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Car Forum / Saab Cars / April 2006

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9-3SS w/ BI-Xenons - headlight high beams

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Fred W - 25 Mar 2006 19:32 GMT
In my new (to me) 2003 9-3 Sport Sedan I have the Bi-Xenon headlights,
which are quite a nice thing as my night vision becomes worse with
advancing age.

I noticed that there is a conventional high beam headlight bulb in the
the headlight bucket, but this bulb never comes on.  When I actuate the
high-beam the pattern of the HIDs change as the cut-off mask inside
moves, but the halogen bulbs do not illuminate.

Can anyone else with a SS and BiXenons confirm that these lamps are in
fact supposed to light?  I'll be dropping it at the deals next week for
them to fix all the little things that I have found that are wrong with
the car (under warranty) and I just want to know if I should add this to
the list.

TIA,
Signature

-Fred W

dan@nospam.com - 28 Mar 2006 03:50 GMT
> In my new (to me) 2003 9-3 Sport Sedan I have the Bi-Xenon headlights,
> which are quite a nice thing as my night vision becomes worse with
[quoted text clipped - 12 lines]
>
> TIA,

Don't know.  Maybe post to saabcentral.com
pablo - 28 Mar 2006 04:57 GMT
http://www.autobild.de/projektor/galerie.php?artikel_id=11047&pos=0

Navigate counting up the numbers or going for "weiter" on the right...

Not exactly a study in practicality, the canopy is a complex answer to a
non-existing problem and just plain attention-seeking...

A true sportscar study that stands a chance in hell for implementation would
be nice...
Fred W - 02 Apr 2006 22:38 GMT
>> In my new (to me) 2003 9-3 Sport Sedan I have the Bi-Xenon headlights,
>> which are quite a nice thing as my night vision becomes worse with
[quoted text clipped - 14 lines]
>
> Don't know.  Maybe post to saabcentral.com

Here's what they said when I brought the car in:  The halogen lamp is
only there for the "follow me home" feature.  That is where the lights
stay on for some delay period to allow you to get from the car to your
home door.

They also said that it was impossible to program the Daytime Running
Lights off if you have Bi-Xenons.  That seems rather odd...

Signature

-Fred W

Shane Almeida - 21 Apr 2006 01:46 GMT
> They also said that it was impossible to program the Daytime Running
> Lights off if you have Bi-Xenons.  That seems rather odd...

Not true, at least for the 2004.  My 9-3 has the Xenons and I've the
daytime running lights off since the 30-day check up.
Fred W - 21 Apr 2006 15:01 GMT
>>They also said that it was impossible to program the Daytime Running
>>Lights off if you have Bi-Xenons.  That seems rather odd...
>
> Not true, at least for the 2004.  My 9-3 has the Xenons and I've the
> daytime running lights off since the 30-day check up.

Thanks for the reply, Shane.

Do you have the BiXenons or Xenon low beams and halogen high beams?

If you have the BiXenons, does yours have the halogen lamps on the
inboard side of the HID bulb too?  If so do yours ever come on?

TIA,
Signature

-Fred W

Shane Almeida - 22 Apr 2006 20:02 GMT
>>>They also said that it was impossible to program the Daytime Running
>>>Lights off if you have Bi-Xenons.  That seems rather odd...
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
>
> Do you have the BiXenons or Xenon low beams and halogen high beams?

Bi-xenon.

> If you have the BiXenons, does yours have the halogen lamps on the
> inboard side of the HID bulb too?  If so do yours ever come on?

Each side has three bulbs: the xenon and two other smaller ones.  One
looks like just a regular round little bulb.  The other one comes to a
point and has a black coating at the end.  The little round bulb is used
for the parking lights and the follow-me-home lights.  It also comes on
whenever the xenon bulb is on.  The other one never comes on.  I tried the
low beams, high beams, parking lights, and the follow-me-home lights and
nothing made it light up.  Not sure what it's used for.  Maybe it's a
backup if the xenon bulb fails?
Fred W - 23 Apr 2006 12:28 GMT
>>>>They also said that it was impossible to program the Daytime Running
>>>>Lights off if you have Bi-Xenons.  That seems rather odd...
[quoted text clipped - 19 lines]
> nothing made it light up.  Not sure what it's used for.  Maybe it's a
> backup if the xenon bulb fails?

Thanks again Shane.  That is exactly how mine are so I guess that must
be the way they are "supposed" to behave.

I just wonder about that other bulb that never comes on.  It really
looks like a standard halogen headlight bulb and I, for one, wouldn't
mind if there was a way to get that to come on w/ high beams
(programming?).

Though the Bi-Xenons are much better than a standard low beam, and worth
having for that reason, I'm underwhelmed with the high beams.

Signature

-Fred W

Shane Almeida - 26 Apr 2006 01:47 GMT
> Though the Bi-Xenons are much better than a standard low beam, and worth
> having for that reason, I'm underwhelmed with the high beams.

Really?  Maybe I just got used to really weak lights before, but the
quality of the light output from low- and high-beams with the bi-xenons
blows me away.  They were definitely worth the extra $500 or so.
Fred W - 26 Apr 2006 15:52 GMT
>>Though the Bi-Xenons are much better than a standard low beam, and worth
>>having for that reason, I'm underwhelmed with the high beams.
>
> Really?  Maybe I just got used to really weak lights before, but the
> quality of the light output from low- and high-beams with the bi-xenons
> blows me away.  They were definitely worth the extra $500 or so.

Well, the way I see it, the light amplitude (brightness) is about the
same on low and high beam.  When you switch to highs and the cut-off
"gate" moves out of the way, the beam pattern just extends higher.

I think it would be nice to have that plus an additional lamp to make
the high beam both larger and brighter.  Actually, the best thing would
be to be able to enable or disable the second bulb on the fly.

Signature

-Fred W


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