[sandyscamper]

I own a 98 Subaru Outback I recently purchased. The headlights are dull
at night. Better at high beam than low beam. I tried cleaning the lights with
some cleaning stuff but still have the issue. Can headlights get dim over a period of time? I am thinking about replacing the bulbs first before replacing
the whole headlight itself to see if this makes a difference. Any input
appreciated.

 

[Novablue]

Is the lens still clear?

Video: How to Restore a Plastic Headlight Lens | eHow.com

 

[dryvby]

Yes, the bulbs will dim over time.

 

[1 Lucky Texan]

check Daniel Stern Lighting Consultancy and Supply for some info about bulbs.

I just installed some Narva +50 in our 03 and they are nice. Seem brighter than stock - hope they last.


you might also pull connectors apart, maybe spray them with electronic cleaner, reconnect them and smear a little dielectric grease around the mating surface of the plastic connector to help keep moisture out. maybe tighten-up/refresh ground connections too.

 

[Bigcee]

Yep, how does the housing look internally? Especially the reflective surface of the parabola? Any condensation?

 

[97Legowagn]

check Daniel Stern Lighting Consultancy and Supply for some info about bulbs.

I just installed some Narva +50 in our 03 and they are nice. Seem brighter than stock - hope they last.


you might also pull connectors apart, maybe spray them with electronic cleaner, reconnect them and smear a little dielectric grease around the mating surface of the plastic connector to help keep moisture out. maybe tighten-up/refresh ground connections too.

Those Narva bulbs are great in H3. I ran them for fog in my SVX, along with the Toshiba HIR1 bulbs for low beams At

Currently running Hella High Performance Xenon blue 100w/80w bulbs in the OB. Best bang for the buck honestly, $30 with a 1 year warranty and a whiter light. With the stock 9006 fog bulbs and these on low beam, I get people flashing me to turn my lights down occasionally My next step is to install some Hella FF500 driving lamps in the stock fog locale, or if possible fab/alter a light bar on the top of the front bumper and mount there, to install FF500 fogs in stock location

To the OP: You have a PM. I may be able to help you out with your problem. Auto lighting is one of my niche's, and I'm good friends with the guys that run one of the largest East coast warehousing distributors for Hella, and I'm 99% certain they'd be willing to offer a club discount to forum members who order.. Most times the lights fade due to oxidation on the outer lenses. But the bulbs themselves can become weak over time, usually towards the end of their life. Which is no surprise considering what extremes the bulbs endure.

One more thing to try if you do what Tex said above regarding dielectric grease, etc. is to take some sand paper to the terminals on the back of the bulb. These should be 9003/HB2, similar to my 97. DO NOT touch the glass on the bulb though, and if you do happen to accidentally touch it, make sure to wipe the glass off thoroughly with rubbing alcohol before reinstalling.

 

[1 Lucky Texan]

Hella 500s in my fog slots would be cool. i think kartboy (maybe someone else) makes a bracket too.

we only get 1 or 2 or 3 mornings of fog here - but we get as much night as everyone else lol!

 

[97Legowagn]

AFAIK FF500's are a direct replacement for stock fog lamps, with no custom bracketry necessary. Haven't really dug into it much or looked to see, since I don't have the disposable $80 for the kit

Also planning on Supertones in the near future, since someone removed one of the 2 factory horn discs and it sounds like crap. Plus with the amount of wildlife around here....

But I digress, so as to not get off topic to much

 

[sandyscamper]

Update: I just replaced the bulbs and whoever had the car before me had two different bulbs in the front, so I am hoping this will make a difference. Testing it out after dark. These new bulbs are suppose to be brighter for night driving. we shall see.