Xenon HID bulbs?

I see that Ebay has several of these "high intensity" bulbs for sale. I've contemplated getting some. What do you folks out there think about them. Is Ebay a reliable place to get these bulbs?

Thanks.

For future reference, this post should go into the "Parts and Accessories" forum.

I purchased a set from e-bay and I have this to say:

E-bay is indeed a reliable place to get things but I'm usually wary of professional vendors who use e-bay to sell their stuff. For example, there was a Nissan dealership selling "Rare Caribiner XTerra keychains" for $30. Yet when I look at their own website, the same keychains were listed for $10. Its ironic that I've never had a problem with individuals selling a "one time" item, but some of the professional businesses are the ones doing the bilking...

About the lights, the first set I received was defective, one worked the other didn't. The company was very apologetic and quick to send a new set at no charge. Honestly, I can't see any difference except for a blue tint to the spread pattern. I even drove with one Xenon and one original stock bulb and the "corona" in front of the car was uniform and symmetric only one half was light blue and the other half was yellow. I think they reflect a little better off of road signs and stuff but I'm not impressed enough to buy some more if these burn out.

Has anyone tried the PIAA 9004 replacement bulbs? Good, bad?

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Thanks,

kjw & the
"PNUT-MNM"

I've got the PIAA's and have noticed a difference. A good difference that is. Wish it had a little more blue tint to it, but I know the reflectors on the X's headlight assembly probably have something to do with the fact that the color of the light won't ever be that way. You might want to check the post started in the Stereo/Electrical forum called "Replacement Headlight Question."


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Hank
2000 Yellow SE 4x4 5 Spd.

I don't much care for the blue tinting one way or the other - nor will I plunk down that much quid on an HID system...

I am interested however in getting higher wattage bulbs just to get a little more light out of the system. I've done this on previous vehicles with great success.

The rest I'll make up for with extra off-road lighting, but that's further down the road.

Xenon HID?!?!?! Someones been smoking some bad weed!

Xenon bulbs do offer an improvement.
But HID (true HID's) are only availible on really expensive cars for a reason the ballasts and associated circuitry are _expensive_. to "convert" a a standard vehicle over to true HID will cost easily $1,500.

And those Blue "colored" bulbs are a SCAM.
Do some real research befroe buying.
Believe it or not, the blue colored bulbs put out LESS vivible light, than white lights.

They're also illegal, not being DOT approved...

Though good luck in finding a cop that would probably care. ;>

Ebay can be a very reliable place to purchase items. I've bought several items through Ebay, the most expensive totalling around $500. I also bought a set of xenon bulbs and were quite happy. Happy enough to buy another set. If you do decide to buy on Ebay, make sure you read the item description very carefully. Most of the bulbs listed on there are 80/85W, 80/100W, or higher. That's where the "high intensity" comes from. All the blue tint does is give you car an HID look. Also, keep in mind that stock bulbs are 45/65W. I was able to run 80/100W without any noticeable damage to the lens or wiring.

If you're wary about buying through Ebay, Sylvania and GE makes blue tinted bulbs that can be purchased at any auto store.

Be careful about what you get from ebay. I bought a pair of "Laser White" brand "Xenon" gas filled bulbs. The first set I got only one of them worked so I sent it back. The second set worked fine, and to me they seemed even brighter than my stock lights. I even got comments from some people saying that my lights were bright, and not a blue tinted light but a bright white light.

Problem began when the right light went out. I went to check it and lo and behold the plug connecting the vehicle to the bulb was melted around the where the lower right prong connected. I mean it was just totally gone!

So after I get my plug replaced, nothing will be going on the X unless they are stock bulbs.

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You have to make sure that the wattage of the bulb is the same as stock. The reason your connector was melted was because the Xenon bulbs were higher wattage. I had the exact same problem as you and I had to put back my stock bulbs. You should be fine as long as you stay within the recommened wattage Nissan suggests.



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Paul Crescini
'00 Super Black SE 4wd Auto
www.geocities.com/lil_pino/xtoy.html

The wattage on the bulbs and the packages says, 80/100W. Is that too much?

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You'll get various opinions on that question. I've had success in using higher wattage bulbs in other vehicles I've owned. Some folks have also had that same success when using these bulbs on their X. One person did caution that the bulbs melted the wiring connector on one side.

Perhaps the "HID wannabe" bulbs run hotter than standard halogen replacement bulbs (even at a higher wattage), who knows.

I for one was considering getting the 80/100w bulbs myself, but of the regular, plain halogen variety. Perhaps a notch lower on the wattage, if there really is a general concern over damage to the connectors.

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2001 Solar Yellow SE 4x4 V6 5spd

The Xenon bulbs I used to have in my Xterra were 80W/100W. They worked perfectly for the first 3 months I've had them. It was only recently did the connector in my passenger side headlamp melt. The bulb worked fine but the connection would become lose and therefore the light goes out. It became too much of a hassle to pop my hood and wiggle the connector everytime I drove at night. You might encounter this problem, you might not. The driver side connector is in perfect condition and I've had both xenon bulbs in for the same amount of time.

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Paul Crescini
'00 Super Black SE 4wd Auto
www.geocities.com/lil_pino/xtoy.html

That's weird, that is exactly what happened to me.

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Has anyone running standard halogen 80/100's had problems? I have been running them for ~1 month with no problems. I am curious to see if it is a Xenon specific problem.

Also, when installing the new bulbs, did you (that had problems) assure that you had a good connection? I know I had barely enough cable to put the bulb back in. You could've given us a little more slack, Nissan.

I really appreciate the extra light, but I must admit that the people having trouble with the Xenon bulbs is (are?) making me nervous.

TimR

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TimR,

The Xenon bulbs are (were in my case) a little longer than the stock bulbs, so if anything, it provided some slack to the cable. Besides you, I haven't heard of anyone else trying standard higher wattage halogens. Everyone seems to have the Xenons. I don't think the 2 would make that much of a difference unless you are right about the blue tint causing extra heat to be built up, causing the connector to melt.

Keep us informed if you experience any problems. If not, I may switch to the higher wattage halogens (can't stand the dimm stock bulbs).

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2000 Silver Ice SE 4X4 Auto

also known as 2xterras on Edmunds Bulletin Board

The connection to the headlight bulbs are not as tight as they were when I first removed the bulbs. I had a hard time removing the connector from the bulbs. I had to push really hard on the little tab in order to release the connector. When I installed the Xenon bulbs, the connection was not as snug as they were on the stock. I was able to disconnect the harness by pulling on it without having to press down the tab. It's the same way now even with my stock bulbs back on. The problem could be attributed to a loose connection. Who knows. I'll take close up pictures of the connectors when my friend gives me back my digital camera.

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Paul Crescini
'00 Super Black SE 4wd Auto
www.geocities.com/lil_pino/xtoy.html

I had no troubles installing the xenon bulbs at all, and like I said earlier they worked fine for a while and then one day the right light just went out.

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lil_pino

Sounds like you had a loose connection on one of your passenger side headlight terminals. If one connector (either ground or power) is loose, this will cause extra resistance. This will cause heat to build in the plug and the plug will start to melt. Corrosion can also cause extra resistance

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Gary T.
2001 Silver Ice
4x4 SE Auto

You know, that's probably what happened. If it was the heat from the bulb, then both connectors should have melted by now.

Mr Vega$,
My solution to this problem was to switch back to the stock bulbs. My light hasn't gone out ever since.

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Paul Crescini
'00 Super Black SE 4wd Auto
www.geocities.com/lil_pino/xtoy.html

The fact is that too many of us that have tried the high wattage Xenon bulbs have had this problem to attribute it to a "loose" connection. Either the plugs don't properly fit the bulbs, or simply the wattage is too high, causing too much heat to be produced. I don't think it's one particular plug (on say the passenger side) that only has a problem because my "faulty connection" occured on my driver's side. And like Lil_pino, I've had no problems once I put my stocks back in. I tried about 5 times to seat the Xenon bulbs in properly but without any luck.

Has anybody with this *problem* used non-Xenon high wattage bulbs (halogen only). Trying to figure out if this problem is only related to Xenons or it's because of the higher wattage. TimR is the only person I know that has higher wattage halogens and he has experienced no problems (still, he's only had them about 1 month). Generally, it took most of our plugs about 2-3 months to develop the problem. Good luck TimR and I hope this doesn't happen to you. If you decide to keep the bulbs in, then I would be interested in knowing if they work without problems.

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2000 Silver Ice SE 4X4 Auto

also known as 2xterras on Edmunds Bulletin Board

- I'm keeping them in. I'll update in a couple months, or when a problem develops.

TimR

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i have xenon heads and fogs. i've had no problems w/ them, except for them burning out once in a while...i know a guy that sells them to me for $10.00, so no big deal. the one thing that really irks me is that in the fog lights (actually only drivers side) is the deflector above the bulb is causing the light to appear very much dimmer than the passenger side one...

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Just Blue XE 4x4 3pack w/ many extras

I'm on my second set now. The first set were some expensive ones I bought at a custom shop in Oct. last year. I had no problems at all (w/ the exception of one $%^&$ cop who insisted that they were illegal even though I showed him the certificate stating they were DOT approved). But physically they ran fine. I just recently bought a second set from E-bay and like them even better. They were both 80/100 but the light from the new ones is noticibly brighter and very pure white (not really blue). One thing to do is check the Xenon content inside the bulbs. Most run a 15-20% Xenon mixture in them (not pure Xenon). The ones I got are 30% (I think those #'s are right...).

One more thing to note is that Xenon actually is supposed to burn brighter and at a lower temp. than standard halogen bulbs so I doubt that is why the harness would melt.

I'll let you guys know if anything happens with these new ones but so far I've had them about a month and they work fine.

Shortbus

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"If you are having a bad day and it seems like people are just trying to piss you off. Just remember it takes 42 muscles to frown and only 2 to pull the trigger of a decent sniper rifle."

Shortbus,

Actually, the cop was correct in saying they are illegal for road use. Anything over 55W is illegal and "DOT approved" is actually a scam. There is no such thing as DOT approved since DOT does not rate bulbs. I read an article on this a while back, but can't find it now. Even though I have used 80/100W bulbs on the street and strongly believe that they're not any worse than the HID lights the expensive cars have, I still have to agree with the cop and say that they're intended for "off-road use only" (on record anyway).

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2000 Silver Ice SE 4X4 Auto

also known as 2xterras on Edmunds Bulletin Board
Pictures of my X: http://albums.photopoint.com/j/AlbumIndex?u=1406935&a=10805120

I just installed my Xenon HID lights
(80/100W) yesterday afternoon. When
I turned them on, they had a definate
bluish-tint to them. I drove it to
my brother-in-laws house so he can
look at them (he's an LAPD officer) and to
see what he would say. He told me to
take them off immediately. He said
that I would DEFINATELY get a ticket
for my headlights. Hence, I took them off
last night and put back the factory bulbs.
He continued saying that only certain
luxury cars are allowed to have them;
ie... Mercedes, BMW, Lexus, Caddies...
Other vehicles will get tagged for tickets!
Oh well... The search continues for
brighter lights without the color tints...

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Xterra "Horny Green"
2001 SE 4x2

...certain luxury cars...

Umm, no. The reason some cars are "allowed" to run HID systems, is because they are HID systems - not bulbs that emulate the look of an HID system. Your xenon HID bulbs are NOT the same thing as a true HID system. Do a little searching to find what a true HID system is.

The reason you might get ticketed is because a) you have more than the 45/65 watt bulb.
b) you have a cheap bulb with a blue filter. Most states have laws that state you can't run anything that blocks some of the light. Most of the cheap blue bulbs do that.

TimR

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I was driving to work a couple mornings ago (4:30am, so it's quite dark still) and I saw the outright bluest headlight beams ever coming up behind me. These things were bright as all heck, too. As it passed, I tried to see exactly what make it was, but it zoomed by a bit too fast. It was a 2-seat sportscar and must've been new because it had no plates and didn't look like anything I'd seen before. At first, I thought it was a Miata, but due to the headlights I discarded that idea figuring it had to be European with those HID's, so I >think< it might've been a Porsche. Definitely wasn't a Mercedes or Jag or BMW. Judging by the lighting pattern, the beams were pointed quite low, but they spread WAY out to the sides.

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Jeff Chung
I am not the real Kirby Puckett.
Learn it. Know it. Live it.

The Honda S2000 now has the HID option. It could have been a S2000.

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2000 Silver Ice SE 4X4 Auto

also known as 2xterras on Edmunds Bulletin Board
Pictures of my X: http://albums.photopoint.com/j/AlbumIndex?u=1406935&a=10805120

I'll be... Killerx, you're right. That would explain why I hadn't seen it before. I went to the Honda site and looked at one and I'm sure that was it. The layout of the lights on the back are the confirmation. Good call!

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Jeff
http://u1.netgate.net/~kirby34
"Hey, Regis, I got your final answer right here, pal."

Any updates on the 100/80 Xenon lights?? Waiting to see the long term effect.

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Allen Powell
Gator Saver

Are the stock bulbs that bad? I don't know, since I don't have my X yet, but it seems that everyone replaces their bulbs. Are they just Sh** or what?

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Eric Miller
University of Chicago
Also from southwest MO.

Whoa! You must be the second Phreak! Boarder racked up hundreds of posts before he bought his X and you're well on your way.

TimR, those high wattage halogens still doing ok? I might switch with the Hella bulbs you have in the near future (I think you have Hellas, right?).

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2000 Silver Ice SE 4X4 Auto
http://albums.photopoint.com/j/AlbumIndex?u=1406935&a=10805120

I have Hella 500's on the front bumper, and some generic 80/100 halogen bulbs in the headlights. You can find the generic bulbs here: http://www.jcwhitney.com/productnoitem.jhtml?CATID=5229

I have still had no problems with the higher wattage bulbs. Note, these are not the "blue look, euro-look, laser blue, xenon-blue, super-white"... etc bulbs.

TimR

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I'm all curious as to what would be better. There are several items on eBay, as well as on the open market, that sells higher wattage bulbs and I'm wondering which ones would achieve the closest HID-appearance? Actually, let me rephrase that, which brand/bulb would allow my X to achieve the brightness the HID's provide? I want to get the higher wattage bulbs, preferrably in the 100w range. I do not really care for the bluish tint but if it's included, I wouldn't complain. I had a set of the PIAA Super Whites on my Integra (9006/9005) before and I didn't notice much difference with them over stock. I don't mind spending money on a set of bulbs but I don't want to spend it if it isn't going to make a difference...any hints?

And the stupid manual says 9007...stupid manual...9004 is more like it...oh, one more thing...I would like to have brighter lights for my fog's, too...heh...

TimR,

I thought you bought Hella bulbs from the following link:
http://catalog.com/susq/hella/bulbs.htm

Maybe it was someone else...

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2000 Silver Ice SE 4X4 Auto
http://albums.photopoint.com/j/AlbumIndex?u=1406935&a=10805120

Must have been someone else. They don't have a Hella Xenon bulb listed, what they do have sounds very similar to what I purchased, only with the Hella name (and less expensive). If I had known about these bulbs before, I would have purchased them.

If you click the link to Hella's "technical" explanation of xenon bulbs, they note that the xenon blend allows the filament to "burn" hotter. AFAIK, everyone who has had problems had the xenon blue, or blue type bulbs. This could be a contributing factor.

TimR

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OK I hope I can help all you guys out. Those Xenon bulbs that people are pushing on Ebay and all those other places ARE GARBAGE. If you run higher than normal wattage (especially those BULL Crap one) you MIGHT burn (melt) your bulb socket or worst burn your headlamp. Cause these run alot hotter than normal. If you want to run Xenon bulbs I recomend you guys use PIAAs or Hellas(these are up to par with PIAAs at half the cost) If you run the higher than normal wattage you are running hotter bulbs= means you will be replacing them a little more often. That is why I recomend Hellas. I have tried them all till I got wised. At first I had those Xenon (no name one) that cost about $25(H4) for a pair, those melted my Honda wireharness socket. And they burnt my fog light(H3) lens (the mirror). So I went with PIAAs those ran me about $65 pr but I had to replace them every 5-6 months because they burn out. No I run Hellas for haft the cost. Nowadays I swear by Hella products. I can get to guys the Xenon garbage ones for $15 a pr from Chinatown if you want straight from the wholesalers or you can go get them yourself. If you guys are interest in the Hellas check out this site. I had a good order experiance with them (nice rally guys)Very good people http://catalog.com/susq/ I just hate people trying to rip others off. Also a note they have after market HID ballast for your conversion but they run about $450 a pair BUT YOU LOST THE HIGH BEAMS.

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Again blue tint coming from you headlamp or fog lights ARE ILLEGAL for strret use. Real HIDS ar white not blue, They have a slite blue(very little) to them. REAL HIDs run cooler, that is why they are only 35w but put out a lot higher beam power. Plus they lose there high beam. Don't get ripped of from these people selling these bulbs. They go fro about $15 a pair from a wholsaler in Chinatown. These are garbage. Go with Piaa or Hella, or the higher name brands one from Japan like raybrigg.

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BX Tale: How about the higher wattage bulbs from JC Whitney? They're the standard halogens, non-super-duper-bright-blue-white-hid stuff...just standard high powered halogens?
http://www.jcwhitney.com/productnoitem.jhtml?CATID=5229 (link from someone that posted here)

They do run at about 80W for low-beams? I'm guessing from what you're saying, they will blow out faster since they're higher wattage, right? Cuz I don't wanna keep buying bulbs every three to four months...

Another thing is that I saw the PIAA ones that state something like 45/65 = 85/110 ?!?! What does that mean?! Does it mean it still draws the same power as the stock do and give off higher wattage?! Oh boy...this shnapps is confusing...

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"Key Pure Ice Under Owed..."

[This message has been edited by nug050 (edited 02-23-2001).]

In general, a higher wattage bulb will not last as long as a lower wattage. 3 to 4 months, whilst a 45/65 can go for years? That is a bit of a stretch. I have 3 months in on mine so far, I expect them to last a couple years. This is what I have found in the past when using higher wattage standard halogen bulbs. In fact I have never had a higher wattage lamp burn out on me.

If you are considering the bulbs from JCW, why not get the Hella bulbs also listed above. Same output, but you get a brand name behind it for less money. I have the JCW bulbs, and would have bought the Hella's if I was aware of them at the time.

Next, PIAA's 45/65 = 85/115 (or whatever) is BS, IMO. Some people like the color difference of the light output, I don't care - I want more lumens. I've seen the PIAA superwhites in another X, and you can see that the bulbs have a light blue coating on them. This can only _decrease_ the amount of light. I have yet to see any technical explanation of why your eye would be more efficient utilizing a restricted set of wavelengths. But, again, some people like them.

TimR

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Yes I agree with TimR. Why not get the Hella for the same price as the no name one. Much better quality. And the first set of numbers is the curent draw= and the second sets of numbers equals to what the output compares to. Also if you run these superwhite or HIDs or what ever that is superwhite, try to have yellow fog lights if you live in a foggy area. The super white sucks in the fog. Hella makes these bulbs call yellow star. What they are is bulbs in yellow. These are perfect for the X factory foglight. Good like. Check out the link that I previously posted to check out prices on Hella stuff.

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Thanks guys...I think I'll go with the Hella's...I have one more "stupid" question...since I don't really care for the supadupamagnaplasmawhite bulbs, I'm guessing I'm gonna be wanting to purchase the "Standard Halogen" bulbs and not the "Hella HIP" bulbs, right? Here's the link: http://www.rallylights.com/bulbs.htm. Also, what is the typical lifespan of either of these bulbs? I don't want to have to get bulbs every 3-4 months...note: I run my lights everytime I start my car...

Also, I was considering getting yellow fogs since two mornings when I went to work, it was raining like heck and windy as heck and me having both my headlights and fogs on didn't actually help it...all I was able to see was the rain clearer...and then I started to remember that yellow cuts through that crap better...but now, the rain has gone and it's not as bad. Now, since I run my headlights and fog lights whenever I start my X, I'm wondering if it would be advisable to get higher wattages on my fogs as well?

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"Key Pure Ice Under Owed..."

I would go with the Hella yellow star for the factory fog lights. I also think they might come in 70 watt fog light bulbd those will be cool. They are slight more power but not too high to hurt. And I take it that you run your light for safety, like day time running lights. That is what I do also. The yellow star will definately stand out night or day. But if you sit in traffic it is wise to turn your lights off. This goes for those long stand stills. These lights need air to keep them cool. Also I always like to purchase xtra bulbs for replacement, and save shipping and handling if one happens to go out. And keep the xtra in the car in a box.

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Yeah, I do run my lights for safety but I guess also for looks...heh...ohkay...so, here's what I'm gonna do...I've debated with my friends about this and at least for now, it looks like here's my scoop:

Hella Halogen 9004 100/80W - Headlights
Hella Halogen H3 55w - Fog Lights

What about Hella's HIP Bulbs? Gimmic or good? I don't want something that'll burn out the next month or so...need something for the long-term, too...

Would the 80W be too bright? Should I get higher wattage for my fogs? I don't want to blind anyone...I have a lowered Integra and I know how that gets...heh...

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"Key Pure Ice Under Owed..."

IMHO, the stock bulbs are a little on the dim side and the beam pattern isn't all that good. I tried out the PIAA Superwhites. The light seemed better but the beam pattern seemed a little worse than the stock bulbs. They do have a whitish glow to them. Next, I tried the JC Whitney 55/100 blubs. Light output seemed stronger but the beam pattern seemed about the same as stock. I had them in my X for about 3 months and I was getting a little concerned about melting my connectors so I bought some Sylvania Xtravision 9004 45/65 bulbs from Kragen. Sylvania says that they are "30% brighter than ordinary halogen bulbs". I don't know if that's true or not. The bulbs seem a little brighter than stock and the beam pattern seems better than stock. I dunno, I'll just stick with the Sylvanias for now. I've heard good things about the Hella Optilux bulbs. However, I've also heard that they also have a high failure rate, I think they blow out in about 4-6 months. What's the best bulb out there? I think the jury is still out on that one.

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2000 SE 4x4 5sp Alpine Green

I was looking at the Sylvania bulbs but since it said stock wattage, I didn't really make a thought...I guess I just want it brighter without changing the tint of the bulb...extra wattage is always good for those early or late night drives...I'll have to drop by Kragen or Pep Boys to see what's available...but then again, mail order seems okay, too...

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"Key Pure Ice Under Owed..."

I been running all Hella made lighted on my X for over a year and I'm very please with the performance so far, the pricing can't be beat compared to the competitors, and the bulbs & lights are still going strong:

Hella Optilux Xenon white bulbs 9004 65/45 watts for the headlights
Hella Optilux Model 1250 Blue Ion Fog lights, 55watt standard halogen H3 bulbs
Hella 500 off-road/driving lights (street legal in CA) on the front bumper, 55watt standard halogen H3 bulbs. Can be upgrade to 100watt bulbs but they are plenty bright as is.

X: Where can I buy the Hella Optilux bulbs? You stated 65/45...does that mean it drains 45w (like stock) and puts out 65w? I'm thinking of getting the Hella Standard Halogen replacement 9004 100/80 and getting the H3 55w...sound good?

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"Key Pure Ice Under Owed..."

Please read this post all those new to XOC. Don't burn out your sockets

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must be luck then. i have had 100/90w superwhites in my x for over a year. not a problem!!(except a bulb burnout, which the seller on ebay replace free, after the warranty peroid) one of the sellers on ebay, midnightgoose-stands behind her products. she answers all her e-mails promptly. replaces any defective merchandise,etc. i am very pleased with my bulbs!

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Might interests you...
http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/2001-06-07-xenon.htm

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'01 XE Salsa V6 4x4 AT 3Pk

Ha, love this quote from that article:
"Because HID lights are on high-end cars, they've become a fashion statement. Auto-parts firms sell blue-tint halogen lights that resemble the HID color, for those dying to have their $9,000 Kia Rios mistaken at night for $120,000 Mercedes-Benz S-classes."


Brent