Scooby Snacks 23

Probably a stupid question but I know nothing about them.

My wife's just told me that one of them is not working on her MY02 S3. Are they just like normal bulbs or what?

I was once told that they are sealed units but never blow!

Any advice?

Snazy

Nope, they are rather expensive bulbs mate. Either take it out and see if you can get them on Ebay, or get off to the dealer. Prepare for the worst though.

The are longlife, but DO blow.
20,000 hours or something is what they are rated for, where a halogen is 2,000 hours. Something like that anyway.

billythekid

Defo try and get them off e-bay.

Chris L

Also have a look on Powerbulbs or Autobulbs Direct - you may get some better deals there than a main dealer!

matchmaker

Get it checked out by an auto-electrician - more than the bulb can go. And in view of the 20000+ volts used by xenons, I'd keep my hands away from that area!

Scooby Snacks 23

Thanks for the responses fellas.

Spoken to Audi directly and they've quoted £116 for the bulb and recommend that it's fitted by them also as they are, and I quote, "dangerous as prone to explosion"

Holy **** - happy to change a bulb for my wife, but I don't want to die or get blinded in the process

speedking

I would check the cost of fitting, isn't it the Golf where you have to dismantle the front of the car to change a bulb ? = big £££'s

Puff The Magic Wagon!

iTrader: (2)

One of mine goes out if I go round a sharp left hander or over a bump but then comes back again then off then on then stays off. If I quickly turn the lights out then on again, its back to normal. Until the next time

Is that bulb related or self-levelling mechansim or other?

Sometimes doesn't happen for days but then others 6 or 7 times in a journey. Rain or shine.

MattW

Sounds like the ballast Puff. Had the same on my old BM 330, replaced under warranty. Used to drive along winking

i not a

Dave T-S

They aren't a bulb at all - they don't contain a filament, just a +ve and -ve electrode and Xenon gas. Strictly speaking they are a metal halide arc capsule and work on the same basis as an arc welder. They need a high trigger voltage to strike the arc (23kva or thereabouts) then settle down to around 8kva working voltage.

There are basically two components that can go wrong - the capsule, or the ballast (an electronically controlled transformer that supplies the current).

If you can change a bulb then you can change a capsule. To test if it is the capsule that has failed swop it with the one from the other side. Be careful, they are fragile, and as with a halogen bulb do not touch the capsule with your fingers. The exploding comment is pure crap put up by a main dealer that wants to charge you £100 per hour to change it.

Probably the cheapest place around to buy spares (capsules/ballasts) is HIDS4U Ltd, UK for all HID and Xenon lighting kits and conversions

James
May be a connection problem, or the capsule is coming to the end of its life. Again, swop capsules side to side to test

Kieran_Burns

iTrader: (1)

The old exploding thing is down to getting grease from your fingers on the glass. The high heat of the halogen / Xenon bulb cooks the grease and Boom (apparently)

Petem95

Only £116 from Audi?

The charge for changing a regular bulb didnt used to be much less than that, so I'll be surprised if a replacement Xenon inc labour was that 'cheap'!

Maybe its £116 + labour + VAT...

Edit: Sorry mis-read, that is just for the bulb then! So you'll be looking at £200+ fitted.