Xenon bulb failure or other failure?

[BrendanM]

Evening all.

One of my OEM xenon bulbs has stopped working. It will now flicker when I unlock the car due to the leaving home/coming home function but doesn't light up. It won't stay on regardless what I do with the light switch.

Is this likely to be bulb failure or igniter failure, or something else?

Thanks in advance for the help.

 

[joinerman]

Probably the ballast resistor

 

[BrendanM]

Cheers.

Is that a guess or based on having had the same symptom? If you did have that problem, how difficult or expensive is the fix? Lighting isn't an area I have much knowledge of. Is the ballast resistor located in the headlight unit?

 

[joinerman]

My lights used to flicker & was diagnosed as the ballast, however i was going to sell it so didn't bother doing the fix, i believe it's situated under the light & there not cheap.

 

[BrendanM]

Help needed!

I tackled this job today. It's not the igniter as I swapped them over and it didn't make any difference. I then tried to swap the bulbs to determine if the problem is the bulb or ballast but I couldn't get the retaining ring to open. It wouldn't budge on either light. The offending item is found at 1:50 here...


I considered removing the headlamp for better access but it's a mission so I took it to Halfords to see if they might have some success. The guy who tried it said it should open very easily and was apprehensive that applying more force than he was doing might break it.

What's my best option? If I take to the dealer and ask them to replace the bulb, will they charge more than the book time for replacing a bulb if they, like me, are unable to open the retainer and need to remove the headlamp to get better access?

I'm all out of ideas. I spent almost 4 hours messing with the car today and I still only have one light!

 

[Jake 61]

Best bet is to bite the bullet and take the bumper off. I can usually do it in under half an hour now and it saves all the faffing about for 4 hours.
I was apprehensive the first time, but it really is a walk in the park and you can get the whole light unit out. The ring will just be stubborn, but made more awkward by still being fitted to the car.
Not surprised the Halfords dude gave in, they offer to change bulbs free when you buy them there and it would have been a definite money loser for them.

 

[BrendanM]

You're right mate. Bumper off is the only option. I'm a bit more confident hearing you say how easy it is. I have headlight washers. Am I likely to need to disconnect them? I'm hoping there'll be enough wiggle room to get the headlight off without needing to remove the bumper completely.

Best bet is to bite the bullet and take the bumper off. I can usually do it in under half an hour now and it saves all the faffing about for 4 hours.
I was apprehensive the first time, but it really is a walk in the park and you can get the whole light unit out. The ring will just be stubborn, but made more awkward by still being fitted to the car.
Not surprised the Halfords dude gave in, they offer to change bulbs free when you buy them there and it would have been a definite money loser for them.

 

[Lord]

What car is it?

 

[BrendanM]

It's a MK 5 Golf R32. Wrong forum I know but my other car has the 4 rings!

 

[Jake 61]

You're right mate. Bumper off is the only option. I'm a bit more confident hearing you say how easy it is. I have headlight washers. Am I likely to need to disconnect them? I'm hoping there'll be enough wiggle room to get the headlight off without needing to remove the bumper completely.

I found that I could leave the pipes for the headlight washers until the bumper was loose. There should be enough slack in the pipes to drop the bumper and then disconnect the clips. I drop the bumper onto an old cardboard box, (flattened), or polystyrene packaging, or whatever is lying about, so it doesn't get scratched on the deck.

 

[BrendanM]

I found that I could leave the pipes for the headlight washers until the bumper was loose. There should be enough slack in the pipes to drop the bumper and then disconnect the clips. I drop the bumper onto an old cardboard box, (flattened), or polystyrene packaging, or whatever is lying about, so it doesn't get scratched on the deck.

Got it sorted. Only needed to unscrew one corner of the bumper and the screws behind the grille. That gave me enough wiggle room. Your post gave me the confidence to tackle it and it was a piece of cake when I went at it. Cheers mate.

 

[Jake 61]

Got it sorted. Only needed to unscrew one corner of the bumper and the screws behind the grille. That gave me enough wiggle room. Your post gave me the confidence to tackle it and it was a piece of cake when I went at it. Cheers mate.

That's what this forum is all about. It might seem difficult until somebody comes on and says, "nah, there's a way to do this".
Glad to hear you got sorted out.