Xenon bulb questions

[92saturnsl2]

Last few times I drove my '07 Pacifica at night, I feel like the headlight brightness is lacking. I remember thinking the light output was pretty impressive when we first bought it several years ago.

Do the Xenon HID bulbs lose some brightness over time? That's the only thing I can think of that might explain it. My eyes haven't changed and the headlamp lenses aren't yellowed or in poor condition. I'd say the high beams don't seem particularly bright either.

Is it worth it to change the bulbs just for kicks in the hopes that it will restore some brightness? I've never replaced a Xenon bulb, is replacement done much the same way as a halogen, swap the bulb and be done? Or do some other components typically get replaced at the same time? Bulb size is D1S. Any input would be much appreciated.

 

[DBMaster]

Yes, HID bulbs (capsules) do lose brightness over time, though, not as much as halogens do. After one burned out on my GF's Lexus (when the car was around eight years old) I replaced them both and it made quite a difference. Make sure to get genuine, brand name capsules. I bought counterfeit the first time and within a month one was going dark intermittently. The counterfeit bulbs are VERY convincing and came in very authentic looking Lexus boxes. The OEM brand Lexus used on her car was Philips. I visited their web site and followed a link to an authorized seller on Amazon and then verified they were genuine once I got them using the QR code and hologram stickers on the boxes. They cost $55 each which was a decent price for Philips. Lexus wanted $150 each for the identical capsules. On her Lexus IS250 the replacement process involved quite a bit more work than replacing halogen bulbs on my Mazda3. I had to remove plastic engine cladding on the driver's side to access the bulb and I had to remove the cladding PLUS the entire air box on the passenger's side to access that bulb. Otherwise, the actual R&R process was quite similar to the process for halogens.

 

[JimPghPA]

If the lens is plastic and has fogged or turned yellow, you usually can get new replacements at a very low cost shipped to you from the online store "headlight depot". I was pleasantly surprised at the price to replace both sides with new lens with reflectors ( the lens is glued to the reflector for that car ) for less than $100.00 including shipping and tax, for our 2001 Impala, and I was again pleasantly surprised when I unpacked them and they included the bulbs already installed in sockets with wires and connectors. There prices are unbelievable for what you get and the quality is top notch. Also they were well packed in a custom foamed box to insure they got here without any damage. The quality of the bulbs it came with were good, as they were bright and none ever burned out for the years we owned that car after we replaced both of the headlight assemblies.

 

[mk378]

A common problem for either type of light is for the reflector in the back of the headlight to degrade, causing much light to be lost instead of thrown forward.

You could try replacing one bulb to see if that makes a difference side to side. Only the bulb needs to be changed, as @DBMaster said obtaining access can be most of the work.

Make sure the switch is off before unplugging the bulb! HID bulbs operate at high voltage.

 

[Vercingetorix]

These have made a world of difference in both cars I have used them in.

OSRAM Xenarc Night Breaker Laser D2S Bulbs (Twin) | PowerBulbs UK

The OSRAM Xenarc Night Breaker Laser (Next Generation) offers a massive improvement to standard xenon lighting: 200% brighter with a 250m beam length. Buy today at PowerBulbs.

www.powerbulbs.com

 

[92saturnsl2]

This car has projector headlights, not the reflector housings that the halogen equipped models do. New (HID) housings are quite expensive, and the current ones are in good condition, unless something wears out internally on the projectors; I'm not convinced of that.

I'll definitely try the bulbs first, they seem to be around $50 each, ouch.

 

[DallasTexas]

These have made a world of difference in both cars I have used them in.

OSRAM Xenarc Night Breaker Laser D2S Bulbs (Twin) | PowerBulbs UK

The OSRAM Xenarc Night Breaker Laser (Next Generation) offers a massive improvement to standard xenon lighting: 200% brighter with a 250m beam length. Buy today at PowerBulbs.

www.powerbulbs.com

Do they need new igniter or can I still use stock one that came with my Mercedes E-class?

 

[mk378]

Projectors still depend on a reflective surface, since the majority of light produced by a bulb radiates from the sides and back of the bulb and needs to be turned forward.

The difference is that a projector has two optical stages -- the light is initially brought down to a point and then converted to mostly parallel rays by the final lens. A reflector headlight has the reflector designed to produce parallel rays in a single stage. The front lens of a reflector is designed mostly to bring the rays leaving the front of the light bulb, those that did not hit the reflector, into the desired direction parallel to the road.

Near the focal point of a projector for low beams, an aperture is installed to block off most of the unwanted light going upward or to the side facing oncoming traffic. This allows a lot more control of the light pattern than the reflector design.

 

[Vercingetorix]

Do they need new igniter or can I still use stock one that came with my Mercedes E-class?

I had no issues using stock components. Osram is an OEM and I would expect no problems.

 

[Wolf359]

Do they need new igniter or can I still use stock one that came with my Mercedes E-class?

You just replace the bulbs, you only need new igniters/ballasts if the light doesn't come on. As others said, make sure you get real ones, lots of fakes out there, especially on eBay.

 

[Dave9]

Last few times I drove my '07 Pacifica at night, I feel like the headlight brightness is lacking. I remember thinking the light output was pretty impressive when we first bought it several years ago.

Do the Xenon HID bulbs lose some brightness over time? That's the only thing I can think of that might explain it. My eyes haven't changed and the headlamp lenses aren't yellowed or in poor condition. I'd say the high beams don't seem particularly bright either.

Is it worth it to change the bulbs just for kicks in the hopes that it will restore some brightness? I've never replaced a Xenon bulb, is replacement done much the same way as a halogen, swap the bulb and be done? Or do some other components typically get replaced at the same time? Bulb size is D1S. Any input would be much appreciated.

Yes they lose brightness. No, your eyes have changed. And, all the effin'-hat-holes that have illegal lights that make it harder to see, as well as municipalities with idiots who put in blinding high glare LED street lights. It's an epidemic.

Your lenses do not have to yellow to haze a bit. If they are not crystal clear, consider using a wax but really I mean a polymer polish sealant type product. Just visit the auto parts store and if it states polish and synthetic or sealant, you're good to go.

There is also the possibility that some corrosion has occurred, measure the voltage getting to the bulbs. If below 14. volt with engine running, you may have some gains to be made from improving some connections. You can measure this scientifically, just use a multimeter on both ends of any length of wire or connector and I mean both positive and ground on the same run of supply to the bulb, then if you measure a small voltage drop on that segment, it is introducing resistance.

Yes you can swap the bulb, if all the above seems good still.

 

[mk378]

measure the voltage getting to the bulbs.

NO!

Don't probe or connect anything to the wiring between the ballast and the HID bulb. It's high voltage.

 

[Vercingetorix]

Also I do not think the ballasts care what voltage they get, as long as it’s roughly 12v. They up the voltage from there.

 

[bbhero]

Yeah HIDs certainly lose brightness over time .. I had mine replaced after they were in use for 6 years.

I got my HIDs bulbs from AAP for $100 a piece. Dealership is $210.

In fact mine are going to replaced soon because they are losing brightness after these years.

 

[Jetronic]

I'm finding my HID headlights are less bright than they used to be aswell. On par with halogen lights now I'd say. Time to budget for new bulbs

 

[DallasTexas]

My 06 Benz HID with active curve system sill has factory bulbs ( seldom driven after dark). They seem to be pretty bright. When I drive wife's 14 Sienna, I feel like my Dad's Hilllme or Austin headlights.

 

[Dave9]

NO!

Don't probe or connect anything to the wiring between the ballast and the HID bulb. It's high voltage.

Umm, I didn't state to stick the wires on your tongue. There is no problem connecting things to high voltage if you use common sense and a meter rated for the voltage. If you don't feel comfortable, beyond your skill set, then like any car repair, hire a pro.

 

[97prizm]

Remember that hid bulbs are not interchangeable. There are D1S (R) /D2s(r) d3, d4, and I think a D5/6 that are 2000 lumens vs the earlier 3200 lumen bulbs. They aren't compatible. Color shift happens around 100 hours and most bulbs whiten slightly and lose 200 lumens or so.

 

[92saturnsl2]

Picked up a set of Osram Xenarc 6000K bulbs, $112 for the pair. Lots of good reviews with folks stating it puts out a bright white light with no blue, which is what I'm after, and that's about the color temperature of what's in there now. Not a fan of the standard 4300K HID bulbs, too much yellow IMO.

Now I get to see how much of a bear these will be to put on. Bulbs are made in Germany and are authentic per Osram's 2-step authentication system. Will report back on the difference it makes in light output when I get a chance to install them.

 

[Wolf359]

Picked up a set of Osram Xenarc 6000K bulbs, $112 for the pair. Lots of good reviews with folks stating it puts out a bright white light with no blue, which is what I'm after, and that's about the color temperature of what's in there now. Not a fan of the standard 4300K HID bulbs, too much yellow IMO.

Now I get to see how much of a bear these will be to put on. Bulbs are made in Germany and are authentic per Osram's 2-step authentication system. Will report back on the difference it makes in light output when I get a chance to install them.

The 4300k was the ideal color temperature which is why the manufacturers picked them. While 6k is brighter, the eyes are actually better in bad weather like fog and rain with more yellow, that's why you have yellow fog lights. You will see further in good weather, but less in bad weather when you arguably need it the most.