Related to bulbs and paint dipping....and your question about brightness.......

I was in Walmart the other night and saw three 9000 series bulbs
that plug into certain later model cars. There was clearly a difference
in the coating or paint on the bulbs and also the claims by the MFG'er.

The prices ranged from $18 to $29 to $48 for two bulbs. They were all
the same wattage, and will all fit into the same size composite headlight
hole.

Pretty clearly they were not HID's but You might look into some
info on exactly what the specs are for those type bulbs. I have the
feeling that they are brighter than stock, but so far I have no other
meaningful info on them.-Bob