Need help deciding HID or not

[Wattnot]

Yes, of course if it was that simple, I would say HID. I've been driving cars with HID since the beginning of 2002 and I don't know if I want to go back.

The problem is the car I'm shopping for is a leftover with a fast dwindling supply. There are only TWO CARS left in the entire country that have the options package that includes HID headlights (it comes with other stuff too and costs a lot). The two left are both over 1000 miles from here and I'll have to pay transportation costs too. There are many more halogen models available, some right in town. Conversion could be an option but I doubt I would do it unless it came out like OEM and most conversions don't allow for auto leveling and such (computer compatibility for one).

The dealer tells me they've improved the halogens. They using projection and they claim they do much better than previous generations. I've always viewed my HID's as a nice plus but not a life/death necessity. Recently, a car waited way longer than necessary for me to come by so he could give me the finger. He either thought I had my hi-beams on or just didn't care. It was his problem, not mine and I didn't really care but I don't want to make strangers into enemies just for driving by. Mine are self leveling but I still do get oncoming traffic hi-beaming me about twice a week.

So I guess my question to you is would you allow HID lights to influence a decision on buying a car to the point that you're paying a couple of grand extra and shipping too. Again, I'd be gaining a couple of other nice options along with the HID's.

Thanks!

 

[bobski]

HIDs are an interesting technology, with the high voltage drivers and whiter light and all, but I wouldn't let a huge purchase such as a car hinge on the tint of the lights and geek-factor. As I understand it, that additional whiteness actually has some drawbacks as well: The additional blue light output resulting from the higher color temperature scatters more quickly, resulting in increased glare and eye strain.
As far as the auto-leveling gear goes, I'm not sure I would want it. Mis-aimed headlights are one of my pet-peves, so I'm going to go off on a little rant here...
Headlight beams aren't supposed to be aimed level -- They're supposed to be aimed down slightly so that small bumps in the road or cresting a slight hill doesn't blind oncoming traffic. As of late, automotive manufacturers seem to have decided that the downward tilt required by law doesn't apply to them. When I helped my mom pick out a new Subaru the first thing I did when we it got home was adjust the headlights down (I take care of the auto maintenance around here, so that's nothing new really). When we were test driving it before the purchase (they let us take it over the weekend), I noticed how often the beams bounced up and lit up the faces in oncoming traffic, and all three mirrors of vehicles we were following. I swear the beams must have been adjusted perfectly flat and level, where DE law requires something like a 4" drop in the first 20 feet. I suspect the dealer adjusted them up so as to make the lights seem impressive to potential buyers.
The point I'm trying to get to is that if that level-aim seen in my mom's Subaru was something the factory did, rather than the dealer, an auto-leveling system would make self-adjustments to maintain that overly-high aim, and also replace any mechanism the end-user (vehicle owner) would have to correct it. You would have to take the headlight apart and shim whatever sensor the auto-leveler uses, so as to fool it into aiming properly.
In the end I guess I'll say if you really want the other options that go along with the HID, go for it. Otherwise I would give the halogens a try, and if you want more light out of them, give HIR bulbs a try.

 

[-Virgil-]

The question cannot be meaningfully answered until you tell us exactly what kind of car you are considering — make, model, year, and country where you'll be buying it. There are good and bad halogen headlamps, and good and bad HID headlamps.