HID replacement went wrong?

[goldensndm45]

I recently went to the Infiniti dealer to replace one HID bulb which blew out. When I drove it at night, the new one casts a yellowish beam. It is not pure white like the OEM. I'm under the impression that the dealer put an aftermarket or even a halogen one on. My question is--are those bulbs proprietary and only take xenon or can a cheaper counterpart be used to replace it? Am I right/wrong?

[auditech10]

ONLY D2R bulbs will fit. They probably did absolutely nothing wrong, except not informing you that new bulbs seem to be yellowish/white and the older they get the more blueish/white they become. Ask them to replace the other bulb before the new one colorshifts to the bluerish light.Is your car under warranty still? If not you should have never gone to the dealership but bought your own pair(for less than one new one at the dealership) and put them in.Cheers

[audtatious]

Or they put a bulb in with a lower kelvin level.

For the most part, I will only replace HID bulbs in pairs....

[auditech10]

A dealership will only install OEM parts unless otherwise noted to the customer. And OEM bulbs are OEM bulbs, they all have the same kelvin rating. There are bulbs out there that SOME places use that are made by Philips and Osram that are supposedly 5000K instead of 4300K, they were designed so that they would match closely to the other, colorshifted bulb, but I personally have never seen one in any dealership that I have ever worked at.But, yes, as in most things automotive related, I always recommend parts in pairs. If one side went bad, it is only matter of time until the other goes bad as well.Cheers

[nmgoodthing]

Auditech10 is correct, although I did have an experience at the dealer when I took my Qx4 in a while back get the driver side HID capsule replaced they put it in upside down and the color was yellowish and the glare was horrible, scattered light everywhere. They did use a Phillips D2R 85126+ capsule. D2R's capsules are designed for reflective housings and D2S's are for projector type housings. The + at the end of the number indicates that they used the higher Kelvin rated capsule. It's a 5000K rating as the original Phillips bulbs were 4300K. They do this to try to match the older color shifted bulb. It takes over 100 hours of use to get a new capsule to colorshift so if you want to save money and be patient they will eventually match over time but bot will not be exact unless you change them both. I change all my own now and buy OEM bulbs from Akinaboy on ebay. His prices are the best. I bought 2 brand new OEM Phillips capsules for like 80 bucks. The dealer will charge you twice that. It's not hard to change the bulbs yourself either. Stay away from cheap Asian bulbs. There is a reason why car makers use only Phillips and Osram.

[goldensndm45]

I appreciate your responses. I guess I'm gonna have to wait until the color shift occurs. Also, I changed the OEM fog bulbs to Silverstars who claim they glow closer to 4100 K. I was unimpressed. Sure it's whiter but does not come even close to the brightness and clarity of xenon. Halogens just don't compare.

[auditech10]

[QUOTE= Halogens just don't compare.[/QUOTE]Enough said!