Smoke damage in a headlight assembly

[Herbiv4]

Hello there,

I have a 2003 Audi A6 Avant with standard headlights. A couple of months back I got an HID kit fitted to my H7 driving lights by an auto electrician.

All was well and night driving was much improved until last week when one of the lights failed and on having it checked today by the same electrician I discovered that the rubber housing of the HID bulb had melted and this had caused smoke damage to the lens and the whole headlight housing.

I am pretty well resigned :( to the fact that the whole headlight will need replacing but I wondered if anyone out there knew of a way to disassemble it so that it could be cleaned and repaired.

If not then does any one here know if would be in a position to ask for compensation from the company who sold me the kit?

I'm sending the broken bulb back today and they have said that they will replace it.

Any advice appreciated.

Stephen.

[Niall76]

I'm pretty sure that the lens is a sealed unit I'm afraid. I think you would have to break it open which then would probably give you problems getting it back together, which in turn could well give you problems with water getting in and just making things worse.

Try a scrappie mybe for a cheaper unit?

I'd also phone the company who sold you the conversion - their product should be a lot more reliable than it was. I'd be trying to get them to pay for a new headlamp at the same time...

[Herbiv4]

Hello Niall,

Thanks for your reply.

I had a conversation with the HID kit supplier this afternoon and after I explained the situation with smoke damage there was a long silence on the phone....

Then they said that it was probably an instlallation issue and then they told me to return the parts.

A new headlight will be about £265 :( .

The words "Rock" and "A Hard Place" seem to be relevant here.

The installer swears that he did the job properly so I'll have to wait and see what happens when the burnt bits are assessed.

I was told by the HID supplier that the sort of problem that occurred to me was highly unusual.

I'll post again when I know the outcome.

Cheers,

Stephen.

[Huweth]

Sorry to hear about your problems. Hopefully it was a faulty unit and they will fix everything up like new for you. Out of curiosity, who/where supplied the HID conversion?

[Herbiv4]

Hi,

It was Autobulbs Direct in Southampton who I've been happy with for several years.

Can highly reccommend the Diadem front indicator bulbs they sell and their LED bulb replacements that give the side and rear indicators/brake lights a sharper look.

So it may just be a rogue part and I was unlucky. :(

Have not sorted out my signature yet but I've been a dedicated Audi fan since 2003 when I got myself an A3 and had it converted to LPG.

Sold my A3 in 2004 as I neede a bigger car and now my 4 year old A6 1.8T is a dual fuel car running on LPG.

Doing the maths I'm managing to average the equivalent of around 45 mpg on local motoring and around 60mpg on motorway journies.

An Audi dealership told me not long ago that their best new A6 Avant diesel cannot match those figures :Blush:

Happy Happy...... Joy Joy.... :D

[Teutonic_Tamer]

I have a 2003 Audi A6 Avant with standard headlights. A couple of months back I got an HID kit fitted to my H7 driving lights by an auto electrician.

Hmmm . . . a highly illegal vehicle modification . . .


All was well and night driving was much improved until last week when one of the lights failed and on having it checked today by the same electrician I discovered that the rubber housing of the HID bulb had melted and this had caused smoke damage to the lens and the whole headlight housing.

Well, the bulb in your pic looks very poor quality, and if that was the standard of wiring from and "auto electrician", you might get a better quality job done in your local school playground!


I am pretty well resigned :( to the fact that the whole headlight will need replacing but I wondered if anyone out there knew of a way to disassemble it so that it could be cleaned and repaired.

As other posters state, they are sealed items. You might, if you are extremely careful, be able to open up the unit, but you won't be able to get any replacement bits for it.


If not then does any one here know if would be in a position to ask for compensation from the company who sold me the kit?

You're having a laugh. The company who sold you the HID kit are fully aware with the illegality of these. They might use a phrase with words that begin and end with the letter "F". If you take them to Court, you will lose, because you have mad an illegal modification!


I'm sending the broken bulb back today and they have said that they will replace it.

That is probably the best you are likely to get from them.

Do yourself, and the rest of us a favour, chuck the HID kit in the bin where it belongs, and refit the H7s, maybe with some Philips Vision Plus 50%, then at least they will still be legal!

[Teutonic_Tamer]

It was Autobulbs Direct in Southampton who I've been happy with for several years.

But would you still be happy with them if they told you that by fitting the kit, you would invalidate your insurance, your car would fail an MoT, and you could be prosecuted under the Road Traffic Act, for an offence under the Construction and Use Regs!

[Herbiv4]

Hello there,

Thanks for all the replies.

When I first read the Autobulbs Direct website and mores pecifically the F.A.Q. on HID Kits the blurb stated that thes kits were not illegal as long as the correct colour temperature was used.

I went back today and re read the F.A.Q. and it has been changed to state that the kits are illegal except for offroad use...

So, as far as I am concerned I was mislead and I'll be removing the HID kit and replacing the bulbs.

There is languange that comes to mind that I would like to use but it's not suitable for this forum or for the next phone conversation I have with Autobulbs Direct.

I will be asking them when they changed the F.A.Q..

Thanks for everyones advice here.

Stephen.:mad:

[Teutonic_Tamer]

Hello there,

Thanks for all the replies.

OK, no worries.


When I first read the Autobulbs Direct website and mores pecifically the F.A.Q. on HID Kits the blurb stated that thes kits were not illegal as long as the correct colour temperature was used.

Don't suppose you had printed this off? The retro fit HID kits have never been legal, so if you do have any printed evidence, then pass it on to both Trading Standards, and the Advertising Standards Authority.


I went back today and re read the F.A.Q. and it has been changed to state that the kits are illegal except for offroad use...

Covering their own tails . . . how long since the change on the web site?


So, as far as I am concerned I was mislead and I'll be removing the HID kit and replacing the bulbs.

Good man :bigok:


There is languange that comes to mind that I would like to use but it's not suitable for this forum or for the next phone conversation I have with Autobulbs Direct.

Aye, I know how you feel! It really winds me up, all these dodgy traders selling illegal kit. At the end of the day, the car manufacturers invest many ££££££ into R&D, getting the products right. OK, so the £700 for the Xenon factory option does sound a little steep, but it is much more than a pair of bulbs!


I will be asking them when they changed the F.A.Q..

I'd be interested in hearing their answer too . . . ;)


Thanks for everyones advice here.

Your welcome.

BTW, what did the auto electrician who fitted them say???

Oh, and apologies if my earlier post appeared a little "harsh" ;) :beerchug:

[RickT]

You can get OEM headlights from ebay at about £75 each if you look about for a while...

In regards to cleaning the unit,... I did it on my A4 B6... just got to bevery carful!

RicKT

[Herbiv4]

Hello again,

The auto electrician didn't say anything about legality. I think he just wanted the money.

I know this makes me look really daft but I've not long moved down from Lincolnshire to north Hampshire and having done a search for dedicated auto electrical shops in this area I found that I'd need to go to either Swindon or Southampton.

Up in Lincolnshire I was spoilt for choice and had two good shops with 10 miles of each other.

So I used the Yellow Pages and all I could find were pretty annonymous "we come out to you" auto electricians.

I am not in good health and I am also a disabled driver so a trip to Swindon or Southampton was not possible.

I am sure that if I had gone to either I would have been told not to fit the HID kit.

So - it's all my fault I guess but I would say that it is also the fault of Autobulbs Direct for trying to claim that the kit was street legal at that time and the electrician should ahve warned me but maybe he didn't know.

An expensive lesson has been learned.

Wish I had joined this forum earlier.

Stephen. :(

[Teutonic_Tamer]

The auto electrician didn't say anything about legality. I think he just wanted the money.

Sadly, that seems to be a fact, whoever you deal with. :(


I know this makes me look really daft but I've not long moved down from Lincolnshire to north Hampshire and having done a search for dedicated auto electrical shops in this area I found that I'd need to go to either Swindon or Southampton.

What about Salisbury or Andover - both reasonable sized towns/cities? Should have a good choice of sparkies! I used to know both places quite well!


So I used the Yellow Pages and all I could find were pretty annonymous "we come out to you" auto electricians.

Does your local county council not provide lists of "approved traders"?


I am not in good health and I am also a disabled driver so a trip to Swindon or Southampton was not possible.

Are you chair-bound, or walking-wounded? Either way, I'm sure any reasonable trader nearby should be able to accomodate your needs, even if they give you a lift to a local coffee shop for the hour or so while they do the work.


I am sure that if I had gone to either I would have been told not to fit the HID kit.

Hmmm . . . I wouldn't be so sure - afterall, many traders are unaware of the illegality of retro-fit or aftermarket HID kits.


So - it's all my fault I guess but I would say that it is also the fault of Autobulbs Direct for trying to claim that the kit was street legal at that time

I presume Autobulbs were selling them for replacements in normal road-going cars, and not specifically listing them in some kind of "motorsport only" section on their web site. If that were the case, then you are fully protect by law, which states "must be fit for purpose". You can legaly get a full refund, either by taking them to Court yourself (which is very easy and straight forward), or by claiming directly from your credit card (even if the purchase was only part funded on the credit card). That latter bit does not apply to debit cards, though.

I would seriously pass your evedence onto Trading Standards. The government, through the DfT, VOSA and the Police, have issued explicit instructions on the illegality of these HID kits, and Trading Standards may well prosecute them. Even if Trading Standards take no direct action from your own issues, if enough people complain about them, a pattern will develop, and action should follow!


and the electrician should ahve warned me but maybe he didn't know.

Or maybe he was just turning a "blind eye", for the sake of another payday!


An expensive lesson has been learned.

Maybe - but don't give up without a fight! ;)


Wish I had joined this forum earlier.

Well, you are here now, so welcome to the forum, and stick around. We are usually quite a helpful bunch, and you could well continue to learn more about your A6. :beerchug:

[wantmygti]

Is it me Sean, or is this looking all too familiar!!??

[Herbiv4]

Thanks very much Sean.

Later in the year I was considering going to AMD Technik and having the engine tuned to increase the BHP - mainly to improve the torque.

But I'm not sure I will now having got my fingers burned this time.

I understood that Audi uprated the 1.8T in the A4 to something near the stock 2.0T around today but I guess that discussion should be in another thread.

http://www.amdtechnik.com/

And to the person who posted after Sean... I do not know why my postings would "sound familiar?" I have never joined any VW Audi forum before.....

[Herbiv4]

Just wated to add before anyone jumps on the ECU remap and not informing my insurance company....

If I had an ECU remap the first thing I'd do is let my insurance company know as I did before I had my windows tinted mainly to protect our dogs during hot waether and to reduce the load on the air con system.

In the case of the window tinting my insurance company said that was fine even with the UV screening film put on the front driver and passenger doors.

Just prempting and flack.....

.......and now diving for cover.

[Teutonic_Tamer]

Is it me Sean, or is this looking all too familiar!!??

It's you, you cynical old bugg . . . . . ;)

No, the OP, Herbiv4/Stephen, whilst it's a little obvious that he got his fingers burnt (along with his headlamp! - sorry, that little "pun" was just too good ;) ), came here for advice. He has listened to the advice with grace and dignity, and is clearly looking sensible opinions and advice. So in that respect, it's not at all familiar! ;) :D

[Teutonic_Tamer]

Thanks very much Sean.

That's fine. It's nice to be appreciated! It's a shame that not everyone shares your good manners. :beerchug:


Later in the year I was considering going to AMD Technik and having the engine tuned to increase the BHP - mainly to improve the torque.

But I'm not sure I will now having got my fingers burned this time.

I understood that Audi uprated the 1.8T in the A4 to something near the stock 2.0T around today but I guess that discussion should be in another thread.

http://www.amdtechnik.com/

OK, best to keep the Mods happy, and start a new thread on that one, and I'll dive in and offer you my £0.02 worth. The Mods/Admin are pretty strict over here, so we'd better not drift off-topic! ;)


And to the person who posted after Sean... I do not know why my postings would "sound familiar?" I have never joined any VW Audi forum before.....

Oh . . . don't worry, and certainly don't take it personally - it's a completely separate issue! He's just injecting a bit of light-hearted banter!

His comment simply refers to another web forum we both hang out on, where some other poster blatantly spammed with retro-fit HIDs, posting a very "journalistic" style of write up, complete with photos of the install, AND photos of the beam pattern from an MoT beam tester!

A number of other posters gently advised that they might be illegal, and someone ... erm ... "invited" my opinion. In that instance, the original poster adamantly refused to accept they were illegal, and refused to counter any of the other criticisms raised. It turned into quite a dirty, and VERY heated mud-slinging match! I'm sure anyone who stumbled across that thread must have had watery eyes! ;)

Rgds

[Teutonic_Tamer]

Just wated to add before anyone jumps on the ECU remap and not informing my insurance company....

If I had an ECU remap the first thing I'd do is let my insurance company know as I did before I had my windows tinted mainly to protect our dogs during hot waether and to reduce the load on the air con system.

In the case of the window tinting my insurance company said that was fine even with the UV screening film put on the front driver and passenger doors.

Just prempting and flack.....

.......and now diving for cover.

Oh, don't worry about that. I think you'll find that most people simply offer advice, rather than demanding you carry out a specifc instruction. Afterall, I'm sure each and everyone of us has driven faster than 70mph ;) (on private land, your Honour! :D )

Rgds

[AJO]

I am very confused about these comments about how illegal the after market HID kits are....

i too have one of these kits fitted by myself, and never had any problems...
The MOT went well with them too even though the inspector did say that he would be checking them well.

because the A6 has clear glass the pattern is not disturbed and therefore does not blind other road uses...

no one ever flashes me due to my lights being blinding and they light up the road so much better than the standard lights.

needless to say mine went through an MOT with the conversion

[Eshrules]

excuse my hijacking of this thread and my ignorance guys, but why is retro fitting HIDS illegal?:Blush2:

[Teutonic_Tamer]

I am very confused about these comments about how illegal the after market HID kits are....

i too have one of these kits fitted by myself, and never had any problems...
The MOT went well with them too even though the inspector did say that he would be checking them well.

because the A6 has clear glass the pattern is not disturbed and therefore does not blind other road uses...

no one ever flashes me due to my lights being blinding and they light up the road so much better than the standard lights.

needless to say mine went through an MOT with the conversion

I have stated the legal opioion very clearly on previous threads, and I am not going to type it all over again. User the search funtion: http://www.vwaudiforum.co.uk/forum/search.php.

Also, take a look at this thread: http://www.forum.golfgti.co.uk/index.php?topic=53715, and also this one: http://www.forum.golfgti.co.uk/index.php?topic=52902.

HTH, rgds

[gazza57]

But would you still be happy with them if they told you that by fitting the kit, you would invalidate your insurance, your car would fail an MoT, and you could be prosecuted under the Road Traffic Act, for an offence under the Construction and Use Regs!

Hello TT
Are you saying that to retro fit any HID kits is illegal?
Is it a matter of a different reflector/housing design that needs to comply with certain design criteria I wonder?
Or is it a case of fitting the correct colour temperature?
I didn't know this and had contemplated fitting some myself, but now if they're illegal I won't bother
Many thanks for this, I shall consider fitting different filament lamps perhaps, any suggestions ?
Thanks
Gazza57

[Herbiv4]

Hello there Sean,

Thanks for your reply.... I've been offline for a while due to house hunting and other related stuff.

I sent the burnt out HID part back to Autobulbs Direct by Special Delivery on the 7th March and have heard nothing since.

I phoned their 0870 number this morning and was put on what seemed like a permenant hold so in the end I gave up paying for nothing and put the phone down.

I have just e-mailed them sayin g that if I do not get a refund I'll be contacting Trading Standards and showing them the two version of the HID FAQ... the first version saying that it wasn't a problem and that HID conversions were fine for MoT purposes.

I've found a place that will sell me a an OEM sealed headlight unit for about £220 although as I found them over the Net I'm now not sure if what I'll be buying will be as good as the genuine article.

This is the first time I've been stung like this aside from the time that an Audi parts employee suggested I could upgrade the cassette/tuner in my Mk1 Audi A3 to the CD/Tuner they put in the facelifted model by buying a replacement on e-bay and simply swapping it over.

How wrong he was...... but luckily I got a refund from the e-bay seller. Due to that experience I have not used e-bay since.

Anyway, if I have any progress with Autobulbs Direct I'll post it as and when.

Cheers,

Stephen.