HID failing - replace bulb or go LED?

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I installed 8000K HIDs on my car in winter of 2017. About a month ago I thought the left one looked a little weird but it's getting increasingly more yellow and it's noticeable now, it looks like my left bulb is a 3000K and my right is still 8000K.

Should I order a replacement HID bulb or ditch both and go LED?
 
I just did this exact thing, was sick of getting less than a year on HIDs, for the amount of a few hid bulbs I got a nice set of led for my Jeep.
 
Go LED. I have them on 4 very different cars with great improvement in vision and no complaints from oncoming traffic.
 
Can someone just give me a link to a good quality, good price option?

I looked on Amazon and about had a stroke when I saw how many brands exist now...lol
 
You are lucky, I get more grief now with these led's than I did my HID's......and to tell you the truth I may actually side with the oncoming drivers, as much as I love them they are absurdly bright. I can see street signs illuminate/reflect my light in the middle of the day half mile away.
 
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I used xsprite. I got the higher end ones in the lineup, the person who installed them complimented the quality and weight they had to them. Also sealed very well.
 
Originally Posted by cwilliamsws6
Can someone just give me a link to a good quality, good price option?

I looked on Amazon and about had a stroke when I saw how many brands exist now...lol


Also came with anti-flicker hardware for daytime running lights, if you have them that is.
 
Were your headlights originally designed for 9005/9006 bulbs, and you just slapped HID retrofits in there without a projector? If so, usually the best way to deal with those is to convert to 9011/9012's.
 
Basically your HID bulbs are fake. Real HID bulbs will last longer than halogens. Mine are still the factory bulbs from 2008. There's a reason the dealers charge $200+ per bulb. Even online real bulbs are in the $50-$90 range. The fakes on ebay go for $10-$20 which is why they don't last. If you put HID bulbs in halogen projectors, I would just recommend brighter halogen bulbs. Threads get shut down all the time when the whole not DOT approved HID bulbs get mentioned.
 
I am not running anti-flicker, OR DRL. I pulled the DRL fuse so the lights are either on, or they're not.

My bulbs are also genuine or at least I believe so. Got them through Innovited, they have a ballast and everything. Spent about $60 on the kit iirc.
 
Originally Posted by cwilliamsws6
I am not running anti-flicker, OR DRL. I pulled the DRL fuse so the lights are either on, or they're not.

My bulbs are also genuine or at least I believe so. Got them through Innovited, they have a ballast and everything. Spent about $60 on the kit iirc.


Sorry, but no... Osram and Philips only make automotive HID bulbs in "D" sizes, D1S, D2S, D2R, D3S, D4S, D5S... all others are aftermarket or fake. They may make claims like "Philips glass!" Or something like that, but they're not the same.

If your headlights used 9005 and 9006 bulbs, I'd do the 9011 and 9012 swaps. I took my Diode Dynamics SL1 LED's out and went back to 9011 halogens. HID's in reflectors like that ARE blinding, even if you don't get flashed. Deontologist helped me see the light (I couldn't resist
lol.gif
) on this subject.

HID‘s need to go into a proper HID projector OR reflector that was designed around an hid bulb (some Prius's... Prii?) used a set up like that utilizing a D2R bulb, the R stands for reflector and has masking on the bulb itself to eliminate glare. Most modern cars use a D1S, D3S, and I know GM was using D5S. The S stands for "Shielded" aka projector style headlights.
 
These light "improvements" SUCK for on coming drivers. If I was a cop I'd impound every car I could. Even trucks with front leveling kits SUCK because they don't re-aim the headlights. Rant over....
 
Originally Posted by Wolf359
Basically your HID bulbs are fake. Real HID bulbs will last longer than halogens. Mine are still the factory bulbs from 2008. There's a reason the dealers charge $200+ per bulb. Even online real bulbs are in the $50-$90 range. The fakes on ebay go for $10-$20 which is why they don't last. If you put HID bulbs in halogen projectors, I would just recommend brighter halogen bulbs. Threads get shut down all the time when the whole not DOT approved HID bulbs get mentioned.


I have the Original OEM's from Acura CL 2003 that are perfect, 16 years. The Acura TL has one OE replaced recently with an OE because it was turning yellowish, and I had a couple OE, HID bulbs laying around in my tool box from when I used to buy and sell crashed Acura's/Honda's. They used to list for $200.00 each at the dealer!


Originally Posted by pitzel
Were your headlights originally designed for 9005/9006 bulbs, and you just slapped HID retrofits in there without a projector? If so, usually the best way to deal with those is to convert to 9011/9012's.


This is a viable option. Its what I would do even if HID's were OE, Find a bulb that maybe can be slightly trimmed on the tabs to fit the housing, 9011/9012 and splice a plug, no more HID, probably better lighting.
 
Originally Posted by KneeGrinder
I have the Original OEM's from Acura CL 2003 that are perfect, 16 years. The Acura TL has one OE replaced recently with an OE because it was turning yellowish, and I had a couple OE, HID bulbs laying around in my tool box from when I used to buy and sell crashed Acura's/Honda's. They used to list for $200.00 each at the dealer!


It's good to replace HIDs "early" if you drive a lot in the dark. You can see here, on this Philips datasheet, that lumen output is only 75% after 1500 hours of operation. And the same datasheet says that only 3% of bulbs have failed after 1500 hours of operation. 97% of bulbs are expected to last well past 1500 hours.

http://www.nuconverter.de/assets/d4s.pdf

The bulb only starts with about 3050 lumens, so at 1500 hours, you're looking at ~2200 lumens, and significantly deteriorated beam focus because the electrodes will have worn down and shifted from their original positions.

Originally Posted by Skippy722

If your headlights used 9005 and 9006 bulbs, I'd do the 9011 and 9012 swaps. I took my Diode Dynamics SL1 LED's out and went back to 9011 halogens. HID's in reflectors like that ARE blinding, even if you don't get flashed. Deontologist helped me see the light (I couldn't resist
lol.gif
) on this subject.


11.gif
 
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Originally Posted by Wolf359
Basically your HID bulbs are fake. Real HID bulbs will last longer than halogens. Mine are still the factory bulbs from 2008. There's a reason the dealers charge $200+ per bulb. Even online real bulbs are in the $50-$90 range. The fakes on ebay go for $10-$20 which is why they don't last. If you put HID bulbs in halogen projectors, I would just recommend brighter halogen bulbs. Threads get shut down all the time when the whole not DOT approved HID bulbs get mentioned.


Have to agree on the HIDs here. I'm still on my factory original HIDs after 84K miles and 7 years. Get the good ones and you won't be sorry.
 
Unless your vehicle was made for LEDs then don't install them. There are no aftermarket LEDs that plug and play.
 
Originally Posted by pitzel
Were your headlights originally designed for 9005/9006 bulbs, and you just slapped HID retrofits in there without a projector? If so, usually the best way to deal with those is to convert to 9011/9012's.


What is the benefit of switching from 9005/9006 to 9011/9012?
 
Originally Posted by diyjake
Originally Posted by pitzel
Were your headlights originally designed for 9005/9006 bulbs, and you just slapped HID retrofits in there without a projector? If so, usually the best way to deal with those is to convert to 9011/9012's.


What is the benefit of switching from 9005/9006 to 9011/9012?


Greatly improved headlamps, as they put out way, way more light for actually slightly less energy consumption.
 
You got one of those Chinese HID kits installed. Junk it, clean up and coat your headlights and install some good 9006/9012 bulbs that are worth it(either mod some 9012 HIR bulbs or install Osram Night Breaker Unlimited/+30 Philips).
 
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