Hello,

I'm a newbie and am looking for some advice. I have a 2008 Superb Elegance with the 140bhp TDI engine. I bought it a couple of months ago and have noticed a few issues which I want to try and get resolved.

The first, and most serious, issue is to do with the driver's side HID headlight. I had the igniter replaced two weeks ago by a Skoda main dealer in Germany (I'm currently living over there) as it was on its way out. I've been in the UK for Christmas for the past couple of weeks. I was driving one evening and noticed the dipped HID light flicker and go out. I turned the lights off and on again and it came back on for a couple of minutes before going out. I took the car to a Skoda dealer nearby who looked at it and couldn't find anything wrong. They said that the bulb and igniter were fine and there were no faults showing on the ECU. They wanted me to bring in the car next week so they could undertake a more detailed diagnosis and take the headlight unit out and check all the wiring. However, I'm travelling back to Germany in the next few days so will have to get it booked in with a Skoda dealer back where I live. I was just wondering whether anybody on here has experienced anything similar and could possibly offer some advice. I'm wondering whether there could be a wiring issue, either with a loose connection or possibly with water getting in somewhere.

The second issue relates to the multi-function steering wheel and, in particular, the selection wheel on the right-hand side. The scroll function works fine but the press-to-select function only works intermittently. Sometimes I can select an option with one click and on other occasions it takes multiple clicks or won't work at all. Again, any advice on this would be appreciated.

Many thanks in advance,

Bertie W

If anything, it sounds like the actual lamp is worn out. If it can't maintain the electrical arc across the electrodes the ballast pack will see this and cut off the power supply. D1S lamps have the ignitor built into the base so I assume the ballast was the part that Skoda replaced.

What are the output colours like? xenon lamps tend to go a pinky colour when they get to the end of their lifespan (look at any aged S-Class private hire!).

You could test this theory by swapping the lamps over. It is a DIY job but only if you are confident with such tasks and understand the high voltages associated with xenon lamp systems. Ideally, just replace the pair of them outright.

You can get a new pair of genuine Osram D1S burners for about £80 if you hunt around. You can also go for SLIGHTLY higher K rated lamps which are the same as the OEM colour of the latest BMWs, Mercs etc.

Have a look around the light fitting itself for signs of water ingress. Check the plastic connector on the back for any signs of water and corrosion. Condensation inside the lamp might suggest ingress also.

People often say the xenon lamps will outlast the life of the car - that is crap. After several years they start to fade and discolor. Repeated ignition cycles also shorten the lifespan (tunnels, coming/leaving home setting etc).

I replaced the xenon burners in my previous 2007 L&K Octavia when they started to fade. The car was just over 3 years old and had done about 110k. Made a huge difference.

As for the MFSW issue, that sounds like the micro switch that registers the press action is duff, I would think that part of the wheel will need to be replaced.

Thanks for the response.

Before I had the burner/igniter replaced the driver's side dipped light was a purple/pink colour. After the replacement igniter was fitted the lamp was the usual brilliant white colour. The Skoda dealer I took the car to a couple of days ago said that the lamp was fine, along with the igniter. They said that they couldn't find anything wrong with the unit and therefore suspected that it could be a wiring issue - but without taking the front of the car off they couldn't confirm it. I'm heading back to Germany on 2 Jan so will get it booked into a main dealer when I get back.

This is the first car I have owned with xenon lamps so don't feel entirely comfortable experimenting with swapping the lamps over.

Thanks for the tip about the steering wheel - I'll get the dealer to look at that as well when I get the car booked in.

I had repeated issues with the xenon headlights on a Laguna I once had where one would randomly switch off. Eventually after many trips to the dealer they found one of the leveling sensors was bad so basically telling the car I was blinding oncoming traffic which resulted in it being turned off.

Just something to have checked if nothing else comes to light.

Just a quick update - I took the car into a Skoda dealer when I got back home and got them to look at the headlight. They found that water had got into the headlight unit ECU and killed it. A new ECU set me back €112 - which was cheaper than I expected. All in all a pretty good result.

Good news.