A small disadvantage with Xenons is that they have to fire up when they first come on. So they are not instant on like the halogens. The startup is what shortens the life of Xenons, and they are very expensive to replace.

As a result, they are not well suited to a quick flash in the daytime to say hello to another MINI or to tell the car ahead of you that you want them to let you by unless you are in daylight running mode with them. I'm hesitant to use the daylight running mode because it means firing them up every time I stop at a shop while running errands. Perhaps I'm being over cautious. I don't really know how long they will last with frequent fire-up, but I don't want to have to replace them after a few years.

 

Robin, thanks...I believe the igniter's life gets shortened from quick flashes. They are not cheap to replace, but generally Xenon's last the life of the car with normal usage. Some drivers flash with triple flashes and I can see how this would have an impact on the life, but typical usage even what you're describing is not a problem. I've also seen people post about being concerned that the auto headlight comes on when they pull into the garage...I don't think that is a problem either.

 

russr, I own 2 MINIs, one with Xenons and one without. The MC with the Xenons is my wife's car, which we bought used. I ordered my car specifically without the Xenons. I have since upgraded the bulbs and I now prefer driving my upgraded non-Xenon over the factory Xenon. My wife feels the same way but she's gotten used to the Xenons. Also, Xenons are very expensive to repair/replace. They might not last the life of the car because, stuff happens. A friend was driving down the road when the car in front of her kicked up a piece of tire tread. It took out her Xenon headlight and she had to replace it out of pocket (insurance claim would have been ruled a chargable accident). I don't recall the exact price, but the parts alone were very expensive. 4 or 5 times the cost of the non-xenon parts.

BTW, since you said you were buying from Princeton MINI, you are probably near my geographic area. I'll warn you that there are many of us that are not happy with Princeton's service. I hope your experience is better. You can read more about it on NEMINI.org if you want. Or just sign up on NEMINI for the local events & meets...

 

paul, thanks so much for the info. Can you tell me why you and your wife prefer the non-xenon headlights? Also, what bulb did you upgrade to?

Re: Princeton MINI: PM sent.

 

I like my Xenons, and ordered them because they look and work great in my wifes Volvo XC90.

I too am interested in the response of your MA, when you tell them you wish to re-order. Will they keep the $500 down payment needed for the original order???

 

(FYI) The Xenons in the Mini dont have a Hi and Lo beam. It uses a shutter to to partially cutoff the Hi beam for the Lo beam setting.

 

Called my MA. He suggested that I come in tonight and test drive w/ Xenons and w/o. He also suggested I get driving lights instead of reordering. Driving lights cost more than reordering.

 

I can't give you a technical explantion, it's just a "gut" thing.

Also - I should qualify my comment - both of our cars are 03's, so they are 1st Gen. I'm not sure how much the lights differ on the R56.

The best suggestion in this thread is to go test drive each one at night, if you can...

 

I thought driving lights are meant to be turned on "only" when there is no oncoming traffic. That's doesn't solve the problem when you are only using the low beam only.

 

The driving lights are tied to the high beams, though I'm sure you could hack them so you can operate them independently.

 

Illegal in some states. I know in NJ they must be tied to the high beams. You could hack them, but you'd fail inspection if they catch it...

 

Yeah, driving lights are tied to high beams. They wouldn't solve my problem as low beam would still be lacking. I explained that to my MA. He suggested I come in and test drive xenons and halogens.

 

The xenons do have Hi-lo Beam! Yeah its a shutter that moves BUT it makes it a HI BEAM! Throws alot more light up ahead and lights up the entire road.

 

I think the best thing is to test drive the car with and without Xenon for yourself. I drove my Toyota Corolla last night and I couldn't see as clearly as with my MCS. Yes, the Xenon has a sharp cutoff, but it iluminates farther than the 20ft that my Toyota Halogens can. So in fact the low beam Xenon's light shoots out farther.

 

By the way, when I ordered my car, I didn't even have to pay a deposit and my MA told me that if I decided not to get the car, they would be able to sell it no problem. So talk to your MA if you do decide you want to reorder. Good Luck.

 

I don't think I'd want to wait out another order just for lights. I don't see that much advantage to the xenons. I have halogens and I like them just fine, but it sounds like you've already made up your mind.

 

Well I went and test drive both with Xenons and without. The Xenon low beam had better illumination and I think even better range than the halogen. It illuminated my sides way better. However, as Robin stated the cutoff was sharper than a halogen, but I was still able to see beyond the cutoff, albeit not well. I felt like the halogen low beam was worse than that of my Mazda6. Side illumination had big pockets of darkness...ranged seemed typical.

The Xenon high beam was great...no downsides that I could see. The halogen high beam wasn't nearly as good as the Xenon or even that of my current car...this was disappointing. Truth is however, that the roads by where the dealership were were fairly crowded so it was hard to tell the full extent of the difference.

My MA recommends just keeping the car I ordered but will work with me if I want to reorder it.

 

That is what I have been saying, the cutoff is sharper but the range on the Xenon is better. And the High beams are really bright.

To each their own, but if you want the Xenon's you should reorder. Cheaper paying $500 now for the Xenons than adding it later. If it was me, I would reorder. But that is not my decision to make, but your own.

And by the way, My brother has a 2001 MB E320 with Xenons, and has never ever had to replace them, but the rear brake lights, very often.

 

I know some people who flat out refuse to go near anything with xenons because they feel the mechanism blinds other drivers. While this may have been true with the early xenons many manufacturers have figured it out (and personally I find this true of mini).

My previous car came with xenons stock. My current car I didn't want to pay for them. The mini I splurged and went ahead and got them. I really do like xenons but will it save anyones life? No. If the difference between bulb and xenons allows you to drive or not drive you probably shouldn't be on the road anyway. There just isn't that much of a difference. If you really have problems driving at night please find someone else to drive for you or get the driving lights. Just remember to turn them off with approaching traffic. If you can't see you really are not making things better by blinding me.

Reordering? Even if I forgot to order an engine I think I'd find a solution with the dealer rather then wait another 6+ weeks.

You are absolutely right that the dealer is going to suggest what is best for them. If you convince yourself you need them then you should reorder or expect to be buying another mini in a couple years when you finally can't stand it anymore.

 

It was hard to tell, but I'm not sure the low beam xenon had that much better range than the low beam halogen. The main thing was the side illumination and also that everything it did illuminate was brighter.

Ipeverywhere, I've looked head on into mini xenons and they do not blind. This is true of most modern factory xenons. I think the xenons that do blind are the aftermarket ones.

 

For me, the thing about the Xenons is the insane $$$ to replace them when they fail.

I have halogens, and put in better bulbs and it made a huge difference. Combined with driving lights, they're just fine, and I do a lot of canyon driving at night.

 

How much are they, if you need to replace them? Did the Xenon fail or did it have to be replaced due to an accident?

 

I don't have them, but a search of the forums shows a lot of replacements due to failure, anywhere from $600 - $1000+.

Whereas to replace my halogens with better, whiter bulbs ran me $50ish for the set (highs and lows).

I like the look of Xenons, don't get me wrong...but the cost to me is not something I'd want to be dropping my money on.

 

I guess I am calling my insurance agent to lower my deductibles, just in case. Not because I think they will fail, my Brother's Xenon are 7 years old and still running strong, but in case of an accident.

 

As much thought and research you have put into this I think in the long run you will regret it if you don't reorder. You know you will have no regrets if you get the Xenons other than having to wait another 6 weeks. Good luck with your decision!