Do HID lamps lose power as they get old?

R

Ridgerunr

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Mazda CX-9 GT AWD
I just picked up my CX9 a couple of weeks ago, it's a 2008 GT model so it has the factory HID's on the low beams. The color seems correct but the light output or distance it goes down the road seems to be not the best. I was wondering if I put in new lamps, if it might help? Any thoughts.
Thanks
 
This is our first vehicle with HID lighting and I wasn't as impressed with it as I thought I would be. I think it's because of the way the light is cut off so abruptly so as to not blind oncoming traffic.

As far as getting dimmer, I would guess yes but probably not enough to warrant new bulbs.
 
I recently traded my 2008 GT for a 2015. (is yours red?) I noticed the dimming effect on the 2008 but contributed it to yellowing headlight lens covers. You might want to compare the lens to a new one before upgrading the bulbs.
 
Light covers look good, cut off is like any other HID I have owned, my 2015 Subaru BRZ with HID's is just SO much brighter.
 
I think you already stated this, but:
Are the lights aimed correctly?
Is the manual adjustment "wheel" all the way up?


My wife's 09 CX9 w/ about 110K miles on it still seem to work great. They are much better than the halogen bulbs in my 14 Explorer.
 
Don't own a CX-9, but had a 2012 Mazda 5 and CX-5, both with HID lights. It might just be the design. The 5 was noticeably brighter than the CX-5. It wasn't that the CX-5 was terrible, just when you are expecting so much brighter, it is a bit of a letdown. Have a CX-3 now with the LED lights. Puts the 5 to shame
 
Ridgerunr said:
Light covers look good, cut off is like any other HID I have owned, my 2015 Subaru BRZ with HID's is just SO much brighter.
Click to expand...

You can't really compare the Mazda HIDs to another car's HIDs to determine if they have lost intensity over time. Some cars just have brighter HIDs than others, even when brand new.
 
Hids will change colors over time when they need to be changed. The color will be very apparent, as far as lighting the road ahead...I agree the Hids that I had in my 07 Acura TL-S seems brighter than my CX-9. Since you do have a GT have you tried adjusting the level of the headlamp from inside the car. Make sure you aren't adjusting it too high so that it is blinding people.
 
I went ahead and purchased 2 new HID low beam lamps and the new ones are lighting up the road a lot better than the original lamps. Not really sure if they are projecting light further down the road, they seem to be, but the light is defiantly brighter. I would recommend replacing your HID lamps if they are a few years old.
 
The lifespan of a HID lamp is supposedly at least 2x that of a normal headlamp...

However, HID's do get dimmer as they age. The electrodes inside the bulb are eroded very slowly by the electrical arc that jumps across them. The metal vaporizes into the gas inside the bulb. When the bulb is turned off, the metal condenses on the glass, which lets less light out of the bulb, causing it to dim.
 
Our 06 BMW 330i has HID lights as well as our '11 CX-9. We got the 330i with 30k miles on it and it now has 150k miles. It is my wife's car and I drive it in the winter when she drives the CX-9.

I say all that to say that I have noticed it age because I only drive it a a few months of the year. I have definitely noticed a change in the quality and color of light the HIDs put out.

I think our CX-9 has really good light output, but probably not as good as new.
 
Ridgerunr said:
I went ahead and purchased 2 new HID low beam lamps and the new ones are lighting up the road a lot better than the original lamps. Not really sure if they are projecting light further down the road, they seem to be, but the light is defiantly brighter. I would recommend replacing your HID lamps if they are a few years old.
Click to expand...

wait....what do you mean...did you buy 2 new lamps ..$1,000+ a pop or did you mean, you bought new HID BULBS? I confirm that HIDs on my 2011 are total $hit. halogens on 2011 subaru outback with 55W bulba are almost as good and now that I upgraded them to 65W ....I would say equal lumens with less obvious cut off
 
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