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Xenon lifespan

MancMike

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Hi, all.

How long are people getting out of their Xenon arc lamps?

I've had my car for four and a half years now and one of my Xenons went pink, then died the other night. I've never replaced them, and I've no idea how long before my ownership they were replaced. So they're at least 4.5 years old and I have always had the DRL option switched on which puts the Xenons on during the day too, so they've been basically on for each of the 60,000 miles I've put on the car.

FWIW they're D1S Osram Xenarc brand. I've no idea on the colour temperature, but the light looked neutral white, not blue or yellow at all. So I'm guessing 6000k? I've ordered the cheapest 6000k pair of lamps on Amazon, so will see how cheapos compare to my existing aged but working lamp in terms of appearance, intensity and later, lifespan.

Is this exceptional, or to be expected?

Thanks, Mike.
 
Hi Mike,

OEM bulbs are 4300K.

My CLK is still on it’s original bulbs as far as I know at 140,000 miles.

I had to change my bulbs on my E class at 220,000 miles, as one went pink. I don’t think they have been changed before.

I replaced with Philips Bulbs which were around £50. I changed both together as the colour will be slightly different otherwise.

Abs
 
They could be anywhere from 4.5 years old to 10 years old (the age of the car). I've no idea. Are Osram Xenarc the brand fitted OEM?

I'll take a pic when I've fitted the 6000k to compare it with the other "original". :)

Was the new replacement any better than the one it replaced in any way, or just the same?

I paid £19 for two. Will replace the failed one initially to compare, then likely replace the other too so they're the same.
 
They could be anywhere from 4.5 years old to 10 years old (the age of the car). I've no idea. Are Osram Xenarc the brand fitted OEM?

I'll take a pic when I've fitted the 6000k to compare it with the other "original". :)

Was the new replacement any better than the one it replaced in any way, or just the same?

I paid £19 for two. Will replace the failed one initially to compare, then likely replace the other too so they're the same.

I’d guess Osram/Philips would be the OEM supplier Mike. So they may well be the originals?

Once I fitted the replacements I noticed a great increase in brightness. Apparently over time the xenon bulbs dim as they age.

That’s a good price! Let us know how you get on! :)
 
This may be of interest :
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Measured by operational hours.

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I’ve only ever had to replace them on one car (ML W164). One went pink after 9 years and 1 month, so I had both replaced the next day. The “bulbs”/capsules were £75 each from the main dealer, fitted free of charge.

I had one replaced prematurely once when the dealer was trying to fix a flickering bi-xenon light on my C-class (W203) when it was around 2 years and 6 months old. The dealer replaced various bits including the ballast and “bulb”/capsule under warranty but the flicker persisted.

They were very reluctant to replace the headlamp as they said it wouldn’t cause the flicker, and the manufacturer warranty wouldn’t cover it. They replaced it at a cost of £1500 IIRC and the flicker was fixed. I believe the dealer and and Mercedes went 50:50 on a goodwill replacement.
 
I know all about colour temperatures, being a photographer, but all I can say is that my existing ones look pure white. Like how BMW's white looks slightly yellow compared to Audi's stark bright white.

When the 6000k bulbs arrive, I'll take a pic with one of each running, although that might be a little unfair test given that the other one is looking like it was fitted in Germany 10 years ago.

Thanks for the replies so far, that video is certainly interesting. I've never really paid much attention to them given how much they just work, you forget about them, especially when I've not even turned them on in nearly half a decade, they make themselves be forgotten by their reliability and automatic operation. :D
 
I replaced both mine when I got the car, an old CLK320, with new ones because I noticed they were different shades.
I fitted these: (D2R 6000k £6 odd a Pair) 2pcs 35W/55W Car HID Xenon Headlight Bulbs D1S/D1C D3S/D3C D4S D4R D2R D2S D1R | eBay
They seem to be fine with a distinct cutoff.

But I also fitted these for the Sidelights as I hate that "Yellow" look compared to the Xenon Headlights - they seem to match OK.....
2x BAX9S H6W Sidelights LED set kit error free canbus Bulb 10SMD For BMW F30 F20 | eBay

Not bad at all......





Total cost - less than a tenner!
 
I replaced both mine when I got the car, an old CLK320, with new ones because I noticed they were different shades.
I fitted these: (D2R 6000k £6 odd a Pair) 2pcs 35W/55W Car HID Xenon Headlight Bulbs D1S/D1C D3S/D3C D4S D4R D2R D2S D1R | eBay
They seem to be fine with a distinct cutoff.

But I also fitted these for the Sidelights as I hate that "Yellow" look compared to the Xenon Headlights - they seem to match OK.....
2x BAX9S H6W Sidelights LED set kit error free canbus Bulb 10SMD For BMW F30 F20 | eBay

Not bad at all......





Total cost - less than a tenner!
Bargain! Handsome car too
 
Bargain! Handsome car too

Yes, I thought so - personally I don't know how they do it...??? And thank you for the kind compliment - appreciated! :cool:

But I do need to replace the N/side Foglight as the lens is cracked badly. (but still works).
 

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