Rich Posted April 23, 2012 Report Share Posted April 23, 2012 Got a few issues with the lights on the Civic....the sidelights are brighter on one side compared to the other, the main beam doesn't seem very bright, they flicker when driving and the motors have stopped working! I want to get some new bulbs...501 and H4 is what I need before I tackle the other issues. I'm suspecting a dodgy ground or battery for the flickering and dim beam. Just wondering what bulbs to go for as these are suppose to be a PITA to change, possibly a bumper off job so want something that lasts. Are these LED bulbs any good or should I stick to Halogen/Xenon bulbs? Can anyone recommend somewhere to buy them from as well, there is so much choice I just don't know where to go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
parthiban Posted April 23, 2012 Report Share Posted April 23, 2012 Got a few issues with the lights on the Civic....the sidelights are brighter on one side compared to the other, the main beam doesn't seem very bright, they flicker when driving and the motors have stopped working! I want to get some new bulbs...501 and H4 is what I need before I tackle the other issues. I'm suspecting a dodgy ground or battery for the flickering and dim beam. Just wondering what bulbs to go for as these are suppose to be a PITA to change, possibly a bumper off job so want something that lasts. Are these LED bulbs any good or should I stick to Halogen/Xenon bulbs? Can anyone recommend somewhere to buy them from as well, there is so much choice I just don't know where to go. Can you even get retrofit LED headlights? They must be ridiculously expensive if you can? (or were you talking about the sidelights?) HID is the best way to go I think. Btw could it be corrosion on the connectors causing the issues you've mentioned? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted April 23, 2012 Author Report Share Posted April 23, 2012 I'm talking about LED bulbs, not the actual headlights, like these I can't be bothered with trying to fit a HID kit TBH. Yes I'm going to check all of the connectors but to remove the headlights and get access I need to remove the battery, water bottle and bumper!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SMARTLY Posted April 23, 2012 Report Share Posted April 23, 2012 First sort out the issues. Likely to be as you said bad earth or duff bulb. If you can swap the bulbs over and see if the problem moves with it Good reviews: +50% Philips X-tremeVision +100% Osram Night Breaker Plus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scorps Posted April 23, 2012 Report Share Posted April 23, 2012 Off rd or for show only...."In some very modern vehicles, this can trigger either a bulb failure message on the dashboard, or cause these LED bulbs to flash intermittently or not work at all". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
parthiban Posted April 23, 2012 Report Share Posted April 23, 2012 Those LED bulbs won't work as headlights, they'll just look like sidelights. Halogens like the ones named above will do a good job but often cost almost as much as HIDs. Sounds like there are some access issues! Seriously though with how simple it is to fit HIDs it really is worth it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted April 23, 2012 Author Report Share Posted April 23, 2012 First sort out the issues. Likely to be as you said bad earth or duff bulb. If you can swap the bulbs over and see if the problem moves with it Good reviews: +50% Philips X-tremeVision +100% Osram Night Breaker Plus I was looking at the Osram, think they're £12 a pair on ebay. 501 bulbs are just a few quid. Off rd or for show only...."In some very modern vehicles, this can trigger either a bulb failure message on the dashboard, or cause these LED bulbs to flash intermittently or not work at all". Didn't see that, forget those then! Those LED bulbs won't work as headlights, they'll just look like sidelights. Halogens like the ones named above will do a good job but often cost almost as much as HIDs. Sounds like there are some access issues! Seriously though with how simple it is to fit HIDs it really is worth it. I have the LED ones for the rear numberplate lights and they look good, I think as side lights they will be fine but wasn't sure about using them for the main. A HID kit for the Civic is £50 and it's plug and play. I thought the MOT had brought out new rules about them though? I've read the beam pattern won't be very good though, the headlights might not be able to cope with them and they'll cause glare. I'm really not sure about them, plus I would have to declare them on the insurance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Funky Posted April 23, 2012 Report Share Posted April 23, 2012 I'll just chuck my 2p worth in. If they do turn out to be a real PITA then i would def go for standard. The high performance bulbs are great but there has to be a compromise somewhere, and this usually means shorter life span. Do you really want to take the bumper off every 12 -18 months? spose it depends how many night time miles you drive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted April 24, 2012 Author Report Share Posted April 24, 2012 I'll just chuck my 2p worth in.If they do turn out to be a real PITA then i would def go for standard. The high performance bulbs are great but there has to be a compromise somewhere, and this usually means shorter life span. Do you really want to take the bumper off every 12 -18 months? spose it depends how many night time miles you drive. TBH I can't really see me fitting HID's anyway. I think I'm gonna get some Osram Nightbreakers and new side lights and replace them all when I clean everything. Cheapest place for them is eBay but I'm abit worried about ending up with some fakes. Although there is also Amazon - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Osram-Night-Breake...3308&sr=8-1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted April 24, 2012 Author Report Share Posted April 24, 2012 Just ordered some Nightbreaker Plus and also some Osram 501 bulbs. I'll clean the ground points before fitting though to see what that does. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
parthiban Posted April 24, 2012 Report Share Posted April 24, 2012 Those high performance bulbs are pretty good, had some PIAA ones for a while which worked well but as mentioned above they did have a shorter lifespan. Bit curious about your aversion to xenons though - why are you not too keen? They really do make a massive difference, when I had to swap my halogens in a while back when one of mine failed I couldn't believe how bad it was, felt almost like I didn't have any lights. And in my experience Jap headlights aren't the best to begin with, the ones in the Lexus are particularly poor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted April 24, 2012 Author Report Share Posted April 24, 2012 I thought they were illegal though, wasn't that one of the changes to the MOT test, they had to be standard fit? From what I've read the headlights in the Civic won't be able to cope with them though, but the facelift ones will. However, that means changing the bumper and wings as well, maybe the bumper. As long as there Osram bulbs give a brighter light they should be fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted April 28, 2012 Author Report Share Posted April 28, 2012 Fitted the side light bulbs today, both were black and one side was so dim you could barely see it. I haven't fitted the nightbreakers yet but I will be able to do it without removing the headlight units. I'm still not sure what's causing them to flicker and I can't find where the ground points are, the wiring is wrapped and then disappears down into the engine bay. I think it's the battery though but how could I check, can I use a meter across the battery when the lights are off and then on? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SMARTLY Posted April 28, 2012 Report Share Posted April 28, 2012 Do the lights flicker when the ignition is on and engine running ( i.e. alternator charging )? If so I'd say it's not the battery. To check the earth make up a temporary to supplement the existing earth and try it out on both sides to see if the flicker goes. Not sure what connectors you have got but you should be able to connect a wire under a suitable earthed screw or bolt and then pull the connector of the back of the bulb and slide the other end of the wire into the earth part of the bulb connector. If you get my meaning, make sure you put it to the earth wire and not the live and connect it with the lights off Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted April 29, 2012 Author Report Share Posted April 29, 2012 The first time I noticed it I was parked at the shops with the engine running and lights on. They were dimming and then brightening up against the wall in front. I also notice it when driving along though, more on roads with no street lighting, you can see them dim. It also does it when operating the electric windows. I don't know where the earth is, the plugs go into the bulbs and then into the loom, which goes down into the engine bay, so I'm not sure how they're earthed? Electrics aren't something I'm confident with but I know a very good auto electrician around the corner from my Dad's so I might pop in there and ask them to test it out when I'm there next. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SMARTLY Posted April 29, 2012 Report Share Posted April 29, 2012 Does sound like it might be battery / alternator related from the way you describe it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted April 30, 2012 Author Report Share Posted April 30, 2012 The lights (headlights and interior) used to dim badly on mine and that was just before the battery died, which is why I thought that might be it. It does look fairly old and there is nothing in the history to say it's been replaced. I might try cleaning the terminals on it as they're abit gunked up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted May 18, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 18, 2012 I changed these bulbs today and I noticed the connections both had loads of grease in them, it was a white/brown colour. I also cleaned the negative battery terminal as it was caked in gunk. I know the battery terminals can be greased but I've never seen it on headlights before. Could this be causing the issues with the lights flickering? I'll have to wait until it's dark to test the bulbs out and see if it's still doing it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyelcomb Posted May 18, 2012 Report Share Posted May 18, 2012 Unlikely to be the greasy stuff - that's probably just some waterproofing goop. If the car starts readily then the battery is likely to be ok. Put a voltmeter across the battery poles with engine off (should show about 12.5v) and then with engine running above tickover (should show 14+v). Then try with lights on - with engine off voltage might drop a little below 12v but with engine running it should still be at 13+v. See if you can get the flickering to occur and put the voltmeter across the battery again and see if you are getting a similar rise and fall in voltage. If you do, then it is possible the alternator is a bit dicky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
parthiban Posted May 18, 2012 Report Share Posted May 18, 2012 It's probably this stuff - LINK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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