HID Headlight will not turn on

[Zachrywd]

Hey Everyone, I'm posting this out of desperation. Please give me some insight.

Situation:
*My girlfriends 05 New Beetle has HID headlights. The driver side headlight is out.

Attempted fixes:
*Found the fuse was blown, changed it. Light does not come on.
*Bought a new bulb, ($90, WTF?) Light still does not turn on.
*Hooked the Driver-side bulb housing up to the passenger side harness, Light illuminates, So everything inside the driver-side headlight housing is fine. Rules that out as an issue.
*checked the wiring harness for the driver side, all contacts are clean, no corrosion.
*checked every fuse in the fuse box, all fine and accounted for.
*Drank ample amounts of alcohol and cried to myself in the bathroom, light still does not come on.

What have I missed?
Unless there are another set of fuses, or a place to check where the headlight grounds too... I just don't know.

WHAT DO????

[VWBubba]

Never had this problem but I would test the socket if you have not already done so. If live try grounding with a piece of wire. If no live follow the loom, you should find it has another multiplug, test there. Still nothing .. Drink some more

[Zachrywd]

Originally Posted by VWBubba

Never had this problem but I would test the socket if you have not already done so. If live try grounding with a piece of wire. If no live follow the loom, you should find it has another multiplug, test there. Still nothing .. Drink some more

Ok that makes sense. Looks like I'll be crawling under this stupid thing, I tried to follow the loom but it disappears right out of the socket the headlight goes in.

I hate these stupid harnesses on this VW, they're so stubborn to get off. I much prefer working on my Trans Am. Sorry for that little rant.

Thanks for the tip, any other advice is much appreciated!

[Zachrywd]

So its kinda cold and wet outside, I haven't had a change to look much more into this problem. I did get to crawl under the front left fender and found the loom from the headlight plugs into a white box labeled "VW External Lighting," located just above the horn (in front of the tire).

I suspect after doing some research it may be this, part #20: See Diagram Here

Would anyone know what this part does, and if I got a voltage tester could I test it to see if it's working?

[Opelmania]

That would be the ballast that fires up the lamp. That is probably where your problem is. You should be able to test the leads that come out of that and go to your headlight to see if there is the correct voltage going to the lamp. I'm not sure what that is supposed to be, but it could be and probably is higher than 12V. It might have the voltage stamped on it. I'll check to see what my aftermarket kit's ballast says on it. Mine is accessable. Goes out for a smoke break at work...

[Zachrywd]

Originally Posted by Opelmania

That would be the ballast that fires up the lamp. That is probably where your problem is. You should be able to test the leads that come out of that and go to your headlight to see if there is the correct voltage going to the lamp. I'm not sure what that is supposed to be, but it could be and probably is higher than 12V. It might have the voltage stamped on it. I'll check to see what my aftermarket kit's ballast says on it. Mine is accessable. Goes out for a smoke break at work...

These HID systems are rather new to me, I just kinda figured the ballast I've heard mentioned was actually in the headlight housing. There does appear to be some other electronics crammed in there (these is all OEM parts). Thanks for whatever information you have!

[Zachrywd]

Hey, I think I found a picture that might help in another thread.

Some how to thread on HID's

The white box's in front of the headlights, those mount in front of the wheels right? Those would be the ballast I assume.

[IndyTom]

Originally Posted by Zachrywd

Hey, I think I found a picture that might help in another thread.

Some how to thread on HID's

The white box's in front of the headlights, those mount in front of the wheels right? Those would be the ballast I assume.

That would be correct. It's possible that one of the ballasts is deffective. Test it with a voltage meter and see if there is sufficient voltage going to the bulb. Those OEM units look pretty heavy duty compared to the small Aftermarket units.
Good luck finding the issue.

[Opelmania]

I checked my ballast on my car and it's supposed to put out 12.8 VDC. I have read on here that some of the cheaper kits say it is an AC signal. I would look to see what it says on the ballast, if you can still read it, and check the voltage. Make sure you're set on the right type of power for what the ballast puts out, AC vs. DC. My ex's STS had factory Xenon's and the ballast was shot on that too. I hope you don't have to pay the $330+ for the factory ballast. Good luck.

[Zachrywd]

Thanks a lot for that tidbit, this gives me a more assured direction to investigate. and A/C current? eh, I never imagined anything in a vehicle would run on A/C current. That info alone may save me some hassle.

I suppose I'll start at testing the leads before the ballast, that will at least tell me if any power is getting to the ballast itself, before I test the harness after it. I'll report back what I find, Thanks again!!

[Zachrywd]

So I managed to get to the Ballast and find which end of the harness feeds power into the Ballast, but I have a new problem. I don't know which power leads are for what accessory. This is a 10-12 pin harness and it isn't clear what color wire is for what. Is there someone I can appeal to that can clear this up?

I'm considering buying this: See Link Here and just doing an aftermarket retrofit.

Opinions?

[Opelmania]

Here is a link to another thread with some wiring diagrams on it for the headlights and foglights. Saw a 12 pin connector on it. Thought you might be able use it. 2007 NB headlight and fog light out

[Zachrywd]

Thank you for that, I was hoping to find something that more clearly defined the actually connections inside the 12pin harness. That diagram confuses me more than most I look at. But I believe I've decided that it doesn't really matter anymore if it's the ballast or not.

I'm just going to replace the driver side HID system with the link a shared in the previous post. I absolutely refuse to give VW $300-400 for a part that should cost $40-50.

I very much appreciate the dedication and knowledge the community has here, but I don't have the patients for a vehicle and manufacturer that allows this kind of practice. Burdening the consumer with unreliable and overpriced parts. This is the only and last VW my household will ever see. I find that indeed domestic cars are pieces of ****s themselves, but at least the parts are cheap and easy to find.

~Thanks and cheers everyone.

[Opelmania]

Originally Posted by Zachrywd

Thank you for that, I was hoping to find something that more clearly defined the actually connections inside the 12pin harness. That diagram confuses me more than most I look at. But I believe I've decided that it doesn't really matter anymore if it's the ballast or not.

I'm just going to replace the driver side HID system with the link a shared in the previous post. I absolutely refuse to give VW $300-400 for a part that should cost $40-50.

I very much appreciate the dedication and knowledge the community has here, but I don't have the patients for a vehicle and manufacturer that allows this kind of practice. Burdening the consumer with unreliable and overpriced parts. This is the only and last VW my household will ever see. I find that indeed domestic cars are pieces of ****s themselves, but at least the parts are cheap and easy to find.

~Thanks and cheers everyone.

My ex's STS was worse with the factory HID's! Dealer wanted $330 for a lamp. Best I found for a lamp was just under $100. I didn't even bother looking up the ballast cost on that POS! She traded it in last Saturday and only got $1000 for trade on a loaded 2001! Looks like I got the better car! Point is, dealer parts, especially dealer only parts like a ballast, are over-priced. I hope you are able to change to a different kit and bypass the stock HID system. Good luck!

[Zachrywd]

Thanks, I'll post with the results when I get it done. It'll work, you'll see!!

[Opelmania]

I'd make it work too!