The OS headlamp on my C5 has conked out on dipped beam. Normally, of course, this would be no big deal, but my one has xenon lights and the handbook insists that the car should be taken to the dealer to change the bulb! Can anyone advise on the following.
1. Is this fault almost certainly a failed bulb as opposed to the circuitry that 'ignites' the xenon? (Could it simply be a fuse?)
2. Assuming that it's the bulb, is it safe enough to change it myself, provided lights are off and maybe even battery disconnected (ie is there a danger of electrocution (20,000 volts!) even after system is switched off (residual power in capacitors or suchlike.)
3, Would it be sensible to switch bulbs from side to side to make sure it really is a bulb failure - or would this probably just hasten the demise of the other one!
4. Are these bulbs covered under the 3 year vehicle warranty - or would they count as 'consumeables'?
I've checked the prices of these bulbs on the internet (D2S/D2R)and I see they are around £80 - £90 each (Aaargh!)Clearly, I want to be dead sure that it's a bulb and if possible, fit it myself to save even more grief from the dealer in fitting costs.
Haynes don't do a manual for C5 (and probably never will!)so I'm working 'in the dark' (sorry couldn't resist it!)
Graeme
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If access is easy, I'd swap thm over, but I doubt its the bulb, they very rarely fail. Also I'd check with the dealer first about warranty cover. I wouldn't worry about the voltage as long as they're off, they also have safety cut-outs, maybe this is what has happened? I don't think they can be reset (the early HIDs couldn't be anyway) you just had to buy a new unit.
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be aware that zenons work off a very high current and are dangerous to mess around with!if your going to check them out disconnect the battery earth lead making sure you have your radio code to re-enter when your done.
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Believe it or not,I went out to the car this morning and everything is now working perfectly again! So it's obviously not the bulb! Maybe a cutout tripped and it has reset itself???
As a matter of interest I did get a few quotes for a bulb. They ranged from £75 to £120 each for a D2R. Aaargh!
If there is a fault, though, chances are it will be covered under warranty, so if it plays up again I'll get the dealer to have a look.
What I did notice this morning was that if I switched on the lights WITH ENGINE OFF the OS headlight whirred and levelled itself - but the NS didn't (both illuminated ok)
On the other hand, if I switched on the lights with the engine running, neither attempted to self level. Odd! Does this mean that the NS self levelling system is faulty? This seems to happen regardless of how the car is standing, by the way.
Answers on a postcard......
Graeme
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These bulbs are cheapest on ebay, but not on all the time, they are usually £15 ish. That's for Osram/Philips, no rubbish!
Most are 'ex-equipment' though.
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I was going to post on the very same subject this morning.
The OS Xenon on my Vectra failed to start one night a few weeks ago (car is now 3.5yr old). I swapped the OS lamp for the NS and squirted some contact cleaner spray in the high-voltage connector (although I wouldn't have expected dirty contects to affect a +10kV starting voltage...).
Everything then ran fine for a week or so, until last night when the OS lamp failed to ignite again. Much fiddling around with the connector (with the headlamps turned OFF!) failed to make the lamp start. It's definately not the lamp as the NS one hasn't failed to start once after I swapped them over a few weeks ago. I was about to book the car into the dealer this morning, but turned on the headlights and the OS lamp was working fine again.
I would definately book the car in for the dealer to look at the next time it happens. It might be the ballast unit showing the first signs of packing up altogether (that's what I'm dreading). I'd be grateful if you could report back what the dealer finds.
With regard to the self-levelling, on my car there are only two sensors fitted to the suspension (one at the front, one at the back) that control the level of both headlamps. I've only ever seen my headlamps pan up from the ground on starting once or twice - usually they start-up pointing at the correct height. Maybe the units are only designed to run a levelling system self-check every 100 starts of the lamp?
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I phoned the Citroen dealer this morning. He suggested disconnecting the battery to let the computers reboot. (This often fixes weird faults on a C5!)It made no difference to the self-levelling. The light hasn't failed again, though.
It's odd that only one headlight self-levels - especially bearing in mind that the whole C5 self-levels anyway!
My one is still under warranty so if it is a dodgy ballast I'd want it fixed before May!
Are you sure that D2R/D2S bulbs are selling at £15 on Ebay? That price sounds more like halogens. I've been quoted anything from £75 - £120. Yet everyone says that the bulbs should outlast the car!
Graeme
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Are you sure that D2R/D2S bulbs are selling at £15 on Ebay?
- Yes I often bid on them so I can have a spare, but I don't usually go above £10 as I don't need one.
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