How long does Xenon last?

How much would it cost change all of the bulbs in my Saab to Xenon?

• I have a 2004 Saab 9-3 and I want to switch to Xenon/HID (whatever they are) high and low beams. How much would this cost? Do I need some special kit or something to convert to Xenon? ...show more

• Answer:

  I tried to do this in my 2004 9-5, and it did not work out too well. To buy OEM Xenon stuff from Saab would be ridiculously expensive. It's more than just bulbs. There are computers, and sensors, and all sorts of stuff... You may as well sell your car and buy another 9-3 that comes with Xenons. Xenons are not like regular Halogen bulbs because the gas in the bulb needs a ton of energy to ignite, but then they draw less energy once ignited. So they need ballasts, or ignitors, which supply the sudden burst of energy when you turn them on. The kit I got came with the Xenon bulbs, and ignitors for both. They looked really nice in my car, but I found them interfering with my FM radio reception and they brought out some other electrical niggles in my car that I did not appreciate. So I took them out. I paid $60 for the kit.