I can barely see the road at night in my 2016 EX switched to auto. Do they get dim over time? What about the fog lights? Any recommendations? I’m looking for a simple solution, no extreme conversions.

 

Switch to LED headlight bulbs.

Check my posting on LED bulbs on this thread.

 

Assuming you don't see any better if you manually switch on the headlamps? May sound like a dumb question, but it could rule out something weird going on with the switch. If you don't see a change, it's likely either clouded lenses on the headlights or old/weak bulbs. Both can be fixed.

Lenses can cloud over time because of UV radiation and exposure to sand and grit. There are kits you can buy at your friendly local auto parts store (or big box discount store or the online place named after a river) that will help you polish and then apply UV protectant to the lenses. Not a huge job if you're at all careful or patient.

If the lenses are fairly clear, then it's very likely the bulbs (especially if you've never changed them). Auto parts stores or the river store can sell you new, brighter halogen bulbs. If you don't want extreme conversions, don't bother with LEDs. Someone here will suggest them. My experience is that they're finicky and may cause problems elsewhere (someone will suggest fixes for that). Replacing like for like is the way Honda designed the car and the easiest way to head off possible problems.

I don't think it's worth getting the brightest bluest bulbs they sell because those just don't last very long and bulbs never seem to go out when the weather is nice out enough to change them without cursing out whoever designed any of it. Go one or two levels up from the base bulb from Philips or Osram or Wagner (whatever they sell at your store). Replace them both at the same time. There are instructions on this forum for replacing the bulbs. Also not a huge project unless you have meat hands or just don't wanna deal with it, in which case you can have a local shop do it.

 

This! It never ceases to amaze me how many people are driving around with this problem.

 

Good ideas, fortunately my ten year old lenses are still clear as water and the light switch works properly. I suspect my OEM bulbs are ordinary halogens that I’ve read suffer deterioration over time.

Sylvania product line warranty lifetime:
Basic 1110 hours
Xtra Vision 160 hours
Silverstar 140 hours
Silverstar Ultra 145 hours

As a relative measure my “basic” OEM bulbs have lasted 10 years. That would suggest, Sylvania’s higher output bulbs would last 1-2 years.

 

My experience with LED has been straightforward. I used NOKYA NOK7623 for fog lights and these for the headlights. They were drop in without need of modification other than lowering the passenger side slightly.

H4 / 9003 LED Fanless Headlight/Fog Light Conversion Kit with Compact Heat Sink - 4,000 Lumens/Set - Cool White

I run my headlights the whole time and they lasted without issue till my vehicle was totaled.

 

I'd avoid the silverstars because they don't last long. I replaced one set under warranty and when a bulb from the second set went out, I went with LED and never replaced those.

 

Given the OEM Halogens lasted this long, there's really no reason to spend more on fancier stuff.
Replacing them with the same is all anyone really needs to do to make a noticeable difference - and other drivers will appreciate the "softer" oncoming lighting.

Besides, most folks won't have their fit in a few years anyway (totalled, upgraded to something faster/bigger etc.) so there's really no point in spending more.

 

At the same price as Sylvania Silverstar ultras, the LEDs you recommend it would be worth a try.

On rainy dark roads it would be dangerous to not improve my headlight situation.

 

oops . . . I read the fine print for the superbrightleds.


“Application Note: LED bulbs are legal in the USA for Fog Light use but not compliant with DOT / FMVSS108 in the USA for Headlights. Legal for off-road and powersport applications.”

 

I went LED all around. Main lights and driving lights.

The brightness is way better than the Halogen garbage lights.

Once you go LED you'll never go back to Halogen lights again.

Oh and don't worry about the LED police.
You won't get stopped.

 

I never had a problem passing an annual safety inspection in my area.

I really believe the extra lumens allowed me to see a bit further/wider and I was able to avoid this accident. It really was as matter of inches:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/12f2...w?usp=drivesdk

 

Follow up . . . I bought the $40 SuperBrightLeds 4,000 Lumens/Set - 5700K, I'm pretty happy with them so far. The OEM bulbs I removed had noticeable spots of evaporated metal on the glass from the low and high beam filaments. Thanks for all the suggestions, it helped.

 

Don't forget to upgrade your Driving / Fog Lights to LED Lights.

 

I am not sure if some of the recommendations or opinions here have merits. Have they ever tried using high intensity bulbs like the Sylvania Silverstar ULTRA 9003/H4? I have been using them after the low wattage OEM bulbs that give off a yellow rather than a bright white lights? I tried those plug and play LEDs but they do not project uniformly like the Halogen bulbs. They don't project the same coverage because the Honda Fit lens were not designed for them. So far.I have bought/replaced 3 pairs of the Silverstar: 2/13/2018, 1/4/2020, 9/14/2021 since when the Fit was new in Nov 2016. I haven't bought new set since 2021 because I am driving less. Do they burn out sooner than OEM. Yes, because they draw more power and run hotter. However, they cost less than Walmart of parts stores if you buy them from eBay. When one of two bulb burns out I replace it with an old spare. when I don't have a spare I buy a new set of two bulbs. If another one burns out, I replace both and keep the good used one in the wheel well as a spare. The strategy is always keep a spare in the wheel well for replacement so I never drive with only one headlight. I am good at changing out the bulbs now, however I don't know why the passenger side requires more flumbling around to get the clip in place.

 

You bought three sets of Silverstar lights that soon in that time frame?

The only reason would be that you must have held the light bulbs directly with your fingers. The oil on your fingers holding the bulb directly will shorten the life span of the bulb.

Never touch or hold the light bulbs with your bare fingers. Halogen and LED bulbs.

 

I went through 2 sets of silverstar bulbs in 3 years before I switched to LED, then never had to replace them after.

Other than the short life, I liked the silverstar.

 

I am aware that depositing bodily material on the glass would create hot spots.The Fit has 175K miles, mostly highway/night driving. So, replacement depends on how often you use the bulbs. Now, are there newer LED plug and play replacemnts that would change me from buying those Slyvania Ultra? Long time ago, I tried LED. The bulk size of the lamp required modifying the rubber cap to keep moisture out. But, the light that was broadcasted wasn't uniform. I returned them. Has the design better now?

 

The LED Lights you got were the ones with cooling fins which requires modifications to install.

The LED Lights I got require no installation modifications and adjustments. Installation is the same as the Halogen Lights with the 3 prong points. Just install like the Halogen Lights.

LED Lights like the GTR LED Lights do require modifications to the rubber boot. And light adjustments so the Light Beam doesn't blind oncoming drivers.

 

All white incandescent (filament-based) bulbs get hot enough to evaporate their tungsten metal filament over time. Uneven metal loss creates hot spots on the filament, which evaporate faster until the filament breaks. Halogen bulbs add a gas (halogens being a group of elements on the periodic table) to the bulb envelope that bonds to the metal gas, forming a salt. When the salt hits the hot filament, it breaks down and re-deposits the metal, extending the filament's service life. This lets the Halogen bulbs run hotter (brighter, whiter light as well as faster metal evaporation) while retaining similar service life to non-halogen incandescent bulbs.

Silverstar bulbs run the filaments even hotter and even add a blue filter to the bulb glass to make the light even "whiter" (blue-er, increase the color temperature). There's no technological advancement involved - running the bulbs hotter reduces their service life. That's the sacrifice you make when going from the XtraVision line to Silverstar. Sylvania also pegs you as an impulse buyer when you make that jump, as even the base Silverstar (no fancy-ing letters or words) bulbs are around twice the price of XtraVision.