Headlight issue

Technical Advice, Faults and How-To Information.
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Lunar
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Location: Frimley Surrey

Post by Lunar »

So the lights (set to auto) come on normally, but then the driver’s side does a little on/off dance and then goes off.

Bit early still for a Christmas tree impression :roll:

Going to check earth and connectors at the weekend but the manual only says to take to your dealer - not even a bulb reference.

Appreciate the high voltage concerns but is there not a safe way to sort this myself?

Can I swap bulbs / ballast side to side to isolate the problem?

Any experienced advice welcomed.

Thanks.
MY14 "S" badged V6 Convertible in Lunar Grey metallic
Performance seats, Meridian, heated flat bottom wheel with aluminium paddles, heated front screen, cruise, dual zone climate, switchable active exhaust

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scm
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Post by scm »

Does it happen if you turn them on manually?

BTW, it'd help if you put your MY in your sig to help people to give relevant advice. ;)
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Lunar
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Location: Frimley Surrey

Post by Lunar »

Cheers.

When I arrived home I turned them off then manually on again and they both came on - but didn’t really wait to see what happened next - I’ll check more in the morning.

MY14.
MY14 "S" badged V6 Convertible in Lunar Grey metallic
Performance seats, Meridian, heated flat bottom wheel with aluminium paddles, heated front screen, cruise, dual zone climate, switchable active exhaust
cj10jeeper
Posts: 1913
Joined: Sat Apr 15, 2017 8:37 pm

Post by cj10jeeper »

You don’t say what type of lights you have but assuming xenon they generally consist of 3 parts,
Bulb, ignitior and ballast
If they work once illuminated I’d point to ignitor, but you cannot rule out other parts

Reality is there is little you can do at home unless competent and prepared to do some component swapping side to side. I’ve done this and dagnosed many faults on xenon, but you need to understand when it’s safe to touch

You could change a bulb, but may be just wasting a lot of money (do a pair due to colour changes)

Personally I’d go to a dealer or auto electrician to get it tested
2014 MY 3.0 V6S Roadster
Subtle enhancements to create the car I wanted from SVR nose cone, 400 series side skirts & customised 'design' rear bumper, to heated SVR steering wheel and more
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Lunar
Posts: 1984
Joined: Wed Apr 26, 2017 9:02 pm
Location: Frimley Surrey

Post by Lunar »

Thanks for the advice - appreciated.

Came on ok this morning with ignition and fine for a good 10 seconds - started car and after another 5 seconds blinked once then went off 3 seconds later.

Replacement appears to be covered when I read the Jag MOT warranty (including the bulbs), but not so clear in the Approved Used warranty.

And yep, if a bulb, will replace both sides, but will need the root cause confirming first.

Of course there's the issue of trying to get an appointment quickly and if it is a bulb who pays for the side that's dimmed over time but not failed...

One of those annoying little problems that will likely eat up time out of proportion when a dealer is involved, but there we go.
MY14 "S" badged V6 Convertible in Lunar Grey metallic
Performance seats, Meridian, heated flat bottom wheel with aluminium paddles, heated front screen, cruise, dual zone climate, switchable active exhaust
cj10jeeper
Posts: 1913
Joined: Sat Apr 15, 2017 8:37 pm

Post by cj10jeeper »

Can't recall my used warranty at the moment but I'm pretty sure it covered breakdown and recovery. No headlight means it can't be driven after dark so someone should come out, recover and fix it
2014 MY 3.0 V6S Roadster
Subtle enhancements to create the car I wanted from SVR nose cone, 400 series side skirts & customised 'design' rear bumper, to heated SVR steering wheel and more
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Lunar
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Location: Frimley Surrey

Post by Lunar »

Fair point.

...it would probably be light by the time they arrived :lol:
MY14 "S" badged V6 Convertible in Lunar Grey metallic
Performance seats, Meridian, heated flat bottom wheel with aluminium paddles, heated front screen, cruise, dual zone climate, switchable active exhaust
Deleted User 1088

Post by Deleted User 1088 »

Hello Lunar

If I was a betting man I would say it's the ballast/ignitor module .. normally HID's have a low output weird glow when they go down
The fact it lights (which means the arc has been struck) then goes off would say the module
Failing this a wiring fault
let us know how you get on
regards
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Lunar
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Location: Frimley Surrey

Post by Lunar »

Thanks for shedding some light on it guys :D

Local Jag dealer, when I actually got through to speak to someone - is overbooked and can't give me a date this month - handy!

Suggested I call Jag Assist, so will get home and then do so.

Might be an interesting conversation when they say it's non-urgent and someone will be with me at some point over the weekend, but let's reserve judgement and hope for an excellent service.

I could always just back it out the driveway in the dark and call them again :lol:
MY14 "S" badged V6 Convertible in Lunar Grey metallic
Performance seats, Meridian, heated flat bottom wheel with aluminium paddles, heated front screen, cruise, dual zone climate, switchable active exhaust
richymann
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Joined: Fri Mar 15, 2019 4:41 pm

Post by richymann »

Hi, I am posting as I have a similar issue. One of my bulbs went down so I bought 2 new DS1 replacements and swapped both (to get the same light consistency). When i turned the lights on they were fine for about 20 seconds, then both went off, and on, and off... They were cheaper bulbs so I thought (as both of them flashed on and off) I would bite the bullet and replace the broken one with an OSRAM bulb. I put the working (Phillps) bulb back in, which works fine, however the OSRAM one does the same on and off dance as the cheaper ones. I am guessing the Phillips ones work at a different voltage or something,,,, I am hoping that you maybe able to help me ?
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