Golf R 7 headlight bulbs replacement

[becker97]

Hi guys,

I have recently bought a Golf R 7 and just last night I went for a drive at night and noticed my low/high beams are not pure white, they have a bit of a yellow tint to them. They are bright and work pretty well, although I'd like to change to something completely white, without any yellow, which would look like those new cars with LEDs.

Upon some research, I guess either 5000K, 5500k or 6000k HID bulb would be my choice (leaning more towards 6000K), but I've seen many different opinions online regarding the true color of the bulbs, visibility, best brands, etc. I've heard some people saying 6000K is too blue, others saying it's pure white.

I'd be curious to know your opinion and feel free to share any pics of your headlights if you have either one of those bulbs

Many thanks!

 

[AdamSheikh]

I changed out my HID bulbs to OSRAM Xenarc CBB and have been very happy. They are pure cool white and very bright compared to the stock bulbs. (OSRAM rates them at 7000k, but they are nowhere near that blue and this is verified by multiple outlets). I'd recommend getting them from TheRetrofitSource, as brand name HID bulbs are commonly counterfeited and sold on Amazon, eBay, etc.

 

[becker97]

I changed out my HID bulbs to OSRAM Xenarc CBB and have been very happy. They are pure cool white and very bright compared to the stock bulbs. (OSRAM rates them at 7000k, but they are nowhere near that blue and this is verified by multiple outlets). I'd recommend getting them from TheRetrofitSource, as brand name HID bulbs are commonly counterfeited and sold on Amazon, eBay, etc.

Appreciate the input. I had a look at the OSRAM Xenarc CBI, which is rated 6200K, but the luminosity doesn't seem to be the best, although not considered bad either.

The problem with CBB is it's not road legal in Europe, although I doubt it would cause any problems since nobody would give you a ticket for having a bulb that claims 7000, but in reality outputs around 5500k-6000k, which would be legal.

Do you happen to have pictures of your car at night with the CBB?

 

[AdamSheikh]

I ran CBIs for a few years prior to the CBBs and liked those too. Both will be much whiter and brighter than stock. This is far from a good photo, but shows how well the CBBs match the OEM LED fogs. My car is on the right.

 

[becker97]

I ran CBIs for a few years prior to the CBBs and liked those too. Both will be much whiter and brighter than stock. This is far from a good photo, but shows how well the CBBs match the OEM LED fogs. My car is on the right.

View attachment 287053

Wow what a lovely car, congrats!

I guess I'm very inclined on going with the new gen CBIs simply because they are legal here in Europe (unlike the CBBs), seems very white and bright enough. Found this comparsion side by side with Nightbreak Laser, which seems to be the "best" one in terms of brightness, although some people say it's not pure white:

How does the CBIs compare to CBBs in terms of whiteness and brightness in your experience?

The Golf R doesn't have fog lights so I wouldn't be too worried about matching it, although I wonder if the CBIs would match the DRLs?

 

[AdamSheikh]

That photo from the manufacturer is a bit of an exaggeration in my opinion. The CBIs ironically match the DRLs better than the CBBs, though I've found the CBBs to be slightly brighter and a touch cooler. They basically look like many OEM LED headlights on the road. You won't regret either one - either will be a massive improvement over the 4000k stocks.

 

[becker97]

That photo from the manufacturer is a bit of an exaggeration in my opinion. The CBIs ironically match the DRLs better than the CBBs, though I've found the CBBs to be slightly brighter and a touch cooler. They basically look like many OEM LED headlights on the road. You won't regret either one - either will be a massive improvement over the 4000k stocks.

Perfect, that does give me lots of peace of mind as I do enjoy the colour of the DRLs. I appreciate all your help!

 

[AdamSheikh]

Perfect, that does give me lots of peace of mind as I do enjoy the colour of the DRLs. I appreciate all your help!

Happy to help! I will try to get a better photo of the CBBs for you once it's dark here

 

[becker97]

Happy to help! I will try to get a better photo of the CBBs for you once it's dark here

No rush brother, it'd just be for my own curiosity now as I've decided to go with the CBIs

 

[MiamiBourne]

I changed out my HID bulbs to OSRAM Xenarc CBB and have been very happy. They are pure cool white and very bright compared to the stock bulbs. (OSRAM rates them at 7000k, but they are nowhere near that blue and this is verified by multiple outlets). I'd recommend getting them from TheRetrofitSource, as brand name HID bulbs are commonly counterfeited and sold on Amazon, eBay, etc.

Any thoughts on buying these from HID Conepts?

https://www.hidconcept.com/products...blue-boost-66340cbb-hid-xenon-bulbs-pack-of-2

I didn't see these on TheRetrofitSource website and when I contacted them they said they do not carry these, but they do carry the CBI version:

On Fri, Feb 23, 2024 at 12:21 PM The Retrofit Source <support@theretrofitsource.com> wrote:
Hi there Alex,

Thank you for the email. Unfortunately, we will not carry the CBB Osrams as the highest temp we sell in a D3S size is the 6200K.

We do apologize for the inconvenience but let me know if you have any additional questions/concerns!

Thank you,
- Diego @ Support

 

[AdamSheikh]

Any thoughts on buying these from HID Conepts?

https://www.hidconcept.com/products...blue-boost-66340cbb-hid-xenon-bulbs-pack-of-2

I didn't see these on TheRetrofitSource website and when I contacted them they said they do not carry these, but they do carry the CBI version:

I could've sworn I got mine from TRS, but I just checked my old emails and sure enough, I used HID Concepts too. (Btw, the quoted 7000K color is pure marketing - the actual bulbs are much closer to 5500-6000K).

I ran CBI before switching to CBB - they're a good option as well, but a touch warmer. CBB is a nice match for the LED fogs.

 

[MiamiBourne]

I could've sworn I got mine from TRS, but I just checked my old emails and sure enough, I used HID Concepts too. (Btw, the quoted 7000K color is pure marketing - the actual bulbs are much closer to 5500-6000K).

I ran CBI before switching to CBB - they're a good option as well, but a touch warmer. CBB is a nice match for the LED fogs.

Great, thanks. So it seems HID Concepts is legit. I don't have fogs unforturenly since I have a Golf R. I was always jealous of the GTi's having fogs.

 

[Klrider44]

They do sell LED bulbs that are plug and play for our DS3 style HIDs. I will probably go that route when I need to replace my bulbs.