£210 to change a light bulb!!

Fossil_2

GabbaGabbaHey wrote:

1) The bulbs which are on sale at about £10 are not Xenon. They are normal bulbs. Xenons use a different technology and are extremely expensive (you are usually looking at a 4 figure sum to add them as an option on a new car).
2) Unlike some people here, I find that Xenons (I have them on one of my BMW M5s) are a really useful feature. Very bright, even lighting and good colour temperature.
3) Xenon bulbs work at very high voltages, so if you are changing the bulb yourself make sure that you take appropriate safety precautions.
4) Driving only in daylight is not an option, as the car is not deemed roadworthy (and would fail an MoT test) if all bulbs are not working (OK, I know that the suggestion was a joke!)

1. True, the 'xenon' bulbs you see on fleabay and in the shops for around £5-30 are halogen bulbs, maybe with some xenon gas to burn brighter/whiter or tinted blue for the 'fake HID' look.
2. Upgrading to HID is only worth it if you do alot of night driving. Aftermarket kits are available for around £200/300/400.
3. Something stupid like 12,000V or 25,000V

wazza wrote:

why not go to a breakers yard if not vauxhall and find out how much is a pair of standard headlight unit for a 04 corsa? dont know if you have to change the wiring etc

Think you have to do something to the wiring as the HID wiring has ballast kits (to generate the high voltages for the HID bulbs to work).

espresso

Anyone interested in more information on these Xenon Metal Halide HID lamps that are now used on some top spec cars can click here

:eek:

skiddy2k

many VW passats come with a WARNING disclaimer on there head lamps: "10'000 volts change headlamp bulbs at an authorides dealer only!"

iv seen them, these are the proper Xenon lights which also have a gas discharge in them, and therefore i wouldnt attempt them my self....but....then again, i wouldnt spend £200 on changing 'ONE' either!

tell one of the fitters that you'll buy him some 'breakfast if he does it for you on the side. thas a tip which works well in kwik-fit!

Skiddy

molerat

GabbaGabbaHey wrote:

4) Driving only in daylight is not an option, as the car is not deemed roadworthy (and would fail an MoT test) if all bulbs are not working (OK, I know that the suggestion was a joke!)

Oh yes it is an option. http://www.motuk.co.uk/manual_120.htm

Headlamps are lamps used to illuminate the road ahead of the vehicle, but are not fog lamps. This inspection does not apply to:
vehicles used only during the hours of daylight, which are fitted with neither front nor rear position lamps, etc. (See 1.1)

So paint all your lights the same colour as the car and only drive during the day ..... about £10

Wig

molerat wrote:

So paint all your lights the same colour as the car and only drive during the day ..... about £10

"This inspection applies to: all vehicles, except those which either have no front or rear position lamps or have such lamps permanently disconnected, painted over or masked that are
. only used during daylight hours, and
. not used at times of seriously reduced visibility."

Interesting.

Murphy_The_Cat

balsingh wrote:

On some cars, these Xenon lights are an optional extra ... in essence, they rip you off to have them in the first place, and then charge you silly prices to replace the bulbs. I'll stick to normal lights ... they do the job perfectly well.

Hi Balsingh

I had the good fortune to travel in a car the other day that had Xenon headlights fitted as standard (not even an option to NOT have them) and they light up the road to an extent that I would never have imagined.

great technology (if it's included in the price).

MTC

loates123

http://www.powerbulbs.co.uk/


why are vauxhall chargeing 150 for these bulbs


cant see how they are better


Philips GT150 Power2Night are rated the best on the market......

Murphy_The_Cat

loates123 wrote:

http://www.powerbulbs.co.uk/


why are vauxhall chargeing 150 for these bulbs


cant see how they are better


Philips GT150 Power2Night are rated the best on the market......

some info about Xenon lights for you.

uto lighting is becoming brighter and more focused, sometimes puzzling night drivers with what appear to brighter and bluer lights on cars coming in the opposite direction.

It's not an optical illusion -- the headlights on some oncoming cars really are brighter and bluer than anything we've seen before.

You might say it's the beginning of a headlight revolution.

These lights are called xenon (pronounced zee-non) headlights, which usually come on more expensive luxury autos and also can be purchased after-market for some more common models. They are also known as high intensity discharge lights. They are brighter, more focused on the road, and allow the driver to see further down the road at night than the standard halogen headlights on most cars. They come really close to turning night into day for drivers.

They are also expensive, usually adding at least $500 to the price of a new car, or $500 to $1,000 as after-market add-ons. But not all models can be retrofitted with xenon lights.

- advertisement -



Halogens on the way out
Automotive experts predict that within 20 years, the now-luxury-class xenon will become as common as the halogen headlight, which was also considered a luxury item when it was introduced more than 20 years ago. They are more widely used in Europe than in the United States, says Yvonne Pratt, marketing service coordinator of Hella Inc., which produces xenon lights.

Meanwhile, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is studying whether they are blinding to other drivers.

"The xenon light has a more focused beam than the halogen headlight," says Karl Brauer, editor-in-chief of Edmunds.com. "They have a bluer look because of the higher temperature and are more distinctive. The lights do attract the attention of drivers coming the other way and they really capture your attention in the rearview mirror coming up behind you."

Adds Martin Padgett, editor of Thecarconnection.com, "A xenon light has almost a perfect cut line above the beam so that three feet above the windshield there is almost nothing."

The halogen light has a filament that causes it to have a limited light output and lifespan. Osram Sylvania puts out a xenon headlight, which it calls Xenarc HID, because the light comes from an arc between two electrodes in the xenon-gas-filled bulb.

HID headlights have an output of 3,200 lumens compared to 1,000 to 1,200 lumens in low-beam halogen lights.

Not all brights are xenon
Some of the confusion on the bright lights might come from SilverStar, another product put out by Osram Sylvania, which is a halogen light approaching, but not matching, the brightness of the xenon light. They are 20 percent brighter than regular halogen headlights, but have a lifespan of about half because they burn so much hotter.

They are, however, a lot cheaper. According to Ron O'Brien, manager of corporate relations for Osram Sylvania, the SilverStar runs about $40 a pair. O'Brien believes that complaints about bright headlights blinding oncoming drivers stem more from misaimed headlight beams and dirt on the lenses than from the new technology.

nej

I've been looking at changing my car, and the cost of Xenons on most new models seems to be around £700. Complete waste of money. You can buy replacement bulbs for your existing headlights that put out almost as much light for about £20 a set...

And if it's really dark just put them on full-beam if there's no cars coming. At least you can dip them again when a car comes along, unlike xenons, which just blind oncoming drivers.

Fossil_2

loates123 wrote:

http://www.powerbulbs.co.uk/


why are vauxhall chargeing 150 for these bulbs


cant see how they are better


Philips GT150 Power2Night are rated the best on the market......

Probably another reason why HID is better than halogen and so expensive at the same time.

http://www.club323f.com/club323f/forum/viewtopic.php?t=6394