with the quality of their responses to other queries from me although the AMOC does read messages posted in this forum and will then respond to criticism.
SLB

[VirginiaUSA]

Mine are H1 bulbs, 55W, 12V, Osram Silverstar part # 448SVS, EEC legal. As a caution, and my memory is fuzzy on this, AM changed the bulb housing diameter from 100mm to 120mm on later DB7 models, around 1999, I believe. Bulbs for your car may have a different part number, but the specs should be the same.

[goodlife]

steve lyden brow said:

as I understand it, anything to do with DB7 headlamps is invariably expensive due to the complexity of accessing the units i.e. the bloody nose cone seems to have to come off just to replace a frigging bulb ! ).

Steve, this is a popular mis-conception. You certainly do NOT need to take the nose cone off, but it is a bit tricky. You need to lightly jack the front corner of the car with the wheels turned on full lock away from the raised corner. Get your torch out and look under the wheel arch roughly behind the lights and you'll find a removable panel giving access to the rear of the light clusters. Once you know what you are doing (as Chiltern should) it's a 8-10 minute job each side.

[steve lyden brow]

The quality of these replies greatly confirms my very high opinion of this forum and I now have more than enough justification for considering making a booking for the job to be done. Perhaps the only area where greater feedback could be required is as to whether or not any upgrade of bulbs does give significantly improved lighting ? The claims of "up to 50% improvement" don't quite seem to cut it ! I suppose that having Xenons in my Alfa and Litronics in my 911, I don't really want to be having to peer squinty eyed through the Astons windscreen when I take it to France and Italy next month for a trip that will require I make some high speed nightime journeys

Cheers,
Steve

[VirginiaUSA]

Halogen bulb upgrades are a no brainer and inexpensive. Do it, you won't regret it. Yes, there's a noticeable difference, they raise illumination from sub par to acceptable but not outstanding. Xenons are ultimately the way to go.