HID xenon bulbs are normally expected to last around 3000 hours, however when its time to buy replacement xenon bulbs, drivers often find that they are faced with a bewildering array of options.

The price and selection of replacement xenon bulbs also varies quite considerably depending on where you buy them from, be it the a main dealer, a high street accessory shop or an online specialist.

Array of Colour: the HID Xenon Bulbs

When buying new xenon bulbs you may have noticed that they have different colour temperatures listed next them, for example 6000k, 8000k or even 140000k. The K stands for Kelvin and it is the unit used to measure the colour emitted by xenon bulbs.

Some individuals believe colour temperature means that is the heat created by the light bulb. This is not true. Instead, all xenon light bulbs have the same levels of heat. For example a 14000K bulb will be the same temperature as the 6000K bulb.

The colour temperature of xenon bulbs starts at around 4000K and normally rises to a 14000k, listed below are the colours that a xenon bulb will emit for a given colour temperature.

* 4000k – white light with a yellow tint

* 6000k – Completely white

* 8000k – white light with a blue tint

* 12000k – Mild purple in the white light

Buying the xenon lights solely based on colour is not the best way to replace your used bulbs. Instead you need to understand the effects of the various tinting. The higher the temperature of colour is in the xenon light the lower light you actually get. When comparing 4000K to 8000K the difference in light power is not great; however when going to 12000K there is a significant change in the amount of light.

Measurement of light is in lumens (lm). Standard lights on a vehicle are at 4300K and 3200lm. With a 12000K light bulb you get 30 percent less illumination, which is 2,200lm. If you decide on a deep purple bulb you need to understand that the light projection will be much less than regular xenon bulbs.

When it comes to deciding where to buy your HID xenon bulbs you can make considerable savings if you are prepared to shop around. The growth of online car bulb retailers has lead to a serious reduction in the price you would normally expect to spend on a replacement car bulb.

For example, if you wanted to buy an original equipment E1 approved HID xenon bulb like the Osram Xenarc, you would be charged anything up to 200 from a manufacturer main dealer, whilst the same identical bulb can be found for around 70 on specialist online car bulb sites.

A last point that should be made is that the HID Xenon Bulbs operate at a high voltage. If you have never replaced one of these bulbs before or feel uncomfortable about the replacement you will want to have a professional auto personnel install the bulb. A nasty shock could burn out the new bulb or harm you.