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[TheBoy]

Before I spend a fortune on new bulbs, am I right in saying the bulbs degrade over time/use?

The lights on my car are utter rubbish, even by Vauxhall standards. They haven't started to go purple yet, and strike every single time.

Lenses are in reasonable condition.

[05omegav6]

Tired ballasts?

[Kevin Wood]

I guess the bulbs must lose brightness over time. They have electrodes in them which will be eroded by the arc over time. Only place the resulting metal vapour can go is onto the side of the glass envelope.

My lights are currently rubbish on dipped beam. I'm more inclined to think that is due to the beam being a bit low, which I'm struggling to fathom out, given that recalibrating the levelling system has made no difference. Maybe the adjusters have unwound themselves, but on both headlights, in the same direction?

Hadn't though about the HIDs losing brightness, but maybe.. My headlight lenses are NOT pristine, however.

Oh! This machine has finally started picking up Christmas smilies (well, about half of them).

[kevinp58]

Have you tried putting yours next to another mig with HID's and see the difference if any, if there is can you take a bulb from the other mig and put it in one of your lights and see if there is a difference. 

[RobG]

Before I spend a fortune on new bulbs, am I right in saying the bulbs degrade over time/use?

The lights on my car are utter rubbish, even by Vauxhall standards. They haven't started to go purple yet, and strike every single time.

Lenses are in reasonable condition.

Correct.
Typical lumen degradation on a 3.2K bulb.
0 hours = 3200 lumens (100%)
200 hours = 2880 lumens (90%)
1000 hours = 2560 lumens (80%)
1500 hours = 2400 lumens (75%)
2000 hours = 2240 lumens (70%)

[Andy H]

The one I took out looked black so I imagine the light output must have been significantly reduced.

[Marks DTM Calib]

It's mor e related to the number of strikes rather than the hours

[amba]

Interesting statistic,Rob.

So if bulbs are originals and average Omega is 11 years old ,and they are workng for approx 2 hours per day over the course of an average year,they have been burning for 2x352=704 hours per year..x 11 years =7,744 hours.

If they degraded by 300 lumens over 200 hours..7,744/200 =38.7 x 300 means they have lost 11,616 lumens. 

How many do they have when they are new ?

[dbug]

Interesting statistic,Rob.

So if bulbs are originals and average Omega is 11 years old ,and they are workng for approx 2 hours per day over the course of an average year,they have been burning for 2x352=704 hours per year..x 11 years =7,744 hours.

If they degraded by 300 lumens over 200 hours..7,744/200 =38.7 x 300 means they have lost 11,616 lumens. 

How many do they have when they are new ?

As Rob said - 3200 lumens (0 hours ) - rtfp
Also degredation not linear

[Marks DTM Calib]

And as stated, they degrade based on the number of strikes so the hour figure is a very poor method for determining life.

When the HID's fire they strike an internal arc to vapourise the metallic salts in them, its this that has by far the largest impact on life. If you strike them whilst they are still hot (e.g. off and then on again), the wear is even higher (as the metallic salts have not returned to the crystaline state).

Once fired there is close to zero 'wear'

So these hour figures are horse shit and clearly have a major unstated assumption in them concerning the number of on/off cycles per hour.

And the above also explains why you dont get them as seperate units on high beam applications (those with them tend to use a shutter system to alter the light output of the single bulb)

[AndyStobbs]

Might have to invest in some myself. Are the 'proper' phillips/osram D2S significantly better than the chinese ones?

[05omegav6]

Might have to invest in some myself. Are the 'proper' phillips/osram D2S significantly better than the chinese ones?

Er...yes

If you're lucky the chinese one will work for an unknown amount of time. If you're unlucky they won't...

[D]

And as stated, they degrade based on the number of strikes so the hour figure is a very poor method for determining life.

When the HID's fire they strike an internal arc to vapourise the metallic salts in them, its this that has by far the largest impact on life. If you strike them whilst they are still hot (e.g. off and then on again), the wear is even higher (as the metallic salts have not returned to the crystaline state).

Once fired there is close to zero 'wear'

So these hour figures are horse shit and clearly have a major unstated assumption in them concerning the number of on/off cycles per hour.

And the above also explains why you dont get them as seperate units on high beam applications (those with them tend to use a shutter system to alter the light output of the single bulb)

I thought that was the case. However what happens when you flash the lights, ie to let a driver out etc. Its the HIDs that flash repetitively. By the standard of the morons around here that flash a million times to let you out, these HIDs should have a very short life span?

[kevinp58]

And as stated, they degrade based on the number of strikes so the hour figure is a very poor method for determining life.

When the HID's fire they strike an internal arc to vapourise the metallic salts in them, its this that has by far the largest impact on life. If you strike them whilst they are still hot (e.g. off and then on again), the wear is even higher (as the metallic salts have not returned to the crystaline state).

Once fired there is close to zero 'wear'

So these hour figures are horse shit and clearly have a major unstated assumption in them concerning the number of on/off cycles per hour.

And the above also explains why you dont get them as seperate units on high beam applications (those with them tend to use a shutter system to alter the light output of the single bulb)

I thought that was the case. However what happens when you flash the lights, ie to let a driver out etc. Its the HIDs that flash repetitively. By the standard of the morons around here that flash a million times to let you out, these HIDs should have a very short life span?

I thought it was the main beam that flashed  if so then it will be the Halogen bulbs. 

[TheBoy]

And as stated, they degrade based on the number of strikes so the hour figure is a very poor method for determining life.

When the HID's fire they strike an internal arc to vapourise the metallic salts in them, its this that has by far the largest impact on life. If you strike them whilst they are still hot (e.g. off and then on again), the wear is even higher (as the metallic salts have not returned to the crystaline state).

Once fired there is close to zero 'wear'

So these hour figures are horse shit and clearly have a major unstated assumption in them concerning the number of on/off cycles per hour.

And the above also explains why you dont get them as seperate units on high beam applications (those with them tend to use a shutter system to alter the light output of the single bulb)

I thought that was the case. However what happens when you flash the lights, ie to let a driver out etc. Its the HIDs that flash repetitively. By the standard of the morons around here that flash a million times to let you out, these HIDs should have a very short life span?

I thought it was the main beam that flashed  if so then it will be the Halogen bulbs. 

I think D is talking about Bi Xenons, not whats fitted to Omegas.