Yeah it seems the later MV GE ballasts weren't the best. Using a probe MH ballast and a MV lamp seemed to have been the better option with GEs before the ban.

The mercury vapor GE M-400R2's always have capacitor problems too and that's why many of those fixtures were replaced.

The only MV M-400R2 I've ever seen here was at Rocky Point Park. It saw less than a decade of use though since the park went bankrupt in 1996. Power remained until most of the buildings burned from falling powerlines and NGrid came to their senses. That was about 10 years after the park closed.