hidnmine

Hi,

I recently bought a 2009 Audi A6 with Xenon HID headlights.
The first time I went out on a dark country road, I thought they must be faulty. Dip is not too bad, but main beam hardly projects at all beyond the dip range, and lights up way high into the trees.

At first I thought they must be faulty - it looks a bit like when the headlight bulb hasn't located properly, but on inspection I can't find anything wrong, and both headlights are behaving the same..

Is this normal? Can I do anything to improve the lights?

Thanks,
Andy

uberwgn

I think our 2006 A6 does the same. You see an semi-circle of light projected ahead of you when the high beam is switched on. Sort of an odd effect.

I find the HID lights to be very "average" on all our Audis.

hidnmine

Yes - I put a pair of cheap (£15) Chinese Bi-Xenon HIDs on my old bike (Triumph Daytona), and they were superb - far better that the Audi.

mikerouze

When I bought my 2008 in April the headlights were very dim, literally terrible. Turns out the bulbs were original (6 years old). After replacing them with Osram CBI's they're MUCH better. Try replacing your bulbs with OEM, they could be 5-6 years old which could greatly affect output.

hidnmine

No - mine are not halogen bulbs, so the behaviour is quite different.
The HIDs use the same lamp (not a filament) for high and low beams.

mikerouze

My post was referencing HID's.. Osram CBI's are a type of HID bulb. HID's get dimmer gradually as they age.

hidnmine

Hi,
I value the forums and the help freely given by fellow travellers, but if I allow mistaken information to go unchallenged, it may mislead other, so here goes:

Osram CBIs (Cool Blue Intense) are filament lamps. They contain a small amount of xenon which allows them to run hotter (more efficient) and is partly responsible for the blueish tinge. They are a direct replacement for the standard filament lamps fitted to most cars.

HIDs (High Intensity Discharge Lamps) do not have a filament. The high voltage (up to 24000 volts) created in an electronics power supply (normally called a 'Ballast') causes an electric arc to form between the contacts. It is this arc that gives us the very bright light. Aftermarket HIDs are available (and very cheap) to replace filament lamps, but they come as a kit with the lamps, ballasts and wiring.

Cheers,