Comments on: Xenon Headlamps In Detail

By: Larry

Larry — Sun, 07 Jan 2007 19:20:07 +0000

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

By: FrankInMiami

FrankInMiami — Tue, 02 Jan 2007 14:52:50 +0000

That car is ugly as sin. But seems to be a pretty good performer.

By: goonery

goonery — Tue, 02 Jan 2007 10:26:10 +0000

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

By: somake

somake — Sat, 30 Dec 2006 17:01:06 +0000

Thanks for the info ! Try this today . Impossible to chage the dealer ….. the only one on this island ! So lot’s of @, friends and diy’s . happy new year !! bonne annÃ�’Â©e .

By: James in Miami.

James in Miami. — Sat, 30 Dec 2006 04:16:05 +0000

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.

By: Rawhyde

Rawhyde — Sat, 30 Dec 2006 01:29:34 +0000

It is easy to aim the xenons. The inboard hex with a screwdriver slot is for vertical aim. Loosen to raise. About 1/4 to 1/2 turn moves it a LOT, so make fine adjustments.

Rawhyde

By: robble

robble — Fri, 29 Dec 2006 19:31:31 +0000

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.

By: somake

somake — Fri, 29 Dec 2006 15:59:53 +0000

Well great look, great power illminating , and i ordered them on my jcw06 … but disappointed . On my previous jcw 04, with additionnal ligths , it was really fun when ridding at nigth , on small narrow roads as “corsica rallye” . In fact additionnal lights are really usefull. Xenons are not enough . And also have no possibility to fix the beam’s high yourself . My xenon beams seems looking down and the beam is far too low on the road . Impossible to fix , said the deaer , it’s automatic .. So must find some additionnal xenons … Great review and interest . Thanks .

By: Peter W

Peter W — Fri, 29 Dec 2006 15:42:43 +0000

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.

By: MiniRacer

MiniRacer — Fri, 29 Dec 2006 03:46:52 +0000

I have a set of undamaged xenon headlights (with out bulbs) that I will trade for a good set of standards. I’m racing a 2004 Cooper S with SCCA and I need to reduce the weight on the nose of the car.

By: Aaron

Aaron — Fri, 29 Dec 2006 03:35:03 +0000

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.

By: Aaron

Aaron — Fri, 29 Dec 2006 03:33:33 +0000

Forget theft! These things have a tendency to go out because they're attached to the hood and they get slammed much harder than sensitive electronics should. At $240 a bulb and $800 for the whole assembly thats no walk in the park.

I just had to have BOTH replaced (thank g-d I was at about 45,000 miles of the 50,000 mile parts warranty) because the burn in was so bad that the passengers side unit, which hadn't blown, would be putting out noticeably less light than a new one. I still wouldn't trade them for anything, especially since the new ones are mounted on the body, but I'm selling my car now that the warranty is almost up and buying an '07 in the spring. I don't need any more 'surprises' that can cost $1600 for LIGHTS.

By: GoodFinder

GoodFinder — Thu, 28 Dec 2006 22:28:38 +0000

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

By: Jason the pedant

Jason the pedant — Thu, 28 Dec 2006 21:50:56 +0000

Pedantic Jerk--Yay! I'm a big fan of complete quotes. Another big one is "Where ignorance is bliss, 'tis folly to be wise," attributable to Thomas Gray. Everyone just uses the first part, which changes the meaning a bit. I'm glad I'm not the only one who cares about these things. :)

Frank, you seem convinced that HID theft is a big problem in general, while most people understand it as a regional problem. No one is denying that it happens, but you seem to be extrapolating--taking a Miami-Boston-a-few other-big-cities problem to be the general case--when in fact HID theft is somewhat unusual in the grand scheme of things.

I live in Phoenix, AZ, and if I said, "sunroofs (sunrooves?) are a bad option--they make the car WAY too hot," people in the Pacific Northwest would say I'm nuts. They'd be right, because it's not true in general that sunroofs are a bad option. It's perhaps not ideal to get a sunroof in Phoenix and it may be a mistake to get HIDs in Miami, but both of those are just specific (regional) truths, not absolute truths. You seem to be mistaking the specific for the general--at least that's what your tone implies.

Cheers,

Jason

By: James

James — Thu, 28 Dec 2006 21:09:40 +0000

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.

By: FrankInMiami

FrankInMiami — Thu, 28 Dec 2006 21:04:43 +0000

No offense. I don’t love this place. I just happen to live here.

By: TSizemore3

TSizemore3 — Thu, 28 Dec 2006 20:44:17 +0000

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.

By: Mike

Mike — Thu, 28 Dec 2006 20:42:50 +0000

Who cares, in five or so years, pretty much all new cars will be using xenons or LED lights due to power consumption. I don't know what all this theft FUD is about.

I think they're my favorite option on the car.

By: VMMVMMM

VMMVMMM — Thu, 28 Dec 2006 20:34:05 +0000

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.

By: pedantic jerk

pedantic jerk — Thu, 28 Dec 2006 20:10:33 +0000

The Ã¢â‚¬Å“proof is in the puddingÃ¢â‚¬Â as they say

Actually, FrankInMiami, the expression in "The proof of the pudding is in the eating."

This is a quote from Don Quixote. See Bartleby Quote Site.