My car was recently repaired due to a minor accident. The driver's side headlight was replaced. I just noticed tonight that they appear to be different colors. The new one has a yellowish tint while the passenger side one has the normal blueish xenon tint. The housing of the two looks exactly the same. Is it even possible to put the wrong kind of bulb in the headlight? Would different "batches" of headlights be slightly different to others?

Any ideas?

 

thats weird,
are you sure theyre both xenons?

 

Should check the invoice from the bodyshop that repaired your car and make sure they ordered the right one.. mine didn't on the initial estimate, I called them up and let them know..

 

Xenon bulbs are available in different "colors" and your shop ordered the wrong one. The color output is denoted by the degrees Kelvin of the light. Could be that you got a 3800K instead of a 4300K or somesuch.
Give the shop a call and ask them to sort it out.

 

It is likely that they used an OEM MINI headlight. As the bulbs age, the color exhibits a subtle shift to blue. If you put a fresh bulb in the other headlight, they'll match.

I had a headlight washer die under warranty. The dealership replaced the entire headlight, and I noticed the same difference in colors. As time wears on, they'll get closer in color.

Rawhyde

 

The first couple of insurance estimates listed the wrong headlight assymbly but it was fixed before the final estimate was received. Last night, I double checked the estimate I was given by the body shop when I picked up the car. It said xenon.

I did wonder if they could have used a different type or brand of bulb. I was already planning to visit the body shop over some paint imperfections. I will ask about the bulbs. I just didn't want to sound like an idiot asking about it if this was something normal.

 

dontn let them boss you around either,
let the shop guys know that you know its not right and they'll cooperate a whole lot easier

 

Rawhyde could well be right. I hadn't considered "burn-in" when I replied. Give it a little time and see what happens. Likely the shop ordered a "headlamp assembly" and that comes with the bulb.