Xenon Headlamps In Detail

This illuminating write-up really sheds some line on the subject of xenons. Brilliant!

Pun, very much intended.

Nice work.

My 2 MINIs were ordered with the standard halogen headlights and they work just fine. I have driven MINIs equipped with Xenons and I am still not convinced on the added cost, weight and theft potential of these lights.

I would think Xenons are a good choice for people that drive in pitch dark rural roads. In the city they are annoying, specially for oncoming drivers.

To me the most negative aspect of Xenons is the cost of replacement (Halogens are way cheaper to replace, hands down) and in certain metropolitan areas (Like Miami), Xenon headlight assembly ballasts are a magnet for thieves. Every week I see cars that have been bastardized by thieves with no headlight assemblies (Audis, Acuras, MBs, BMWs, Nissans). MINIs are not immune to Xenon headlight theft either.

Pedro, they indeed do look cool. But when some jerk pries open your bonnet and causes anywhere between $3,000 and $5,000 worth of damage and several days of body shop/rental car expenses, the “Xenons” are not so cool anymore. ;)

Yep (Tongue in cheek)…

Stolen xenons??? You mean that in addition to my Union Jack valve stem covers I need to be worried about my xenons, too? YIKES!

DB, I agree but remember that if those suckers either get damaged or “die” out of warranty, they will still be more expensive to replace than a standard halogen setup.

Still for me, the theft factor is what totally turned me off from them. Not at least until car manufacturers can effectively address the problem of Xenon theft I will not be spending the extra cash for them.

Pretty much like anti-theft factory car stereos that require a special code otherwise rendering the radios useless outside of their host vehicles, auto makers out to come out with a Xenon headlight ballast that “self destructs” when taken forceably out of the car. I could be mistaken but something along those lines would discourage would be thieves from prying up your expensive headlights out of your car.

Just ask any 2003/2004 Nissan Maxima owner. Those cars were sold almost exclusively with Xenons as the only choice. Even the New Jersey attorney general sued Nissan Motor Corp for their failure to come out with a solution to the rampant problem of Maxima headlight thefts.

Robble, is not “False paranoia”. In fact if you do a search in MINI2.com there have been Xenon headlights stolen from MINIs in the Boston area. I know of a couple of cases here in Miami as well (One of them while the car was parked in an apartment complex overnight in Miami Beach).

If you happen to live in an area with low crime or virtually non-existant cases of stolen Xenons, then consider yourself lucky and by all means get them and enjoy them.

For what I have read and been told on the subject, the ballast is what thieves are going after. While the actual outer headlight shell will not work in other cars, the crooks seem to be able to retrofit the ballast assembly to work into other cars.

Xenon theft is a big problem in some metropolitan areas. If you live in a low crime area or our in the boondocks, then ignore this warning. :)

Another article from the Boston Globe:

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2004/02/26/left_in_the_dark/

The “proof is in the pudding” as they say:

http://www.mini2.com/forum/mini-cooper-s/27265-xenon-theft.html?highlight=xenon+theft“

Thatnks for the link Frank. So it seems there havebeen a handful of thefts. Still doesn’t sound like an epidemic.

Robble, like I said, it all depends on the area you happen to live. Xenon thefts may not be an issue in certain parts of the country, but it is a real problem in many others. No need to get defensive about it. ;)

I gladly live in an area where this isn’t a problem, so I am very comfortable and happy with mine. In fact, given the option, I will never buy halogen again if I can help it. Although if I lived in an area where I thought there was a good chance they would be stolen, I’d definitely think twice about it.

I think the minuscule risk of having your xenon HID’s stolen are greatly offset by the increased safety you will have during night driving by having the improved vision from having the better headlights. If I were driving a more common car like a Toyota or Nissan that have high theft rates for use in chop shops, and lived in some hellhole like certain neighborhoods in Miami (Sorry Frank!)or other big cities, then I might be somewhat concerned. Our MINI’s are still rare enough that there’s not a booming market for stolen parts, so I don’t think this is going to be an issue for most of the country.

I had the xenon headlights in my first MINI and didn’t bother with them in my second MINI. I don’t see where they are worth the added expense either. The washers on them are pointless.

The xenons in my ’05 MCS are such a delight compared to the stock headlights in my GP. Sigh.

I forgot to point out that theft will at least be covered by your insurance agent while the unit dying out of warranty most probably won’t.

Indeed Xenon lamps/technology do boast of providing better illumination and safety. Although currently not incorporated in the MINI’s, there are xenon lamp systems which are “adaptive” or “dynamic,” meaning that the lightbeam will not only auto-level, but will swivel based on steering input to better illuminate around a curve or bend. No halogen-based headlamp system in existence is “adaptive.”

As with all technology which becomes prevalent and “commoditized,” the ‘costs of replacement’ will become moot.

somake – find a new dealer. the beam throw height IS adjustable. I think you can do it yourself too. Somewhere there must be a DIY instruction sheet.

Hello. I have xenons on my 2004 Cooper S. I love the light from them, but they did cost me money when some idiot tried to steal them. The week after my bosses 911 had it’s lights stolen, they took a crowbar to my MINI, and caused about $2000 of damage, without getting the light out. So – I don’t think it’s possible to remove the MINI’s light (unlike Maximas and Porsches), but vandals still try…

Hi Frank!

-James.

Stolen Xenons are here ………. :-o http://www.bohp.net/pict5/sp-morgan-aero8-1.jpg

I didn’t read this whole board, but Frank is correct, I live in Miami and almost every day I see stolen HID headlamps from Porsches (Esp), Infiniti G35s, and a whole bunch more. I’m sure the Mini would be an easy steal