How long do HID bulbs last

[obi_waynne]

HID lights are quite expensive to retro fit, how long do the bulbs last on average?

Does the cost pay for itself over a few years?

Are the benefits of HID lamps worth the outlay?

 

[HDi fun]

HID lamps should do 2000-3000 hours of service. I fitted them to my 528i which had pitiful main beams as standard. Total cost of the kit was £92. In this car they worked very well indeed with perfectly focussed tight beam patterns thanks to ellipsoidal projector lens optics.

The legality of conversion is a bit of a muddy area; there are no explicit statements prohibiting the use of aftermarket HID lamps.

My car had factory fit headlamp washers and self levelling beams so technically everything required was there.

I have seen some ghastly fitments though which cause unbelievable glare and still provide the driver with zero vision.

 

[RobBentley]

I've never retrofitted but most cars I've had came with HIDs. Until recently I had never had one blow... but after 4-5 years I generally find the light output is significantly less than new lamps.

 

[T9 man]

Mine had Bi-Xenons fitted as standard from the factory and were brilliant. I will say this though, after about 6 years I noticed that they started to lose their effectiveness so I contacted the Saab garage about it. I was quoted for replacement lamps and starters a tad over £400 Once the feeling had come back to my legs after the initial buckling I contacted an independent Saab garage. They resourced replacement lamps and told me I did not need any starters for the princely sum of £130 something including fitting

 

[HDi fun]

The ballasts and igniters are self contained and generally shouldn't fail. Bi-Xenon is clever - the main beam is created by the same enclosure as the dipped beam but using something like an electrically operated leaf shutter which creates the dipped beam pattern in low beam use. For main beam operation the shutter is removed from the equation and the light is projected fully down the road.

When the dipped beams are in use, main beam & headlight flash is facilitated by the shutter. When the car is unlit or on sidelights/DRLs then there is a pair of conventional filament fired main beam enclosures to facilitate headlight flashing. This is because HIDs need a few quite a few seconds to reach full intensity and would be too slow for a quick headlight flash.

I am in two minds about automatic beam dipping.

1: It should be mandatory for Bi-Xenons simply because the light output and glare created for oncoming drivers is very very high compared to filament lamps.

2: It should be banned because it doesn't work particularly effectively and if Mr/Ms Stupid is too, err, stupid..... to dip their lights manually then oncoming drivers are likely to be temporarily without vision at all.

But as a dipped beam setup, HiD is as good as it gets PROVIDED that alignment and beam pattern are tightly regulated and controlled. All OEM setups are fine. There are many conversions that simply do not comply. And possibly this is why there is a move to outlaw aftermarket HID fitments. Personally I'd outlaw stupidity but that's difficult.