Xenon headlight burning out?

[Kernel Kurtz]

I have the bi-xenons on my car and I love them

I was out earlier this evening and I noticed that one of the headlights, rather than being the usual bright white, was kind of a purple color and noticeably dimmer than usual.

I'm thinking it is probably the bulb - I understand that HID type bulbs will sometimes weaken as gas leaks out of (or into) the sealed capsule. At least I hope it is the bulb and not a problem with the ballast or control unit.

Anyone else experience this? Do xenons die slowly or do they usually burn out all at once like older types?

[Kernel Kurtz]

Well, the light worked for a couple of days after my last post - the output becoming slowly dimmer and redder. After a couple days I guess enough air had leaked into the arc tube that it would lose it's arc, then start it again, then lose it...........then it finally gave up. So to answer my own question, yes, they burn out slowly like street lights not all at once like filament lights.

Took it to the dealer and they replaced the bulb under warranty. All is good.

[mryakan]

Well thanks for following up on your post and letting us know. Was there any visible evidence of why they failed or just a manufacturing defect.

[Kernel Kurtz]

I did not look at the bulb, but I asked the dealer if they typically burn out that quickly (car has under 20K on it) and he said no. What I've read on the web suggests they should last longer than regular lamps, so I'm thinking it was a defect or just on the extreme of the MTBF distribution. We'll see what happens with the other side.......

[bjhorton2005]

No way do they burn out that quickly, and as you realized it was just the bulb. Simply a defect! :) They are very well worth it.