I just bought a used 2013 SV at 14k miles with factory HIDs one week ago but not from a Nissan dealer but a Honda dealership. The driverside headlight is no longer working. How long do xenon bulbs last? I thought they should last for several years. Is this covered under the new car warranty?

 

No, the bulbs are not covered under warranty. However, if the issue is that the ballasts caused the failure, then it should be covered under warranty.

 

Are you sure the headlights are OEM HID units?
Unless the previous driver(s) have been abusing the system, 2 years is too short for the HID system to stop working. To see if the bulb or the ballast is the problem, swap the bulbs from side to side and see if it lights up and stays lit.

 

I noticed that the light is now operating intermittently, so the local Nissan dealer said it should be covered under warranty. However, when they looked at it they say the bulb is aftermarket and not under warranty. So now I have an appointment at the Honda dealer where I bought it just 2 weeks ago (dealer warranty).
What are some of the reasons someone would change the factory HID bulbs and does anyone know of aftermarket bulbs that would fail like this? Sometimes working but mostly not.

 

There are many of us who have upgraded the factory bulbs or changed the setup completely. The reason is the factory bulbs when they fire start up blue then go to a pale white and many dont like the look. As far as aftermarket bulbs, if they were cheap then yes they will burn out or intermittently work. The stock ballasts are 35w and bulbs should have been replaced with a phillips or osram 85122 d2s. Anything else is taking a chance of burnout prematurely. So make sure the honda dealer gets this bulb only.

 

The stock bulbs are 4300k but many have upgraded to clear lenses and 5000k bulbs and upgraded ballasts for superior lighting and lumen power. But for now, just stick with getting the factory 4300k bulb back in there :-) see if they will pay for it too!

 

Nitehawk -- Thanks - Just to get it right. If I choose to replace the bulbs, is it safe to use 6000k with the stock ballasts?

 

I would think that if you go to the dealer, He is going to put in whatever the book calls for.. not going to upgrade both sides if he don't have to.

 

its safe to use whatever color you want, just make sure you match wattage.
IMO you should go with 4300k or 5000k but that's just me.

anything around 6 has a slight blue/ almost purple look. but do what you like, a lot of people like 6k and higher


4300k left 6000k right

 

I replaced mine with Philips 6000k bulbs and it makes the car look a lot better. with the 4300k bulbs, it looks too much like halogens. slight yellowish hue to it. love the 6000k. but don't cheap out. some companies say they will work with the maxima ballasts, but for some reason, the computer wont read them and the wont ignite. I purchased mine on ebay, for 50 bucks and they are original Philips also.

 

Sorry was out for a few days on vaca. Yes 6000k will work but as the other Members advised do not go cheap. We have all bought the cheap 6000k bulbs from ebay and had premature burnout or failure. Buy phillips or osram only if youre just replacing the bulbs. But IMO 5000k would be best.

 

Thank you all. I will be taking your advise and go for the good and not cheap. It may just be easier to get the bulbs myself instead of taking it back to the Honda dealer and have them jerk me around for an entire day or two.

 

If you need bulbs:
http://www.theretrofitsource.com/com...d2s-bulbs.html

To confirm that the bulb is bad, put the assumed bad bulb on the other side and vice versa. If the intermittent problem moves to the other side, you know it's the bulb. If not, you know it's the ballast.

 

+1

Morimoto FTW

 

Well it turns out that the HIDs are aftermarket and cheap one at that. Honda tech said that I would keep on blowing bulbs because of the poor quality ballasts and said they would not have sold the car equipped like that. They removed the HIDs and reinstalled factory bulbs w/o charging me.

 

Congrats on the win then vs. The stealership!! The stock bulbs should give you no issues. Wait, did they replace the ballasts also?

 

Based on what he said, it seems like the dealer removed the aftermarket ballasts and bulb and replaced it with a factory H11 bulb. I would go out on a limb and say the ballast was the issue that started it, but for a dealer, they rather not have the hassle of installing aftermarket safety equipment on a vehicle.