Headlight Bulb recommendations?

My recently acquired 996.2 C2 Cab doesn’t have the Litronic Xenon lights. Does anyone have any recommendations for plug and play replacement Xenon style brighter bulbs, that don’t cause any bulb failure warning Lights etc.? many thanks Chris

Hi Chris Have a look at the following links may be of some help, some are a bit old and technology in this area is continually changing but they may be of interest to you. http://www.911uk.com/viewtopic.php?p=1263373&sid=10a6224e7ec3c0e21a5dd4ea364d8e9b https://www.porscheclubgb.com/forum/tm.aspx?m=1039445&high=headlight+bulbs https://www.porscheclubgb.com/forum/tm.aspx?m=253934&mpage=1&key=%F3%98%8D%9A https://www.porscheclubgb.com/forum/tm.aspx?m=583105&high=headlight+bulbs http://911uk.com/viewtopic.php?t=131858&highlight=headlights Good luck Andy

I spent a £££ on a xenon conversion kit from D911 only to find they were rubbish and hardly better than the standard bulbs. Ended up trying a couple of LED bulbs for the dipped beam and they were much better and still held a good beam pattern so hopefully no dazzle, no-one has been flashing me at least! I think because dipped beam is projector lenses it helps. Don't think LED's will be so effective on my 944 lights though...

Thanks Phil Out of interest can you remember the details of the LED bulbs you used? Presume they were plug and play and didn’t give you any bulb failure warnings etc. ? Cheers Chris

I think the pre-facelift halogen lights are reflector lenses. I have a feeling that on some LEDs you can adjust for the focal length of the reflector, so that might also be worth bearing in mind.

Hi Chris, I can't find details from my purchase history sorry, but I'm sure they were an ebay purchase, nothing amazing, just searched 996 LED lights or something. I've never had issues with 'faulty lights' messages with either the LED's or Xenon replacments. They were plug and play, but weren't a brilliant fit, so I used tape around the rim to 'seal' the units again. It was a year or so ago, and things move quickly in this market, so there may be a better option now... If you find something, please do let me know! My car is a 2002 post facelift I think i.e. clear indicator lenses...

I'd greatly recommend Philips Ultinon LED's. I fitted these in my 2004 996 C4S cabrio and they are equivalent, if not better than the factory litronics I had in my 2004 986. Also unlike a lot of the Chinese crap LED's the Philips ones position the LED in the same place as a h7 bulb filament so you still get a perfect beam pattern so not blinding on coming traffic. https://www.amazon.co.uk/...D=W3T9E8QRSB712RD0FGA9

Thanks - found these and some similar ones on the web. One question - how do they fit? The two prongs that go into the H7 base seem to be on a lead and the LED bulb on a separate mounting - which I can’t obviously see where that goes unless it screws into the projector light hole? Many thanks

If they are the same as the Philips ones I had you do have to modify the bulb holder slightly, this is only a small plastic part and is pretty cheap to replace if you just wanted to buy backups should you want to go back to bulbs but if you are happy LED's realistically will last longer than the car, plus you can go to Porsche and buy parts for your 1959 Porsche tractor (point is Porsche made a big thing of supporting parts for every vehicle they have ever made). This link does a pretty good explanation of what needs doing if your bulbs are like the Philips I have. http://mapw.co.uk/996blog/2019/03/03/996-led-h7-headlight-bulb-upgrade/ Just beware of your clearance at the back, you mention having similar LED's but not the same. My LED's with the fans on the back allow maybe a 1mm gap to the cap on the headlights rear. the lead is just loose in the housing however.

Hi everyone, I have a similar question. My 996 Gen 2 lights covers have gone yellow and the lights themselves are very poor. I have tried to have the light covers refurbished but it hasn't really worked. I guess Im now looking for replacement headlight units which are very expensive. I have seen Rennkit light fittings (Halo) that are also LED and are not much more expensive than the replacement units online. I guess I have a couple of questions: 1. Is there abetter way of cleaning my existing lights so I can just replace the bulbs? 2. Anyone got any knowledge on these rennkit units (or know of others worth investigating)? 3. Anyone got any other good advise? Thanks

Toothpaste on a damp cloth Works wonders. Or if you’re not that way inclined, a cutting compound/polish with a rotary polisher.

Thanks for the advise, ill get my old toothbrush out of retirement and give it a go - Thanks again

I used a company called 'Super Glass', which i think is a franchise so you might have a local rep. They come to you and polish your headlights in situ. I know plenty say to do it yourself, but these guys do it all the time and have all the right kit and knowhow and for £80 i felt it money well spent. Tbh i haven't done much night time driving in mine so can't comment on how effective the lights are, nor comment on the difference from before and after, but they do look a million times better as they're clear now rather than yellowed.

I guess I have a couple of questions: 1. Is there abetter way of cleaning my existing lights so I can just replace the bulbs? - Polishing as others have suggested. Toothpaste, IMO doesn't have enough oomph and doesn't last long, if have any affect at all. I had mine done at Autofarm for an hours labour and parts (the sanding pads). They washers can be tricky to remove and are easy to break, so I let someone else take the risk, who'd also have to repair/replace, if they broke it 2. Anyone got any knowledge on these rennkit units (or know of others worth investigating)? Nope, sorry 3. Anyone got any other good advise? After doing, them, apply some kind of UV protector. I add 303 Protector to mine after every wash, just in case. But, as Im garaged, dont suppose I need it as much

Pic this time

Re cleaning the yellowed lights - I used: https://www.meguiars.co.uk/shop/two-step-headlight-resoration-kit as the lights weren't terrible but noticeably yellow. Once done I put a headlight film on them (from https://www.aliath.co.uk/search?page=1&q=porsche+911+%28996%29 ) and also stick some 303 UV Protector on them when washed. Car is left outside in all weathers and the lights don't need redoing yet and this was done approx 2 years ago. I also replaced the headlight bulbs with Osram Nightbreakers (standard Halogen, not LED or Xenon). Whole process was pretty straightforward - I took the headlight units out of the car rather than mask paintwork. Followed the instructions as per the Meguiars kit. Then once done applied the film and reinstalled the headlight units. Probably a couple of hours all in all.

pic once done - pre film application

Hi James Thanks for the photos and write up, I’m sure it will be of interest. Andy

Thanks for this, I tried Super Glass but they haven't come back to me yet. Might try others.

Brilliant, thanks for the tip. will give it a go.

I don't know how yellow your lights are but the Meguiars kit is worth a go - be aware, when using it the lights get worse before they get better. Follow the process though and you should see a marked improvement.