HID Headlights
#1
HID Headlights
Passenger side low beam HID/Xenon light went out. Swapped bulbs from side to side and neither works, swapped back and driver side works as before. I think something went wrong on the passenger side and took the bulb out when it went. I have spent the last hour reading about ballasts and igniters and am trying to line that up with Audi parts diagrams that don't mention ballasts or igniters or ignitors. Audi has "control module" (item 17 in diagram below) and "regulator" (item 16). "Control module" obviously not to be confused with "lamp control module" which is something else entirely...maybe where the headlight switch is? I'm assuming control module = ballast based on size, location, and description.
Why are there separate Audi part numbers for left and right ballasts? All the advice I see on the forum here is to swap ballasts to check if they are OK, how can I swap them if they are different?
Any way to test for a bad ballast or igniter without just replacing parts? Aftermarket ballasts are $270 and igniters are $100 and there are at least a couple threads in the forums that point the finger at wiring, not components, so I'm not keen to start buying parts.
The control module has a big fat 12V wire and a couple big fat ground wires coming into it. Has anyone ever bypassed all the HID electronics and just connected 12V to a halogen bulb, the same low beam bulbs in the non-HID TTs? It seems like I can easily do away with all the ballasts and igniters with a $10 bulb and a $1 H1 bulb harness. The light can't possibly be any worse, these low beams are terrible.
Why are there separate Audi part numbers for left and right ballasts? All the advice I see on the forum here is to swap ballasts to check if they are OK, how can I swap them if they are different?
Any way to test for a bad ballast or igniter without just replacing parts? Aftermarket ballasts are $270 and igniters are $100 and there are at least a couple threads in the forums that point the finger at wiring, not components, so I'm not keen to start buying parts.
The control module has a big fat 12V wire and a couple big fat ground wires coming into it. Has anyone ever bypassed all the HID electronics and just connected 12V to a halogen bulb, the same low beam bulbs in the non-HID TTs? It seems like I can easily do away with all the ballasts and igniters with a $10 bulb and a $1 H1 bulb harness. The light can't possibly be any worse, these low beams are terrible.
#2
I have a 2002 TT. My stock headlights (halogen I assume) are also terrible. Did you upgrade yours with HID xenon bulbs? Did it require additional parts (ballast, igniter, etc.)? Please write directly to me if you can: sgp@levitan.com. Thanks!
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