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dim HID xenons and sidelight bulb replacement

A

albinoni

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Location
manchester
Car
2.2 diesel tourer
Hi,
Can anyone with HID Xenons tell me if they fade with age or just die? I've read the threads on the after market upgrades but couldn't find anything on 'originals'!
Mine are really dim and don't really light up the roda too well, whereas main beam is fantastic. Is it possible to re-gas them or make them brighter in any way?
Also the side bulb (passenger side) has blown and looks a but tricky to get at (remove HID Unit/Battery?) - can they be accessesd from the wheel arch - there seems to be a plastic panel, but i don't want to take it off if, its not the thing to do.
Cheers
Andy
 
After market HIDS do fade slightly with age iv had mine for about 1 year and are not quite as bright.
As for the side lights its a easy fix.Turn the wheel into to car to get access to the wheel arch.Then prize out 2 clips which might snap if your no careful and bend the cover back.
Put your hand behind the cover and turn the bulb housing anti clockwise and simply pull out.
Pull the bulb out and replace its a 5 min job.
Also if you have a Honda handbook its in there as well.
 
Thanks Brett that's really helpful.
I ***umed the lights where a factory option - is there any way to tell?
Andy
 
albinoni said:
Hi,
Can anyone with HID Xenons tell me if they fade with age or just die? I've read the threads on the after market upgrades but couldn't find anything on 'originals'!
Mine are really dim and don't really light up the roda too well, whereas main beam is fantastic. Is it possible to re-gas them or make them brighter in any way?
Also the side bulb (passenger side) has blown and looks a but tricky to get at (remove HID Unit/Battery?) - can they be accessesd from the wheel arch - there seems to be a plastic panel, but i don't want to take it off if, its not the thing to do.
Cheers
Andy
Click to expand...

urm guys....

wasnt it ONLY the 2.4 exec to get factory xenons ?

im not aware of any diesel 7th gen to have them fitted from factory.
Andy, you may actually find that your bulbs are just 'standard' run of the mill stuff... thas why so many of us put aftermarket HIDs in our cars.
 
Adam could be correct there or you might already have after market HIDS installed already.
 
brett said:
Adam could be correct there or you might already have after market HIDS installed already.
Click to expand...

the difference between standard bulbs / HIDS is night and day.

I have installed HID kits on other cars that are over 3 years ago now and thier bulbs still look pretty much identical to when they where new.
 
easy way to see if the car has factory fit Xenons is to look on the headlight cover on the back. there should be a ruddy great big sticker warning about high voltage!
if there isnt one, you dont have factory Xenons ;)

or the other way is there is a sensor on the front shocks to detect vertical movement and auto adjust the beam.
 
crespo said:
Its the bulbs. They wear with age just like normal bulbs. And yes the 2.4 exec was the only option where they are fitted standard.
Click to expand...

technically thats not quite right.

a fillament in a standard bulb gets hot as current passes through the wire and excites the gase around it producing light.

a xenon / hid bulb actually has to have a very high voltage to opperate as it uses an arc between two electrodes to excite the gas as the voltage arcs across the two points.

Xenons should have a much greater life span than the standard halogen bulb due to no red hot fine wire fillament bouncing around inside the bulb which leads to an eventual failure of the wire coil.
the only thing that Xenons suffer with is slight deposits on the tip of the electrodes which causes a slight increase in resistance but this isnt normally an issue when your dealing with high voltage.
 
Thanks guys!
replaced the sidelight bulb - no matter how gentle I was the clips broke :-( - but that should be a quick fix from Honda.
I've provided a link to some pics of the xenon light unit -
http://www.flickr.com/photos/andy_aughey/?saved=1
Do you think it's possible to put new parts in to brighten them up or if they are add-ons, simply (or not) remove them and put conventional bulbs in.?
Cheers
Andy
 
they certainly look like after market ones to me, are the rest of the Yorkshire Dales pics yours Andy?

they are stunning any chance of higer res ones for my desktop?

Steve
 
they are aftermarket hid's. odd that they are dim, you can pick another kit up from ebay for 35 quid.

hope that helps.
 
SteveM said:
they certainly look like after market ones to me, are the rest of the Yorkshire Dales pics yours Andy?

they are stunning any chance of higer res ones for my desktop?

Steve
Click to expand...

Hi Steve, Here's a link - more than happy to provide a image for you!
Andy
http://andyaughey.freeiz.com/
 
TheHole said:
they are aftermarket hid's. odd that they are dim, you can pick another kit up from ebay for 35 quid.

hope that helps.
Click to expand...


Hi Hole,
I found this - i s this what you had in mind?
http://shop.ebay.co.uk/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p3984.m570.l1313&_nkw=hid+kit+for+honda+accord&_sacat=See-All-Categories
Does it not need the lights renewing as well - sorry, but i'm clueless on these lights. Also, is it a fairly easy DIY?
Andy
 
That is 100% a after market HID kit. i would just replace the bulbs.



Just check what wattage your ballasts are 50watt or 35watt and buy the appropriate bulbs.

Here is a link for some 6000k bulbs. http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/H1-6000K-35W-HID-XENON-REPLACEMENT-BULBS-HIDS-DIRECT-/280684723744?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item415a1cfe20#ht_2702wt_997


You don't need to replace the ballasts buddy, As long as the lights work the ballasts will be ok.
I don't want to state the obvious but have you checked your alignment for your lights before you go throwing money around.
 
crespo said:
That is 100% a after market HID kit. i would just replace the bulbs.



Just check what wattage your ballasts are 50watt or 35watt and buy the appropriate bulbs.

Here is a link for some 6000k bulbs. http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/H1-6000K-35W-HID-XENON-REPLACEMENT-BULBS-HIDS-DIRECT-/280684723744?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item415a1cfe20#ht_2702wt_997


You don't need to replace the ballasts buddy, As long as the lights work the ballasts will be ok.
I don't want to state the obvious but have you checked your alignment for your lights before you go throwing money around.
Click to expand...


Hi Crespo - this looks great! For that price it's got to be worth a go! I think the alignment is ok - they are just really dim.
I've just been out looking for the wattage - is it on the 'bulbs' themselves. They seem to be in a rubber holder - I'm guessing you just pull them out of the plastic housing? -
Thanks
Andy
 
to be honest Andy just buy a new hid kit at least you no its all new kit.It will cost 50 pounds tops
 
Well, I've ordered some bulbs off ebay and had a trial run at removing and refitting an existing bulb - what a hassle!
The bulb was patchy with an opaque covering - they've probably been in for years.
Ended out disconnecting all the wires and pulling them free from the circular cover (that goes over the back of the light unit) still bent and broke the metal rod thing on the bulb itself trying to get it back in - must be more careful with the new ones.
Decided to go for the 6000k 35w and then saw when I took the wires off a sticker saying 45000k - Doh! hope the 6000's are ok?
Can't find any refernce to wattage, so went for 35w - again hope it's ok.
Thanks for all your help guys and if anyone has a magic way of changing bulbs...
Andy
 
albinoni said:
Well, I've ordered some bulbs off ebay and had a trial run at removing and refitting an existing bulb - what a hassle!
The bulb was patchy with an opaque covering - they've probably been in for years.
Ended out disconnecting all the wires and pulling them free from the circular cover (that goes over the back of the light unit) still bent and broke the metal rod thing on the bulb itself trying to get it back in - must be more careful with the new ones.
Decided to go for the 6000k 35w and then saw when I took the wires off a sticker saying 45000k - Doh! hope the 6000's are ok?
Can't find any refernce to wattage, so went for 35w - again hope it's ok.
Thanks for all your help guys and if anyone has a magic way of changing bulbs...
Andy
Click to expand...


The only real noticeable difference between 4500k and 6000k bulbs is the colour. 6000k is white and 4500k has a yellow tinge to it like OEM look bulbs.

You will get a new rubber grommet attached to the cables of your new bulbs. It should be a simple plug and play swap to be honest.


As for the wattage it should be written on the ballast.?
 
Hi Andy

thanks for the link did you have a pic in the Countyfile calendar last year?

The HIS install is very easy and there's even a how to on the forum somewhere. I found it much easier to drop the bumper a little as the lights are easier to get to .

Took about two hours from start to finish. if the connection and wattage are the same you could try just changing the bulbs (BTW the old ons will not work too well without the metal rod)

Best option is to fit the ballast that comes with the new ones. they are just plug and play!
Mine are 4300k as I wanted as original looking as possible and are a 200% improvement on the standard bulbs.
To get at the drivers side, take the spout off the washer fluid filler.

Steve
 
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