Do HID's (real ones) lose brightness over time?

Dr. Pain

Dr. Pain

Dr. Pain

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As title.

My xenons are quite bright, but all the other Audi's and Mercs I see with them are SUPER bright.

Is it possible that over the years, the HID's in mine have lost brightness, or does this just not happen ?

D2S bulbs seem to be able to be got cheaply off the internet.

Does anyone know what the OE bulbs were fitted to BMW's ?

Was it OSRAM or Philips, or neither?

Many thanks in advance.
 
Probably just the angle you can see other cars headlights from.

My Xenons don't look particularly "bright" but when you see them in the reflection of a car or a shop window at the right angle they shine pretty well :)
 
Same with mine, from the car they seem weaker than other cars but then you see them outside he car and..... *_*
 
The distance they shine ahead though is not going to change because well, it's a projected beam :p If the illuminated part of the road is too dark to see then yeah but otherwise, may well be a waste of a few tens of £.
 
They have a lifetime - aka SOMETHING wears and it will have an impact SOMEWHERE also.

That's life. HID bulbs are not a fit once and never replace part.
 
Sin_Chase said:
They have a lifetime - aka SOMETHING wears and it will have an impact SOMEWHERE also.

That's life. HID bulbs are not a fit once and never replace part.
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According to BMW they are :p The manual says the HID bulb is fit for the lifetime of the vehicle.
 
mrk said:
According to BMW they are :p The manual says the HID bulb is fit for the lifetime of the vehicle.
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As is the auto transmission oil.... we all know thats rubbish !

Yes HIDs do fade over time.

If they didn't there wouldn't be color matching issues when changing just one xenon.
 
pepsilol said:
As is the auto transmission oil.... we all know thats rubbish !

Yes HIDs do fade over time.

If they didn't there wouldn't be color matching issues when changing just one xenon.
Click to expand...

I wasn't stating it as fact, I was posting an observation. I'm not one of those people who goes religiously by what the manual says :p
 
I knew I posted in a thread about HID bulbs a while back :p An update as I just ordered direct replacement bulbs today. My car uses Philips D2S type bulbs rated at 4300k so I looked on hid uk site and they were £30+ each.

I found the same bulbs on eBay instead at £50 a pair + £4 postage so I made an offer of £40 and the seller accepted that offer. The pair for £44, bargain although I could swear I saw them cheaper previously but thinking about it now those were probably not Philips ones I saw months ago...

Here are the bulbs for anyone interested:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170800874863&ssPageName=ADME:L:COSI:GB:1123

I'll post a before and after pic at night when they arrive and I fit them. The ones I have now are the original ones when the car left the factory.
 
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As the electrodes diminish, just like spark plugs, their efficiency reduces and more of the current is output in heat instead of light. It's barely even measurable though and other car's HID light are probably brighter on account of higher current systems and / or better bulbs.

I made that all up.
 
Too much BS in this thread.

They do slowly start to die and get less bright, as they do they get more of a purple tinge.

Never get cheap D2s of BMWs, the end of them where you twist lock them in are never right.

You can get Philips or Osram D2s for not that much moar.
 
And don't get the Ultriam whatever ones from Philips either, they're rated at a higher kelvin but output less light because of it!
 
^Obvious post is obvious. Just for those who aren't aware that higher numbers aren't always better ;)
 
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