jdigeorgio

I bought my SE new in 2007 and love the car but always thought the headlights really stink. Now the car is 6 years old and I can't stand to drive it at night any more. It's almost like driving with no lights! Anyway I never understood this because I was told the HIR bulbs were supposed to be almost as good as the HIDs. But now I am finding that Nissan had a 3rd option for the 07 SE which is a 20 dollar bulb and that's apparently the one I have based on giving my vin info to the dealer. That must just be a plain old halogen bulb (Nissan part no 26296-9b91a) but no one can tell me what this Nissan part no equates to (in other words is this a 9006, h11, etc.). But to get to the real point of this post - what are my options to improve performance? I don't really want to go aftermarket HID. Will the 9012 bulb fit? Should I go with silver stars and if so, what will fit? Any help is appreciated.

jdigeorgio

So I had sent an email message to Nissan Consumer Affairs from the Nissan website and they called me today. I don't know why I expected anything more but they were less than helpful. They kept directing me to the dealership about my question on the headlight bulb. All I was trying to find the bulb equivalency of the Nissan part number 26296-9b91a that fits my car (i.e. 9006, 9012 or something else). I told them I had already talked to the dealer and they couldn't tell me what the Nissan part no. equates to. But it was like talking to a wall - absolutely couldn't get through to them. I guess the only way I am going to solve this is to order the 9012 HIR2 (which is supposed to be brighter), then take out the old bulb and have the Dremel tool ready in case I have to shave down the center tab of the bulb to make it fit.

ChromeSE5

iTrader: (3)

Here is what's posted on my6thgen.org


1) Headlights - HID = HID-D2S Halogen = 9012 (9005 listed for 08)
(more info: 9011 (HIR1) bulb can replace the 9005 and HB3 - 9012 (HIR2) bulb can replace the 9006 and HB4)


http://my6thgen.org/324-post1.html


I would assume that the 07/08 headlights use the same projector therefor the same halogen bulb. Worst case scenario is you pull the headlights out and remove the bulbs and do a direct observation as to what they are.


Here is Sylvania's bulb application link:
http://www.sylvania.com/en-us/applic...l=1388&make=68

jdigeorgio

Thanks ChromeSE5. That's helpful. BTW - the dealer emailed me back again and got me in touch with the Parts Manager. The Parts Manager is trying to help now.

It's the oddest thing though - by all accounts the 07 Maximas built after March of 2007 are supposed to have the 9012 bulb - per the Parts Manager. Mine was built in May of 2007 so you would think that mine would take the 9012. But when they enter my VIN in the computer, it shows I take the non-HIR bulb (plain halogen bulb that costs $21 at the dealer). I tend to think the computer is correct because if I had the HIR bulbs, I don't think I would be complaining about how dim they are!

I think you are right - I am not going to find out for sure until I pull the whole thing apart and see what it really takes. I wanted to avoid that but that looks like the only way out of this mess.

ChromeSE5

iTrader: (3)

According the site, the HIR bulbs are interchangeable with regular halogen.

jdigeorgio

I think it's finally all come together. The 26296-9b91a bulb is used on some of the 2007 Maxima cars (non-HID and non-HIR) as well as the 2008 Maxima models non-HID. This bulb seems to correlate to the 9005 because if you lookup a 2008 Maxima, it shows it taking a 9005 bulb (non-HID) or if you check with Nissan, they tell you it takes a 26296-9b91a (non-HID).

The confusing part of all of this was that for 2007, it appears there are 3 different bulbs used depending on the model/options level and the date of manufacture. There are 1. the HID bulbs and 2. the HIR bulbs (pre-March production) and 3. Halogen bulbs (March and later production).

My car was made in May of 2007 and I don't have HIDs - so I basically have the 9005 it would appear. That probably explains why the visibility is so poor. Everyone was raving about the HIRs and I thought I had those so I thought - what's everyone raving about, these lights stink. But I really didn't have them.

So my thinking now is to purchase the 9011 bulbs which are compatible to the 9005 but use the HIR technology.

The oddest part to me is that the 9011 are low beam bulbs and the 9012 are high beams. Some of the Maximas take the 9012 and some take the 9011 apparently (like mine). There must be differences within the headlight housing (some sort of filter) that moves when you go from low to high beam and the mechanism must be different for those cars that take the 9012 vs the 9011.

Does anyone know how this works?

jdigeorgio

Well I ordered the 9011 Philips today from Amazon. They had a great price - about $19 each. I plan to put them in during Christmas break with my son's help. I am going to try the wheel well approach. Hopefully I won't break the retainer ring like so many people do when they take it apart.

I'll try to remember to post back here with the results once it's done. I am really hoping for a big difference in brightness/visibility.

gambs44

I have a 2007 SE as well, and am having an issue with the headlights. I bought it this year, one owner car with only 34K miles on it from a customer of mine that traded it in (I am a car salesman). Anyway, my left headlight is sort of angled down and doesn't project as far as the right side, and they are both lousy with the low beams on. High beams are pretty good but low beams are so bad that it's tough to drive with them. I actually hit a big piece of garbage bc I couldn't see anything.

I did recondition that lens earlier this year with the sandpaper and polish kit that got all of the scratches out and it is flawless, but I didn't touch it otherwise.

Does anyone else have the same problem? Any ideas how to get better performance out of the lights? I love the car, aside from the poor MPG and the headlights it's a great ride.

ac max 92

iTrader: (13)

I dont know why they just dont make things simple like the 3rd gens for bulb removal which is just twist and pull. Anyway for what the sylvania silverstars or phillips are worth for a hologen bulb that doesnt last as long as HID's HID's are probably the best bang for your buck so to speak and last longer but with that being said you should also check your adjustment and see if maybe you can point your headlights down a little. Ive noticed this has made quite a bit of difference aswell as far as giving you more light on the road.

HMAX08

Just get a HID kit from TRS.com. Best $150 you gonna spend

jdigeorgio

Friend of mine at work said her husband replaced one of the headlight bulbs on her 2004 Maxima and she said that afterwards, the one he replaced was angled wrong (she could tell from how the light projected). She said he did the job via the front bumper cover removal and then removed the whole light housing to replace the bulb. I think that when he put the bulb housing back, he didn't get it tightened down or set properly and hence the angle effect. I don't know if is that what happened to your car - but it's possible. The bad part is that it requires removing the bumper cover to fix it (but you can youtube that for specifics).

As for the light brightness - you can go with the Nighthawks or Silverstars but I don't believe the listed lumen output is any better than the stock OEM (assuming you have non-HIR bulbs). I have used Silverstars on a couple of cars and really didn't notice much difference. I can't really comment on the Nighthawks from a practical standpoint since I have never used them.

If you have the 9012 bulbs (pre-March 07 build date on your car), those are HIR. In that case, I am not sure why you would be having problems with the output/brightness. But I did notice that the new 3rd gen HIR2 bulbs are out and those are supposed to be even brighter - you can go that route (http://store.candlepower.com/ph3rdge90h.html).

If you have a March 07 or later build date, then you have what I have (plain old halogens) and I am going the route of the 9011 bulbs which are going to take a minor modification to the tabs to fit. Hope this helps.

jdigeorgio

Well - it took about a month, but I finally installed the new 9011 bulbs with the help of my son last Sunday afternoon. It took about 1 1/2 hours to complete the entire job - that's both sides. A lot quicker than I thought it was going to be. The approach I used was to pull the front wheels and loosen the wheel liner (not remove it completely). There is enough room to reach in there and twist the housing, then remove the electrical connector and finally twist out the bulb. The driver side has a bit more room to work - the passenger side was lot tighter due to other pieces being in the way of removing the housing completely. But it is do-able.


We broke a few of those snap clips that hold the liner in the process - but nothing major. Dealer charges 1.85 each for those clips! But I'd rather replace them then deal with the wheel liner banging around or damaged at high speed.


Anyway, I did end up having the 9005L bulb so the 9011 was the perfect match (with the top tab trim modification). I haven't driven it much in the dark, but the test drive on Sunday night showed a significant increase in light output. I never got the feeling the lights were not on - something that was common with the old bulbs. Granted - they are not HIDs, but they are pretty darn bright.


Since I don't have DRLs, I am hoping to get a few years out of these bulbs. I understand that the one negative is that they burn out quickly - sometimes as quickly as 4-6 months for those with DRLs. Since we don't drive much at night anymore, I am hoping I don't need to do this job again for a few years!


Thanks to this forum for all the info that finally allowed me to complete this task. It felt at times like I was trying to solve a puzzle. But I do feel we'll be safer driving at night with the new bulbs - so it's worth it.

Kryogen

make sure your car ground is good
polish your light housings
maxima headlights are just average, even with HIDS.

jdigeorgio

Thanks. Actually the light housings are very clear for a 6 1/2 year old car that is parked outside exposed to UV. The tops of the housings are just now starting to get a little bit of "haze" - I wouldn't even call it haze actually.


What I think is very bad on these cars is all the trim - the chrome strips on the roof were discolored after just a couple of years. And I notice all the black rubber around the window sills and doors are all oxidized. I have never seen a cars chrome or rubber deteriorate that quickly. I have a 2002 TL that is twice the age of the Maxima and the rubber and chrome on that car looks new in comparision! And I didn't do anything different to that car. Just normal washing and waxing.

jdigeorgio

Well - now that I have been driving for some time at night with the new bulbs, I still say they are better than what I had. But I am still a bit disappointed. It must be related to the projector design on this car - that's all I can think of. While the 9011 is brighter than the OEM 9005, I still feel like on a rainy dark night, it's really hard to see in this car. I'd say it's my eyes going with age, but I am not feeling that way when driving my other cars. Even my lowly Mazda3 with plain halogens still seem brighter at night. I guess I will have to live with it as I am not inclined to do aftermarket HID. Still glad I did it as it was an improvement certainly worth the $40 I spent on the bulbs.

Kryogen

imo the lights suck on the max. my gf stock halogen rav4 is much brighter.

jdigeorgio

After studying this issue more, I think the main issue with Maxima headlights is they are aimed a lot higher than most other cars I have driven. I did a compare of my Mazda to the Maxima by pulling in front of the garage door. The Maxima lights hits the door at a much higher level than the Mazda. The Mazda makes the pavement in front seem much brigher because they are angled down more. Since the Maxima lights are not aimable - I guess that's just the way it was designed.

Perhaps this is a good thing - allowing you to see something out in the distance further - I don't know. They are both projector style in design - so that should not be the issue with my compare. But the downward angle does give the appearance that the Mazda is putting out a lot more light even though it only has halogens vs the 9011 bulbs in the Maxima. Likewise, when driving the Max at night, every car that passes me in the next lane over seems like their lights are much brighter because the road directly in front of them is so much more lit up than the road directly in front of me.

Good or bad - I think I finally understand what's going on.

ChromeSE5

iTrader: (3)

It's more than the aiming. The projectors are of poor design IMO. Even in my oem HIDs aren't even comparable to the ones in the Acura TL, S2000, or Lexus rx330.

memphisballer

iTrader: (7)

^ +1 on poor design.Look at some of the BMW e46 forums.The projector bowls on their OEM projectors begin to fade and lose reflectivity thus dim output which is a very common problem.I have the same projector retrofitted in my I30.After about 6 years output began to diminish.I removed the projector last week and guess what?.Burned projector bowls.

ChromeSE5

iTrader: (3)

I'm really tempted on replacing my current projectors with TL's