Flicker in my Xenon

[150HP&counting]

Unfortunately i've driven in the car since @ night and still not on..... so go on then drop the bomb on me whats the bulb itself gonna cos( a part number i may need?)t... and worse case scenario the full unit...?

Oh and how easy to change, it certainly dont look all that easy from what i can see under the bonnet

cheers guys!!!

lee

[cheezemonkhai]

osram sell replacement bulbs and if you look in the manual it will tell you what bulb type you need.

IIRC the osram bulbs are a fair bit cheaper than going to the dealer.

Before you think about the bulb, have you checked the ballast as this controls the start up and regulation of the voltage applied to the bulb.

[RobClubley]

I had a flicker in my drivers side xenon - turned out to be my own fault - When I installed the DV relocation kit I had one of the jubilee clips on the intercooler pipe resting against the back of the light - doh!

Had to remove the light (again) to get to the clip to loosen it and spin it aound a bit

[150HP&counting]

Before you think about the bulb, have you checked the ballast as this controls the start up and regulation of the voltage applied to the bulb.

Call me dumb but i aint really got a clue as to where to start - anymore pointers please

[Bomi]

Lee, if you refer to the first 2-3 replies in this thread, it will give you an idea where the ballast box is located. The dealer quoted me rupees 10k for a replacement bulb(around pounds 110) but they could be cheaper in the UK.

Bomi.

[KenONeill]

That sounds like a plausible price for a new ballast box.

[Bomi]

About a year ago, my left side (facing the front of the car) xenon started flickering and would go out after a few minutes. Dealer diagnosed it as a bulb failure and replaced it. Now, a year after the replacement, the flicker and going off has started again. Since its the same bulb which is acting up, I thought a wire was loose, but upon checking the wires and the fuse, all seems fine. Want to nail down if its the bulb again or the ballast. Is there a conclusive test to determine this? Thank you. Bomi.

[VRSPhil]

Swap the ballasts over as they're both the same.

[Bomi]

Thanks, VRSPhil. Is this a b*#ch of a job or relatively easy?

Bomi

[VRSPhil]

It's not a bad job. You have to remove the headlight mounting bolts to allow you to move the headlights forward slightly. Once you've done this, there are three torx screws holding the ballasts to the back of the headlights... Remove these and the ballasts pull off.

Just remember to disconnect the battery first!

[cheezemonkhai]

Make sure the lights have been off for a long time and you are suitably insulated for high voltage when messing around with these.

[Banana-Man]

Checking with the ignition OFF is very important. You dont want to get electrocuted by the huge voltage that the xenons use.

What? 12 volts - everyone watch out!!! Have I missed something somewhere - or have you got a nuclear powered Skoda

[VRSPhil]

Have I missed something somewhere

Yes.

In an HID Xenon lighting system, the voltage between the two electrodes rises firstly from 12V to 23000V and keeps stable at 85V by using the Xenon HID ballasts system.

[Banana-Man]

How silly am I? I though the noble gas Xenon just burns brighter than Halogen. Surely the voltage is within the bulb itself then? the car itself has only got self-regulating 14 - 14.5 volts at the generator and a stable 12 volts from the battery.

Shows what I know

[woodenspatulas]

How silly am I? I though the noble gas Xenon just burns brighter than Halogen. Surely the voltage is within the bulb itself then? the car itself has only got self-regulating 14 - 14.5 volts at the generator and a stable 12 volts from the battery.

Shows what I know

get hold of a balast unit, take it apart and then connect it back up to the car and turn the lights on

after you've done that you wont need to use gel in your hair again for a while

on a more serious note, ive found that if i turn my xenons on while the car engine isnt running, sometimes one of mine flickers as if its struggling to get enough juice to ignite completely. but with the engine on its fine. maybe your battery, being a bit duff was eating up the alternators current, meaning the bulb wasnt quite getting a strong enough input to come on cleanly?

at least its sorted now though!!

[Banana-Man]

Oh..Shrugg of shoulders

[VRSPhil]

I've found mine can flicker slightly if I switch them on immediately after starting the engine. Once this happened and then they both failed totally. It turned out that the master ballast had died. I don't know if the failure was caused by switching them on immediately, but I give the engine a couple of seconds to settle before I turn them on now. Haven't had a flicker since.