2004 Mazda 3 S - Headlight Fix
 

Hello everyone,

I have a 2004 Mazda 3 S 4door and have recently got my driver side headlight smashed while parked. Of course, no number was left behind and I need to replace it myself, as efficiently and economically as possible. I have read guides on how to remove the bumper in order to access the light unit to replace it. However, I need help actually buying the unit.

I believe my bulbs are Xenon Fusion but I am not 100% sure (they are more "white" than the fog lights). Is there any way I can tell if they are Xenon vs Halogen? I need to buy the bulb as well as the headlight unit. However, I keep coming across units that only support "composite or halogen" bulbs. Can someone please clarify some of these terminologies for me? Or send me a link as to where I can find this information. Also, can someone recommend a website/store etc where I can find a headlight unit and bulb for reasonable prices?

Thanks for the help in advance.

I don't think the 04 had HID (xenon) lamps available - but... there's easy ways to see which one it is.
If it says something like caution high voltage - it's an HID. If it's a normal halogen bulb, there should be a 'normal' plug connector like there is on the high beams.
AND
Since it's busted you can probably have a look inside at the lamp to see which style it is as well.
The halogen has an exposed filament in a glass bulb - two wires are exiting from one side, you can look at the high beam bulb which is just in a reflector and you can see that on the passenger side.
The HID or xenon system (mine they call bi-xenon since there's dual chambers) has a longer glass section with an empty bulge in the middle. The middle bulge has two electrodes leading into it from either end. You can do a search on HID lamps and find a photo of one.

Thanks for the advice. So I checked the light and definitely have Xenon HID lights. I also looked at the original paperwork that came with my car and saw it on there as well. So the question is...

What type of set do I buy? I have done many searches for "mazda 3 headlights" and have not seen headlight sets specifically for HID or Xenon lights. The only type available that I have seen are "Composite" or "Halogen". Will those work? Here is a link that shows a couple of options I have seen. Let me know what you guys think. Thanks!

http://www.partstrain.com/store/inde...&Ntt=Headlight

I'm suprised a new headlight assembly wouldn't have come with the ballast (needed for the xenon lamp) as well as have a lamp installed. The headlight assemblies are different for the two models, since a different reflector is needed for the different lamp styles.

You can get the lamp aftermarket, though I don't have the part nubmer in front of me, I think it's D2S - but it is in the owners manual. The lamps were something like $130/pc, though i'm seeing them for like $25 on ebay - it's worth a try.
You can put them in yourself, just make sure they are clean - no fingerprints & you can clean it with alcohol if there's any smudges.

If you go with aftermarket you have a choice somewhat of the color of the lamp. Stock ones are something in the 5500 range I think, since they look white instead of purple. When you get to a higher color they look more purple / blue and blind oncomong drivers. And don't believe any color temp above ~9000 - it's all a fictional of "higher must be better", and most people aren't knowledgable about what that means. Search wikipedia for some info on CCT or correlated color temperature if you want to know more.

Sorry to hear about your light issues. As far as replacing the fixture you definitely need to get a HID housing as the projectors and optics are different. They come up periodically on ebay or on some of the many forums. As far as terminologies go HID and xenon are somewhat interchangeable. That said some halogens advertise as "xenon filled" (Which many are) to confuse the unwary.

Obviously HIDs were available in '04 since you have them.

You need D2S lamps. Yes they can be expansive. I suggest looking on hidplanet.com as they generally have some good deals on them. All stock HIDs are ~4,300k. Higher than that will be more blue.

thanks for the help! i'm in the process of ordering the parts I need. By any chance, do I need to buy a ballast with the lamp? Since my headlight lamp was smashed, I'm not sure if the ballast still works. Let me know if there is a way I can test the ballast before buying the parts. Thanks

Why not remove the other headlight and plug you're "damaged" ballast into the other lamp.