Osram Sylvania Products Expensive, Poor Performance, and Premature Failure of Halogen Automotive Headlamps Hillsboro New Hampshire

This is a warning to all who may be considering the Silverstar Ultra headlamps for replacement of their existing lighting. Made in Germany, they are touted as their best replacement lamp for my vehicle.

I decided to replace the working bulbs on my car because i thought that this was a superior lighting product. Foolish me. They cost nearly $45 with tax.

Though the advertising on the package and store display leads one to believe that it is a very bright lamp, it is, in fact, not nearly as bright compared to the Philips bulbs the car came equipped with from the factory (2006 Hyundai Sonata).

After 8 months, one of the bulbs failed. Inspection showed that the filament had snapped from the retainer wire. Close inspection and comparison of the original bulbs revealed that it is not made nearly as well as the Philips. For example, the Philips has a glass bead inside the bulb that rigidly holds the retainer wires in place, while the Silverstar had none.

The first time I drove at night with the originals back in place, it was like, "who turned on the lights?" It was that dramatic.

I used great care in installing these lamps. They must be absolutely clean (if you touch them with your fingers, you should clean the bulb with alcohol). The Sonata has projector lenses and the light enclosure is fully sealed with a locking cap and O-ring, so no problems there.

I drive with headlights on at all times so your experience may vary.

Cjf
Houston, Texas
U.S.A.