Life of a HID

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May 24, 2007 | 11:21 AM
  #1  
My driver side HID went out last night. No idea as to why, dealer booked to WED, and it's a holiday weekend.

What a mess.

And I had the sunroof accordian piece fall on my head yesterday morning.
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May 24, 2007 | 11:41 AM
  #2  
The life of the bulb could last longer than the life of your vehicle. I remember I read somewhere it says 2000 hours.
Your ballast does not last that long if expose to water, ... etc. You may have a chance of getting your ballast busted.

Eventhough the life of bulb lasts long, it doesn't give out same light output (or lunen) as new when it ages.

The sunroof issue is a known issue and easy fix. You can push it back in for now and let the dealer fix it with better glue.
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May 24, 2007 | 12:24 PM
  #3  
so you know, my car did not fall under the sunroof problem according to VIN number, yet it has it.
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May 24, 2007 | 04:41 PM
  #4  
Quote: so you know, my car did not fall under the sunroof problem according to VIN number, yet it has it.
Same here and just got it fixed yesterday.
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May 24, 2007 | 05:12 PM
  #5  
HID bulbs last FOREVER. And yes, sometimes even longer than the car.
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May 24, 2007 | 06:16 PM
  #6  
sounds like you have a bad unit. i wouldnt worry about it.
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May 24, 2007 | 07:07 PM
  #7  
Typical is 1500-2000 hours.

I drive with mine on always so I might be able to test that.
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May 24, 2007 | 07:26 PM
  #8  
it's better to drive with them on all the time than to be turning them on-off a lot because turn on cycle is really what affects the life of an HID, not on-time alone.

that's why I HATE the "auto" headlight feature on modern cars (and the G). I'd much rather have rain-sensing wipers!!
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May 24, 2007 | 10:29 PM
  #9  
Quote: it's better to drive with them on all the time than to be turning them on-off a lot because turn on cycle is really what affects the life of an HID, not on-time alone.

that's why I HATE the "auto" headlight feature on modern cars (and the G). I'd much rather have rain-sensing wipers!!
^^^^+1. I drive with them off durring the day, until night time arrives. I agree, power cycling them(switching on and off constantly) diminishes the life of the HID.
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May 24, 2007 | 10:40 PM
  #10  
Quote: ^^^^+1. I drive with them off durring the day, until night time arrives. I agree, power cycling them(switching on and off constantly) diminishes the life of the HID.
You know, that may be true - but the HIDs in my '03 Maxima have been going strong for five years (bought in '02), and they cycled at least four times a day in garage and parking garage, never mind all the other times). So I wouldn't worry about it.
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May 24, 2007 | 10:54 PM
  #11  
^^^That's good to know.
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May 24, 2007 | 10:59 PM
  #12  
Quote: ^^^That's good to know.
Trank, I know I've said this before, but your G kills me. That's one sick car
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May 25, 2007 | 01:42 AM
  #13  
Quote: My driver side HID went out last night. No idea as to why, dealer booked to WED, and it's a holiday weekend.

What a mess.

And I had the sunroof accordian piece fall on my head yesterday morning.

Thank God it's still under warranty right? My wife's 05 Altima had an HID bulb go out and was still under warranty, so instead of paying $300 (yes that's what the dealership quoted to fix ONE bulb) it was free. I hope you get everything fixed asap.
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May 25, 2007 | 04:20 AM
  #14  
I'd be concerned about the bulb colors not matching correctly. It seems like there would be a color mismatch between 1 new bulb and 1 bulb that's had enough time to break in. Keep us posted.
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May 25, 2007 | 12:06 PM
  #15  
There will be a color match problem until they burn in all the way. You'll notice a slight difference in the new one until then.
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