D3 Xenon headlight performance

[mannyo]

So

I used the D3 at night for the first time in ages yesterday, and it was quiet apparent the light output of the headlights is poor. I'll take a stab and say the 14 year old Xenon bulbs are beyond their best and maybe shifting colour temperature.

I thing they will be D2S bulbs, perhaps someone can confirm. I am also guessing its a major ballache to change them?

I have no workshop faclilities and only a muddy driveway to work on, anyone fancy changing the bulbs if I get replacements.

The headlights are not clouded over, as I had them sorted last year to get through the MOT as they had fogged up badly.

[snapdragon]

Mine are too, new bulbs didn't help so much. I polished the coating off the outsides due to aging but the inside optics are milky. It's not really the time of year for sticking some microfibre in the back on some wire as I have sene on youtube. Were yours cloudy inside or outside?
If you do change the bulbs, just do one first and then see what the difference is, otherwise you will never be able to decide if it is placebo effect. To change them you really have to remove the front wheel arch liner and this is easier when it's warmed up a bit rather than stiff and cold.
Once the liner is moved you can steer the wheel out of the way and access is very easy if, not the airbox and power steering reservoir may need temporarily moving.. Doing from under the wheelarch is much easier even if it sounds difficult.

[Johnmed]

I bought some replacement LED headlights for mine, and realised as awkward as it was I didn’t need to remove the wheel arch, bumper or headlight. I did partially remove the power steering reservoir mount on the near side, and would have likely removed the air box on the far side.

It was a horrid job and ultimately pointless as the LEDs I’d bought didn’t fit my xenon (D2S) headlight enclosure. I’ll attach a few pics, don’t know if it will help.

It made me less likely to replace the bulbs TBH, just cos of how much of a pain access is.

[Architex_mA8tey]

Mine were just changed for me by one of my mechanics. its a bit of a faff to do it - things like the air box have to come out on the offside one.

I bought these from Jawad Malik at Xenon Bulbs Ltd in Leeds - he supplies a lot of the car guys with bulbs and has his own Xenon bulbs made which keeps the price down. Pleased to say so far they are very good -
http://www.xenonbulbs.co.uk/Xenon-HID-bulbs/OEM%20Size/D2S/OEM-D2S-PAIR

The only other thing you can do if that doesnt improve things is to either replace the Projectors themselves in the headlight units with new Morimoto ones (Trups does this at EM Tuning at a cost) or change the headlights for a new one

[tonupkid]

Worth bearing in mind that higher K bulbs will be all white and bright and all that, but just wait until your in rain or, heaven forbid, mist. You'll be driving blind.
IIRC the OEM is 4300k.

[H-M3]

What does the ballast do then? Does that have any link with brightness?

[HPsauce]

The ballast generates the high voltage that drives the bulb. Can be up to 20,000V to ignite and 85V to run.

[mannyo]

Worth bearing in mind that higher K bulbs will be all white and bright and all that, but just wait until your in rain or, heaven forbid, mist. You'll be driving blind.
IIRC the OEM is 4300k.

I think the shift in colour temperature is whats going on with my bulbs, I swear that with the slightly damp road with oncoming traffic it was literally like driving with the lights switched off.

[neeldub]

So

I used the D3 at night for the first time in ages yesterday, and it was quiet apparent the light output of the headlights is poor. I'll take a stab and say the 14 year old Xenon bulbs are beyond their best and maybe shifting colour temperature.

I thing they will be D2S bulbs, perhaps someone can confirm. I am also guessing its a major ballache to change them?

I have no workshop faclilities and only a muddy driveway to work on, anyone fancy changing the bulbs if I get replacements.

The headlights are not clouded over, as I had them sorted last year to get through the MOT as they had fogged up badly.

I would have gladly helped if you were in London or the surrounding areas mate

[H-M3]

I would have gladly helped if you were in London or the surrounding areas mate

Good forum spirit +++

[snapdragon]

One of mine is dimmer than the other, and I swapped the ballast and igniters and the problem stayed on the left. The bulbs had already been replaced twice.

17654

Will be trying this next or maybe remove them completely and remove the projector from behind.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sj-Y-OagKJE

[Turbo Tony]

I've been researching replacement bulbs for a while now. My headlights were behaving the same as yours - they turned very blue and had little effect in poor conditions or... you know, darkness.

As part of the work done to the car, I had the bulbs changed for Philips Extreme Vision gen 2 bulbs. Yes, they are D2S. They definitely made a difference and aren't a crazy blue hue like a lot of the 'upgrade' bulbs available.

Trups tells me there are more benefits to be hat by changing the reflectors to Morimoto units. Seeing as one of my lights lets in a little water, I may send them into to EM Lighting to get both done.

[tc4332]

Good move there Tony.
Trups upgraded my lights to HIDs a couple of years back. Did it outside his house one really cold February morning, it was bl,oodie freezing, but he got stuck in and did a good job.

[mannyo]

I would have gladly helped if you were in London or the surrounding areas mate

Thanks for the offer, although I live in Dorset I am frequently around the London area, maybe we can sort something in the new year. The light output is really bugging me and stopping me from driving the car in the dark.

[neeldub]

Thanks for the offer, although I live in Dorset I am frequently around the London area, maybe we can sort something in the new year. The light output is really bugging me and stopping me from driving the car in the dark.


Not a problem buddy.. just give me a heads up in advance.. I'm normally free on weekends now. We just need to pray for good weather unless we can find a sheltered parking spot somewhere.

[H-M3]

Not a problem buddy.. just give me a heads up in advance.. I'm normally free on weekends now. We just need to pray for good weather unless we can find a sheltered parking spot somewhere.

Might hook up one day Neel as need help changing my front grill n tv tuner+++

[neeldub]

Might hook up one day Neel as need help changing my front grill n tv tuner+++

Sure thing buddy.. just let me know when :)

[H-M3]

Sure thing buddy.. just let me know when :)

+++

[M-A8]

One of mine is dimmer than the other, and I swapped the ballast and igniters and the problem stayed on the left. The bulbs had already been replaced twice.

17654

Will be trying this next or maybe remove them completely and remove the projector from behind.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sj-Y-OagKJE

Snap, you pattern looks very weird :Confused:
Looks like your left headlight has a lazy eye.

This is bothering me as well, but I haven't tried on this car new and genuine xenon bulbs.
I do have a pair of brand new headlights which is very very tempting, but they are AFS I not AFS II and I wouldn't want to go down the route of downgrading especially that I like AFS II a lot.

[mattylondon]

Snap, you patter looks very weird :Confused:
Looks like your left headlight has a lazy eye.

Come to mention it, yes. It's almost as if the kick up in the left had side light is for LHD.

I would expect a kick up of ‾‾‾‾\____ ‾‾‾‾\____ for RHD

But yours looks like ____/‾‾‾‾ ‾‾‾‾\____

[M-A8]

That's exactly what it looks like, one light is LHD and the other RHD :Confused:

[snapdragon]

Good points guys. I will check again and make sure it's not in tourist mode.
Maybe full steering lock was on when I took the pick or something so will do again.

edit>Not in Tourist mode, but coming up the M1 on Wednesday, an '08 A8 was in the other lane, it too had terrible bi-xenon headlights just like mine.
It too was overshadowed by the cars behind and at the side - the difference was night and day.
The xenon and LED headlights on new cars are amazing but some of these other cars were BMWs, Mercedes, Toyota and Peugeot of similar vintage.
Hopefully I will get time to remove one and strip it down..

[snapdragon]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vp2Qb-I89Uo
WIll be getting these as well as overhaulling lamps - as demo'd on an A8 2008+++

[Johnmed]

Quite pricey those Philips D2Ss. Are they worth it?

[Turbo Tony]

I have those bulbs!

[GH77]

I bought these from Jawad Malik at Xenon Bulbs Ltd in Leeds - he supplies a lot of the car guys with bulbs and has his own Xenon bulbs made which keeps the price down. Pleased to say so far they are very good -
http://www.xenonbulbs.co.uk/Xenon-HID-bulbs/OEM%20Size/D2S/OEM-D2S-PAIR



What are these bulbs like a year down the line? Still good? At £30 delivered for the pair they seem too good to be true!




Gregor

[MattyV8]

What are these bulbs like a year down the line? Still good? At £30 delivered for the pair they seem too good to be true!




Gregor

My bi-xenon headlights are ridiculous in the dark and the main beam isn't much better. Hoping these £30 bulbs will help me see again!

[Architex_mA8tey]

What are these bulbs like a year down the line? Still good? At £30 delivered for the pair they seem too good to be true!
Gregor

No Issues and still good, I'm pleased to report! :D

[steamship]

No Issues and still good, I'm pleased to report! :D

Just to clarify, are these for the main headlights and NOT the high beam? I have no issues with the high beam, but the dipped beam is like driving with two candles. And even better, they fall into my price bracket.

[Architex_mA8tey]

Just to clarify, are these for the main headlights and NOT the high beam? I have no issues with the high beam, but the dipped beam is like driving with two candles. And even better, they fall into my price bracket.

Hmm should be the same bulb with BiXenons:

"Xenon and Bi-Xenon headlights do not have a fundamental difference, since they both use the same Xenon bulbs. They differ only in the number of bulbs that are in each set of headlights. Xenon headlights use two pairs of bulbs just like halogen headlights, while Bi-Xenon headlights use only a single pair of bulbs and a "mask" piece which activates to eeither shield the full beam area or to allow the whole area to be lit"

I'm wondering if your projectors in your headlights are fubarred - I know that Trups at EM Tuning offers a morimoto conversion to update existing headlight units for D3's and would love to do that with mine one day, not sure of the cost per pair of headlights or how long he needs them for though

[snapdragon]

Hello, I took my headlights out and found the reflector bowls are no longer reflective. They are a dull matt beige. Our bi-xenons are Hella Gen4 and are renowned for this problem. Utter cheap and nasty garbage unfortunately.

Mine looked exactly like the ones here... at ~3:57
https://youtu.be/4ImcKD5SByw?t=238

Not sure what it would take to get our German crap out and replace with decent chinese parttern parts :D
There is enough room for it to withdraw from behind but not sure if all the screws are at the front and hidden. I hadn't seen this video until I had put my own lights back.

[steamship]

I'm wondering if your projectors in your headlights are fubarred - I know that Trups at EM Tuning offers a morimoto conversion to update existing headlight units for D3's and would love to do that with mine one day, not sure of the cost per pair of headlights or how long he needs them for though

Well, just ventured outside to check my lights. The dipped beam (outer bulb) is bright white in colour, and the high beam (inner bulb) is a yellow colour, almost the colour that snapdragon said about his reflectors. Maybe the reason for thinking my high beam was fine is because it's four lights and not two. Shows how much I know about my own lights.

Might invest in a set of the one's linked to on xenonbulbs anyway. Would it be okay to just change one bulb so I can see the difference between old and new (won't be driving on the road, just a driveway check, covering each bulb in turn)?

[MikkiJayne]

Most Audi bi-xenons of the generations I see have a separate halogen bulb for main beam as well as the xenon bulb with the hood over it. That's why you have nice white dipped beam and yellow main beam as it turns the halogen on as well.

[Architex_mA8tey]

Most Audi bi-xenons of the generations I see have a separate halogen bulb for main beam as well as the xenon bulb with the hood over it. That's why you have nice white dipped beam and yellow main beam as it turns the halogen on as well.

My D2 A8 has Xenons rather than Xenon pluses and I would say that white dipped beam and a more yellowy main beam (which on mine is just halogen) describes what mine are like. . . I prefer the halogen main beam and the light it puts out to the full bi-xenons on the D3's as it feels like the main beam is better on the single xenons. . . perhaps the D3 headlights just get worse more quickly! :Confused:

[paulrstaylor]

My D2 A8 has Xenons rather than Xenon pluses and I would say that white dipped beam and a more yellowy main beam (which on mine is just halogen) describes what mine are like. . . I prefer the halogen main beam and the light it puts out to the full bi-xenons on the D3's as it feels like the main beam is better on the single xenons. . . perhaps the D3 headlights just get worse more quickly! :Confused:

Not just the D3, many Audi's of that era! My old S4 the lights were so dim I wondered if there were actually on, turned out the reflective dishes were not very reflective any more! I had replacement bi-xenon projectors fitted (from Lexus I believe) and it was like daylight after that!

[MikkiJayne]

My D2 A8 has Xenons rather than Xenon pluses and I would say that white dipped beam and a more yellowy main beam (which on mine is just halogen) describes what mine are like. . . I prefer the halogen main beam and the light it puts out to the full bi-xenons on the D3's as it feels like the main beam is better on the single xenons. . . perhaps the D3 headlights just get worse more quickly! :Confused:

Yeah those are single xenon, not 'bi-xenon' and so don't have the hood to switch between dip and main. You have a xenon in a projector housing for dip and a halogen in a flood housing for main.

Ironically my A6 bi-xenons are better than any D2 headlight :rolleyes:

[snapdragon]

20919

Another example of the issue.