Kizashi Club

I have a 2013 and every year I've had to replace both sides!!! A mechanic told me that these cars, when 1 goes out "YOU BEST BELIEVE THE OTHER AIN'T FAR BEHIND!!!" Left side went out and shortly coming home one night the other goes out!! SO I HAD NO REGULAR LIGHTS BUT MY DAYLIGHTS! So, I had to drive with my brights on all the way to work until I got them fixed!

Right side (passenger side) headlamp bulbs CAN be replaced without removing bumper, I just did it after getting tired of previously going through bumper removal; (for left side (driver side), you will still need to remove bumper.)
For Right side, pull up on top plastic engine cover to lift off for better access...this is the cover on engine top with a hole for oil fill, it's held on by 4 push clips that easily release and stay in place, very easy to take on and off and allows a bit more room when out of the way. After this, you will need a pair of long needle nose pliers, and a compact flashlight to wedge here and there to see what you are doing. Also, look at videos or otherwise get familiar with the spring clips that hold bulbs in place, be gentle with these as to not bend them, if you don't understand how these clips work beforehand you will likely screw this procedure up....after removing access plugs and connection plugs, CAREFULLY use pliers to remove spring retainer clips from bulbs but DO NOT remove completely, just swing upwards to remove bulb. Now use 2 fingers to remove bulb, while bending over to see what you are doing from looking through headlamp lens from outside, you can see the bulb moving as you work. The hardest part is next, you have to go by "feel". Grab the new bulb by 2 fingers, and with the end of bulb lift the spring clip upwards so as not to have it lodge itself in the way and while watching through headlamp lens make sure bulb is properly seated in place, then press spring retainer in place. By the way, I have large hands, felt like a surgeon after performing this operation. Good luck.

gary wrote:Right side (passenger side) headlamp bulbs CAN be replaced without removing bumper, I just did it after getting tired of previously going through bumper removal; (for left side (driver side), you will still need to remove bumper.)
For Right side, pull up on top plastic engine cover to lift off for better access...this is the cover on engine top with a hole for oil fill, it's held on by 4 push clips that easily release and stay in place, very easy to take on and off and allows a bit more room when out of the way. After this, you will need a pair of long needle nose pliers, and a compact flashlight to wedge here and there to see what you are doing. Also, look at videos or otherwise get familiar with the spring clips that hold bulbs in place, be gentle with these as to not bend them, if you don't understand how these clips work beforehand you will likely screw this procedure up....after removing access plugs and connection plugs, CAREFULLY use pliers to remove spring retainer clips from bulbs but DO NOT remove completely, just swing upwards to remove bulb. Now use 2 fingers to remove bulb, while bending over to see what you are doing from looking through headlamp lens from outside, you can see the bulb moving as you work. The hardest part is next, you have to go by "feel". Grab the new bulb by 2 fingers, and with the end of bulb lift the spring clip upwards so as not to have it lodge itself in the way and while watching through headlamp lens make sure bulb is properly seated in place, then press spring retainer in place. By the way, I have large hands, felt like a surgeon after performing this operation. Good luck.

I recall that the RH side can be somewhat accessible without removing the bumper and headlights too. In fact, I'll find out for sure because my RH DRL/high beam looks to be out now. I have large hands too, but rather slender fingers so hopefully the swap will be easy.

It's been said many times over, but is worth repeating. Don't touch the glass part of the bulb! ...and clean it off if you do! How big a problem is it? Who knows? (Perhaps it's worthy of a Myth Busters episode?) ...but there is some sound science being put forth on the issue. One good summary:
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/sho ... stcount=42
(OK, not a huge # of miles, but we do have 2 Kizzys in our stable & I've only ever had to change 1 bulb.)
((BTW, briefly thought I noticed last time I came home at night things didn't quite look as bright as they should, so... maybe # 2 in my immediate future??? lol))

Remav wrote:It's been said many times over, but is worth repeating. Don't touch the glass part of the bulb! ...and clean it off if you do! How big a problem is it? Who knows? (Perhaps it's worthy of a Myth Busters episode?) ...but there is some sound science being put forth on the issue. One good summary:
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/sho ... stcount=42
(OK, not a huge # of miles, but we do have 2 Kizzys in our stable & I've only ever had to change 1 bulb.)
((BTW, briefly thought I noticed last time I came home at night things didn't quite look as bright as they should, so... maybe # 2 in my immediate future??? lol))

Your link offers the same explanation I've read years ago in relation to the oils from the fingers compromising the glass surface temperatures at high heat. It's certainly a wise practice to avoid touching the glass portion of the bulb or to wear gloves.
I can't really comment on why the low beam bulbs go out so quickly on the Kizashi given I've had HIDs since the day I got the car. I currently have a halogen bulb out but it's a DRL/high beam bulb. It lasted about 6 months which is very short, but it was an Osram Rallye 65W off-road bulb which was also burning as a DRL. It was significantly brighter as a high beam and even as a DRL compared to a standard H7 bulb. I'll be replacing them with another high-performance H7 bulb, but something less powerful than the Rallyes; Philips X-tremeVision. Hopefully, these will last longer but offer better high beam performance than standard H7 bulbs.
Also, given the constantly improving technology with LEDs and LED conversion kits, I'll look into options again for a suitable LED conversion kit for the DRL/high beams. However, the optimal kit will have to accommodate a number of issues including compatibility with a pulsed voltage DRL system and reflecting the light properly for a long high beam throw. It's hard to find a suitable conversion kit given the DRL/high beam was specifically designed for halogen bulbs.

Is there a general consensus on what is best brand for our low beam bulb replacement? I have to change by bulb this week. do you guys usually go ahead and change all four? (low and high) Walmart has the Sylvanias $32 for the pair. Not looking to pay over $60 for friggin bulbs....

Marcov71 wrote:Is there a general consensus on what is best brand for our low beam bulb replacement? I have to change by bulb this week. do you guys usually go ahead and change all four? (low and high) Walmart has the Sylvanias $32 for the pair. Not looking to pay over $60 for friggin bulbs....

I've ordered bulbs from rockauto.com. There's quite a selection and the prices seem better than even Wally World.

Not sure how long everyone has owned their Kizashi. I bought mine in 2010 brand new and let me start off by saying I have replaced a headlight bulb about every 6 months. It's always the low beam bulbs that I replace. Don't let this shy you away because its a simple fix. I haven't really did much other major repairs (knock on wood). I love my Kizashi! I'm on my 6th year and just rolled on 110k! Has anyone tried replacing with an LED out of curiosity?

amanda.wyant wrote:Not sure how long everyone has owned their Kizashi. I bought mine in 2010 brand new and let me start off by saying I have replaced a headlight bulb about every 6 months. It's always the low beam bulbs that I replace. Don't let this shy you away because its a simple fix. I haven't really did much other major repairs (knock on wood). I love my Kizashi! I'm on my 6th year and just rolled on 110k! Has anyone tried replacing with an LED out of curiosity?

Umm... most of us have to drop the bumper cover to get the left side low beam. We've concluded that unless you have an an extremely slender and dexterous hand, it can't be done without dropping the bumper. If you've accomplished that feat, my hat is off to you and if you live in my area, you are more than welcome stop by the next time mine burns out!

amanda.wyant wrote:Not sure how long everyone has owned their Kizashi. I bought mine in 2010 brand new and let me start off by saying I have replaced a headlight bulb about every 6 months. It's always the low beam bulbs that I replace. Don't let this shy you away because its a simple fix. I haven't really did much other major repairs (knock on wood). I love my Kizashi! I'm on my 6th year and just rolled on 110k! Has anyone tried replacing with an LED out of curiosity?

My entire headlight and interior's bulbs have been modified to LEDs or HIDs. For my low beams, I have HID bulbs which I think are very well suited. I haven't tried putting my LED bulbs in the low beam projectors but it's well documented that HID bulbs cast out light better in projectors than LEDs. For high beams, LEDs are much more suitable than HID due to their instantaneous full power and ability to flash for signaling.

To contrast the longevity of HID bulbs to halogens in the Kizashi: I've owned my Kizashi for a little over 4 years and I've only had to replace an HID bulb once due to failure and it wasn't even from the higher quality kit I have now. Meanwhile, the light output is probably at least 2x as bright as even the best halogens. Quality HID kits aren't cheap and they are a pain to install, but once it's done, you get high performance lighting that lasts a lot longer than halogen bulbs, especially in the Kizashi.