My Lexus seems to cycle the HIDs when going under underpasses, obviously this isn't good. Does that shorten their life? Better to turn them on manually?
Toyota HIDs
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HID's don't like being cycled quickly, so it will shorten their life but by how much I'm not sure. Assuming it's the 2011 in your signature, have the bulbs ever been replaced in it?
The same thing happens on my parent's 05 LS430 when the lights are on AUTO. While automotive xenon-filled HIDs are designed to quickly spark off(since it's a FMVSS requirement to be able to flash your high beams and headlights need to be ready when called upon), it's still not a good idea to cycle an HID bulb quickly.
Originally Posted by Skippy722
HID's don't like being cycled quickly, so it will shorten their life but by how much I'm not sure. Assuming it's the 2011 in your signature, have the bulbs ever been replaced in it?
Nothing in the service records. That is why I'm nervous. I know the ballasts can go too.
HID's don't like being cycled quickly, so it will shorten their life but by how much I'm not sure. Assuming it's the 2011 in your signature, have the bulbs ever been replaced in it?
Nothing in the service records. That is why I'm nervous. I know the ballasts can go too.
If you catch the bulbs dying soonish, you can save the ballasts. Toyota switched over to D4S/D4R Hg-free capsules around 2007-2008. I'm on year 4 of my 2nd replacements.
It's just a car, operating as designed.
Find something else to worry about.
Find something else to worry about.
Originally Posted by ford46guy
Originally Posted by Skippy722
HID's don't like being cycled quickly, so it will shorten their life but by how much I'm not sure. Assuming it's the 2011 in your signature, have the bulbs ever been replaced in it?
Nothing in the service records. That is why I'm nervous. I know the ballasts can go too.
If you use them a lot, I'd get them changed. As HID's age, they get dimmer. Philips rates their standard HID's at B3/Tc=1500/2500. B3 is where 3% of lamps have failed, Tc is 63.2% have failed. That being said, many people only change them when they fail completely, I can't blame them for it.
From personal experience, I swapped my Durango's (at the time) 3 years old factory HID's for new ones. The old bulbs were supposed to be 4200k in color, and they were actually bluer than my new 5500k Osram CBI's! Not to mention the new bulbs were significantly brighter.
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Originally Posted by Skippy722
HID's don't like being cycled quickly, so it will shorten their life but by how much I'm not sure. Assuming it's the 2011 in your signature, have the bulbs ever been replaced in it?
Nothing in the service records. That is why I'm nervous. I know the ballasts can go too.
If you use them a lot, I'd get them changed. As HID's age, they get dimmer. Philips rates their standard HID's at B3/Tc=1500/2500. B3 is where 3% of lamps have failed, Tc is 63.2% have failed. That being said, many people only change them when they fail completely, I can't blame them for it.
From personal experience, I swapped my Durango's (at the time) 3 years old factory HID's for new ones. The old bulbs were supposed to be 4200k in color, and they were actually bluer than my new 5500k Osram CBI's! Not to mention the new bulbs were significantly brighter.
Originally Posted by ford46guy
Originally Posted by Skippy722
HID's don't like being cycled quickly, so it will shorten their life but by how much I'm not sure. Assuming it's the 2011 in your signature, have the bulbs ever been replaced in it?
Nothing in the service records. That is why I'm nervous. I know the ballasts can go too.
If you're nervous about the ballast going, then change the bulbs now. As HID bulbs age, the electrodes move further apart, and that makes the ballast work (slightly) harder to turn the bulb on. 7 years is plenty for a HID bulb.
Originally Posted by Skippy722
HID's don't like being cycled quickly, so it will shorten their life but by how much I'm not sure. Assuming it's the 2011 in your signature, have the bulbs ever been replaced in it?
Nothing in the service records. That is why I'm nervous. I know the ballasts can go too.
If you're nervous about the ballast going, then change the bulbs now. As HID bulbs age, the electrodes move further apart, and that makes the ballast work (slightly) harder to turn the bulb on. 7 years is plenty for a HID bulb.
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