headlight main beam indicator light not working

Redliketoast

So my NCT is next month.

I have a 2011 Mazda 3 hatchback. I noticed the headlight High MAIN beam indicator light is not working. The light on indicator light is working (the low beam). I have been troubleshooting but I am kinda out of ideas.

Checked lights. They are working.

Checked fuse. At least the ones I thought could be the correct fuse. They all seem to be fine on first appearance.

Could it be something else? Dont wanna take it to a garage if it is an easy fix. I wouldnt know everything about cars. But my Youtube knowledge allowed me to do battery replacements and stuff. So I can usually do this kind of stuff. Just cant find a video showing how to replace this. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

cml387

Is this the blue light on the dashboard indicating high beam?

If so I'm not sure that's an NCT fail at all.

In the old days it was almost certainly a blown bulb in the dash, if it's an LED they don't "blow" but could be a dry joint on the pcb.

Redliketoast

Its the green indicator light. So main beams but jot half and not full. If you know what i mean

Ah i see what you mean about the bulb.

prawnsambo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121984324#Comment_121984324

You referred to them as high beams in your OP, so there's a bit of confusion now that you're saying it's a green indicator light.

Just to clarify, is the high beam (blue indicator light) appearing correctly on the dash?

Redliketoast

You correct in the OP I did write "High Beam". Sorry I dont know why I did that. I wrote main beam in the title and still made that mistake.

So when you turn the lights on - the side lights come on. The indicator lights up on the dash as normal.

When you switch them on full - the headlights come on. The lights come on but this indicator does not.

When you are alone in the dark and no cars ahead - full beams. This is not the one I am talking about.

So the green headlights indicator. I just hope that what it is actually called

Sorry about the confusion

barneygumble99

no, only the blue light for main beams has to work

Chippy01

Isn't that middle indicator for the front fog lamps?

prawnsambo

Ok, those lights would be LEDs. It's most likely that the LED is gone. Fuse protection would likely be for that entire circuit board behind the dash, so that's not the cause or all your lights and dash wouldn't function.

And the bad news, is that you'd probably have to replace the entire circuit board. Sometimes they're separate, but not always. As for the NCT, I think it's as said above, high beam indication is what's required from a safety point of view.

Redliketoast

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121985099#Comment_121985099

Nothing makes me feel less of a man then going into halfords trying to explain this stuff. No idea what any of them are called :D Its the "low beam indicator light" which is the main headlight but not the high beams. Like who named this??

Redliketoast

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121985152#Comment_121985152

Thats def a good news bad news.

Thanks though. Im hoping to trade ip in the next year or so, so i'll try to get it fixed asap. Butat least there is now less stress in case its mot done before the nct. Obviously it could still fail but thats better than thinking it will definitely fail.

Thanks everyone

prawnsambo

You should be able to pick up a second hand unit from a breaker or even eBay. Very unlikely that it would have the same fault.

mickdw

IF everything works bar the dash light, don't worry about it.

Chippy01

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121985170#Comment_121985170

Well, this is a new one to me.
I don't think I have ever seen a Low Beam Indicator Lamp on a dash before….. high beam - yes, but never a low beam.
Never too old to learn, 👍️

Redliketoast

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121985760#Comment_121985760

Haha you are making me doubt myself now. I am getting the feeling I will wake up tomorrow and my wife will tell me she thought I was just joking about it all this time and was playing along. Then I will realise that we never even had kids and she turns out to be Asian………………

Well I guess I need a couple of Jamesons tonight to prepare for that excitement

mikeecho

The light isn't necessary.

Just learn to live without it.