my right xenon headlight went out this morning (03 MC).
anybody know how much it costs to replace?

 

try this...
http://www.realoem.com/bmw/
(yes Mini is listed too)

 

Did the entire headlight give up the ghost?

Might just need a new bulb or igniter, no where as expensive as an entire bulb.

A little more detail as to what happened can help in diagnosing the issue.

 

i think it was just the bulb

 

start with whats cheapest...the bulb..just swap it with the other side to see if they work or not. hopefully its not a ballast...err "control unit"

 

According to this post, ~$200. (ouch!)

 

The ballast is the more common of the two to go out. My actually didn't go out, it just acts up. First, try clicking the lights on and off a few times to see if it fires back up. The ballast is about 425 from the dealer. You can a Sylvania bulb PN#D2R for about 150 from a parts store.
http://www.partsamerica.com/ProductD...PartNumber=D2R

 

On again, off again, on again. :impatient

dealer told me it might be the controller ($389) or the bulb ($281).

yikes!

 

Those prices are CRAZY! I can get (2) new lamps for $129.00
I have used these lamps in my 2k3 Nissan Maxima and they work and look great. Shop around. http://www.plasmagarage.com/index.html

Mini Factory Xenon HID Bulbs (2002 - 2004) are HID D2R bulbs
R = Reflective ((( ie Non projector headlamps ))) old school HID

Mini Factory Xenon HID Bulbs (2005 - 2006) are HID D2S bulbs
S = new Standard ((( ie projector headlamps )))

You can buy just the bulb and I HIGHLY recommend buying (2) replacement lamps, because of color shift. What is color shift? Color shift is what happens to the HID lamps over time. Meaning if you buy one NEW lamp and put it in it will look brighter than your older one.
Mini Cooper HID Xenon bulbs Mini Coopers come from the factory with and also without Xenon Headlights. If you have the model with Xenon headlights, then you can upgrade or replace your "Factory Xenon HID bulbs" with the appropriate bulb for your car.

Also if you want to see the color differences hit this site:
http://www.gohid.com/index_1750.html

 

at least i know i have more options now. thanks chili!

 

Now, as far as a replacement goes, what do you all reccomend? A factory like 43-4500k bulb or a little brighter say 5-6K?

 

4300k to 4500K are stock in most cars. 5000K is good and I had 6000k in my Maxima. ( see Link)
http://www.cardomain.com/ride/2641772/1
See pages 6 and 7 for lights.... and Yes, I traded that car for my 05 MCS and could not be more happy I did. Let the Modding begin... Again. Whoo Hoo!

I would NEVER go to 6000K again they where too blue looking.
When I upgrade my 05 MCS factory fogs to 35watt HIDs I am going to order 5000K fog kit and just (2) 5000k lamps for the headlights. I did not like the light out put of the 6000K on my Maxima.

*Easy Driving and turn signal Mod * You can order white LEDs and put them in your driving lights and the match your low beam HIDs PERFECTLY. No more Dim driving lights. YAY These are the little lights above fogs inside the same lamp as our turnsignals. Also, Take out the amber turn signal bulb and paint the the top half of the bulb with crome pep-boys paint and it will not look like an ugly egg yok in your bumper when it is not inuse. (Still flashes amber when used)
You can order LEDS from either of the two sites below:
http://frickinbrite.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=40
http://autolumination.com/


OK I will get back on topic (Back to HIDs)

Remember the higher the number, mesured in kelvin, the more color you will see and you will be getting LESS light output.

Example 12000 k HIDs look purple and you cant see anything. (But kids think they are cool looking untill they hit a deer or a tree) lol

Real Yellow Fogs on a Lexus are about 3000K. In this case the low # or kelvin rating = Brightness of color yellow in the light scale measured in Kelvin.

SEE THIS SITE FOR HID Q & A : Itis a quick read and very good info.
http://faqlight.carpassion.info/hl-hid-bulbs.htm

Also, I have purchased form this site and they are excellent; http://www.hidplanet.com/oem.html

 

i got two new bulbs off ebay for about 70 shipped. of course theyre not a name brand...but i dont mind, they do the trick and are holding well going on 2months now.

 

How much is the cost of this xenon light.

 

I came across this site from my friend today cuz my passanger bulb went out too. I switched it with the driver and it worked so I got lucky. I haven't ordered from them yet, I'm still waiting on an email I sent them about their bulbs.

http://www.xenithxenons.com/

 

I would suggest browsing a couple' HID forums 'fore you spend your hard earned $$. A few years ago I put in HID lamps with elipsoid projector lenses in the M and while researching I found a WIDE range of quality/price/durability in bulbs and ballast. There's a few things to consider in terms of the electrical engineering of your setup that knowledgeble ones can help you out with.

That being said, I paid ~$850 for a pair of full lenses, lamps, ballast for the M shipped from Germany. I think the total HID rig was around $300-350 of that. So at a minimum you should be able to get a very good set of bulbs and ballast for less than the price of an OEM ballast. Plus you can change your color temp if you want AND you'll have new bits for both lamps. I went with 6k 'cause it matched the Estoril Blue paint job.

While there is always a chance of a bad piece HID lamps should easily last the life of your car unless they get rough treatment. I believe MTBF is over 2000 hours which is like driving 100k miles with the lights on. A good setup should last you 10 years w/o failure. I guess it depends on how much longer you plan on keeping your current model would define how much you want to invest in the new light.

To put it another way, since HID lights should last you the life of your car, and your light went out... It's time to get a new car!! Who knows, it might work on the wife. <grin>

-/flea

 

Hey Chili MINI PA.... I found your posts quite helpful and wanted to post here as a safety check before I go ordering replacement HID bulbs.

I know for certain that I have a blown bulb on my 04. I swapped bulbs from side to side and the problem followed the bulb. Also it was very noticable by looking at the bulb that it was blown. Big black spot in the middle of the glass instead of white like the working one.

So I am looking at Plasma Garage for bulbs and found the D2R bulbs on this page. I just want to make sure that the 5000K (Bright-White) D2R Replacement HID Bulbs are what I should be getting. Obviously the 5000k is a matter of preference. The notching in the plastic looks to be right based on the picture, and it appears there are the side "tabs" for the connector to latch on to.

 

Yup those are the ones you need for a 2004. HID-D2R Bulbs (5K is a good choice.)

5K is the same color I am getting for my 2005 MCS but in the HID-D2S Bulbs.

 

I got a philips d2s bulb from ebay
15 bucks

or a pair for 22 bucks.

ebay is awesome

 

Those are b-stock, known as referbs and sold most times without warr.

 

Definitely


But 20 bucks for a a pair of oem xenons w/o warranty is still rediculous compared to the retail price.

 

I agree. Very true, As long as you are happy with them that is all that really matters in the end.

 

I was wondering ,what's causing the cloudy appearance of the drivers side factory 03 Xenon I have. It looks to be a film inside the lense ,either on the inner glass lense face or inside the inner glass lense of the the low beam(Xenon lense) . Compared to the passenger side which is cystal clear. Also the light projected on the garage door has a little rainbow look and a slightly different color to it. I was wondering if it needs a new bulb.

 

3000k and 4300k is the best for output everything else is crap....

 

your lense needs to be polished and should do the trick.. i recommend wet sanding the headlight.. i did mine and it is like night and day...