Check out my Red HID!?! Bulb or ballast?

[QUATTRO_REP]

so i switched on the lights the other night to be presented with a warning beep of a dead bulb. One of the HIDs failed to start. I switched em off n on again and it came on...
driving to work this morning and look at the colour temp..its almost pink..
sure it started fine and got worse i could tell by the reflection on cars in front!
now my question is will this be the bulb thats gone or the ballast? done a few searches but not found a definitive answer.
also where the best places to find replacements!
cheers in advance guys!

 

[Jaywoo_A3]

I'd say you ballast i playing up, If it was the bulb i don't think it would ignite at all?
Check you ballast for water/condensation or just put it in a warm place for a while this might solve you problem.

 

[QUATTRO_REP]

well it takes a good few flicks of the switch to get it to ignite, once its on it stays lit tho. any ideas how to get to the balast or where it is lol...guessing its in the bumper somewhere.

 

[madvw]

Its tucked away just under the headlamp unit.

 

[james_S3]

i had the same problem with mine. In the end it gave up alltogether. Replaced the Balast and its sorted the problem.

 

[QUATTRO_REP]

i had the same problem with mine. In the end it gave up alltogether. Replaced the Balast and its sorted the problem.

this is what i was thinking, and its the more expensive part to have gone wrong. guessing the only definitive way to tell its the ballast is to swap the bulbs over..
job for the weekend i suppose!
cheers for the info!

 

[A3_Turbo]

For the sake of 40 quid mate you may as well just order a whole new HID kit.

Jason

 

[QUATTRO_REP]

For the sake of 40 quid mate you may as well just order a whole new HID kit.

Jason

is that all they are? when ive been doin some searches i heard the ballests are over 100 nicker on there own. is it a flea bay jobbie then or they not too reliable?

thanks again!

 

[A3_Turbo]

Many UK sites have them lsited at 100 +

They use EXACTLY the same kit as i have bought from ebay which are from HK i believe.

I paid 40 posted for mine.

Jason

 

[QUATTRO_REP]

Many UK sites have them lsited at 100 +

They use EXACTLY the same kit as i have bought from ebay which are from HK i believe.

I paid 40 posted for mine.

Jason

nice i'll have a gander. so would i just need to replace the ballast from the new HID kit or fit the whole lot? or would the new ballast not be the same connections as the OE stuff?
cheers

 

[A3_Turbo]

I would have thought the ballast would have been the same but if your paying 40 quid for the full kit you may as well use it?

Dont have to worry about the other ballast etc then as they're all new.

I got mine off ebay shop around i got mine for 40 posted, took a week to arrive from HK.

Jason

 

[rodenal]

It's not as simple as that unfortunately, you'll need to check the existing ballast as i believe they're hard wired to the bulb connection.

If so then an ebay kit will be no use as your car will have different sized bulbs.

I can't actually remember this for sure tho, im sure somebody else will be able to confirm if the bulb connection is detachable.

 

[QUATTRO_REP]

when this rain stops i'll have a gander and take some pics in case any one else has the same prob...drove it few time since this morning and the bulb has lit first time on each drive. it glows white then slowly fades into the red u see above...
this deffo signs of the ballast? cant help thinkin it couod be the bulb lol.
think im gonna have to swap the bulbs over to be sure!
cheers guys

 

[Craigybaby37_A3quattro]

To get to the light ballast you can remove the arch lining which is held on by about 10 screws or so.

Once this is out you'll see the horn and either above that or below it you'll see the light ballast. A few weeks back i had a serious leak from my passenger side headlamp washer and it was leaking all over the light ballast but luckly it didnt do it any damage, so it may be worth checking you aint got a similar leak like mine thats damaged the ballast.

If you are a hand on person and will do it yourself it will pay you to undo the horn with a 13mm nut and get it out the way to make a lot easier access to the ballast and headlamp washer.

hope this helps

 

[QUATTRO_REP]

cheers Craigybaby37_A3quattro:icon_thumright: that'll save me a lot of time pondering on how to get at the ballast! thats my weekend s0rted then lol!

i already got the rear window washer problem which is prob gonna be done at the same time.

Thanks again!