difference between HID's and xenons?

[Adz86]

as title, whats the difference, are xenons just a bulb and HID's an actual kit? just that the car im getting says it has xenons, not really a selling point if its just a bulb is it?

[Big Knox]

just different names for the same thing I think. you'll find them interchanged. Although watch out for people claiming to be selling "xenon bulbs" and are selling Halogens

[Dan_BlackSRi]

just different names for the same thing I think. you'll find them interchanged. Although watch out for people claiming to be selling "xenon bulbs" and are selling Halogens

Yeah, thats pretty much spot on.

You'll find Xenons refer to the factory fitted kit, while HiDs refer to the aftermarket ones, ultimately are the same thing, but "some" people think that a car with projector style lights are Xenons !!!!

[Pete B]

just different names for the same thing I think. you'll find them interchanged. Although watch out for people claiming to be selling "xenon bulbs" and are selling Halogens

"Xenon" bulbs is actually correct, the real difference between HID's and ordinary bulbs is the fact that HID's (High Intensity Discharge) are discharge lamps (like a camera flash but on all the time) and have no filament wheras ordinary bulbs are a heated filament. Some filament bulbs are filled with Halogen (hence the name) wheras Xenon filament bulbs are just that, bulbs filled with xenon and they can be run slightly hotter (whiter light, e.g. Philips 'X-treme', Osram 'Nightbreaker' etc) than halogen filled bulbs. Still nothing like HID's though. The name confusion arises because the discharge gas in HID's IIRC is xenon.

OEM fitted HID's are usually referred to as 'Xenon' lamps as Dan says above.

One just has to be aware that in purchasing extra bright 'xenon' filled bulbs that they are still getting only a filament bulb, not HID's.

If Adz86's proposed car is advertised as having 'xenon's' (is it a 3.2 GSi as per profile?) by a reputable seller, then it almost certainly already has OEM HID lamps fitted.

[Adz86]

hey thanks for replies, very helpful, does say xenons on the advert so im hoping they are the said manufacturer fitted

[byebyeitsagsi]

Yeah your GSi will have factory fitted zenons with heated high pressure washers

[ispitanfart]

difference between HID's and xenons?

about thirty quid each....

[Adz86]

does it have to have washers? it has got them but i think i read on here somewhere someone saying they might fail m.o.t if it doesnt, what do they do other than clean the headlight

also whats the life of a xenon and how much to change if one goes?

[Dan_BlackSRi]

does it have to have washers? it has got them but i think i read on here somewhere someone saying they might fail m.o.t if it doesnt, what do they do other than clean the headlight

also whats the life of a xenon and how much to change if one goes?

Retrofit HiDs don't "need" washers to pass an M.O.T. People will argue quoting this and that, but the fact of the matter is, at present you don't need washers on your car when retro fitting HiD kits (the washers do just that, clean the headlight to keep the beam pattern intact).

The life of the bulbs is about 3000 hours, which is about 10 times longer than you're average halogen bulb.

[gibbon7000]

does it have to have washers? it has got them but i think i read on here somewhere someone saying they might fail m.o.t if it doesnt, what do they do other than clean the headlight

also whats the life of a xenon and how much to change if one goes?

IIRC Factory fit Xensons require washer jets by law.