Lbcavant

Hi all, I know this topic has been discussed here, but I didnt really get a solid answer from the discussion I had read. So I have a 2005 A8 with 171k miles. Just bough / installed brand new Osram 4300k Xenons and only got a little improvement (if that). Question I have is, do the ballast need to be replaced ever?? Im sure the ones on the car are original. Also, I have heard that sometimes the reflector material inside the actual headlight wears out affecting the performance of the lights. Lenses are super clear. Car is almost always garaged. thank you.

2001 S8

I would check the headlight alignment first before diving into a ballast failure. If a headlight is slightly out of alignment, it will impact the perceived quality of light output. There is also a "burn-in time" that the bulbs will need. I noticed when I installed mine (Philips) the coloring between the two bulbs was slightly off. After about 2 weeks of use the bulbs are the same color.

I believe if the ballast is failing/fails, the light will be either on or off.

Good luck.

richard-tx

There is no magic "plug this in and get 50%-100% more light than stock" unless the original bulb is bad.

Having said that, if the reflector is hazy or dusty looking, that will adversely affect the amount of light and how it is focused.

I went with NightBreakers. If I were you I would get NightBreaker bulbs. They do outperform the CBI bulbs.

MP4.2+6.0

+1 on Nightbreaker Unlimiteds. +1 on need to check aim. Adjustment screws are easily accessed under hood if you know how to do it.

richard-tx

If the headlight aim was recently adjusted with the old bulbs, then the alignment has to be redone with the new bulbs.

Too high is almost as bad a too low. Either will result in poor visibility.

Lbcavant

Just checking in now. Thanks for the responses. I will definitely check the alignment. I will also have to check out these "NighBreakers". Never heard of them. I did notice that the driver side light is more white /yellowish, as the drivers side has ore blue to it. Hopefully a couple weeks of break in time will help. I was under the impression that these cars had self leveling headlight? why would they need alignment.

MP4.2+6.0

Self leveling means they adjust automatically for the car being lower or higher in back. Required for HID's. Sort of academic for D3 since air suspension already overlaps to provide same effective end result. But in theory, if they were pointed too low with no weight in the trunk, and assuming no air suspension then they would just level to deal with some heavy weight thrown in the trunk, or more passengers or whatever. Thus, still pointed too low. Actually in that example if they were not self leveling, car didn't have air ride and they were aimed too low with no extra weight on board, they might perform better when the extra weigh or passengers are piled in.

Net, you still have adjust (aim) headlights, self leveling or not. But once you dial it in, it isn't affected by changes with adding and subtracting passengers or cargo. Actually helpful since you can optimize aim and not worry about lights popping up too high like in the old days with extra weight on board.

Lbcavant

Had headlights adjusted tonight by an Audi tech buddy of mine. Made a huge difference. He did tell me that my headlight reflectors are also affecting the output. But for a 175k mile car that still runs solid, i'm happy with the results. Only cost me a cheeseburger special. I'm new to this site and really appreciate all the replies. thanks again.

richard-tx

The headlamp bulbs do not age well. Think clumpy aged milk. (:>) Replace them both.

It might be a good idea to turn off the DRL (daytime running lights) in the MMI menu. They do not enhance safety and a bad bulb will drive you nuts with dash warnings. They are a pain to replace. The wiring in the headlamps is prone to insulation breakdown.