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HID Headlight Problems

Boosty

Ready to race!
Location
United States
Is there any way to get to the ballast without removing the headlight itself.. My passenger side has been flickering , its got a new igniter and and a new bulb so I'm assuming it might be the ballast
 

bushtucker

New member
Location
SGP
You would have to expose the wheel well to get to the ballast but it will be tough to squeeze your hand and screwdriver/ratchet to remove the ballast screws.

If you are focusing on one side, then just partially loosen the bumper side that you are working on. Don't have to completely remove the bumper and loosen all bumper screws.
 

Hydro6253

New member
Location
United States
I have an issue i just got the car and missing the plastic ring that the bulb sits in....also my passenger side wont stay on bright it comes on for a second then goes back to dim any ideas?
 

imagineivan

New member
Location
Tucson, AZ
HID Bulb

My 2009 GTI's passenger headlight bulb stopped working after a rainy day (monsoon season) and I noticed that the my headlight is missing the bulb cap, could something gotten wet? I didn't see any water inside the headlight
I bought a new bulb just to see if it would work and it didn't, I even tried witching igniters and still nothing.
Iv been told to buy a new igniter and others have told me to buy a new ballast but they cost a arm and a leg at the dealership IMO. Is there any other diagnostics I can do my self?
 

domainearth

New member
Location
Tampa, Fl
My passenger-side high-beam stays on while engine is on or off, after they key is removed from the ignition, even when the parking brake is on. I have swapped ignitors and ballasts. I opened the headlight body and used heat wrap to re-insulate the wires, which were all horribly cracked and exposed (will share the video of this). After all of this, still experiencing the same issue. So, I purchased a whole new headlight housing, the originals were horribly dulled and ugly, plus I thought I might have messed up the wires, as I didn't resolve the issue. Even with the new headlight fixture installed and checked with swapped ignitors and ballasts– All this work and not a thing changed. Thoughts?
 

GTIRyan

New member
Location
Clarksville,TN
My passenger-side high-beam stays on while engine is on or off, after they key is removed from the ignition, even when the parking brake is on. I have swapped ignitors and ballasts. I opened the headlight body and used heat wrap to re-insulate the wires, which were all horribly cracked and exposed (will share the video of this). After all of this, still experiencing the same issue. So, I purchased a whole new headlight housing, the originals were horribly dulled and ugly, plus I thought I might have messed up the wires, as I didn't resolve the issue. Even with the new headlight fixture installed and checked with swapped ignitors and ballasts– All this work and not a thing changed. Thoughts?

I have the same exact problem, i have an 06 GTI. Been trying to figure out this issue for over a year now. I have to go plug in my headlight every time i have to drive at night. I was thinking about takjng it in and having them run tests on the electronics. So far all i have found is that the #6 pin has a constant to it that shouldnt be there with the car off, and some searching has led me to the j519 relay or something. We need to figure out was this issue is, it is quite annoying.
 

domainearth

New member
Location
Tampa, Fl
I have the same exact problem, i have an 06 GTI. Been trying to figure out this issue for over a year now. I have to go plug in my headlight every time i have to drive at night. I was thinking about takjng it in and having them run tests on the electronics. So far all i have found is that the #6 pin has a constant to it that shouldnt be there with the car off, and some searching has led me to the j519 relay or something. We need to figure out was this issue is, it is quite annoying.

I hate to say it, but it's sometime nice to know that I am not the only one with the issue. Thanks for the insight. I do the same... Open the hood, plug the fixture in, and drive. Park, open the hood, unplug light, and so on and so forth.

I'm going to look into this J519. Is the issue with your driver's side or passenger's side? Thanks, hope we can help each other out.
 

Gorg

New member
Location
Earth
Well... Fixed.

I got everything pulled apart (which took damn forever), and noticed that the underside of the ballast was damp...



All of this water was INSIDE the ballast!



I took it apart and used a blow dryer on it for a while to make sure everything was nice and dry.



Almost back together...




YES!! I got SO lucky that the ballast still worked after drying out. Saved me a ton of money!

I'm guessing the water got in there from when we had some flooding and I had to drive through a few flooded streets. Didn't think it was deep enough to get water splashing up in there, but apparently it did somehow... I've checked all the seals now and everything looks like it should be OK.

you are lucky but why did not you add any kind of seal to act as a gasket? I would..
 

sramos89

New member
Location
Central Jersey
09 GTI Similiar issue

So, similar issue...my right side bulb has been replaced twice within 3 months. I noticed that every time I replaced it was because it would go out while im driving. I turn the car off, turn it back on, and it works. I also noticed that it usually happens on rainy days....possibly water in ballast as mentioned previously? or something else??
 
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