Why are B6s so greedy with bulbs?
- Thread starter sat1983
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Mine seems to munch up sidelights, but I think that's because they are LEDs.
And the CANBUS pulses that flicker them on and off during the resistance check probably screw them up.
I've got LED brake, tail and reverse lights in mine. And if you look at the rear of the car when I turn the ignition on it looks like something out of close encounters as they all flash on and off in sequence!
And the CANBUS pulses that flicker them on and off during the resistance check probably screw them up.
I've got LED brake, tail and reverse lights in mine. And if you look at the rear of the car when I turn the ignition on it looks like something out of close encounters as they all flash on and off in sequence!
You think that is normal? I am new-ish to Audi, but I can't have changed more than 2 bulbs in 10 years on my old Alfa 156, the audi on the other hand......
I have replaced nearly every single bulb since I bought mine in September 2014- I'm just hoping they were due rather than there is an issue....
I still would rather bulbs go than anything else though- at least its cheap!
I still would rather bulbs go than anything else though- at least its cheap!
I think I might have replaced maybe 2 bulbs on mine in 5 years. I have LED sidelights which have been in for about 3yrs now and not had a problem with them.
Haha, Same things happens to mine would you believe with my LED reverse lights. But its because they're not really can-bus compatible. Others flash in sequence whilst others are just fine. Ive had hit and miss results this.
All mine are canbus compatible, but I assume having higher value resistors would stop the flashing.
bastet
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The pulses probably aren't killing the LEDs; it's likely that they're over burnt. Nearly all LEDs you're seeing on the road are PWM dimmed (flickering up to 300 times a second) and they last forever as well.
I've been testing numerous car-LEDs (park/city lights), and every single one of them gets unbelievably hot, even at 12V DC. A car runs on 14.4V DC, which will increase the power consumption of the LEDs dramatically. I had a COB city light the other day that drew 70mA at 11V, but pushed 300mA at 14V; that's 300% MORE current at only 30% more voltage. Power increase was dramatic (11 * 0.07 = 0.77W; 14.4 * 0.3 = 4.3W). Their light output only seemed to increase by a factor of two, they were sufficiently bright at 0.77W..
You're best off using current resistors on them to limit the power flowing through them; these COBs would only need a single 0.5W / 56 ohm series resistor and they'll last the lifetime of the car.
Same here, only one bulb failed in 3+ years, left rear brake light. Other than that, I did had the xenon ballasts and bulb go out on me, but that's OK after 10 years.
Agreed. The funny thing is, if they are from China (probably all anyway) then they might say ''Can-bus'' compatible, but we all know thats not always the case
Very helpful info bastet! Thanks!
When you say ''You're best off using current resistors'' , do you mean ones that come with some after market LED's or separate resistors which you can buy for cheap on Ebay?
bastet
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The best thing would be to measure how much power those LEDs suck up when emitting sufficient brightness. You're likely to blow them in a matter of weeks (hours of usage) at 14.4V, months (days of usage) at 12V, but very unlikely to kill them at somewhere between 10.5 and 11V.
LEDs are regulated by current, not voltage; however, as voltage increases, current increases exponentially. This means that the LED will use *much* more current at 14V than it will at 11V. It's current that generates heat, and it's the heat that kills the LED.
So, get a power supply that puts out 11V, or get one that has a regulated output current. Most variable lab power supplies can do that. Get a multimeter as well.
1. Set the supply to 14.4V, and hook up the LED.
2. Measure its power usage by measuring how many amps you've got flowing.
3. Touch the LED after 5 minutes; I bet it'll feel like it's scorching hot.
4. Tone down the supply until you see a noticeable decrease in brightness (you won't see 14.4 to 13V).
5. Measure current usage at the desired brightness and check the corresponding voltage (likely at around 11V)
You now know how many (milli)amps the LED uses at 11V. Enter the values here:
http://led.linear1.org/led.wiz
You'll need supply voltage (14.4V, car's network), diode forward voltage (the voltage you've measured at step 5) and diode forward current (the (milli)amps you've measured at step 5. This will give you a resistor value; say 33 ohms, and how many watts the resistor will dissipate. You can then source a few cheap ones from eBay. We're talking 0.25-1W resistors here, so no big power chunks used for fooling CAN.
It's not hard to do - sad thing is you probably do need a lab power supply to do it properly. If you must, you can also use any (older) battery, as long as it's putting out something like 10.5-11V. A partially drained cordless drill battery might do the trick. A multimeter is essential though.
mattyb6
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I think the reason is the rear lights seals perish causing moisture inside
This must short the connector a little bit and thinking the bulb has blown.
I noticed this when I've driven through puddles sometimes my rear lights error comes on them
This must short the connector a little bit and thinking the bulb has blown.
I noticed this when I've driven through puddles sometimes my rear lights error comes on them
I would see how long these ones last. When I got my A4 I replaced about 7 or 8 bulbs. But it was my sister's car.. Probably just due for replacement lol. Mine have lasted so far
In an attempt to get lighting which actually allows me to see where I'm going, I have a variety of "high power" bulbs in the headlights - they probably last no more than 6 months, irrespective of whether they are Halfords own, or the likes of Phillips. The higher the % gain, the quicker they go. I have, therefore, become very adept at changing the things! I echo the comment re rear bulbs - I have one dodgy seal and frequently find the bulb hasn't blown but is suffering a slightly corroded connector.
bastet
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I've spent several hundreds €€€'s trying to find what works and what doesn't. That's not including buying the actual S4 bi-xenon units! I've bought numerous different D1S bulbs, several ballasts, colors, wattages, even relais (battery-direct) kits. None worked.
The reason is as stupid as it is simple: the OEM reflector that focuses the light from the bulb (it doesn't matter if you have D1S xenon or H7 halo) never was that great to start with, but after many years on the road they're just utterly perished. The chrome-like coating burns off, resulting in a dull surface that hardly reflects any light towards the beaming lens. Couple that with an old and worn fresnel lens, made of relatively dark glass, and there you go: hardly any punch despite a proper beam pattern.
I've ended up replacing my relfectors with new D2S 3" bi-xenons; coupled to a Pilot H7 ballast. The reflectors came with a clear lens and DOT (legal in NL) cutoff plate. The light output is so much better - razor sharp cutoff and insanely wide and far reach. It easily competes with new BMW's!
The best thing: they were only €40 (30 pounds), the bulbs too, and the ballasts I had lying around.
The shop I got them from sells quick-kits for both A4 (2.5" lens) and S4 (3.0" lens). It'll give you proper light, bi-xenon (cutoff solenoid popper so xenon shines all the way through when using high beams) and won't cost you an arm and a leg.
S4 3" bi-xenon (keeps using your stock ballast + bulbs!), doesn't fit A4 with/without xenon (100 pounds / €140):
https://www.retrofitlab.com/nl/auto/audi-a4-s4-b6-bi-xenon-md1s.html
A4 2.5" bi-xenon, fits any A4, uses H1 xenon (comes with the set); 150 pounds (€200) for the lot:
https://www.retrofitlab.com/nl/auto/audi-a4-b6-bi-xenon-mh1-1.html
Note: I do NOT have anything to gain posting the above - I'm just a happy customer..!
As Mike B and M said, I too am suffering from moisture from the rain etc.
It doesnt help that I recently discovered that I also have a cracked rear number plate light housing and corroded connector causing it to flicker erratically like emergency morse code during the WW2 haha
It doesnt help that I recently discovered that I also have a cracked rear number plate light housing and corroded connector causing it to flicker erratically like emergency morse code during the WW2 haha
bastet
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Thanks for the info on this. I'll need to further investigate.
Gimme a shout if you need any help, I'll be happy to assist.
If you're talking strictly about light colour and not ampage etc (Which I dont know) then the following;
4300k is usually a factory OEM HID colour being very white.
6000k which i have installed on mine is like a crystal white with a slight tint of blue.
Hope this helps
4300k is usually a factory OEM HID colour being very white.
6000k which i have installed on mine is like a crystal white with a slight tint of blue.
Hope this helps
I've replaced about 8 bulbs on my B6 Cab 2003, all different bulbs, no particular area - headlights, side lights, brake lights.... I've had it for 18 months. Yes, they chew up bulbs. The rear left parking bulb has gone last week, so that will be 9.
