Xenon Fault

[landopanda]

Hi,

Hopefully someone can help me... One of my Xenon headlights on 2001 S3 if not working.
It comes on and the goes straight out again. This brings the bulb out light on the dash.

Is this a faulty bulb or is it connection related.

If it is just the bulb where is the best place to get one and how hard are they to fit?

Thanks

 

[aragorn]

Swap the bulbs left to right and see if the fault moves!

 

[Westy]

The best thing for you to try will be to take the bulb out of the light that's working and try it on the bad side. I had to do this last year and it turned out I had a bad fuse as there is a seperate fuse for each side.

 

[landopanda]

Ok thanks, the bulbs seem pretty hard to take out?? Are new ones really £100+?

 

[s3dave]

You can get DS2 bulbs on ebay around £20

 

[HerefordQuattro]

Mine do this most mornings but if i turn them off then back on a couple of times it (left) eventually stays on, I'm guessing the bulb is a bit suspect as i've just replaced the OEM's with £20 6300K ebay specials and the standards didn't have this problem.
Strangely once they've been on for a while they turn on and off ok, not sure if this is significant?

 

[aragorn]

If your buying bulbs, make sure they're decent orsam or philips ones, not unbranded rubbish.

 

[landopanda]

Yeah sometimes if they go out and I turn them on and off a couple of times they are ok. Thats why I wondered if it wasn't the bulb perhaps some connection??

Do you have to have new bulbs coded?? Someone told me on Volvos you have to have the whole lot recoded just to change a bulb?

I'll give some of those phillips ones a go. What exact model/type do I need to replace the OME?

Thank you

 

[HerefordQuattro]

If your buying bulbs, make sure they're decent orsam or philips ones, not unbranded rubbish.

yeah love to buy philips bulbs but not at £100+ each!!!! my ebay ones are great for a £10 bar this intermittent problem which i'm still not sure what it is?

 

[alijames]

I got a pair of 6ks from HIDS-Direct before Christmas for ~£25. One worked perfectly, and the other was DOA.A quick email, and a replacement arrived within a few days. All looking good since.

Cheers,

 

[landopanda]

Thanks guys!!

 

[Westy]

I'll 2nd Hids Direct, a few of my mates have their bulbs and they're fine.

 

[Ian W]

I'll 3rd Hids Direct, got mine from there and there fine.

 

[S3 TAM]

I'll 4th Hids Direct, got mine from there.

 

[aragorn]

why are you all using 6000k bulbs?

Before you go buying anything, swap the bulbs left to right.

It might be a ballast issue.

 

[s3dave]

Who? im using 6000k because i like the colour...

 

[S3 TAM]

I like the colour they produce. Check out linky

Google Image Result for http://www.goodxenon.com/xenon-lamp/hid-xenon-color-1.jpg

 

[aragorn]

Manufacturers fit 4300 because they emit more usable light. Reducing your light output for styling reasons is kinda stupid!

 

[s3dave]

Manufacturers fit 4300 because they emit more usable light. Reducing your light output for styling reasons is kinda stupid!

LOL, true but it is only one shade/darker and for the look it gives on the road, not just looking at them from the front, is worth it IMO.

 

[landopanda]

Further to my last post, they seem ok if you turn them on and off once you have driven a little way, and sometimes they start up fine.

This morning however. The right bulb is shining a sort of pinky purple....

any ideas?

 

[R1KVX]

Hi guys, need to buy a bulb as mine has gone going to buy a pair so there are same, looking on the hids direct just checking with you guys who have used them in the past. Do you just turn your lights on & they work fine? Or do you have to keep turning them on then off to work?

 

[AttackOfTheEddieMunster]

Reducing your light output for styling reasons is kinda stupid!

You're being polite, I'd say it's mental given how poor the standard lights already are.

 

[alijames]

Manufacturers fit 4300 because they emit more usable light. Reducing your light output for styling reasons is kinda stupid!

Interesting. I ran some brand new 6ks for a few weeks this Xmas, then changed back to brand new 4k3s, but after a few days, I felt the light output was better on the 6ks, so they went back in. They seem to pick out whiteish objects much better (like white lines!!) which is useful when you meet a car on the twisty single carriageway roads!! Not bothered about the 'styling' of 6k+ bulbs, just want to improve the rather poor Xenons on the S3. Just my opinion, by the way...

Cheers,

 

[s3 beast]

hi guys

my driver side one does not come on at all???

are there 2 fuses? and what can be wrong??

i checked the fuse box and seems to be fine

any ideas??

thanks

 

[sportstractor]

one of mine started flashing over the weekend, flashes a bit then switches off and the DIS beeps at me. Checked the top 2 left fuses (20+21 i think) and swapped them about and still doing it... so next step is too swap bulbs i suppose

 

[Gops]

Aragorn is right.. The bulbs that are best are OEM ones.. Here's a thread I've had a thorough read of.. The Audi TT Forum :: View topic - Anyone replaced their Xenon bulbs?

 

[sportstractor]

Anyone have any idea where the best place is too buy genuine Philips bulbs?

edit: scratch that, got a pair of osram bulbs from this seller:

eBay - The UK's Online Marketplace

seems to be cheapest for a branded pair of bulbs

 

[kwistof]

So I may as well revive this thread as I have had exactly the same problems happen to me whilst leaving work today.

Couldn't get the right hand side bulb on but it would flicker really quickly on start up- so the bulb hasn't gone - I believe they go pink when they have.

After a short while of flicking them on and off I managed to get it to stay on

So did anyone have to change the ballasts? Was it a fuse job? Or a new bulb job?

I have a long trip ahead of me tomorrow evening so can't afford for them to play up on the journey as they did on the way back from my work earlier- had to pull over and do the whole flicking them off and on again.

Cheers in advance for any help