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Great, headlight not working

My bulb is not working as shown Any ideas on what is wrong? It has gotten cold lately... Just a switch or do I need to replace a 700 dollar

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Old 12-09-2013, 05:11 PM   #1 (permalink)
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Default Great, headlight not working



My bulb is not working as shown

Any ideas on what is wrong? It has gotten cold lately...

Just a switch or do I need to replace a 700 dollar light?
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Old 12-09-2013, 05:19 PM   #2 (permalink)
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I suspect the bulb (and/or ballast) is bad.

Check all the connections going to the lamp. It may be just a loose or corroded wire.
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Old 12-09-2013, 05:33 PM   #3 (permalink)
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bulb couldve burnt out. id recommend this bulb:

Amazon.com: Philips D2S Xenon HID Headlight Bulb, Pack of 1: Automotive

replace both at the same time IF you determine the bulb burnt out. its good to have equal bulbs. also, only order from Amazon as the seller to avoid fakes, not the "Sold by Xenon Corp and Fulfilled by Amazon." crap.

or just order from here:

http://www.theretrofitsource.com/pro...roducts_id=148

our stock bulbs are koito 4200k bulbs, these philips are probably 2nd best bulb you can buy in terms. affordable at ~50bucks/bulb too!
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Old 12-09-2013, 05:35 PM   #4 (permalink)
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I am hoping for loose wire cause the roads here suck and have tons of bumps
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Old 12-09-2013, 05:46 PM   #5 (permalink)
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Originally Posted by kittens View Post
I am hoping for loose wire cause the roads here suck and have tons of bumps
the wires dont really loosen too easily, but you should definitely check. unplug, plug, turn on lights. if no go, swap bulbs left to right. if the side that doesnt work still doesnt work after swapping bulbs, likely the ballast is broken. otherwise, one bulb is bad
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Old 12-09-2013, 05:58 PM   #6 (permalink)
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I will let the dealer take on that ordeal since I don't want to screw around with the bulbs lol

This is the 4th headlight issue for me (3 on old car)
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Old 12-09-2013, 06:48 PM   #7 (permalink)
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Update: does it make any sense that it is the bulb because the high beam doesn't work either?
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Old 12-09-2013, 08:05 PM   #8 (permalink)
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Originally Posted by kittens View Post
Update: does it make any sense that it is the bulb because the high beam doesn't work either?
Well unlike some cars, the Z uses the same bulb for the high beams. Correct me if I am wrong, but it uses a mirror of sorts to simply deflect the light from the bulb up. Hence the sound it makes when high beams are engaged. It doesn't really prove much though. Only that either the bulb is dead or a wiring problem.

I think many people that have experienced ballast issues have the bulb go on for a few seconds and then turn off? But I could be wrong. Just things I have read from others.
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Old 12-09-2013, 08:22 PM   #9 (permalink)
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Well unlike some cars, the Z uses the same bulb for the high beams. Correct me if I am wrong, but it uses a mirror of sorts to simply deflect the light from the bulb up. Hence the sound it makes when high beams are engaged. It doesn't really prove much though. Only that either the bulb is dead or a wiring problem.

I think many people that have experienced ballast issues have the bulb go on for a few seconds and then turn off? But I could be wrong. Just things I have read from others.
correct. when the ballast is going, it usually flickers or makes buzzing sounds when you flip the headlights on, but no light appears. usually ballasts dont go bad too often though. bulbs on the other hand can go quickly
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Old 12-09-2013, 08:38 PM   #10 (permalink)
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Yeah there's no flicker. The dealer said a ballast is 500 and a bulb is like 150 so I'm hoping bulb haha
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Old 12-09-2013, 09:08 PM   #11 (permalink)
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dont pay for any of that...

you can get a pair of our OEM ballasts here for 170:

Matsushita Gen V Ballasts - HID Ballasts from The Retrofit Source Inc

and bulb...buy the ones i linked above..
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Old 12-10-2013, 12:13 AM   #12 (permalink)
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Great thanks. One quick question: would leaving the car out in below freezing temperatures cause an outage? Probably a stupid question but this happened the day after it snowed lol
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Old 12-10-2013, 01:25 AM   #13 (permalink)
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Great thanks. One quick question: would leaving the car out in below freezing temperatures cause an outage? Probably a stupid question but this happened the day after it snowed lol
It shouldn't lol. Try swapping bulbs. If the other one works, you just need a new one!
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Old 12-10-2013, 01:33 AM   #14 (permalink)
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Take 20 minutes and swap the bulbs and see if the other one works.
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Old 12-10-2013, 07:06 AM   #15 (permalink)
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It shouldn't lol. Try swapping bulbs. If the other one works, you just need a new one!
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