DB7 conversion to Xenon lights
Discussion
In the topic that you started on this subject last week:
VirginiaUSA said:
It's a very sensible upgrade. 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.
andVirginiaUSA said:
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.
Also there is a full explanation of how to install xenons available on AMOC forum in a members' only section.Edited by AstonZagato on Friday 22 June 10:25
Yeah, I know that I started it last week, but bearing in mind the cost of the installation and the fact that the installer** won't guarantee either his work or the bulbs, I really want MORE feedback. There is little point in spending hundreds of quid for either little improvement or bulbs that go POP after two weeks.
SLB
SLB
- even the installer is unhappy to undertake the Xenon conversion in the absence of more feedback, which is what prompted me to email this forum again.
Hi Virginia USA,
Amigo, at my age I'd need all of that lot, PLUS a brace of safety pins to keep my trousers up !....................not only that, but at my age they don't get to come off too often either !!
Seriously, although I have had high performance cars for over thirty years, I am still a cautious driver, and the one area where I have concerns about my driving is when driving at high speed at night. This may be because batting along a French B road at high speed last year late at night on my way to Le Mans for the 34 Hour Race, and in my 911 ( equipped with Litronics, albeit not adjusted for French roads ! ) I felt a Godawful bump and the car leapt about a foot into the air. "F--K !!!",-- I thought that I might have hit a Frenchman, but not finding either a bike or a string of onions adorning the front of my car,nor the aroma of garlic in the air, I turned around and drove back. I had driven straight across a French roundabout ! So, compadre, the best lights I can get are what I want, but if, as would seem to be the case, these are likely to be Xenons, then I need to research as much as possible, if only because my local DB specialist admits to not having enough experience of them to be happy to fit them !
Ciao !
Amigo, at my age I'd need all of that lot, PLUS a brace of safety pins to keep my trousers up !....................not only that, but at my age they don't get to come off too often either !!
Seriously, although I have had high performance cars for over thirty years, I am still a cautious driver, and the one area where I have concerns about my driving is when driving at high speed at night. This may be because batting along a French B road at high speed last year late at night on my way to Le Mans for the 34 Hour Race, and in my 911 ( equipped with Litronics, albeit not adjusted for French roads ! ) I felt a Godawful bump and the car leapt about a foot into the air. "F--K !!!",-- I thought that I might have hit a Frenchman, but not finding either a bike or a string of onions adorning the front of my car,nor the aroma of garlic in the air, I turned around and drove back. I had driven straight across a French roundabout ! So, compadre, the best lights I can get are what I want, but if, as would seem to be the case, these are likely to be Xenons, then I need to research as much as possible, if only because my local DB specialist admits to not having enough experience of them to be happy to fit them !
Ciao !
V8LM said:
SLB said:
As for the AMOC members section, I am unable to access it.
If you are a member then why not?Who is the installer? What guarantees do you want of him?
I've seen pictures of a DB7 with a full HID kit added and there is a significant improvement.
I don't think that I should name the installer, other than to say that they are synonymous with DB7's.
If I get an installer to fit a CD player in my car, even if it might only cost a couple of hundred quid, I would expect some sort of a guarantee, not just for the unit but also his installation - why should it be any different with the supply and fit of what might not just a pair of bulbs, but also could be any other electrical kit that might be required (especially in the case of Xenons ), such as transformers, rectifiers,transistors,printed circuit boards, dynamos, and cat's bleeding whiskers, for all I care.
Mind you, I may just be a tad old fashioned in expecting such a thing as a guarantee, but that is why I asked the question.
Cheers,
SLB
SLB said:
I have already been banned from accessing their website
Oh dear. Have you been naughty? 
I'm sure any installer worth their weight will give some guarantee/warranty of their work. What I doubt they will do is guarantee a certain level of improvement as this is subjective, or cannot guarantee that the change away from original spec will not affect something else (if, say, brighter bulbs with more UV emission cause premature discolouration of the lens).
steve lyden brow said:
Hi Virginia USA,
Amigo, at my age I'd need all of that lot, PLUS a brace of safety pins to keep my trousers up !....................not only that, but at my age they don't get to come off too often either !!
Seriously, although I have had high performance cars for over thirty years, I am still a cautious driver, and the one area where I have concerns about my driving is when driving at high speed at night. This may be because batting along a French B road at high speed last year late at night on my way to Le Mans for the 34 Hour Race, and in my 911 ( equipped with Litronics, albeit not adjusted for French roads ! ) I felt a Godawful bump and the car leapt about a foot into the air. "F--K !!!",-- I thought that I might have hit a Frenchman, but not finding either a bike or a string of onions adorning the front of my car,nor the aroma of garlic in the air, I turned around and drove back. I had driven straight across a French roundabout ! So, compadre, the best lights I can get are what I want, but if, as would seem to be the case, these are likely to be Xenons, then I need to research as much as possible, if only because my local DB specialist admits to not having enough experience of them to be happy to fit them !
Ciao !
Har, made me laugh. Sobering to have your car launched in the air, it's an experience that definitely leaves an impression for a while. I can't speak from an ownership perspective on having the xenon kits, but have had extensive discussions with one owner who ahd it done. He was experiencing the age related loss of being able to discern details within shadows and dark areas "blocking up". Having the same issue for the same reason, and lasik adding a bit to that, I have the same concern. The owner had hi/low beams converted to xenon and the fog lamps as well. He's thrilled with the result and now drives at night with complete confidence. There haven't been a lot of 7's with xenon conversions, I'd be wary of anyone claiming in-depth experience with doing the work. Not hugely complicated, AFAIK, they'd have to find the best place to mount the box and be clear on the wire path. You may need to extend a bit of faith towards the installer.Amigo, at my age I'd need all of that lot, PLUS a brace of safety pins to keep my trousers up !....................not only that, but at my age they don't get to come off too often either !!
Seriously, although I have had high performance cars for over thirty years, I am still a cautious driver, and the one area where I have concerns about my driving is when driving at high speed at night. This may be because batting along a French B road at high speed last year late at night on my way to Le Mans for the 34 Hour Race, and in my 911 ( equipped with Litronics, albeit not adjusted for French roads ! ) I felt a Godawful bump and the car leapt about a foot into the air. "F--K !!!",-- I thought that I might have hit a Frenchman, but not finding either a bike or a string of onions adorning the front of my car,nor the aroma of garlic in the air, I turned around and drove back. I had driven straight across a French roundabout ! So, compadre, the best lights I can get are what I want, but if, as would seem to be the case, these are likely to be Xenons, then I need to research as much as possible, if only because my local DB specialist admits to not having enough experience of them to be happy to fit them !
Ciao !
Edited by VirginiaUSA on Monday 25th June 04:57
Absolutment ! I entirely agree with what you say about having confidence in the intended installer ( who, in terms of DB7's are synonymous with them ! ), the only trouble is that they themselves are reluctant to make the conversion in the absence of any great experience in having done so. This means, of course, compadre, that I am just a bit stymied here, since an absence of experience is never going to be overcomes by an unwillingness to acquire it !
Whilst on the subject of modifications aimed at coping with French roads, another thing I have always had done to my cars is to substatially upgrade the horn and to fit a supplementary horn button near the passenger seat. This is because the average French driver is quite happy to bumble along at the rear of a line of traffic..............that is until he see's a Brit. car come up behind him. He will then risk killing himself, his wife, his aged parents, his children, and fifteen members of his local snail hunting club, if he thinks he can get his 20 year old Renault Espace past all the traffic solely to leave the Brit. behind. It matters not that I'm driving an Aston, a 911 or a Ferrari, he will still want to get in front first. So at the merest sign of their being a tiny gap in the traffic ( one that he stands not a snowballs chance in getting through, but one that I can blast by in nanoseconds ), he will come snorting out desperately trying to wheeze his way past. Of course, with me watching front, back and sideways, working the gears, flicking on the indicators, flashing my lights, and squeezing my sphincter, it comes along pretty handy if I can get the Missus to kick in that extra horn button and give the Frog an earshattering blast of "La Cucaracha" one me three pipe airhorns !! It may not do much for the "Entente Cordiale" (as if I give a s--t ! ), but by Gum it surely does get the Frogs out from under me !
Cheers,
SLB
Whilst on the subject of modifications aimed at coping with French roads, another thing I have always had done to my cars is to substatially upgrade the horn and to fit a supplementary horn button near the passenger seat. This is because the average French driver is quite happy to bumble along at the rear of a line of traffic..............that is until he see's a Brit. car come up behind him. He will then risk killing himself, his wife, his aged parents, his children, and fifteen members of his local snail hunting club, if he thinks he can get his 20 year old Renault Espace past all the traffic solely to leave the Brit. behind. It matters not that I'm driving an Aston, a 911 or a Ferrari, he will still want to get in front first. So at the merest sign of their being a tiny gap in the traffic ( one that he stands not a snowballs chance in getting through, but one that I can blast by in nanoseconds ), he will come snorting out desperately trying to wheeze his way past. Of course, with me watching front, back and sideways, working the gears, flicking on the indicators, flashing my lights, and squeezing my sphincter, it comes along pretty handy if I can get the Missus to kick in that extra horn button and give the Frog an earshattering blast of "La Cucaracha" one me three pipe airhorns !! It may not do much for the "Entente Cordiale" (as if I give a s--t ! ), but by Gum it surely does get the Frogs out from under me !
Cheers,
SLB
V8LM said:
SLB said:
I have already been banned from accessing their website
Oh dear. Have you been naughty? I'm sure any installer worth their weight will give some guarantee/warranty of their work. What I doubt they will do is guarantee a certain level of improvement as this is subjective, or cannot guarantee that the change away from original spec will not affect something else (if, say, brighter bulbs with more UV emission cause premature discolouration of the lens).
I was banned from the AMOC website since they don't like anyone who is critical of Aston dealers. I'm not talking of the pukka dealer network, but one cannot even criticise those blokes who sell a few Astons from their back garden. Frankly, it is obvious to me that somewhere money changes hands since my critique was very valid yet the Moderator was the first to try and contradict me and quickly pulled the plug on me without ANY advice or notice when I persisted. I was also critical of just how useless and unhelpful their forum is and that it was pointless submitting a query such as this one (re DB7 lights conversion ) since all one could expect would be a few stupid and sarcastic comments from then. All things considered, apart from the fact that comments such as this in this forum are reported to the AMOC by a reader, this forum is 10 times more helpful and 50 times more friendly !
Some very serious comments there, SLB.This is not my perception of the AMOC forum,which has extensive references to individual specialists and authorised agents alike.I cannot identify who might be profitting financially from that.The only benefit is to the owners who get a spherical view of all things Aston Martin.
I'd be very interested to read the views of other AMOC forum members on this.
I'd be very interested to read the views of other AMOC forum members on this.
SLB said:
it is obvious to me that somewhere money changes hands since my critique was very valid yet the Moderator was the first to try and contradict me and quickly pulled the plug on me without ANY advice or notice when I persisted.
Interesting comment, but surely every one of the "blokes who sell a few Astons from their back garden" can't be paying them? Did you post on there, or were they all removed? I can't see anything under your name.Your experience with the AMOC forum is way different to mine. If it weren't for the helpful comments and support I received I would now be driving (or rather trying to sell) a Ferrari 456.
This is a useful thread on there: http://www.amoc.org/forum/index.php?topic=2964.0
Edited by V8LM on Tuesday 26th June 23:15
As a representative of the garage which is "synonymous with the DB7" i would like to mention that we always guarantee our workmanship.
We cannot categorically state that the upgrade bulbs will provide a 50% increase, this is based purely on the literature of the manufacturer however we have heard nothing other than positive comments from our valued customers.
Neither can we say how much life should be expected from a bulb as this varies depending on how often the headlights are used and how the bulb is handled upon fitment.
For information, the price we quote includes a headlamp alignment check. Also, please bear in mind that the first part of labour required to change bulbs on a DB7 is the removal of the front wheels and inner wheel arch liners, beware its not quite as simple as changing the bulb on a Morris Eight! Progress eh!
We cannot categorically state that the upgrade bulbs will provide a 50% increase, this is based purely on the literature of the manufacturer however we have heard nothing other than positive comments from our valued customers.
Neither can we say how much life should be expected from a bulb as this varies depending on how often the headlights are used and how the bulb is handled upon fitment.
For information, the price we quote includes a headlamp alignment check. Also, please bear in mind that the first part of labour required to change bulbs on a DB7 is the removal of the front wheels and inner wheel arch liners, beware its not quite as simple as changing the bulb on a Morris Eight! Progress eh!
AMpilot said:
Some very serious comments there, SLB.This is not my perception of the AMOC forum,which has extensive references to individual specialists and authorised agents alike.I cannot identify who might be profitting financially from that.The only benefit is to the owners who get a spherical view of all things Aston Martin.
I'd be very interested to read the views of other AMOC forum members on this.
Oh Christ, now the AMOC will get me banned from this bloody website as well ! Sure my comments are serious, but then so is getting banned from a forum without even the slightest chance to either defend oneself or put one's case forward . As it happens, my wife ( who also owns an Aston ) remains the principal member of the AMOC ( but not for much longer once they read these emails, I am sure ! ), I am just banned from their website, which, given that they severely edit comments, ensures that members do NOT get a spherical view of all thing Aston Martin.........only the good things, which both the Club and the Factory (both heavily in bed with one another ! )have a vested interest in ensuring is the case.I'd be very interested to read the views of other AMOC forum members on this.
Silver Lightning said:
As a representative of the garage which is "synonymous with the DB7" i would like to mention that we always guarantee our workmanship.
We cannot categorically state that the upgrade bulbs will provide a 50% increase, this is based purely on the literature of the manufacturer however we have heard nothing other than positive comments from our valued customers.
Neither can we say how much life should be expected from a bulb as this varies depending on how often the headlights are used and how the bulb is handled upon fitment.
For information, the price we quote includes a headlamp alignment check. Also, please bear in mind that the first part of labour required to change bulbs on a DB7 is the removal of the front wheels and inner wheel arch liners, beware its not quite as simple as changing the bulb on a Morris Eight! Progress eh!
Silver Lightning,We cannot categorically state that the upgrade bulbs will provide a 50% increase, this is based purely on the literature of the manufacturer however we have heard nothing other than positive comments from our valued customers.
Neither can we say how much life should be expected from a bulb as this varies depending on how often the headlights are used and how the bulb is handled upon fitment.
For information, the price we quote includes a headlamp alignment check. Also, please bear in mind that the first part of labour required to change bulbs on a DB7 is the removal of the front wheels and inner wheel arch liners, beware its not quite as simple as changing the bulb on a Morris Eight! Progress eh!
One of the questions I put to you was "do you guarantee the bulbs", to which you answered "NO" ! I had hoped that you might also offer some guarantee on the bulbs ( all the more so since, as you say, bulb life is greatly influenced by how the bulbs are handled upon fitment - a factor that I would have hoped a thoroughly professional business like yours would have taken great care to ensure was the case i.e. proper handling of the bulb ), but you saw fit NOT to offer this guarantee either, something which does not give the impression that the bulbs ARE handled properly upon fitment. Insofar as NOT offering a guarantee since use of the lights may greatly influence their life, my car is insured for only 2500 miles per annum, virtually none of which is in darkness !
I can't see that anyone over there would or could make money on referrals for a few reasons. The contributors are savvy enough that they’d pillory anyone trying to do so as soon as they learned of it. There would have to be enough greed to compromise ethics for a few quid; the lure’s just not strong enough. Aston owners don’t, by and large, work for hourly wages. Dealer and Service recommendations are made carefully based on good experiences over time.
There’s some merit in the observation that the AMOC forum doesn’t tolerate criticism very well these days. Edgy, cutting or harsh posts tend to disappear, but carefully worded posts with the same meaning are allowed to stay. A corporate face is in place even if the club and the brand aren't formally tied together.
As for those people being helpful, the response you get will often be based on how you approached a subject.
There’s some merit in the observation that the AMOC forum doesn’t tolerate criticism very well these days. Edgy, cutting or harsh posts tend to disappear, but carefully worded posts with the same meaning are allowed to stay. A corporate face is in place even if the club and the brand aren't formally tied together.
As for those people being helpful, the response you get will often be based on how you approached a subject.
I am a moderator on part of the AMOC board and I can clarify a few things:
Firstly, no-one is currently banned, so you cannot be. People have been "sin-binned" in the past for trying to conduct petty squabbles on the forum but as long as they apologise and play nice, they are allowed back. No-one is currently in the sin-bin. People have had their log-in cancelled if they do not have a valid email address or multiple log-ins (we want to avoid spam and trolling) - and I am pretty sure that you fit into one of these categories. In fact from your style of post, I can zero in on a couple of your previous log-ins there - which were cancelled because the emails requesting clarification of which log-in you wanted were unanswered. If you provided the Webmaster with the appopriate information, I'm sure your log-in would work. The forum admin have no beef with anyone, though (if I have identified you correctly) one of your past piscine incarnations wound up the forum regulars no end.
Secondly, the only reasons that I have edited posts as a moderator is when they pose a legal risk to the club (i.e. they could represent libel), when they are insulting or when they are pornographic/spam. I have no regard to what Aston Martin think - if someone wants to write about reliability problems on their new car, they are free to do so (and a quick glance at the AMOC forum will confirm that). Rants on poor dealer service do sometimes edge toward the libellous (that sort of thing makes people emotional and only one side of the story is being told), and I will freely admit that I have, in the past, intervened. However, it is accepted practice for all Mods there to send an email or PM explaining why their post has been edited (though of course, if you don't read that email or PM, the nuance will be lost).
Finally, I am not aware of any financial incentive for the club from third parties. If you are suggesting that the moderators are creaming something off, then that is also laughable (and probably actionable).
Firstly, no-one is currently banned, so you cannot be. People have been "sin-binned" in the past for trying to conduct petty squabbles on the forum but as long as they apologise and play nice, they are allowed back. No-one is currently in the sin-bin. People have had their log-in cancelled if they do not have a valid email address or multiple log-ins (we want to avoid spam and trolling) - and I am pretty sure that you fit into one of these categories. In fact from your style of post, I can zero in on a couple of your previous log-ins there - which were cancelled because the emails requesting clarification of which log-in you wanted were unanswered. If you provided the Webmaster with the appopriate information, I'm sure your log-in would work. The forum admin have no beef with anyone, though (if I have identified you correctly) one of your past piscine incarnations wound up the forum regulars no end.
Secondly, the only reasons that I have edited posts as a moderator is when they pose a legal risk to the club (i.e. they could represent libel), when they are insulting or when they are pornographic/spam. I have no regard to what Aston Martin think - if someone wants to write about reliability problems on their new car, they are free to do so (and a quick glance at the AMOC forum will confirm that). Rants on poor dealer service do sometimes edge toward the libellous (that sort of thing makes people emotional and only one side of the story is being told), and I will freely admit that I have, in the past, intervened. However, it is accepted practice for all Mods there to send an email or PM explaining why their post has been edited (though of course, if you don't read that email or PM, the nuance will be lost).
Finally, I am not aware of any financial incentive for the club from third parties. If you are suggesting that the moderators are creaming something off, then that is also laughable (and probably actionable).
Edited by AstonZagato on Thursday 28th June 09:32
VirginiaUSA said:
I can't see that anyone over there would or could make money on referrals for a few reasons. The contributors are savvy enough that they’d pillory anyone trying to do so as soon as they learned of it. There would have to be enough greed to compromise ethics for a few quid; the lure’s just not strong enough. Aston owners don’t, by and large, work for hourly wages. Dealer and Service recommendations are made carefully based on good experiences over time.
There’s some merit in the observation that the AMOC forum doesn’t tolerate criticism very well these days. Edgy, cutting or harsh posts tend to disappear, but carefully worded posts with the same meaning are allowed to stay. A corporate face is in place even if the club and the brand aren't formally tied together.
As for those people being helpful, the response you get will often be based on how you approached a subject.
There’s some merit in the observation that the AMOC forum doesn’t tolerate criticism very well these days. Edgy, cutting or harsh posts tend to disappear, but carefully worded posts with the same meaning are allowed to stay. A corporate face is in place even if the club and the brand aren't formally tied together.
As for those people being helpful, the response you get will often be based on how you approached a subject.
- **********************MY REPLY********************************
As you will know from my other posts, I tend to regard forums as a source of knowledge, hopefully leavened by humour, but clearly it is foolish of me to expect others to view them in the same light. Fortunately, it would seem, the contributors to this forum do tend to largely share my view (which is why I enjoy it so much ! ). However, other nameless forums are just so up their own arses and corporate ridden, as to be a place where one expresses a ontroversial comment only at the risk of having the plug pulled on one.
It would seem that the moderator of the AMOC has stated that I am not banned after all. This is a generous gesture, and my love for Astons prompts me to respond in a manner sufficiently civil to give due recognition and respect to that gesture, which is my intention. Other than that, I will continue to participate in and contribute to this forum, where it is possible to do so in a relaxed and comfortable manner.
Cheers,
SLB
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