2001 Camry Headlights are pretty dim

[Alexzander]

It is something I have just limped along with for years now, but it is making my wife pretty nervous. I do have to admit she seems to have a point, they seem VERY dim if you are in an area with no street lights.

Is this a problem anyone else has noticed? Any solutions to improve things?

Thanks to all for your help.

[chronoti]

i'm guess gen 4.5

go to hir! best you can get with out getting hid projects ect..

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/TOSHI...Q5fAccessories

[the_professional]

^ what he said.
Headlight Bulbs do dim over time, and maybe your just due for a replacement. For my low beams I am running 55W 9005s & Im pretty pleased. I also have Yellow H4 Fog lights if needed on the Cam.

[JohnGD]

Lightbulbs do dim as they age. So it's a good idea to replace them periodically. The twice-brighter ones also burn nearly twice as fast, so you'll going have to change them out more often. Said so on the label, rather artfully I might add.

Originally Posted by Alexzander

It is something I have just limped along with for years now, but it is making my wife pretty nervous. I do have to admit she seems to have a point, they seem VERY dim if you are in an area with no street lights.

Is this a problem anyone else has noticed? Any solutions to improve things?

Thanks to all for your help.

[JohnGD]

Additional info from Sylvania:
http://www.sylvania.com/ConsumerProd...skedQuestions/


A) SYLVANIA recommends changing your headlights in pairs about once a year. The end of Daylight Savings Time in the fall results in earlier nightfall and more nighttime driving. It’s the perfect time to upgrade your headlights. Remember, when its time to change your clocks, it’s probably time to change your headlights.

A) The life of any halogen bulb will depend upon your vehicle type and how much you drive. However, all halogen headlights dim over time. That’s why we recommend replacing headlights in pairs about once a year, before they burn out.
SilverStar is a high performance halogen headlight that produces a whiter light that research has shown can improve driver visibility and reaction time. The benefits of increased light output and improved color quality can result in a shorter life for high performance headlights, compared to standard bulbs.

[Alexzander]

I changed out the bulbs just under a year ago, when my wife noticed they were not so strong.

So its no like they have been in the car for years, though I think I may have unintentionally implied that.

So far, I have three possible solutions for the posts (thanks so much to all).

I can use the different bulbs in the first post, or possibly get fog lights. Is that about it? Maybe change bulbs every year, but I do not think that is really my problem here.

Any other ideas?

[carsrus]

My 98 has pretty weak headlights. Im not gonna lie it quite realistically might have the original bulbs in there, I dont rember changing them and ive owned it since it was a year old.

Are your lenses clouded and not so clear? One of mine is more clouded then the other and has probally 20% less output then the other one because of it.

A new pair of headlights can be had for about 75$, if there that bad. Paired with some silverlight ultras youd probally have the brightest headlights without going HID and projector which would cost 3 times more to do properly (and legally). Throw in some nice fogs and no more dim headlights.