Xenon or Halogen
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Joined: Dec 2003
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From: Boston Area
E4304Matic
Xenon or Halogen
How can you tell which type headlamp the car has? My low beam just went dead and was going to replace it myself, but if Xenon, the manual says take it to the dealer. Any suggestions?
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Joined: Oct 2009
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From: SC
2003 Lincoln LS V8
When you first turn on your headlights, do they start out bluish/white and take a couple of seconds to reach their normal color? If so, then they're HID.
You could also twist the back of the bulb and pull it out to see for certain if you have HID or halogen. HID's aren't significantly more difficult to replace than halogen. They do operate at higher voltage (which is probably the reason for the warning), but as long as you use common sense (lights off, don't stick your finger into the socket) you won't need to worry. Also, regardless of which type of bulb you have you don't want to touch the glass with your bare hands.
If your bulb looks like this, it's HID:
If your bulb looks like this, it's halogen:
You can enter your correct year and model into this site to see exactly which HID bulbs (D2R or D2S) you need if your manual doesn't tell you.
You could also twist the back of the bulb and pull it out to see for certain if you have HID or halogen. HID's aren't significantly more difficult to replace than halogen. They do operate at higher voltage (which is probably the reason for the warning), but as long as you use common sense (lights off, don't stick your finger into the socket) you won't need to worry. Also, regardless of which type of bulb you have you don't want to touch the glass with your bare hands.
If your bulb looks like this, it's HID:
If your bulb looks like this, it's halogen:
You can enter your correct year and model into this site to see exactly which HID bulbs (D2R or D2S) you need if your manual doesn't tell you.
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Joined: Feb 2009
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From: Central WI (BFE)
SL55, ML500 & Acura TL
If it is Xenon there is a good chance the problem is not the bulb or just the bulb. You might try switching the two bulbs assuming one of your headlights is still working. This will tell you if it is just the bulb. On Xenon, it could be the starter or the ballast.
Good Luck
Good Luck
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