bi xenons on my titanium x

[michaelburrows]

iv just got back from a trip to yorkshire. drizzly rain all the way back.  the roads were fairly dark and my bi xenons in my 2013 titanium x just do t seem to be any better than normal lights.  quite unimpressed really.  they are really quite bright but just dont seem to project much light.  my son in laws seat ateca has leds and they really light the road up on dipped beam and light tbe universe on main beam.   is there better lighti g available for the titanium x .

[DJ_Andy_M]

How old are your bulbs? Might be worth replacing them. The older the get, the dimmer they get. Mine are coming up to the 2 year mark again so I'll replace them before they fail.

[michaelburrows]

iv no idea how old. mayb never replaced. cars a 2013. im lead to believe tho that tbey are a very low out put bi xenon system.  if you were to buy an aftermarket HID Kit tbe out puts would be either 35w or 55 watt .im told the sysyem on focus is only 25 w. about 2000 lumens.  the 35 w aftermarket about 3000 lums and 55w 4000 lumens. why fit such low output as standard

[TomsFocus]

12 hours ago, DJ_Andy_M said:

How old are your bulbs? Might be worth replacing them. The older the get, the dimmer they get. Mine are coming up to the 2 year mark again so I'll replace them before they fail.

Have you seen the price of HID bulbs? 😮 

They can last 10 years+, I've never replaced one on my own cars so far.

[DJ_Andy_M]

2 hours ago, michaelburrows said:

iv no idea how old. mayb never replaced. cars a 2013. im lead to believe tho that tbey are a very low out put bi xenon system.  if you were to buy an aftermarket hid kit tbe out puts would be either 35w or 55 watt .im told the sysyem on focus is only 25 w. about 2000 lumens.  the 35 w aftermarket about 3000 lums and 55w 4000 lumens. why fit such low output as standard

The low 25w output is on the US Focus I believe. UK Focus use D1S (Pre-facelift)/D3S (Facelift) bulbs which are 35W

[DJ_Andy_M]

1 hour ago, TomsFocus said:

Have you seen the price of HID bulbs? 😮 

They can last 10 years+, I've never replaced one on my own cars so far.

If you buy ones rated for 10 years like the Osram Xenarc Ultra Life.

[Frembrit]

In my 2011 Mondeo I repalced the original factory fit Xenon bulbs (osram) with Osram cool blue intense bulbs, which are a little bit brighter and whiter. Thinking of getting a pair of Nightbreakers next if they go on offer.

[michaelburrows]

thanks for extra info ref us bulbs being 25w. so assuming mine are 35watters. havnt seen price of replacement bulbs tho but im pretty sure id be shocked.  what i really want to know is  does anyone else tbi k the output is pretty poo during night time driving and if anyone has improved it.  im pretty certain my bulbs are fine but projection and output seems ***** to me

[DJ_Andy_M]

18 minutes ago, michaelburrows said:

thanks for extra info ref us bulbs being 25w. so assuming mine are 35watters. havnt seen price of replacement bulbs tho but im pretty sure id be shocked.  what i really want to know is  does anyone else tbi k the output is pretty poo during night time driving and if anyone has improved it.  im pretty certain my bulbs are fine but projection and output seems ***** to me

Going back to old school bulbs on a couple of occasions recently I can tell you the Bi-Xenon factory setup on my car trumps halogen by miles.

[michaelburrows]

ok. thats gud.  i dont rate mine.  

[FatHead1979]

On 10/15/2018 at 2:21 PM, michaelburrows said:

ok. thats gud.  i dont rate mine.  

Maybe there is a design difference (internally) for the MK3/MK3.5 Focus between the pre and post facelift bi-xenon units?

[michaelburrows]

heres another question. when driving the car the beutifull daytime running light are on all the time. when you actually turn the switch to put lights on in the first position the rear lights come on but the daytime running lights just dim but no other front light comes on at all. not untill you switch to position 2 when the bixenon comes on.  is this correct

[Frembrit]

As far as I know, yes. They dim because they don't need to be so bright when it's dark enough to have just sidelights on (first position), as they don't need to overcome the light of day to be seen.

My Mondeo does the same. (seen many other Mondeo doing the same)

[michaelburrows]

thankyou.

[pcaouolte]

Are the xenons adjusted correctly? Mine were very low out of the factory and much better after I adjusted them upwards. They have passed an MOT after the adjustment so must be within the allowed range. Don't wind them up to the point where you are dazzling other road users.

[michaelburrows]

i dont know if they are adjusted correctly and to tell you the truth i dont know how to adjust them either

[pcaouolte]

If you lift the bonnet there is a pale "yellow" plastic adjuster at the back of each light which can be turned with an allen key. With the lights shining on a wall or garage door you can see which direction they move in when you turn the plastic adjuster. Move them up a bit and go for a drive to make sure they are not dazzling other road users. Alternatively get a garage to set them properly on a beam setter.

[Adam86]

Don't know if its of any interest, but take a read of this:

I am struggling with the headlights on my MK3 Focus.  The saga is still ongoing.  My brothers car and wife's C-Max gives off much more intense light and are much higher up.  To get mine at the same level, my car would then fail an MOT as on a beam setter they are too high.  The light output on my car just feels so poor compared to the others.

There is no issue with the bulbs as one has been changed over between the Focus and C-Max and that still looks brilliant.

The only thing I can see is that my MK3 has VARROC manufactured headlamp units, my brothers has VISTEON and my wife's has Valeo.  It would be interesting to know who yours are manufactured by, you should see it on the sticker on the headlamp units.

Cheers

[DJ_Andy_M]

On 10/17/2018 at 8:53 AM, michaelburrows said:

heres another question. when driving the car the beutifull daytime running light are on all the time. when you actually turn the switch to put lights on in the first position the rear lights come on but the daytime running lights just dim but no other front light comes on at all. not untill you switch to position 2 when the bixenon comes on.  is this correct

This is normal. "Day Running Lights" are on the front only in positon 0. Position 1 is sidelights/parking lights which in some countries it used to be you had to switch these on at night when parked. Not sure if anyone does this anymore though.

[michaelburrows]

adam 86. my focus has visteon lamps

[michaelburrows]

i dont know if its possible but im now under the impression my titanium x 62 plate has 35w xenon (hid bulbs). so as i am quite unimpressed by these compared to later led outputs and othe cars fitted with bixenons which appear much brighter i am wonderi g if i can just replace the bulbs with 55w as sold by companys like hids direct and out the 35 w jobbys.  would it b a straight swap over. would it work with existing wiring etc. would it have the required outcome.  that being as i do a lot of night driving would they light the road up better

[JW1982]

55 Watt HID bulbs can not just be installed in 35 Watt HID headlights without modifications.  Next to the HID bulbs the HID ballasts also need to be replaced by 55 Watt HID ballasts.

Apart from the fact that most 55 Watt HID bulbs are not road legal there are also technical difficulties. The bulb check system for example is based on the original 35 Watt HID bulbs. Installing 55 Watt HID bulbs and ballasts will definetely result in defective bulb warning messages. In some cases the system will even shut off the headlights completely if the power consumption is considerably higher as expected by the system.

 

The Focus MK3 HID headlights are known to have a pretty poor light output. During time the reflector inside the projector assembly can become corroded which seriously affects the light output which makes it even worse. Corroded projectors are a known problem in humid climates.

If the refectors inside the projector assembly are severely corroded the light output can only be improved by replacing the headlights or by opening the headlights and installing new aftermarket projectors.

 

If the reflectors inside the projector assembly are still in good (shiny) condition replacing the HID bulbs should improve the light output. Installing Premium HID bulbs like for example the OSRAM Xenarc Night Breaker Unlimited will definetely be a big improvement. 

[michaelburrows]

ok thankyou for that jw.  u are tbe first person i have seen mention that mk3 focus bixenons are not great and have poor output. i may well try the bulbs you have mentioned but as they are quite a pricey upgrade i would like to hear from anyone who has changed bulbs and had sucess. im sure they would be better but how much better and is it worth the upgrade. which ones would be the best??

[erictcleric]

Lights are a very subjective thing.

I've had 3 Fords with bi-xenons: 2 Mondeos and my current Focus. One Mondeo had superb lighting, one was a bit poor (both Mondeos were the same age), and the Focus is in-between. So it's not really a case of "all of them are poor" or "all of the are great" - it's how your particular car is. I'd say compared to a lot of newer cars or LEDs they aren't as good, but I still prefer them over halogen - the light output seems more consistent.

That said, I switched from the stock Xenon bulbs to Osram Cool Blue Intense Xenons and it did make a difference; with the stock bulbs it was difficult to make out the light cut-off when driving in a well-lit area at night. The Osrams are much better, and give off a nice crisp light. Despite the name they're not blue, just a bit whiter.

If you do change them just bear in mind that the bulbs are held in by a collar - this can be a pain to get off as its very stiff. I found the best way was to take the headlight out of the car, unplug everything at the back of the headlight, and turn the collar through the access panel on the side of the light (not from the back).

[michaelburrows]

thanks for that info. sounds a bit of a pig to replace. do u have to get the lamps realigned after removing them or does it go straight back in without adjustment.  i cant tho understand how youre two mondeos produced different light levels and focus somewher imbetween. yud think they would akl be about the same