Just a small question yet again...

On my 01 A6, it was equipped (according to the dealership) that the car had Xenon headlights in the front. But when I take a look at the headlights, the left side looks like the regular xenon lamps I see on the road when I see other audi's....but my right headlamp is quite different in color.

My left headlight is noticably blue....but my right one looks like the same bulbs you'd find on any old piece of junk, and it is yellow/orange in color rather than the blue in my other headlight?

Does this normally happen on Audi's or did the dealer cheat me out of one headlight?

I've heard this before, where a bulb would die and they wouldnt put a Xenon bulb in there.....do you think this is the case?

 

Ok, let me get you up to speed on the terminology. Xenon headlights or sometimes refered to as HID (high intensity discharge) normally are a bluish tint. It depends on what angle you are looking at them though. You could not just put in a regular headlight bulb into a xenon headlight. First, it woulnt fit, and second you would have to rewire the headlight to accomodate the bulb. A audi xenon system is comprised of:

Ballast - basically a transformer that increases the voltage.

Ignitor - part the bulb plugs into, and also increases the voltage.

Xenon Bulb - special bulb that is fairly expensive

If you really want to find out what's goign on, pop open the cover on the back of the headlight housing and see if it looks identical to the other side. On the underside of the headlights there should be a box (ballast) with a thick wire that runs into the headlight. Xenon bulbs come in different colors (heat temperatures). The bulbs range from ~4000k which is a white color to ~8000k, which is a bluish purple. I'm thinking the dealer may have installed a new bulb, and it may not be the same color. Also, xenon bulbs tend to change colors after you use them for awhile. So an old bulb will appear more blue than a new bulb. Also, try this at night. Stand in front of the car, and have someone turn the headlights on. Xenon lights don't illuminate instantly as do normal halogen lights. They almost have a delayed "POP", like a florecent light. They should be dim, and then be very bright in about a second or two.

Thats probably more than you wanted to know!

 

I know what you are referring to when you say there is a delayed pop...

Its like the lights charge up once you turn them on.....but when I look at other audi's on the road, I see that they both have identical bulbs, which look identical to my left side (the blue bulb)

Also, my right headlight's color, looks more like the foglights than the headlight. But i'll try to see if my right side charges up as you say.....thanks for the detailed answer though. Its something that I'll keep in mind...

 

Another question?

Do you think this is something worth mentioning to the dealer? Cuz i'm quite nick-picky about things like this....and I want my headlights to look identical and both look blue....

how much do bulbs like these cost to replace? I've heard they run into 200 to 250 bucks.....

 

well if you get really ambitious. remove both of the bulbs and compare the numbers stamped on them. Just make sure you don't touch the glass, and if you do clean it with a soft cloth before installing it. Oil from your fingers reduces the life of the bulb. I'd say odds are one of the bulbs was burnt out and it was replaced with a different color. Ebay sells some D2S bulbs pretty cheap (under 100 bucks range) if you really want them to look the same. 4300k - 6000k bulbs are a nice blue, anything higher and you start to sacrifice light output levels.

 

You da man Jest.....i'll update you once i get to inspecting this stuff

 

yeah let me know what the verdict is!

 

ok did a little test....

First off, I placed a rag over each side of the headlights and tested to see if one side charged up individually. The left side (the blue headlamp) charged up as you mentioned, having that delayed pop. The right side (the yellow/orange headlamp) just came on and did not show the same charge up effect as the left one did...

So, from what I can make of this, I got one xenon bulb that was originally part of the vehicle when it was made, and the right one is different....although I don't know whether its just a regular headlight or a different color xenon bulb....

what do you make of it? Also, do you think this is something i should mention to the dealer about gettin replaced? I want both my bulbs to look the same, but i want to avoid paying 100 bucks for it...

 

You are going to have to pop off the covers on the back of the headlight housings. Look inside both of them and compare. In order to pop off the passenger side you will have to remove the accordian air intake hose. Just compress the thing and pop it out. If you have a digital camera take some pics for me. If it is just a regular bulb, it will have little skiny wires, and a little plug.

If it is a xenon bulb it will look like this:

 

i think problem is bulb ,you need check it

maybe this guy can help you .

http://www.oemxenonpart.com/Audi-OEM...enon-Parts.htm