Geekzone: technology news, blogs, forums
Guest
Welcome Guest.
You haven't logged in yet. If you don't have an account you can register now.


wasabi2k

2096 posts

Uber Geek


#174941 11-Jun-2015 15:22
Send private message

Kia Ora all,
Hoping someone can give me some ideas as to the possible cause of an issue I'm having.

My car has HID lights, which are great, however my driver side light has started flickering.

1. Doesn't happen from cold
2. Always ignites fine
3. Usually starts about half way home (roughly 20 mins in)
4. Turning lights off and on doesn't fix it
5. Sometimes stops on it's own
6. Happens at idle/motorway crawl and while driving (though probably more at idle)

Now I have done some research, most people suggested replacing bulb. I swapped the drivers and passenger bulbs over the weekend and the issue remains on the drivers side - so I don't think it is the bulb.

When swapping them I noticed that the driver side bulb had a bit of darkening on the read contact, while the passenger didn't, which sounds to me like possibly a bad contact? I have tried bouncing the front of the car to see if it is a really obviously loose connection but no luck - stays fine.

Does anyone have any bright ideas? Who would I take it to to be looked at?

Create new topic

gzt

gzt
17104 posts

Uber Geek

Lifetime subscriber

  #1322846 11-Jun-2015 15:30
Send private message

Could try some contact cleaner anyway. But bear in mind the heat indications you saw could be caused by high(er) resistance in that area but not necessarily the point of contact itself.



lxsw20
3552 posts

Uber Geek

Subscriber

  #1322857 11-Jun-2015 15:42
Send private message

Things that can go wrong are inverter/ballast, bulb, and wiring. I'd try some contact cleaner like the above has said, and see if you can swap the ballast from one bulb to the other. If you can stop on the side of the road when one starts flashing and just feel that the ballast on that side isn't getting stupid hot or something, comparable with the other side. 

Aredwood
3885 posts

Uber Geek


  #1322858 11-Jun-2015 15:43

Are these factory fitted or aftermarket HID bulbs / drivers? It seems that there is voltage drop on the input to the driver.







wasabi2k

2096 posts

Uber Geek


  #1322859 11-Jun-2015 15:44
Send private message

Aredwood: Are these factory fitted or aftermarket HID bulbs / drivers? It seems that there is voltage drop on the input to the driver.


Factory lights, cheaper bulbs.

Anything obvious to look for?

lxsw20
3552 posts

Uber Geek

Subscriber

  #1322863 11-Jun-2015 15:47
Send private message

http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/car-parts-accessories/toyota/exterior/auction-898834679.htm - ask this dude if it comes with the ballast. Be a cheapish fix if it is. If you can't resolve it, it would be  a trip to an auto sparky. 

Create new topic





News and reviews »

Air New Zealand Starts AI adoption with OpenAI
Posted 24-Jul-2025 16:00


eero Pro 7 Review
Posted 23-Jul-2025 12:07


BeeStation Plus Review
Posted 21-Jul-2025 14:21


eero Unveils New Wi-Fi 7 Products in New Zealand
Posted 21-Jul-2025 00:01


WiZ Introduces HDMI Sync Box and other Light Devices
Posted 20-Jul-2025 17:32


RedShield Enhances DDoS and Bot Attack Protection
Posted 20-Jul-2025 17:26


Seagate Ships 30TB Drives
Posted 17-Jul-2025 11:24


Oclean AirPump A10 Water Flosser Review
Posted 13-Jul-2025 11:05


Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7: Raising the Bar for Smartphones
Posted 10-Jul-2025 02:01


Samsung Galaxy Z Flip7 Brings New Edge-To-Edge FlexWindow
Posted 10-Jul-2025 02:01


Epson Launches New AM-C550Z WorkForce Enterprise printer
Posted 9-Jul-2025 18:22


Samsung Releases Smart Monitor M9
Posted 9-Jul-2025 17:46


Nearly Half of Older Kiwis Still Write their Passwords on Paper
Posted 9-Jul-2025 08:42


D-Link 4G+ Cat6 Wi-Fi 6 DWR-933M Mobile Hotspot Review
Posted 1-Jul-2025 11:34


Oppo A5 Series Launches With New Levels of Durability
Posted 30-Jun-2025 10:15









Geekzone Live »

Try automatic live updates from Geekzone directly in your browser, without refreshing the page, with Geekzone Live now.



Are you subscribed to our RSS feed? You can download the latest headlines and summaries from our stories directly to your computer or smartphone by using a feed reader.