2005 tdi with HID problem

[wbagley]

I bought a 2005 tdi, automatic, off eBay a year ago. I have had headlamp problems: the driver-side lamp will flicker and go out after 5-10 minutes. Resetting with emergency brake works for a whle, then repeats. Any ideas? Shop sez maybe replace assemblies (=$1200!!!)

[crazy_marty]

If they were not stock. You need a relay or the ballast will not get enough power. There are many posts here on how to do it. I found info here to do my upgrade. They will not flicker anymore after. Hope this helps.

[Lew]

Coolant Temp Sensor

[Fl_bug]

Originally Posted by wbagley

I bought a 2005 tdi, automatic, off eBay a year ago. I have had headlamp problems: the driver-side lamp will flicker and go out after 5-10 minutes. Resetting with emergency brake works for a whle, then repeats. Any ideas? Shop sez maybe replace assemblies (=$1200!!!)

I highly recommend that you post pictures of your car here so we can make sure you have OEM hid headlights. I'm not saying you dont, but they are so rare that its good to make sure that is what you have. Easy way to check otherwise is if you have pop-up nozzles for spraying the headlights. *Turn on Headlights, then pull stalk to spray the windshield* Here is a video to the spray nozzles so you can see how they look.

If nothing sprays your headlights, then i'm sure its just another Ebay Kit. You should be able to just change the ballasts and the bulbs *basically a whole new kit* and you shold be fine.

One thing i HIGHLY recommend with HID-Xenon bulbs is that you disable your daytime running lights. Takes all of 2 minutes to do. Here is a video explaining how to do it. Its the TFL or B pin. However, i recommend just bending both.

If the ebrake is down before you start the car, then your bulbs ignite and begin to get bright, turn off as you're starting the car, and then have to restart the process when you do that. That puts a lot of wear and tear on them. Taking off the DRLs gets rid of this problem for future cases.

[Deserion]

Does the headlight switch have a DRL indicator light in it?

[Lew]

Coolant Temp Sensor

Sorry wrong thread, just a slip of the mouse.