Davie's french attraction.

[mickthemaverick]

Nice work Jim, it is clear where the failure occurred. It does make me wonder why things have become so complicated just to throw some light down the road. Imagine a torch with that lot inside it? As I have said somewhere else recently I can't help thinking the basic principle of KISS has just been forgotten in the pursuit of profit!!

[CitroJim]

As I have said somewhere else recently I can't help thinking the basic principle of KISS has just been forgotten in the pursuit of profit!!

I totally and utterly agree Mick...

[daviemck2006]

The headlight that killed both these ballasts has been removed from the car. The terminals it plugged into was obviously wet and damaged too, so it seemed the logical thing to do, change it for a good one. Hopefully that's the end of the problems I have with them. But it seems to me that these xenon lights are an answer to a problem that never existed in the first place. I was using the Leon for deliveries on Friday night, and the elderly rover on Saturday night. The Leon's xenons are maybe slightly better than the rovers halogens on dip beam, but the rovers are better on full beam. And to be honest at no time driving the rover have I thought this needs better lights, and I'm not getting flashed due to them dazzling others. I have been flashed while in the leon on occasions. So all these manufacturers with xenons can poke them where the sun dont shine!

I suppose the poor quality copy goes some of the way to explaining why genuine valeo ones from Seat are in the region of £370, and ebay copies start at £20, although that one was £45. It was also put into the knackered headlight which possibly caused the overload which killed it, as the insides of the light could be rubbed too.

[CitroJim]

I agree Davie, Xantias and XMs excepted, cars with traditional quartz-halogen headlights have perfectly adequate lighting performance...

I recall however, when they were still quite new, drivers of older cars with the standard sealed beam and pre-focus tungsten bulb headlights complained like heck about the new-fangled quartz halogen headlights being far too bright, dazzling and totally unnecessary...

We go round the same circle again...

I wonder if back in the dim mists of time the same arguments raged about the move from carbide lamps to electric lamps?

[daviemck2006]

Well despite an interrogation by a man with vagcom today, and finding stored headlight faults and erasing them, it appears that my lights refuse to self level like they are supposed to do. This is probably due to me having a non standard ballast upsetting the system. And it was after dark when I came home and about every other car flashed me. I was thinking my lights were too high tonight, but they were set properly at the mot. But then I did have a few cases of cans of juice for the shop in the boot, and brimmed the fuel tank while I was there so the back of the car would have been quite heavy compared to when the lights were set up.

[Zelandeth]

Given there's been water ingress issues into at least one of the lights before (if I'm remembering correctly!) it seems possible that there is a mechanical fault or further electrical issues within the headlight or headlights to me.

The self levelling stuff must be pretty complex I imagine for how rapidly it needs to respond...as such I don't imagine it would take much corrosion to jam things up.

[daviemck2006]

Given there's been water ingress issues into at least one of the lights before (if I'm remembering correctly!) it seems possible that there is a mechanical fault or further electrical issues within the headlight or headlights to me.

The self levelling stuff must be pretty complex I imagine for how rapidly it needs to respond...as such I don't imagine it would take much corrosion to jam things up.

The headlight that was affected by water ingress and destroyed 3 ballasts in quick succession has been replaced Zel. As for complex engineering, I would say electrical, I have said before these lights are a solution to a non existent problem. I would like to replace them with halogens to be honest, but that needs changes to the wiring loom which is way beyond my capabilities.

[Zelandeth]

Given there's been water ingress issues into at least one of the lights before (if I'm remembering correctly!) it seems possible that there is a mechanical fault or further electrical issues within the headlight or headlights to me.

The self levelling stuff must be pretty complex I imagine for how rapidly it needs to respond...as such I don't imagine it would take much corrosion to jam things up.

The headlight that was affected by water ingress and destroyed 3 ballasts in quick succession has been replaced Zel. As for complex engineering, I would say electrical, I have said before these lights are a solution to a non existent problem. I would like to replace them with halogens to be honest, but that needs changes to the wiring loom which is way beyond my capabilities.

Ah, my mistake. I couldn't remember for certain if it had been changed as well. Lost track of which bits had been swapped out over time somewhere.

It's ridiculous that this system on the car has made things so needlessly complicated. Seems to be par for the course these days though, especially with VAG cars. You apparently need their computer now to change the vehicle battery (heard from a breakdown mechanic)...how ridiculous is that?

I can't remember which car it was (I *think* it was a BMW), but I know a friend ran into an issue where the tail lights on their car had to be coded to the car. Worse than that though, if you wanted to use a secondhand one it first had to be divorced from the donor vehicle before it was disconnected. Not much use if the donor vehicle is missing half the car in Persley Den scrap yard...

[CitroJim]

It's ridiculous that this system on the car has made things so needlessly complicated. Seems to be par for the course these days though, especially with VAG cars. You apparently need their computer now to change the vehicle battery (heard from a breakdown mechanic)...how ridiculous is that?

I can confirm that is indeed true Zel... My son-in Law Greg has an Audi of some description with stop-start (which he hates) and when his battery failed the new one had to be replaced and then the car's electronics had to be told about it...

It cost him plenty... A good money-spinner for the dealers

I jump-started it a couple of times and the dash lit up like a Christmas tree each time...

We need a new trend: small, simple cars... Seems the Series one C1/107/Aygo may have been the last of the breed

[daviemck2006]

I saw my mot man changing the pads on his own 16 reg golf, and he had to plug it into diagnostics to get the car to know it had new pads to put off the warning light on the dash.

[Hell Razor5543]

There are times when electronics can be very useful, and other times (when designers get above themselves or are TOLD to implement certain 'features') when they get in the way.

[daviemck2006]

Blxxdy lights! The brand new ballast, which admittedly a cheapo copy one is already playing up. The light is flickering off and on when it is supposed to be swivelling. Never again will I buy a car with these xenon lights. The ebay seller has been contacted and told that although I k how it's a cheap copy I expect it to last longer than a week. They are sending another. I think I am going to have to bite the bullet though and get a genuine one. That then leads on to the next problem.

Funds are getting low after what I had to already spend on the Leon, and today got the bad news about the hilux. I got a pre mot carried out by my mot man. I knew it was going to fail so it wasnt logged on to the system.
2 broken front springs
Broken exhaust
Leaking shock absorbers rear
Leaking power steering pipe
No handbrake on drivers side
Hole on inner silk
So it will need a few quid spent on it to test it. I really dislike winter MOT tests, as due to the cold, it was never above freezing today, my arthritic hands cant do any work outside. I'm not too happy just now. This flipping covid crap is getting to me too

[CitroJim]

Davie, sorry to hear all of this Just what you don't want... Hope the Hilux will not be too expensive to put right...

Did you check the ballast connector contacts were clean and dry? If there's any corrosion on the contacts then you may be at risk of another flashover - as I believe that may have killed the previous one...

[daviemck2006]

Davie, sorry to hear all of this Just what you don't want... Hope the Hilux will not be too expensive to put right...

Did you check the ballast connector contacts were clean and dry? If there's any corrosion on the contacts then you may be at risk of another flashover - as I believe that may have killed the previous one...

Yes. I sprayed contact cleaner into the plug on the light and then used a cotton bud to wipe it. It is probably just as it is a cheap copy. I am keeping a lookout for a used genuine one, but be ause they are near £400 for a new genuine one then breakers know the value of them and will probably be like £150 for a used one that might only last 5 minutes. I have to brace myself for a big bill for the hilux, but console myself that I got it for 4 grand and clean ones the same age and mileage are still in the region of 9 grand.

[CitroJim]

All the best with your search for a genuine ballast Davie, here's hoping you can find a scrappy who doesn't know the value of them

Sounds like the Hilux was well bought despite the MoT fail