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#88700 - 08/12/00 10:51 AM Xenon HID bulbs?
Xterra_guy Offline
Member

Registered: 28/08/00
Posts: 51
Loc: Rogers, AR, USA
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.

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#88701 - 08/12/00 10:55 AM Re: Xenon HID bulbs?
wqbang Offline
Member

Registered: 16/08/00
Posts: 1930
Loc: Auburn, WA
For future reference, this post should go into the "Parts and Accessories" forum.
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Tread Lightly!

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#88702 - 08/12/00 11:24 AM Re: Xenon HID bulbs?
TravelingFool Offline
Member

Registered: 17/10/00
Posts: 6013
Loc: Prior Lake, MN
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?

------------------
Thanks,

kjw & the
"PNUT-MNM"
_________________________
kjw &
the PNUTMNM

The liver is evil, and must be punished...

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#88703 - 08/12/00 11:19 PM Re: Xenon HID bulbs?
Hank Offline
Member

Registered: 08/10/00
Posts: 857
Loc: Tallahassee, FL
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."


------------------
Hank
2000 Yellow SE 4x4 5 Spd.
_________________________
Asian Persuasian

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#88704 - 10/12/00 02:52 PM Re: Xenon HID bulbs?
BoarderPhreak Offline
Member

Registered: 08/08/00
Posts: 7469
Loc: Huntington, NY
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.
_________________________
Modified 2001 SE 6cyl 5spd 4x4 Solar Yellow
-=( Another useless post, brought to you by da 'Phreak! )=-

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#88705 - 10/12/00 04:40 PM Re: Xenon HID bulbs?
Anonymous
Unregistered


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.

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#88706 - 11/12/00 05:34 AM Re: Xenon HID bulbs?
BoarderPhreak Offline
Member

Registered: 08/08/00
Posts: 7469
Loc: Huntington, NY
They're also illegal, not being DOT approved...

Though good luck in finding a cop that would probably care. ;>
_________________________
Modified 2001 SE 6cyl 5spd 4x4 Solar Yellow
-=( Another useless post, brought to you by da 'Phreak! )=-

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#88707 - 11/12/00 07:45 AM Re: Xenon HID bulbs?
p.i.n.o. Offline
Member

Registered: 21/09/00
Posts: 2229
Loc: Sugar Land, TX
Quote:
Originally posted by Xterra_guy:
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.


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.

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#88708 - 22/01/01 11:50 AM Re: Xenon HID bulbs?
MrVega$ Offline
Member

Registered: 28/09/00
Posts: 23
Loc: Fremont CA
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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_________________________
Rod
'00 Silver Ice XE

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#88709 - 22/01/01 12:06 PM Re: Xenon HID bulbs?
p.i.n.o. Offline
Member

Registered: 21/09/00
Posts: 2229
Loc: Sugar Land, TX
Quote:
Originally posted by MrVega$:
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.



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.



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

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#88710 - 22/01/01 01:58 PM Re: Xenon HID bulbs?
MrVega$ Offline
Member

Registered: 28/09/00
Posts: 23
Loc: Fremont CA
The wattage on the bulbs and the packages says, 80/100W. Is that too much?

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_________________________
Rod
'00 Silver Ice XE

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#88711 - 22/01/01 02:16 PM Re: Xenon HID bulbs?
BoarderPhreak Offline
Member

Registered: 08/08/00
Posts: 7469
Loc: Huntington, NY
Quote:
Originally posted by MrVega$:
The wattage on the bulbs and the packages says, 80/100W. Is that too much?


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.

------------------
2001 Solar Yellow SE 4x4 V6 5spd
_________________________
Modified 2001 SE 6cyl 5spd 4x4 Solar Yellow
-=( Another useless post, brought to you by da 'Phreak! )=-

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#88712 - 22/01/01 08:20 PM Re: Xenon HID bulbs?
p.i.n.o. Offline
Member

Registered: 21/09/00
Posts: 2229
Loc: Sugar Land, TX
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.

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

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#88713 - 22/01/01 11:18 PM Re: Xenon HID bulbs?
MrVega$ Offline
Member

Registered: 28/09/00
Posts: 23
Loc: Fremont CA
That's weird, that is exactly what happened to me.

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_________________________
Rod
'00 Silver Ice XE

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#88714 - 23/01/01 06:46 AM Re: Xenon HID bulbs?
TimR Offline
Member

Registered: 17/08/00
Posts: 372
Loc: Forest Lake, MN
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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#88715 - 23/01/01 07:22 AM Re: Xenon HID bulbs?
KillerX Offline
Member

Registered: 20/12/00
Posts: 268
Loc: Maryland
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).

------------------
2000 Silver Ice SE 4X4 Auto

also known as 2xterras on Edmunds Bulletin Board

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#88716 - 23/01/01 01:04 PM Re: Xenon HID bulbs?
p.i.n.o. Offline
Member

Registered: 21/09/00
Posts: 2229
Loc: Sugar Land, TX
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.

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

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#88717 - 23/01/01 03:41 PM Re: Xenon HID bulbs?
MrVega$ Offline
Member

Registered: 28/09/00
Posts: 23
Loc: Fremont CA
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.

------------------
_________________________
Rod
'00 Silver Ice XE

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#88718 - 23/01/01 10:06 PM Re: Xenon HID bulbs?
sgary Offline
Member

Registered: 16/11/00
Posts: 47
Loc: San Juan Bautista, CA, USA
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

------------------
Gary T.
2001 Silver Ice
4x4 SE Auto
_________________________
Gary T.
2001 Silver Ice
4x4 SE Auto

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#88719 - 23/01/01 11:57 PM Re: Xenon HID bulbs?
p.i.n.o. Offline
Member

Registered: 21/09/00
Posts: 2229
Loc: Sugar Land, TX
Quote:
Originally posted by sgary:
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



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.

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

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#88720 - 24/01/01 03:55 AM Re: Xenon HID bulbs?
KillerX Offline
Member

Registered: 20/12/00
Posts: 268
Loc: Maryland
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.

------------------
2000 Silver Ice SE 4X4 Auto

also known as 2xterras on Edmunds Bulletin Board

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#88721 - 24/01/01 10:18 AM Re: Xenon HID bulbs?
TimR Offline
Member

Registered: 17/08/00
Posts: 372
Loc: Forest Lake, MN
- I'm keeping them in. I'll update in a couple months, or when a problem develops.

TimR

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#88722 - 30/01/01 09:39 AM Re: Xenon HID bulbs?
Anonymous
Unregistered


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

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#88723 - 30/01/01 03:22 PM Re: Xenon HID bulbs?
Shortbus Offline
Member

Registered: 15/09/00
Posts: 578
Loc: Tampa, FL, USA
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-

"Since the internet has no walls or fences, why do we need Windows and Gates?"

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#88724 - 30/01/01 03:30 PM Re: Xenon HID bulbs?
KillerX Offline
Member

Registered: 20/12/00
Posts: 268
Loc: Maryland
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).

------------------
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

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