Audi A4 Dipped Headlight Failure

Muff Richardson

hi, having constant issues with a recently bought 09 audi a4...the latest being "right dipped beam failure", weird thing is it comes on grand and then fails about 10 minutes into the drive...had a look on YouTube and it doesnt seem as easy as changing a light bulb should be without the right tools, also cant get a definitive price for such a bulb...anyone know how much this is likely to set me back or where would be worth going to get it looked at? thanks...

tossy

If it's xenon it could be a ballast issue. The ballast is the part that regulates the voltage to the bulb (the require a very stable current). Hard to find out if it's the ballast though without a little bit of diagnostic work.

A guide price for a xenon bulb would be anywhere from 60/70 to 160 Stick to philips or Osram and avoid the main dealers.

Muff Richardson

thanks, its a xenon yes...read something about that it being a common issue alright, the bulb lights up grand for literally 5 minutes into the drive and then the failure comes up so should i assume its not the bulb? as in would i be right in saying if it was a bulb issue it wouldnt light up at all?

tossy

Muff Richardson wrote: »

thanks, its a xenon yes...read something about that it being a common issue alright, the bulb lights up grand for literally 5 minutes into the drive and then the failure comes up so should i assume its not the bulb? as in would i be right in saying if it was a bulb issue it wouldnt light up at all?

Sounds like a ballast issue alright, the ballasts are probably under or behind the headlights not familiar with that shape A4.

Special Circumstances

Swap the bulbs. If the fault follows the bulb then replace both bulbs with a decent brand.
If the fault stays on the same side then most likely it is the ballast.

Not that I've ever had HIDs. But if I had I'd like to be pretty sure the ballast was the problem before dipping into the wallet for a reputable replacement.

TheHulk

Did you get to the bottom of this Muff?

I have the exact same problem.

Muff Richardson

TheHulk wrote: »

Did you get to the bottom of this Muff?

I have the exact same problem.

Not yet, gave the garage I use a ring and told the mechanic and he says as the lads above said that its also probably a busted ballast and that it's fairly common with a4 with xenon lights. He said it'll set me back a few bob so I've left it for the moment until I can afford to bring it in...pain in the hole. Endless issues with this car...passenger door not opening from the outside being this weeks issue.

Stoolbend

Normally a ballast will just stop altogether. A failing bulb will come on but not the right colour and the go off again.

Bulb is about €150 because it has dipped and full beam in the one bulb.

The best thing to do is swap the bulbs. If the problem follows the bulb it's a bulb issue. If it doesn't it's ballast.

dodzy

It's frightening to see the cost of these parts rocket as cars are more and more complicated by design year on year. WTF happens when the strip light led (parking light) in the headlamp unit fails eventually ? Is it a serviceable part or are you looking at a full unit replacement?

Special Circumstances

dodzy wrote: »

It's frightening to see the cost of these parts rocket as cars are more and more complicated by design year on year. WTF happens when the strip light led (parking light) in the headlamp unit fails eventually ? Is it a serviceable part or are you looking at a full unit replacement?

Wait til you see the price of a full led headlamp

Muff Richardson

took the plunge...here's what I was told, if you get a generic xenon bulb it can be a different colour of blue or white to the working bulb. the generic bulb can cost anything from €120-€180. The genuine Audi xenon is €223 + labour...so I'm looking at about over €300 for a single headlight change

TheHulk

Muff Richardson wrote: »

took the plunge...here's what I was told, if you get a generic xenon bulb it can be a different colour of blue or white to the working bulb. the generic bulb can cost anything from €120-€180. The genuine Audi xenon is €223 + labour...so I'm looking at about over €300 for a single headlight change

I had a independent garage do this for me yesterday. Everything working fine now. Genuine part obviously.

Bulb plus fitting was €180. (€160 + €20)

Can give you details if you are interested. D6 area.

TheHulk

By the way, the fake bulbs can be from €30-€60 from what I've seen. Real Philips D3s bulbs are €120-€140 from motor factors if you price around.

powerbulbs.com is the place to get thm online if you want to buy yourself.

Muff Richardson

TheHulk wrote: »

I had a independent garage do this for me yesterday. Everything working fine now. Genuine part obviously.

Bulb plus fitting was €180. (€160 + €20)

Can give you details if you are interested. D6 area.

:eek: would very much appreciate the details...thanks.

Is it the exact same bulb (main/dipped) in the pic I posted? Does it look like I'm getting done? They said the xenon was coming from Sandyford Audi and it was €223 from them, seems nuts if your garage got it for €160.

TheHulk

Yep looks the exact same to me. As far as I know its a Philips D3s 4300K bulb that comes with them. I got a quote of €325 from Audi also so decided to look elsewhere.

The bulb would come on for 10-30 seconds and go off then along with the warning beep and visual warning on my dash. I would have bough myself for €120 and fitted but I was unsure if the ballast was the issue. Next time I would definitely change it myself.

Anyway, I decided to use Dave Curry in Rathgar as I didn't want to deal with having to buy a bulb then return it if the ballast was the issue so I decided to pay the extra. Been there a couple of times now after reading recommendations here. Andrew had a new one fitted in 20 minutes.

Tropheus

Fitting a xenon bulb is something you can do yourself. It's not much more complicated than a regular bulb. Just make sure to disconnect the battery first.

I would steer clear of the cheapie xenon bulbs. They are poorly manufactured and basically crap.