Bi-Xenon headlights... myth of fact
Thread Starter
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Joined: Oct 2010
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From: Perth, Australia
Audi A4 Quattro 2013
Bi-Xenon headlights... myth of fact
I read somewhere that switching Bi-Xenon headlights on and off constantly will shorten their life quite a bit. Is this true?
Reason I ask is because I park my car in an underground garage. If I got my lights set to automatic, they will turn on and off again every morning and afternoon. Plus I drive through tunnels etc.
Will this on/off/on drastically shorten the life of my lights?
Reason I ask is because I park my car in an underground garage. If I got my lights set to automatic, they will turn on and off again every morning and afternoon. Plus I drive through tunnels etc.
Will this on/off/on drastically shorten the life of my lights?
Last edited by anonymousmoose; Nov 25, 2011 at 11:43 AM.
Thread Starter
Super Member
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 645
Likes: 2
From: Perth, Australia
Audi A4 Quattro 2013
I did some googling and found this;
Factors of wear come mostly from on/off cycles versus the total on time. The highest wear occurs when the HID burner is ignited while still hot and before the metallic salts have recrystallized.
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05 C230K Sport
it's not just with our headlights, it's all lamps, they are under the greatest amount of stress during the lighting period. that's why your light bulbs in your house tend to burn out right when you turn them on. the question is will the amount of times you are turning them on for no reason will actually shorten their life span by an amount of time that you will notice. I doubt it. these bulbs are designed with really sound technology, not like the normal filament bulbs you find in your house, cheaper cars, older cars. they are more like the bulbs that are used for roadway lighting, much less maintenance and more usable light. so, I guess that was a really long answer to just say, it shouldn't effect you that much. lol. sorry, I'm an electrician, light bulbs are my life. haha
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MBWorld Fanatic!
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From: East Texas
2004 Volvo XC70; 2012 GLK 350 4matic
Bottom line: They are worth every penny. Buy the Bi-Xenon Lighting Package. If the package also includes headlight washers, you are twice blessed.
Bi-Xenon headlights + Headlight washers + Rain sensor wipers. Just do it!
Wayne
Bi-Xenon headlights + Headlight washers + Rain sensor wipers. Just do it!
Wayne
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From: Llandudno, Cape Town, South Africa
late 2009 CLK 350 Coupe Elegance, '65 Jaguar S Type wires
Yes - technically there has to be more wear on the Xenon lamps but it's not really an issue. Enjoy the far better lighting & leave in Auto. When replacing use decent Philips lamps of the correct temperature made in the Aachen plant in Germany. They are the best!
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From: East Texas
2004 Volvo XC70; 2012 GLK 350 4matic
Glyn,
Thanks for the bulb advice. Do we need an Aachen resident to send us those bulbs? LOL! They might be hard to find in the Colonies!
Enjoy your new Benz!
Wayne
Thanks for the bulb advice. Do we need an Aachen resident to send us those bulbs? LOL! They might be hard to find in the Colonies!
Enjoy your new Benz!
Wayne
Super Moderator
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From: Llandudno, Cape Town, South Africa
late 2009 CLK 350 Coupe Elegance, '65 Jaguar S Type wires
You should visit that Aachen plant if you are ever in Germany. If you think that hard drive plants are fanatical about not getting any pollutants into a plant you should see the Philips Xenon plant.
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2019 G70 6MT & 2022 Ford Maverick XL
With HID-equipped cars I usually take control of the lights manually. It's not the number of cycles, it's the short cycles that are bad. For example if you leave the lights on auto and start the car they fire. But you back out into the daylight and they shut off.
IIRC, that sort of thing will cause deposits on the HID capsule and can lead to premature failure. It says in the 135i's manual to avoid this sort of thing with the headlights.
IIRC, that sort of thing will cause deposits on the HID capsule and can lead to premature failure. It says in the 135i's manual to avoid this sort of thing with the headlights.
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From: Pretoria, South Africa
E350 Coupe
I have the intelligent light system on my E350 Coupe. It automatically goes to auto once the led driving lights are on and main beams cannot be switched off via the switch at all. The result is that my main beams switch on in my garage only to switch of 20 seconds later as soon as I exit. This happens four to five times every day and the first one konked in today after 55 000km of which maybe 5000km was driven at night. 
