OMGDCA4

I installed a 55w HID kit from Retro-Solutions and have been experiencing electrical problems ever since. One out of five times I turn on the headlights, I get one of the following:

• Warning message on dash of 'dipped headlight'
• Warning message on dash that bulb is out, and one of the headlights will be off
• Literally every dash warning light comes on and the display chimes at me
• Every dash warning light comes on and the speedometer crashes out

Each of these issues is corrected immediately if I pull over, turn off the lights and car, then start it back up. Then everything from the dash display to the headlights works just fine again. I figure the lights may be sending a surge or confusing the computer when I flick them on. Restarting the car seems to reset the computer.

I've attached a picture of my dash on the way home from work today. At about 50mph I turned on the lights and the warning chimes went off, warning lights flashed (traction control, ABS, parking brake), and the speedo went dead. When I got off the highway I was able to turn the car off and restart at a stoplight which returned everything to normal.

This is really odd and I'm pretty sure its the lights or the way they're connected to the car. I didn't install myself, so I couldn't tell you how they're wired in. Has anyone else run into this issue installing a HID kit? Any ideas how to remedy?

rollerton

I'm fairly new to the B6 but I've been doing some reading and research about the lighting. Did your car originally have xenon and you changed it? Or was it just halogen and you put in HID bulbs? I hope (and assume) that you at least have projector assemblies- but anyway if I was you I would, after verifying the install was correct of course, (but I have a feeling something is off):

1. scan the car with VCDS if possible or at the dealer. Any scanner would be better than none, but the all purpose ones sometimes aren't much help.
2. Assuming the install was done correctly and it's simply the ECU confused by the HID's I'd change the central elec. coding to ROW (rest of world) and see if that helps.
3.Finally If necessary Take the headlight switch out, cut the yellow/blk wire (position 2) and inch back and solder the end of that wire (from the headlight switch end) to the black (constant (+) position 1) right next to it.

-- I'm going off memory so sorry I cant be more specific right off-- #2 and 3 are basically the enable fogs without headlights steps, and while I didn't have your problem I know a couple people have had headlight trouble and it's made the system functional (while still leaving an implausible signal DTC stored) when everything else was eliminated. This could help the headlight dipped problem, but I don't know how your instrument cluster failure is related/ tied in...but worth a shot.

OMGDCA4

The car had halogens and I upgraded to HID bulbs/ballasts.
It has projector lenses (didn't all B6s?).
The HID kit was installed by a local Audi/VW tuning shop, while they've done a lot of these installs I'm not sure how many times they've done the Retro-Solutions kit.

1, I'd have to take it to someone to do that for me.
2 & 3, I don't understand how you came up with fog lights as the problem. Is this something you've seen when people have installed HID kits?

I was hoping a bit more for a "I had the exact same issue after my HID install, here's what worked to fix it"...

lyleswk

I have stock xenons (lucky me), but I have read the following on some other forums: assuming you have checked the connectors, it may be caused by where the ballast was installed. If it is installed too close to the ABS module, it causes electromagnetic interference to the ABS module. Same sort of issues can happen when you talk on your cell phone on an airliner; yes there is a real reason they do that...they aren't just being controlling.

Solution a couple have done is to install the ballast under the headlight. By the way, the ABS module is located between the coolant reservoir and windshield washer tank.

rollerton

I've seen a handful of B6's and B7's actually that didn't even have projectors headlights, let alone Xenon. Actually a friend of mine has a dealer loaner this week 08'/A3 that has halogen reflector lighting..i know, weird.
And as for fog's, I don't think they're the problem, but that yellow/blk wire carries info back to the ECU which is why I suggested it- if the wire isn't cut when you do the Fogs w/o headlights mod then you get the dipped headlight error or flickering/strange headlight behaviour.
I've also heard of the ballast/EM problem, it's sometimes associated with radio interference too.

DrivTech

Some Audi's need error code cancellers when HID kits are installed because the computer thinks you have a bulb out. You've probably already done this, but order a set of error code cancellers for your HID kit and see if it goes away. I had a customer with a B6 a while back who had the same problem as you. He bought a set of cancellers from me, installed it, and it went away. Most European cars >2004 with a CANbus system need this canceller for HID kits to work. This is a very similar problem with LED bulbs as well. Hope that helps. If you need a set of cancellers, I sell them. PM me for details.

teamdaraptor

THIS! Exactly what you need. Cancelers. I ordered mine yesterday from DDM tuning as well as the cancelers because I was tired of going to Audizine and seeing on a daily basis "HELP! INSTALLED HIDs AND I HAVE AN ERROR CODE!" Needless to say, spend the extra 15$ for the cancelers and install them. But this is for sure what you need. Good luck.

lyleswk

Just curious. Does a "canceller" simply close the circuit to the ECU?

VipDesigns

Anyone know the answer to this?

Tippster

The canceler is just a 5 ohm 50ish watt resistor enclosed in a plastic case. The resistor "fools" the CAN system into thinking there's still an incandescent bulb there by providing the correct resistance of an incandescent bulb.
Course, putting a small 194 bulb has the same effect as a cancelor, and costs a lot less ;oD