Erratic Xenon Headlamp

zudecke

Hi Guys,

Been having an erratic problem occuring with 1 of my xenon headlamps since I got the car (Mini Cooper Auto 2002) about 6 months ago.

When I first get in the car and turn the ignition on, 7 times out of 10, the headlamp in question (passenger side) won't come on. Some times it comes on after several tries of turning the lamp on and off, or turning the ignition on or off and some times by just popping and closing the hood.

When the bulb does come on - it's perfect and as should be.

This indicates to me a wiring issue, but I can imagine BMW would charge the earth!

Does anyone have any experience with this sort of problem?

Appreciated as always.

Regards,

Zudecke

johnnyroper

zudecke wrote: »

Hi Guys,

Been having an erratic problem occuring with 1 of my xenon headlamps since I got the car (Mini Cooper Auto 2002) about 6 months ago.

When I first get in the car and turn the ignition on, 7 times out of 10, the headlamp in question (passenger side) won't come on. Some times it comes on after several tries of turning the lamp on and off, or turning the ignition on or off and some times by just popping and closing the hood.

When the bulb does come on - it's perfect and as should be.

This indicates to me a wiring issue, but I can imagine BMW would charge the earth!

Does anyone have any experience with this sort of problem?

Appreciated as always.

Regards,

Zudecke

a problem like that on xenon lamps would normally suggest a problem with the ballast and not the wiring

leosayer

zudecke wrote: »

This indicates to me a wiring issue, but I can imagine BMW would charge the earth!

Nice pun!

Try swapping the ballasts over - this will tell you whether it's the bulb or the ballast or something else.

Best to disconnect the battery first.

vaio

I had similar on my Audi, over time it got worse and worse and eventually stopped working altogether. Fault was traced to a bad contact in the bulb connector and the heat build up had melted/distorted both the bulb and connector (and the connector isn’t available separately, only complete with ballast.

Audi wanted £500+ for ballast & bulb but, using the Hella part number on the ballast, I managed to get a replacement off Ebay. Mine is actually a TVR part but fits perfectly, the only difference is the bulb connector wire goes in at a 45 degree angle rather than 90.

Have a look at the connector as it might be a quick clean and reseat now will save a lot of hassle (& £££) later