Hid Life Expectancy?

[PCM]

Just wondering really...

How long do HID lightbulbs tend to last?

Has anyone had to replace them, how much did they cost?

Do you find them bright enough?

[ChrisKaye]

Just my 2p's worth, I find them bright enough...

I've had other cars with HIDs and the RX lights are pretty good in comparison.

As for longevity, I have *never* had problems with bulbs blowing in Toyotas nor my Lex so far (unlike many other fords/French cars!!). Just keep the connectors clean and you're good for many years.

I think in 10+ years of having 3 Toyotas, I've changed 2 or three bulbs in total because they blew.

The HID ballasts on the RX do have me wondering how long they will last considering how many times 'auto' mode has them turning on and off, if I ever get problems with these, I may see if an LED bulb is available to replace the HIDs/ballasts (if legal)....

Sent from my Iphone using Tapatalk

[katabrontes]

Helpful advice from ChrisKaye.

A few technical questions as I think there may be risks attached to handling the HID connections.

How often do you advise cleaning the contacts and which ones?

How do you guard against HV shocks? How long do you need to wait after switching off the lights for any HV to dissipate?

[Cabcurtains]

I have just changed all the bulbs on my RX, the sides were old and yellow, they are now LED bright white and look great, 1 minute each side. The mains again all really yellow so i changed to some slightly naughty upgrade bulbs, hardly an issue on main beam. Again quick and easy to do.

The headlights took me about 15 mins each side, again changed due to being yellow, bare in mind my Mini has full LED, so i am a little bias and need clear light... Its a simple case of removing the white connector, uncrewing the caps, disconnect high voltage cable, push in springs and remove bulb. Fitting new bulbs is a reversal of the process. The difference is vast, even the Mrs noticed and thats saying something.

Ref safety, no need to wait for dissipation, just set the lights to off and lock the car. Its fiddly at the time but once done its easy. Drivers side has less access due to the ABS pump.

I think the bulbs last for ever, but they do age and loose there colour.

There is a really useful youtube video on replacing RX330 HID Bulb.

I bought Osram Cool Blue from Ace Parts, they were £33 each, but are now £26. The price on these varies wildly.

[katabrontes]

Many thanks Cabcurtains. Very helpful and reassuring.

My 350 has HID on the dipped but ordinary halo on the main and the light was not very good on the main so I replaced these with a HID conversion kit (cost about £85) and they are brilliant. Checked with my garage before the change and main beams are not covered by MOT so no problem about them being quite bright.

I changed the reversing lights last year to high intensity LED (700-800 lumens) and removed the silvered shield and they are almost good enough to reverse easily now. Cost about £10 as I recall.

[PCM]

I have just changed all the bulbs on my RX, the sides were old and yellow, they are now LED bright white and look great, 1 minute each side. The mains again all really yellow so i changed to some slightly naughty upgrade bulbs, hardly an issue on main beam. Again quick and easy to do.

The headlights took me about 15 mins each side, again changed due to being yellow, bare in mind my Mini has full LED, so i am a little bias and need clear light... Its a simple case of removing the white connector, uncrewing the caps, disconnect high voltage cable, push in springs and remove bulb. Fitting new bulbs is a reversal of the process. The difference is vast, even the Mrs noticed and thats saying something.

Ref safety, no need to wait for dissipation, just set the lights to off and lock the car. Its fiddly at the time but once done its easy. Drivers side has less access due to the ABS pump.

I think the bulbs last for ever, but they do age and loose there colour.

There is a really useful youtube video on replacing RX330 HID Bulb.

I bought Osram Cool Blue from Ace Parts, they were £33 each, but are now £26. The price on these varies wildly.

How easy ARE the Sides to change?

Easy or very easy? :)

[Cabcurtains]

I have just changed all the bulbs on my RX, the sides were old and yellow, they are now LED bright white and look great, 1 minute each side. The mains again all really yellow so i changed to some slightly naughty upgrade bulbs, hardly an issue on main beam. Again quick and easy to do.

The headlights took me about 15 mins each side, again changed due to being yellow, bare in mind my Mini has full LED, so i am a little bias and need clear light... Its a simple case of removing the white connector, uncrewing the caps, disconnect high voltage cable, push in springs and remove bulb. Fitting new bulbs is a reversal of the process. The difference is vast, even the Mrs noticed and thats saying something.

Ref safety, no need to wait for dissipation, just set the lights to off and lock the car. Its fiddly at the time but once done its easy. Drivers side has less access due to the ABS pump.

I think the bulbs last for ever, but they do age and loose there colour.

There is a really useful youtube video on replacing RX330 HID Bulb.

I bought Osram Cool Blue from Ace Parts, they were £33 each, but are now £26. The price on these varies wildly.

How easy ARE the Sides to change?

Easy or very easy? :)

Very very easy, the worst bit is putting the LED bulb in the wrong way and thinking it's broken!

[F.A.]

The factory HID bulbs lasted 3-4 years in both our IS250's. On both occasions one blew so we changed both . Cost about £130 from the dealership. I was expecting them to last a lot longer but not a big problem. My friend got quoted £500 for both his hid's to be replace by Audi on his A4, although these were bi xenons

[Boxbrownie]

The factory HID bulbs lasted 3-4 years in both our IS250's. On both occasions one blew so we changed both . Cost about £130 from the dealership. I was expecting them to last a lot longer but not a big problem. My friend got quoted £500 for both his hid's to be replace by Audi on his A4, although these were bi xenons

HiDs should last a long time, usually it is mileage/hours dependent. My mates BMW 7 Series was only 4 years old but had 250K on the clock with a lot of night work, the bulbs were going very "purple" which is a sign they are ageing badly and need changing, upgraded to the Philips Xtreme Vision type (50% brighter).

Bi Xenons will cost no more to change the bulbs as they still only use one bulb, the "Bi" bit is because the same bulb is used for both dip and main, the difference is caused by a mechanical shutter obstructing part of the beam for dip use.