Is the wife right about Xenon lights?

[iwjenkins]

Hello all...I am new to the forum and in the next week I will placing our order for a new California SE with 180PS DSG 4 Motion BMT.

My question is ...Xenon lights...yes or no? My wife says no which will save about £1000 but I say yes but |I don't really have a reason why other than the LED lights last longer but then she says they are more expensive to replace than a standard bulb. She has a point but I am not sure that is a reason not to have them.........I would love to hear from any member that has experienced both types of lights and the pros and cons of both. Are they worth it?...are they safer?...do they last as long as the manufacturers say?etc

Thanks in advance for your interest and time. Best regards Ian

 

[Meoncoast]

We do not have them on our Cali which is our daily drive. Our van replaced a Subaru Forester.
which had them . Do not miss them personally and would not spend that much on adding them to a order. I know others swear by them I drive a lot on small roads after dark and have no issue with standard lights.

 

[sbmcd]

Standard lights are excellent, and I cannot see bulb longevity ever being an issue.

 

[larrylamb]

Nice lamps but very expensive, worth it? that's a matter of opinion.

 

[WelshGas]

I agree. Zenons are an expensive accessory that add nothing to the driving experience. The standard lights are excellent and certainly a lot cheaper to replace. If you want them then it's your money, but remember no dealer or private buyer is likely to pay extra for them if you ever plan on selling. Have fun arguing. :laugh2

 

[Hannsky]

I had Xenons on my previous Merc and I do not miss them on the Cali at all , IMHO it is a waste of money, maybe buy a good set of bulbs instread, thats what I did.

 

[tuono001]

For me it was one of the best things I opted for on the car. I looked for ages to find a cali with them in my price range but couldn't, gutted, though I'm not driving the cali so much as the car.
What I don't understand is why so many opt for £1000+ satnav over good lights :crazy the satnav on my phone is better than any car nav I've used.
It's a yes from me.

 

[GrannyJen]

what are "xenon's"???

:crazy

 

[WelshGas]

:goodone

 

[iwjenkins]

Thanks for your replies...really appreciated....a few more against than for so it looks like the wife has won this one. What do I mean this 'one'. She is always right whereas I like to think I am. I've learnt that after 21 years

This is my first visit to a Forum and I must say my experience is A1 so far... common sense with some humour thrown in. Love it

Good times to one and all. Ian

 

[rippers]

I personally rate them, having had them on my BMW's for the last 10 years. I also like the aesthetics of them and I still raise a smile everytime I see them dance when you turn the car on :lol: :lol:

That said with the excellent driver view in the T5 you probably don't need them..

As for bulbs my and my wife have observed so many T5s (with normal lights) that have the daylight side lights bulbs gone on one side.. they must pop all the time?

 

[GrannyJen]

I like those lights that look around corners.

 

[pjm-84]

Oddly my Wife wanted the Xenons because they looked nice. I was just being tight.

Xenon are not xenon? My Wife has them on her X5 and they are brilliant. My Volvo on the other hand doesn't and the dipped beam is dreadful.

Maybe I'm just getting old.

 

[owen_h]

What I don't understand is why so many opt for £1000+ satnav over good lights :crazy the satnav on my phone is better than any car nav I've used.
It's a yes from me.

agree with this, to retrofit zenons is approx. £3k whereas the satnav is available on a well known auction site for £600.
I was not impressed with the original lights on the Beach (different units to the SE) but better bulbs made a good improvement.

 

[sbmcd]

I personally rate them, having had them on my BMW's for the last 10 years. I also like the aesthetics of them and I still raise a smile everytime I see them dance when you turn the car on :lol: :lol:

That said with the excellent driver view in the T5 you probably don't need them..

As for bulbs my and my wife have observed so many T5s (with normal lights) that have the daylight side lights bulbs gone on one side.. they must pop all the time?

When I first got my Cali I thought the one of the side bulbs had gone till I found out it was one of the side lights that go on when you turn that I could see, and the other was off as it is supposed to. Only found this out when I took it to the dealer to fix the allegedly broken light, I felt a complete idiot of course!

 

[tuono001]

Best thing I did with the standard lights was to fit Philips extreme bulbs, they made a big difference (just not xenons levels)

 

[iwjenkins]

For me it was one of the best things I opted for on the car. I looked for ages to find a cali with them in my price range but couldn't, gutted, though I'm not driving the cali so much as the car.
What I don't understand is why so many opt for £1000+ satnav over good lights :crazy the satnav on my phone is better than any car nav I've used.
It's a yes from me.

...and that's another thing...we have already decided against the SatNav so it sounds like we are being mega tight if we don't have the lights instead. Tried it when we hired for a week and I just screamed at it all the time :evil:

by the way, where can I get the lights that look around corners.

 

[GrannyJen]

I meant the ones that turn when the vehicle turns

 

[Andy80F]

As far as I understand it the SE uses H15 bulbs in non xenon configuration for the daylight light and main beam. The H15 has been devoid of the upgrade potential of the other more mainstream bulbs but it seems there are a couple of upgrades appearing that give a whiter light to the daylight bulb and even what looks like a full LED upgrade http://www.horizonleds.co.uk/h15-cree-led-bulbs-drl. If the main beam can be upgraded in the same way as the dipped then Xenons will really look like an expensive option. The Xenons do look great however but was just an option too far at the time.

 

[GrannyJen]

Well, now, being serious, I have Xenons. Apparently they are adaptive which means they follow the front wheels when they turn. They are nice lights. I don't give a damn about the aesthetics or otherwise, I do give a damn about seeing what I am likely to hit in the dark.

Brilliant on main beam, night into day and no fuzziness. On dip, well I've not burnt anyone's retina's out but neither do I manage to see very far.

That said, dark, isolated, highland roads and they were superb.

 

[Jaydub]

Xenon lights produce a whiter light than a halogen bulb,giving a more natural light with less eye fatigue.The down sides are if one does go they are expensive to replace,and as they use a active shutter to cut of the high beam for dipped beam you get a very sudden cut off of light on the road ahead. If you do a lot of night driving then yes they are worth it,my cars always have had xenons now moved onto full led lights as for 4 months of the year I only drive in the dark. Our Cali however will be travelling mainly in daylight/dusk hours so it wasn't important,plus for £30 can always upgrade the bulbs.

 

[teeboy]

Don't have Xenons - never felt the urge to get them - never even felt the urge to upgrade from the bog standard VW bulbs.

Thus far I have also managed not to run into anything on country roads.

£1200 covers a lot of nights + camp sites

 

[iwjenkins]

Thank you for further comments. It seems standard lights with a bulb upgrade is the way to go with the saving to be spent on campsites.

GrannyJen...your footer made my wife (Louise ) laugh and has given her some ideas on how the van is to be used!

Thanks for the steer to various websites and equipment. The forum is clearly a valuable resource. :clap

Ian

 

[AlanC]

what are "xenon's"???

:crazy

They are Hi Intensity Discharge (HID) head lamps.

The bulb uses Xenon gas which produces a much brighter whiter light (higher colour temperature for the technical) than standard Halogen lamps which look slightly yellower (lower colour temp) by comparison.

As they are bright they have to be connected to the suspension in order to be self leveling. Where as the halogen ones have to be height adjusted manually.

I have Xenons on my Saab, the Cali does not and I do miss them. Makes a real difference on unlit roads down here in Dorset.

If I was buying new I would definitely specify them. £1000 as against £3000 as a retro fit. Well worth the money in my view.

Alan

 

[GrannyJen]

Good job that I bought them then

Saves me a fortune in carrots....