Hello Everybody,

About two weeks ago my passenger HID low beam went out. There was no flickering/pink color to indicate that a failure was imminent, it just went out unexpectedly.

Without thinking, I ordered up two new bulbs from The Retrofit Source. The cost was ~$40 for two bulbs. I figured that their prices were great compared to the ~$160 each for OEM bulbs. I had a very positive experience with them and the bulbs arrived very quickly.

Unfortunately, after replacing the "burned out bulb" I still had a non-functional passenger HID low beam headlamp. I tested the new bulb on the driver's side and it worked perfectly. Therefore, I knew that I had mistakenly ordered new bulbs when the bulb wasn't the problem. Anyhow, I will not be returning them since I figure eventually I'll need replacements and The Retrofit Source was a nice company to deal with as a customer.

Next, I decided that the ballast (sometimes called Control Module) or the ignitor was the problem. I hoped that the ignitor was not at fault, since that is a tougher replacement. Luckily, after swapping the ballasts from passenger to driver's side, I found that the ballast was in fact the culprit. I also found that the seal on the ballast was no longer adhering to the ballast body. Please note that in the photos, I was the one who marked "Bad" in marker on the ballast.

Since I now knew I had a bad ballast, I decided to disassemble it and see what I could find. Interestingly I could easily see where the failure had occurred (See Red Rectangle). I decided to post pictures and explain my logic in the diagnosing this problem in case it helps some of you other users.

Cheers,

Matt

 

I am hoping to get some help with a problem I am having with my xenon headlights. This morning my xenon headlights would not come on (It was about 20 degrees, hardly the coldest day for this Ohio winter). I checked the obvious things but still no luck. Then at lunch I went out and tried them and they worked fine with no issues. Is there some type of controller or regulator for both of the head lights that can go bad? I find it hard to believe that both ignitors/ballasts on both headlights are simultaneously going bad. I did a search here on the site and found many threads for 05s and older and even then it was people reporting one light not both. I have an 06 S if that helps or means anything.

Thanks in advanced for any and all advice!

-Brian

 

Update: This morning headlights would again not come on and have remained off even after my 45 minute drive to work.

Any advice?

 

Might be the switch in turn signal stalk , for both of them to not turn on ? For both of the headlights not to work.





*If its just one its usually the bulb if you get the "faint purple light of death", then its on its way out. Ballast / control unit, you can here it working when on, high pitch ring if you listen close to it. And the ignitor , if its bad , best way to find out is to swap then with the outer side.

I would check the fuse and relay for headlights also.

Thanks and I hope that helps.

 

ECS, thanks for the advice! I will definitely troubleshoot. I can't really swamp them back and forth because they both aren't working. I guess I could try switching and see if that does anything. I checked the fuse and it is fine. Where is the relay or when you say relay what are you referring to? Also if the stalk was bad wouldn't other things on the stalk not work properly? Everything on the stalk is operating normal.

 

I have a complete set of pre facelift xenons....bulbs,ballasts,washers for sale if anyone finds they need replacements. PM me.

 

I have seen the selector for the top action point ( headlight 2nd click ) go bad, its rare but it happens.

Sorry I was thinking the fog light relay which is in the fuse box near the Cooper S intake.



I would check the fuses again.




Last but not least if you have a voltmeter you could see if you are getting power at the headlight. Can you hear the ballast , metal box under the headlight buzz when you have the headlights turn on?

Thanks and good luck.

 

ECS, I checked all fuses and they are all fine. I cannot hear any buzzing when the lights are switch on. What does this indicate? I will borrow a voltmeter this weekend to determine if they are receiving power. Thanks again for your help I now feel even better about all the VW parts I purchased from you guys lol.

 

Its great to double check all fuses. It sounds like you are not getting any power to the lights at all. The ballast will make a buzzing noise if there is power to them and turned on.

Thanks I am glad I can help.

 

ECS, I am going to confirm with a meter tonight that they are not getting power. Assuming the aren't is the stalk switch the most likely cause? Is there anything else it could be?

 

When you have the voltmeter on them, I would click the light switch on the stalk back an forth a couple times to see if you get a spike in power and drop. That would indicate that the switch would possibly have a bad connection and thus the stalk.

Let me know if you find anything out.

 

Well I discovered the first problem. I bought my car used about 4 months ago and the previous owner installed a xenon kit or something. The relayed was just barely tuck up under the hood and the relay was really corroded. Honestly, I can't believe I didn't notice it before. The wire off the battery terminal was a dead give away. So I rewired it with a relay I had laying around to get me through the week.

The new problem is that on start up the lights blink back and forth for a long time. Sometimes the left light won't come on. I then flick the stalk and can get it on. The automatic function doesn't seem to kick them on anymore. The left ballast sounds like it's is humming a tiny bit louder. Could the water/corrosion shorted the left ballast?

I think my next step will be to properly rewire the setup and ground wire. Then maybe replace the ballast? I think I can rule out the stalk.

Thanks again and any advice is appreciated. The people in northeast Ohio also appreciate me not having to drive with my brights on. Which also should have been a red flag.

 

Great, I knew there was something weird going on there. Aftermarket xenon kit placed into a OEM housing or just plain full aftermarket headlights ?

I would make sure all the wires are correctly connected , follow the leads and make sure every connection is secure.

The buzzing on a aftermarket unit could be anything. But they either work or they don't on those ballast.

I bet the wiper stalk has little effect on it. Sounds like the way it was installed you might be trying to fix the problems before. Google the part number of the aftermarket versions and try to find an install . That will help you troubleshoot.

I am glad I could help. If you decide to go back to stock let me know and I can help you get the parts.

Also make sure they are adjusted to the right level , you don't want to blind on coming traffic.

 

ECS, I believe it is the OEM Housing. It looks like every other S headlight. I checked and verified all connections and they are now solid and secure. Is there any problem with running the xenon in the stock housing? I have to say when they work I do like the xenon but I don't want constant problems. I believe they are leveled correctly but will check and field test. If I did want to go back to stock what would it take?

 

Pictures would help a bunch.

I don't know what has been modified, if its a stock halogen housing with xenon, stock xenon with a modified ellipsoidal lens ? Or some home made xenon kit?

Then I can tell you options down the road.

Thanks

 

I just wanted to report my experience. 04 MCS, manufactured 09/2003. Passenger lowbeam refused to come on, no warning, no color changes in the headlight, just one day I noticed it wasn't working.

I tried toggling the headlights on and off 20+ times, I checked the fuses, I tried switching the Driver and Passanger bulbs out, still no lowbeams.

I plugged my mini into the INPA diagnostic software. I brought up the diagnostics for the headlights. I saw there were 3 different errors. One happened 1 time, one happened 17 times, one happened twice. I didn't get a screenshot or write the errors down. I'll do that next time. I cleared the errors, turned off my headlights, turned them both on, and the lowbeams worked! It's been working for about 4 days, no problems.

 

Just joined this forum and it has already been useful.
Passenger side headlamp not working on 2003 MCS. Changed bulb but was not that!
So I took the ballast units off and swapped them over and hey presto now they are both working! I'm guessing grime, condensation or something was the issue.....
Only thing now is that the two bulbs give off slightly different lights one is a kind of warm light the other slight harsher. Pretty sure they are both the OEM bulbs. Anyone had that issue?

 

One bulb might be on its way out. As they age the xenon bulbs can get more pink then finally fail. Replace them in pairs, that's what i did when one side started to get more dim and pinkish in color. 2002-7/2004 Xenons are D2R bulbs 63126907495

https://www.ecstuning.com/Mini-2003-Cooper-R53-S-Coupe-L4_1.6L_W11B16A/Lighting/Headlights/Bulbs/

 

I had the same problem. Except my light would alternate between passenger side and driver side on differet days. Changed bulbs amd ballasts with no relief. Finally, I figured it was the ignitor and I did not want to tear into the fixture to replace it. I found two 2005 headlamp assemblies on Ebay for a decent price and dropped them in. No problem whatsoever.

 

On the 2005+ models you can get the ignitor 63126919886

https://www.ecstuning.com/b-genuine-...126919886~oem/




on pre 7/2004 I believe this is the different design ignitor. 63126907504

https://www.ecstuning.com/Mini-2003-Cooper-R50-Base-Coupe-L4_1.6L_W10B16A/Search/SiteSearch/Ignitor/