Hi fellow Skoda owners.

The ballast on my left xenon has failed (Superb MK2). I know it’s mounted under the headlamp and the “correct” way is to remove the front bumper, but has anyone managed to change it from the wheel arch or engine well instead?

The previous owner tapped into the 12V high beam wire for a relay (aux lights) and didn’t put the dust cover back on. That left the headlight exposed, so moisture got in and killed the ballast — and also the AFS control module.

I’ve ordered a new cover from AliExpress and taped over the hole for now, but I really need to sort the ballast soon so I can drive safely in the dark — I live in a place with long, dark winters.

Has anyone done this before? Appreciate any tips! Greetings from Norway

PS: Pictures are for illustration purposes

How do I know if anyone is seeing this post, and how can I help boost engagement?

53 minutes ago, kkarlsen_06 said:

How do I know if anyone is seeing this post, and how can I help boost engagement?

The "47 views" in the post metadata (visible in the forum index) seems like an indication of how many people thought they might be able to help.

I managed to get the whole lamp-housing out.

My original thought (to replace the ballast through the wheel liner or similar) was borderline impossible, so I found taking the whole lamp out to be the easiest. This of course meant that I had to partially remove the bumper.

I didn’t completely remove the bumper, I only loosened the left side, so that I could wiggle the lamp out.

This video I found on YouTube shows how to remove the bumper on the Skoda Superb MK2:

The trickiest part was by far the wheel liner, as I had to hold it away while screwing with a drill that I had pushed through the fog lamp opening.

I managed to solve it in the end. Now my low beam works perfectly fine. I’m quite happy. This summer I’ll have to change the AFS-modules though. That one had blue water coming out of it…

Have an awesome day reader!

On 29/03/2025 at 02:54, kkarlsen_06 said:

The trickiest part was by far the wheel liner, as I had to hold it away while screwing with a drill that I had pushed through the fog lamp opening.

Nice job, but I don't understand this sentence. Normally you remove the wheel, and remove the wheel liner (around 10 Tx25 screws). This is also a good opportunity to clean out all the dirt that collects behind the front wheel liners (between wheel and front door).

Wasn't removing the wheel liner possible?

Edited 30 March, 20251 yr by andrehj

Hi Andrehj

2 hours ago, andrehj said:

Nice job, but I don't understand this sentence. Normally you remove the wheel, and remove the wheel liner (around 10 Tx25 screws). This is also a good opportunity to clean out all the dirt that collects behind the front wheel liners (between wheel and front door).

Wasn't removing the wheel liner possible?

I understand the confusion.

I misspoke.

What I should have said

«the trickiest part was by far the connection between the bumper and the top metal of the front»

See the pic for which part I’m talking about. .

To do this I had to pull away the wheel liner to access the screws on the inside. Please watch the YouTube video in my update from 0:53 to 2:00 to understand exactly what I’m talking about

I thought about removing the wheel, and the liner, but I didn’t think it was necessary because of the video I watched. In addition, I thought it would be intimidating so I left it. I now get that removing the whole liner would actually make the process much easier. When summer comes and I’m replacing the AFS-units, I’ll try to do what you just said.

Thank you for the response!

Edited 30 March, 20251 yr by kkarlsen_06