HID bulb questions - 2004 XC90 Topic is solved

Post by **Aznav** » 26 Jan 2019, 13:04

I would like some help, please on my HID lights. I have determined that both high and low beams are in one bulb. However, when I go to HID Nation it seems to have individual high and low beam bulbs. Yes, I do know some headlights do have two bulbs but not my XC90.

In addition, I have also come to realize that not all bulbs are created equal. I put brand new Philips bulbs in last year. I was not terribly impressed, especially as the wife's 07 Honda with halogens were far better with high beams. After whacking a mailbox in the last snowstorm I had to replace one headlamp. To my chagrin, the cheap, knockoff bulb with absolutely NO numbers/letters imprinted left the Philips in the dust.

Do any of you have a strong recommendation without having to pay Volvo's ridiculous price for those bulbs? Oh, here is the HID Nation attachment. For that matter, does anyone have any experience with HID NATION bulbs?

Many thanks!
Tom

: Screen Shot 2019-01-26 at 14.37.42.png (32 KiB) Viewed 1738 times

wanderdüne · Post by **wanderdüne** » 27 Jan 2019, 12:27

No suggestions, but you are looking for the DR2 bulb. Here is a link to ipd. There are a number of cross references listed in the link. You can search each of these to see how you can come out on price. I would recommend going with a known good brand from a known good internet parts supplier like IPD, FCP Euro, Pelican Parts, Autohausaz; have no idea about HID nation. Volvo's are sensitive in terms of lighting- always have been and still are. You are quite likely to get an error message if you use a no name bulb in a Volvo. That's a fact.

Post by **Aznav** » 27 Jan 2019, 13:26

Wow, thank you, sir! I will check them out!

Post by **mrbrian200** » 27 Jan 2019, 13:42

The OE bulbs are Phillips/Osram D2R 85126 4300k. For my sis' XC90 i found a pair of these boxed for Mercedes Benz OE at around $75/pair on Amazon marketplace. Which was cheaper than the Phillips 85126 bulbs (in a Phillips branded box) by about $40, and cheaper than Phillips bulbs in a Volvo box by some ridiculous amount.

Post by **Aznav** » 27 Jan 2019, 13:52

Sir, Phillips/Osram (and I will attach a picture) were the ones I bought from Autozone that turned out to be a disappointment. Yes, it could be a different bulb I suppose. Let Mr. Techno Impaired see if I can't attach a picture.

Post by **mrbrian200** » 27 Jan 2019, 14:09

What was the problem with them?
These are the bulbs I put in sis' car about six months ago. They've been fine - no ballast errors or other problems. Note: there's the MB part number on the boxes (910139 - 000000). There are other MB bulb numbers with 1 or 2 at the end of the string of zeros which appear to be different bulbs - stick with '000000'.

Edit--I read your first post again- they lasted a few hundred hours (1 year) instead of a couple thousand hours (8-10 years for most people). I might have that problem with the MB boxed bulbs too - it hasn't been long enough to know. If the replacement bulbs don't last as long and are the same exact thing (Phillips 85126) regardless where you buy them - then under no circumstances it make sense to pay neidless markum prices just to get them delivered in a Volvo box.

Post by **Aznav** » 27 Jan 2019, 14:11

OK, I will check them out. The Phillips were "ok" until I saw the generic replacement bulb that was incredible. In addition, and I don't know if anything can be done about this, the high beams literally reach out about half of what my Honda with halogens does.

wanderdüne · Post by **wanderdüne** » 27 Jan 2019, 14:35

Oop, forgot the link to IPD here : https://www.ipdusa.com/products/5641/11 ... p-bulb-35w

Post by **mrbrian200** » 27 Jan 2019, 15:44

I've seen talk over the years where some people suggest that some 'OEM' stuff is the same parts from the same factory, with the parts that pass all QA checks '10/10' get shipped to OEs while parts that aren't perfect but functional get packaged and sold in the aftermarket. Or that sometimes the aftermarket part may look identical, sometimes with the same part numbers, but as an aftermarket part not bound by an OE's strict specifications with regard to quality or materials will sometimes 'cut corners' to supply the aftermarket which is more price competitive than OEs. I don't know how true any of this is or if it applies to Phillips aftermarket bulbs. There might be something to it.

I know from experience on rear projection TVs that the phillips aftermarket bulbs, also a HID lamp, don't last half as long as the phillips OE bulb that came in the TV when it was new. Samsung wants an arm and a leg for their bulbs too, whereas the phillips 'aftermarket' bulbs cost about half the price.

Post by **Aznav** » 27 Jan 2019, 17:10

Yeah, it's all over the map with "genuine" OEM Volvo bulbs going from $100 each to $19.99 for a pair.