Sylvania SilverStar zXe’s, The Best Headlight Bulbs

Slyvania SilverStar zXe
Slyvania SilverStar zXe

As the days are getting shorter with winter upon us, I am sure you are using your headlights more. Inevitably one of your headlight bulbs is going to burn out or be on it's last legs, putting you in the market for new headlights. When you take a trip down to the auto parts store you should consider upgrading to some better bulbs, like the Sylvania Silverstar zXe's.

Sylvania was nice enough to send me a set of zXe's for my 96′ Honda Accord. Some fans of Adam's Auto Advice might remember I also wrote a review of the Slyvania SilverStar Ultras.  (Also see my review of the Sylvania Headlight Restoration Kit.)  After using the zXe's I wouldn't bother with the Ultras because the zXe's are hands-down better.

This was made obvious one night while driving to a friend's house in Northern Baltimore county. The roads to his house are small, twisty, and lack streetlights where walls of trees line the side of the roads. This forced me to rely on the zXe's. With the brights on, they effortlessly lit the way for my Honda Accord. I had driven this same route with the SilverStar Ultras which were great, but definitely not nearly as good as the zXe's. The dark roads were simply no match for the light that the zXe's produced.

Another night, driving home on a dark Baltimore city street, I noticed two people walking in the middle of the street. I mean they were literally walking in the middle of the street! I braked and swerved around them honking. Luckily I saw them far before an accident would have occurred, but I am pretty sure I wouldn't have seen them as early without the zXe's.

Also, when driving in rain or bad weather, the zXe's shine. They are particularly useful at night when it is raining.

What makes the zXe's superior is fullness of the white light and the intensity. Some headlight bulbs provide a wide lighting area but the light diminishes around the edges, reducing their effectiveness. This doesn't happen with the zXe's crisp illumination.

“SilverStar zXe headlights use a proprietary cobalt blue coating combined with xenon halogen gas technology to generate a color temperature that rivals HID.” according to the description on Sylvania's website. Part of the appeal of the zXe's for auto enthusiasts and tuners is they mimic High-Intensity Discharge (HID) headlight housings without the expense and hassle of installation. A big advantage to the zXe's is they are 100% legal and Department of Transportation (DOT) approved so you don't need to worry about running into any legal trouble. Sylvania hopes you will consider these before buying a set of HID's. While the zXe's did slightly improve the look of my Honda Accord with slicker lights, I am not sure the zXe's are a true replacement for the overall look of HID headlights. This is strictly my opinion though, maybe they look better on other cars.

One complaint I have read about the zXe's is that they do not last as long as regular bulbs. Slyvania doesn't really advertise it in big bold letters but on the box it does say, “Slyvania SilverStar zXe lamps are engineered to achieve the highest performance possible, which results in product life that is less than standard lamps.” So they are not trying to hide this or mislead Sylvania customers. It states this limitation clearly and it might be something to be aware of before purchasing them.  I have been using my zXe's for a number of months and haven't noticed that the light has diminished or had a bulb burn out though.  If they do I will let people know.

Once you use Slyvania's zXe's you will most likely not care about what the box says. It would be hard to go back to using any other type of bulb for your headlights. They are better and brighter then anything I have ever used and if you buy a set, I am pretty sure you will be happy with that choice.

Actron PocketPlus Scanner Review

Probably the first thing you will notice about the PocketPlus scanner is it's diminutive size.  This is the smallest scanner I have ever used.  This is actually a plus for many reasons.  It's very easy to store anywhere, which allows you to take it along with you to a friend's house or maybe just store in your vehicle.  It was always easy to find a drawer or place to put the scanner.  The size also makes it easy to handle and use when connecting to vehicles.  I found myself using it often, because it was in my pocket a lot.  I guess it is called a “PocketPlus!”  Additionally it is simple an easy to use for almost anyone.  Novice mechanics can use it easily.

What are my complaints about the scanner?  They were quite a number of codes I was able to pull from the PocketPlus, but it gave no definition.  So you will need to check what some codes mean yourself.  This is expected on a lot of scanners in this price range .  Overall when compared to more expensive diagnostic scan tools and scanners the PocketPlus did well.  It read the same codes and gave the same information in a lot of cases.  More expensive diagnostic scan tools allow for more analysis and will usually always read the codes, but they are more expensive.  Also opening the packaging was quite difficult.  This is a common problem with lots of products, but it really annoys me.  Why can't companies make product packaging easier to open?  I guess this is just nitpicking.

The scanner actually saved me the other day, big time!  I went over to a friend's house to work on some cars, while also doing some exhaust work on my Mom's van, which was all fine.  Unfortunately while driving home the “Check Engine Light” came on.  I decided to try to ignore it until I got home, thinking it was probably nothing.  Well after driving down the highway for only a short period of time, the van had no power, was making a load cracking sounds, was not accelerating, and the engine and whole van felt like it was pulsating.  I thought about what was going on with the car and whether to stop and get it towed.  I then realized I had the PockerPlus Scanner in my bag!  Probably the only scanner I would have taken along because of it's size and usefulness.  Luckily there was a rest stop to get off the highway.  I wiped out the PocketPlus scanner and hooked it up.  It read three codes, P0300 Randon Multiple Cylinder Misfire, P0304 #4 Cylinder Misfire, and P0302 #2 Cylinder Misfire.  Since it was late at night and I was unsure if the van was going to make it back to my house, I decided to head back to my friend's house which was closer.  We concluded that the spark plugs and wires could be the issue.  I stayed the night and we changed them in morning, which alleviated the issue a lot.  After some Fuel Injector Cleaner it was virtually fine with no misfiring.   Getting the codes with the PocketPlus scanner was easy, changing the spark plugs could not have been harder.  Chrysler could not have it made it any more difficult to change spark plugs on these vans!   I was really glad to have the scanner handy as it saved any added damage to the van.

What's there to say about The Actron PocketPlus Scanner?  Reviewing the PocketPlus scanner was a pleasure and actually saved me in a difficult situation.  Overall I like it and feel it performs it's job well.  For a scanner under the $50 range it is ideal for a DIY mechanic or home mechanic.

PROS

  • Small
  • Easy to store & handle
  • Simple to use
  • Helped a blogger in a difficult situation!

CONS

  • Will not read some codes
  • Does not give definitions for some codes

Review: Cripe Distributing

I recently made a wrench set purchase through a company called Cripe Distributing, which is an online tool vendor and Ebay store that sells overstocked tools and equipment for great prices. I thought I'd writeup a review of my experience for others

I read about Cripe on GarageJournal, which is a great online forum for garage junkies, gearheads, and craftsman of all types. I had been looking to get a set of Gearwrench X-Beam Ratcheting Wrenches or similar set for awhile. I saw that Cripe had a great deal on an 8-piece set for $35, which was a mighty good deal. I used a coupon code (RDKBS) for an additional 5% off with PayPayl orders. That brought down the price to $33.25, which was an even better deal. Including UPS ground shipping, which was $11.54, the order total came out to $44.79. I felt shipping was a little pricey, but still worth the cost.

I emailed Cripe to ask if there was anything that could be done about the shipping costs, such as mailing them in a USPS Flat-Rate box. I got a response in 1 day, which was very surprising since this was on the weekend. However, I didn't use the customer service email I used the email the PayPal payment was sent to. I think that probably had something to do with it. Here was the email response.

we try to make our shipping costs as actual as we can…… we don't use the shipping as a profit center like most people do
when someone overpays shipping by more then a few dollars…. we do our best to refund them…..
or
we could build the shipping into each item…. but we feel that that is unfair to the person who buys multiple items
we really do try to be as fair as possible…
you can always try our website where it figures your shipping based on your zip code…. and gives you different shipping options to choose from

I thought this was a reasonable response and is understandable.  It is annoying when ordering items through Amazon Prime I realize the shipping price is built into the price of the item.

I ordered the wrench set on February 9th and received it February 22th. The package was delivered when expected by UPS and was packaged decently. Check the pictures below.

My complaints with Cripe Distributing would be they're ordering system and website. I setup an account on they're website, and several days after my order was placed… there was no record of any orders. I found this strange. Also they're website is somewhat difficult to navigate and doesn't have the best layout and navigation, which can be annoying. On some items I've noticed there are key pieces of information missing. For example, I noticed on sockets sets sometimes they do not list the drive size the sockets are for. I guess it's understandable that they don't have the best website and software since they most likely keep costs down in order to maintain good pricing. They should provide the correct and accurate information on they're website for products though. On a lot of items you also won't find much of savings when you calculate shipping costs.

There are 2 ways to order through Cripe Distributing, you can order directly on they're website or on the Ebay store. I might consider ordering from the Ebay storefront. Actually if you check Ebay, they offer different items on there and sometimes different items through they're website. I find this equally strange and confusing.  However, Cripe does have great prices on a lot of tools so I will most likely be using them again.

PROS

  • Good customer service
  • Great pricing on tools
  • Good pacakging

CONS

  • Difficult to navigate website
  • Different products offered on website vs. Ebay
  • Shipping Costs

Overall I'm happy with Cripe and will order from them again most likely. if the price is right and shipping isn't ridiculous.