PFL 2007 Xenon fault

GordieC

Active Member
Sep 24, 2012
124
4
Glasgow/Islay
Good evening ladies and gents,

I had the driver side xenon headlamp fail the other day on my 2007 Cupra. I replaced the D1S bulb today and it was working for all of a couple of minutes before going out again. After a few minutes, i tried again and got the same result. I should also point out that the original lamp died while driving, not upon startup or while switching on.

I noticed some moisture inside the headlamp so I removed the new bulb and dried the unit out by means of a hairdryer on a low setting. After refitting the new element and resetting any errors through Carista, I am not even getting the light to come on at all. Fuses are all good and the lamp positioning motors are operating as required.

I was wondering if the ballast module for the lamp may be needing replaced. I think I will swap it out with the passenger unit tomorrow to confirm or eliminate it as the culprit.

Does anyone have any more insight or experience with this fault? Am I missing something obvious? Many thanks in advance.
 

chrisjgill

Active Member
Dec 13, 2007
411
19
Skipton
I have a FL 2010 FR which has a similar fault - near side Xenon bulb will cut out whilst driving, usually within 30 mins of being switched on

It starts to flicker within about 5 mins of being on which must annoying some drivers as it looks like I'm flashing them with one light

The fault clears when switching off the engine and starting again but the pattern will repeat

Sent from my ONEPLUS A6003 using Tapatalk
 
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GordieC

Active Member
Sep 24, 2012
124
4
Glasgow/Islay
I have a FL 2010 FR which has a similar fault - near side Xenon bulb will cut out whilst driving, usually within 30 mins of being switched on

It starts to flicker within about 5 mins of being on which must annoying some drivers as it looks like I'm flashing them with one light

The fault clears when switching off the engine and starting again but the pattern will repeat

Sent from my ONEPLUS A6003 using Tapatalk

Just to update,

I removed and swapped over the ballast units and the faults magically appeared on the opposite side with the drivers side now working fine. I've now ordered a new ballast/control unit (number 89034934) and it should be with me in 3 days. I got it for a shade under £35 from Amazon.

Once it arrives, I'll update the post again just in case this wasn't the problem. I'll also try the old bulb back in the car, just to see if it is still functional with a new ballast unit.
 
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GordieC

Active Member
Sep 24, 2012
124
4
Glasgow/Islay
Another update.

I received the new ballast/control unit and it has solved the issue. The old lamp is still working too so I suppose the issue was solely with the ballast unit having water in it.

While waiting for the new unit to arrive, I chucked the waterlogged one on the radiator overnight and tried it again the next day. Surprisingly it was working perfectly and I was able to use it as normal until the new unit arrived. I'll hang on to the old unit as an emergency spare.

To sum up, if you are having issues with one of your headlights, swap over the ballast units to see if the problem follows to the other light before you fork out for a new bulb.
 

chrisjgill

Active Member
Dec 13, 2007
411
19
Skipton
Another update.

I received the new ballast/control unit and it has solved the issue. The old lamp is still working too so I suppose the issue was solely with the ballast unit having water in it.

While waiting for the new unit to arrive, I chucked the waterlogged one on the radiator overnight and tried it again the next day. Surprisingly it was working perfectly and I was able to use it as normal until the new unit arrived. I'll hang on to the old unit as an emergency spare.

To sum up, if you are having issues with one of your headlights, swap over the ballast units to see if the problem follows to the other light before you fork out for a new bulb.
Cheers for the update. My bulb has changed colour (compared to the offside working bulb) and now cuts out within a few mins of coming on so I may take it to a garage to check

The colour is not as white as it should be

Glad to hear you are sorted

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GordieC

Active Member
Sep 24, 2012
124
4
Glasgow/Islay
There will be a difference in colour if you change a single bulb. They change gradually over time and the blue tends to develop with age/use.

Swap over the ballast units and see if the problem swaps sides. It's a bit of a tight job, especially if you've got clumsy sausage-fingered hands like me but it shouldn't take more than 10-15 minutes maximum. The only thing I haven't done is replace the outermost retaining screws on the ballast units as I ran out of time, daylight and patience. They will be fine with just the inner screws securing them until I get more time to fit the outers.

For reference, the ballast units are located at the rear lower part of the headlight housing and easily accessible from the engine bay.

They look like this (approx 10-12cm wide I think):
e4.jpg

e2.jpg
 
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fozzybear

middle aged speed freak
Feb 4, 2006
317
19
halifax,west yorks
Cheers for the update. My bulb has changed colour (compared to the offside working bulb) and now cuts out within a few mins of coming on so I may take it to a garage to check

The colour is not as white as it should be

Glad to hear you are sorted

Sent from my ONEPLUS A6003 using Tapatalk
Yours is definately bulb...as thats how they go...lol have same issue
 
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