Dear all,

I had my factory installed HID (Xenon) Headlight failing on me after about 1700 hours of usage, on a 2011 Durango.
The symptom was that upon switch on it was blinking with an orange light and then going off.
The local Chrysler garage asked about €450 for a replacement of the bulb with a new original part (I live in Germany).

Do you experience the same level of prices in the US, namely around $400 for replacing an headlight HID?

Moreover after how many hours of car usage did you get your first HID failure? (you can check the hours run in the dashboard display between tachometer and RPM clock)
I read that 2000 hours is the typical longevity of HID laps.

Cheers
Nicola

 

Anything direct from a dealer, we absolutely face a huge markup. Your best bet is to get the replacement from the OEM (OSRAM-Sylvania) - the bulb is a D1S.

You should be able to get it from your local automotive supplier.

Currently they are about $100 US. They are more expensive because the ballast/ignitor is directly attached to the bulb.

 

d1s bulbs should be relatively cheap! The more the lights click on and off, the faster they wear out. If your lights go on and off a few times a day, then they will wear out faster.

 

High Quality OEM D1S bulbs are never inexpensive. Crappy Chinese bulbs are cheap.

 

tons of legit OEM d1s bulb pairs on ebay, for under 100 for the pair shipped. Just takes a lot of sorting to see which ones are good.

 

Being in Germany, I don't think he has the luxury of sorting through them unless there just happens to be an EU seller with a quality part.

 

Thanks for the tips everyone, next time I will order OEM D1S bulbs and install them myself. I don't mind spending for quality, but $400 is an exaggeration.
Something on the line of $100 seems more reasonable.

I am new to HID bulbs, my previous cars had regular or at most halogen bulbs and the cost of their replacement never required a dedicated phone call to me for giving the go-ahead....

Talking about expensive headlights, I was told today that the BMW i8 laser light option will cost €9500... this is bordering madness.

http://www.bmwblog.com/2014/09/18/ex...st-9500-euros/

 

I just replaced mod bulbs with the both mentioned and get them from amazon.com for $59. Contrary to a lot of post I read, you do not have to take the grill in the front bumper off to change them. There's an access hole in each wheel well and I replaced both of mine in about 15 minutes.