I recently purchased my 04 VDP. I have not yet attempted a diagnosis but I did look through other posts first.


My low beam head lamps flicker/flash when driving. It's not constant but it is annoying and I'm guessing eventually they will quit working. It's the low beams only and hitting bumps does assist in getting them to flicker.


Any opinions or previous experience?


Thanks!

 

Katitud,

I'm getting the same thing. Passenger side only. So far I haven't had time to look into it and it's not at the point that it is driving me crazy yet. A couple of things that I have read so far though.

If it is only one side, swap the bulbs around and see if the problem changes with the bulb. If so, suspect a failing bulb.

If the problem stays on the same side after swapping bulbs around, then two possible things are: (1) a bad or failing ballast, or (2) a bad ground to that headlight.

I guess I should have mentioned that this is for HID headlights. I think the 2004 VDP came with those. My 2004 XJR has them.

Let me know what you find out, as I'll need to do mine soon.

 

The lighting switch on the steering binnacle is a well known issue and your symptom could well be caused by this switch being defective.

The switch is used on the S-type and the XF, and has a lot of electronics in a very small space. I had flickering headlamps for a couple of years until one night they went off for about 2 seconds on a dark moonless night on a twist road. So it was time for a fix, and a new switch cured the problem. These cost about £125, at least mine did. On mine also the switch caused problems during the day as I had noticed the satnav screen switching to Night mode momentarily. I suspect the headlights were also flickering off and on, but in the day you can't see it. Dangerous in England where we take a light flash as permission to proceed from another motorist !!

 

I noticed this, but only occasionally have a HUD fitted and that also changes, so I have put it down to the DAY/ NIGHT sensor.


hope this can shine a light
ha ha no pun intended

 

All my worrying symptoms disappeared when the new switch was fitted.

 

Mine also flicker sometimes, so thanks for the tip about the switch possibility

 

Depends if the lights flicker 'in sync' with each other, or independently of each other.

In sync ... suspect the lighting switch.

Independently ... suspect earths first; then wiring from the front fusebox.

 

I had the left light flickering. New HID capsule and ballast and it stopped. Two years later the right one was flickering. New HID capsule and ballast cured that too.

 

Thanks for the help and options. Since I'm seeing this while driving and not staring at it from the outside, it seems that both lights do it at the same time. It appears as they go out and come back on. I would tend to think switch. I will diagnose fully before changing parts.
Since I haven't cracked the book, are the ballast and light capsule two separate pieces?

 

gmcgann,

A question to clarify:

Do you mean you changed the bulb with the integrated square metal box at the base (I think the box is called the ignitor). Or you changed the bulb unit AND the ballast witch is a separate part and costs about $200?

Just checking, because if I can get by with changing just the bulbs, I will.

 

I also have a '04 VDP, and my lights did this a few times before one of the two went out totally. There are now several sources for the OEM Xenon bulbs that replacing them no longer requires a second mortgage. This is where I got mine, and the price has gone down since I replaced mine last year, now it's only $69 a pair including shipping:


http://www.ebay.com/itm/2X-NEW-OEM-P...0AAOSw-zxWpHtl


Before you get too deep into chasing diagnostic rabbits, I'd recommend replacing the bulbs and eliminating those as a possible cause. Normally, I don't recommend 'throwing parts' at a problem, but it's time for a replacement regardless and this isn't a component you want to fail at the wrong time.

 

Correct, it is.

The ballast is a completely separate unit.

 

Last year while researching hid bulbs I found out that there are MANY counterfit hid bulbs on the market. Most of the counterfit hid's are very convincing with packaging and discriptions. But they are very cheap made in china that dont last at all. So you get a crappy performing light, with short life and end up spending twice the price of purchasing a legit in the first place. A loose/ loose situation for us, and a win/win for the ripoff seller. There are articles on the web describing (osram counterfit HID) what to look for. The picture of the box alone is no guarantee of what you will get. Worse, you could pay a pretty penny for "OEM" or legit MFG product and never know until it craps out on you in a month.
I purchased mine from a name brand auto parts store, so if it was bogus, I could walk right back in the door and correct the issue. Its not always shifty on the retailers part either. The conterfiters have gotten very good as suppliers. Osram seems to be a big target for counterfiters, as they charge $50.00 for a $2.00 bulb.My osram's were spot on and legit. I also wanted the same color as originals (osram). One of the keys to legit bulb, is that they have different lots than pictured in the advetisment. Counterfiters are printing one box for all with the same data printed on all. Legit will have legit lot numbers (different) and many times serial numbers. If you get a box with the same data as in the manufactures photo, you got hosed.
There are many other ways of spoting bogus.
Plan on spending about $150.00 per pair. Just remember, if it seems too good too be true, someone in deep china is getting rich.
PM if you wish, where I got mine for $150.00 pair.

 

Sorry about the dup. Admin might beable to delete please.

 

Mark in Maine, I found the same when I was searching last year.

However, the seller I linked above has been on eBay since 2005 with 100% positive feedback, and offers a 12 month warranty. The counterfeit bulbs tend to fail within a matter of weeks, so the warranty is important.

The new bulbs were identical to the OEM ones, and didn't have any of the tell tale signs of the fake ones.

How can I tell if my xenon bulbs are real or fake? | PowerBulbs

The replacements have been installed close to a year and I used IDS/SDD to switch the car to daytime running lights when I did the replacement, so they have even more runtime on them than typical.

 

Mine did the same. The ballast was on it's way out. Changed it, good as new.

 

Thinking this is my flickering radio lighting issue. Are you talking about the multi function switch where you can select the lighting of your choice on the steering column.

 

My right headlight still has a slight flicker. It doesn't flicker on-and-off, more of a flicker in the brightness level. I suppose I should start my changing the bulbs and see if that cures the problem. The blasts are rather pricy, so I hope the bulbs alone will fix it.

There are a few projects like this that I need to tackle, and I'm fast running out of summer to get them done.

 

I am !
Apart from flickering headlights at night, I noticed, during the day, the satnav display would flick over from Day to Night occasionally. I had no more problems after the lighting switch on the steering binnacle was replaced, and still don't, (knock on wood!!)

 

Try swapping the 'burners' L-to-R. If the flicker swaps over the it's the burner which is duff; if the flicker remains on the same side then it's the ballast that's u/s.

If it is the burner that's u/s then they are best replaced as a pair otherwise if you only replace the duff one then the new one will look a distinctly different colour to the other (if that sort of thing bothers you) and the remaining good one may well start playing up soon anyway.