From what i've gathered so far, the lights should start glowing pink, yellow or reddish when it's almost out.

However, would the light output also go down with age? I know from new to break-in, the temp changes from the 4300k (OEM) to right about 5000k after a while, but what about lumens?

My bulbs have about 2,800 hours on them and although they are still whitish, it just doesn't seem as bright as i remember. And driving down the road, competing vehicles with reflector-based HID's just seem brighter.

Thanks.

 

would like to know as well. it seems that output at night isnt as good as i thought it would be. also im not comparing my car to those that have the projectors ie TSX.

 

If you can see the drop in light output, it is time to replace.

 

If it "appears" as if the light output is less. Make sure your headlights are clear. Plastic headlights are Notorious for the yellow-ish haze on them from road grime ans sunlight. I thought mine were clear too... untill a small fender bender forced the insurance company to replace one... Very noticable, New vs. Old in clarity...

 

Thanks guys. I originally attributed the drop in output to the pitted lens. But even after i wet sanded and polished it, the light was the same.

I don't mind replacing the bulbs, but i just want to make sure that's what it is. Without having a "newer" 5.5 gen to compare light output to i don't know if it's really just dim or most new cars with reflector HID's just have it brighter.

 

i replaced the bulbs on mine and output was a lot brighter...but i missed the white color of the older used bulbs haha but ya when the output is getting low it's time to replace

 

I remember a member on here that says he replaces his HID bulbs yearly because he notices them getting dimmer.

If you're in doubt, go ahead and get new ones.

 

Also remember if you are trying to acheive the brightness/output you see from a high-end BMW or even TSX with Projectors... you will always come up short...
Projectors are able to use a Brighter bulb and still not be too white or blind oncoming traffic because the Projector Bends the light so it appears more blue and brighter.

 

OK, let's rephrase this shall we?

A projector based HID system found in OEM applications i.e. BMW, MB...etc uses the same 35W HID system found in our 02+ Maximas. They have better light output because a projector is more efficient at outputting the light as opposed to a reflector HID headlight which is just a big mirror.

The color you see is from the cutoff, which is the byproduct of the cutoff shield inside the projector.

 

Yeah... that is what i said...

you just made it sound a little clearer

 

Also keep an eye out for the bulb itself color-shifting... One may be a different color then the other, or they loose the (slight) blue-ish "daylight" to them. Another sign to replace 'em.

 

I think he took issue with you saying that they used a "brighter" bulb, when that's not actually the case.

Otherwise you were pretty close.

 

at 1500 hours a HID a D2S/D2R bulb has 75% lumen maintenance, at 2800hrs your probably closer to 50%, since they are rated for a 3000hrs service life sounds like you need some need bulbs.........come to think of it I need some new ones as well

 

I thought these were designed to last the the life of the car.

 

Thank you for the responses guys, i'm going to replace the bulbs then.

 

Those are good numbers to go by. Are these applicable to any type of bulb or light type (Xenon, Halogen, etc), or just the OEM HID's?

 

Just the bulb he was referencing. Different bulbs have different ratings for service hours

 

I have heard that in the past as well.

 

They can... depending on how long your car lasts, they can outlive your car. Some cars get wrecked in a matter of days, some cars can go for 30 years+.

 

Think about it this way, an HID bulb is like marriage, meant to last forever, often do not, and does degrade over time.

 

When turning my lights on at night, you get the fade-on which looks cool but my left one seems to be fading on slower recently, fading from a conventional style headlight to the "white".
Clarity of the lense is surely different compared to a new headlight. My R side was new over the summer after hitting a deer and the new one looked awesome!

 

it could last the life of your car if you dont drive at nights often. i feel like mines getting dim also. but not so bad that i cant see anything.

 

In means of miles...what are we looking at? 100k 50k? the life of car hence +200k
or even years... 5 10, I know all are different but life of the car is way to broad and service life...isnt agreat benchmark

 

I think he meant the service life of the bulb itself. Miles or years won't work as you could be driving 300k miles or 30 years and never turn the bulb on. So 3000hrs of bulb life sounds like a better way to determine the service life.

Unless of course i completely misunderstood your comments, sorry if i did

 

Why do the 6th gen maxima's have different color HID"s than ours? Im not familar with the terms but I assume they're at 6k temp than our 4300k?

 

6th gens use the same bulbs as us...only they have projector headlights and we have reflectors. the projector gives off that color effect and stuff.

 

drive in someone else's car for a few days without hid's then get back in your own car and see if you think they still need replacing.

 

Is there a preferred replacement HID bulb to use? Not talking about those hideous ricer 8000k bulbs, but stock replacement bulbs.

 

phillips... ultinon? not sure if I spelled that right

 

the ultinon's are 6000k gives off white with slight purple hue to it.

Scottwax: if you need replacement hid bulbs you can search ebay for them. i bought mine there and they're oem ones. cheaper than from dealer. if you get replacement bulbs you might want to find 85122+ those are 5000k so it'll match the older bulbs more.

 

Not true. Since the newer Maxima's have a projector, they use a D2S bulbs. 02/03 Maxima's have reflector HID's and use D2R bulbs. All HID-equipped Maxima's have the same color temperature bulb, 4300K-ish. What's causing the color change is you seeing the cutoff of the projector, where the color shifts.

 

U hit it dead nuts my friend. Most people think that cars get there color from the bulb when in fact the get it from the caracteristics of there projector. The 6th gen's have one of the most colorfull projectors out but still there is more to be desired on output.

 

haha i forgot to mention that part ya i know they use d2s and we use d2r i forgot to mention that since i've been using d2s most of the time when i had tsx retrofit in my stock headlights.

 

Thanks.

 

Very true, which is why I still love my Maxima E55's on the Ebay headlights... Love that flicker at cutoff!

 

Even with 93K someone flashed there lights at me as if I had my brights on...I flashed back to make them look stupid. My HIDs must be bright enough!

 

If people are flashing your regularly, your lights might be out of adjustment.

 

How did you change the HID's? I just bought 2 bulbs because my driver side low beams are out. Im gonna go ahead and change both but I dont want to pay labor. I have a2002 SE.

 

You have to take off the round plastic cap and the bulb is in there. Just go look at it, it's easy to do.

 

That easy, huh??? Awesome. I have to make sure that the battery is disconnected, right??? No other tools...stuff, necessary?

Thanks again!