Lastnight it was getting dark so I turn my headlights on. The driverside fires up but the passenger just flickers and goes out.

I get home and try it about 10 more times of turning them on and off and 4 out of the ten times the passenger light didnt come on. I finally got to a point where once it stayed on, I left it on and off I went with no problems.

So, I know people are alwasy saying to detect if it's the bulb or ballast, switch out the headlight bulbs. Well before I go and do all that work, wouldnt I already assume it was the ballast because sometimes the light came back on and sometimes it doesnt? Usually when a bulb goes out, it stays out.

What do you recommend?

Also, the dealer quoted me $276 for an inverter/ballast. Good price? Better prices online somewhere?

Thanks

 

wow you're getting assraped for the ballast. It probably is the ballast but check the bulb just to be sure. The last time i had an issue with my HID's going on and off, the ballast had blown. I suggest u order another ballast from somewhere else online instead of going through the acura dealership

 

$276 is an excellent price for a new OEM inverter. I just bought one and the cheapest I found was $309. List is $412. Just make sure you know what you're getting for $276.

http://www.oemacuraparts.com/partloc...?siteid=214055

 

$276 is a darn good price. I dont know why you think Im getting assraped. People pay over $300 for those things. Cost is around $240.

 

$276 for oem is very good. Buy it. I am going through the same thing now.

 

i had that same problem. flicking the lights on and off just to get it to work everytime i leave the garage. i did a decent search around ebay and acurazine. couldn't find any spare ballasts. mines cost $400+ for a single ballast from the dealer with no installation.

 

i guess im used to aftermarket setups. My whole HID setup cost me 145 installed

 

I'm 99% positive it's the ballast. I mean, if the bulb was working, then wasnt, then was again, it cant be a bad bulb. If it was bad, it would've just gone out and stayed out.

My only other question is, was my bulb harmed in anyway from this bad ballast? The color of the headlights seem to look the same when wamed up.

 

Agree, probably your ballast. The faulty ballast should not affect the bulb.

 

your bulb was not likely harmed by the faulty ballast, but the only way to make sure is to remove the bulb and install it on the other side just to check and make sure.

 

Damnit! For 3 days straight they fired up on the first try. Tonight, they were on for 5 minutes and then shut off. Ugh, I dont know how much I can take this before I just say fuggit and replace the ballast. lol

 

So all of last week it was working fine and for 2 days straight now, the thing isnt working. I was praying it would just be ok for a few months, but I cant take the annoyingness. I hate when people leave a light burnt out.

So anyway, since Im busy and I dont have the time to change this out myself, this is what I was quoted from knowing someone at Acura. Do you think this is a good price for everything?

$272.03 for 1 headlight inverter
$18.36 - Tax
$100.00 for installation

Total - $390.39

Seems to me people are paying that without installation and I should go ahead and get it done.

 

The price seems fair for the part, tax (can't do nothing about that one), but the install fee seems a bit high in my opinion....

 

The service manager said it's $120 an hour for labor. He said it will take an hour to do and will charge me $100.

 

That's what my dealership charges/hr. as well. If you don't feel comfortable removing your bumper/electronics, than that price is fair. However, this is an extremely easy DIY, but ultimately it's up to you. You gotta have working headlights.

 

I just dont have the time/tools and I really wanna get this done by the weekend. I know someone who could do it, but they havent gotten back to me, so I might just bend over this one time and take it from the dealer.

 

Did you get some coool blue bulbs like THESE

If not, you should upgrade.

What are you smoking? You can't get HID for $140 unless you bought from the guy in the alley with crowbar in his hands who needed some money for crack!

A Real Kit is going to cost $250 and up...

 

Based upon your limited time and tools, the price seems fair to me - especially for Acura service. I say go for it.

 

Thanks all. Appointment set for 1pm today.

On a side note, the service manager told me that the inverter wastes life out of the bulb and not to be surprised if the bulb goes out soon. Something sounds a little suspicious. My bulb is working fine and if for some reason it doesnt work when I pick up my car, I'm gonna raise hell.

 

ouch, so to do both sides will cost over $600-700?

I too am having similar issues with my lights. It was isolated to the right side only for a few months; light wouldn't come on until the 3rd-5th try turning on my lights. It would usually stay on but sometimes it would flicker out. Since it usually worked I never looked into service, however things got worse this past week as now both lights don't work on 1st try. i can usually get the right one to come on after 5-10 tries but the left appears to be dead. also i tried my brights and only the right side works.

Am I looking at 700+ to fix this? any Austin area posters know of any good local shops besides the dealership that might help me save some $? things like this always happen right before christmas

 

All I know is I received a decent deal, so you may be looking into the $800 range if it is the ballasts. Good luck and sorry to hear.

 

the ballast is not the expensive part.... The inverter is the 300 dollar piece... A couple of months ago I had my headlight ballast and inverter replaces under warranty and its was close to 800 dollars.

 

Are you on crack. I can get a full aftermarket setup... Including ballast and bulb, any color for less than 150... And it has a five year warranty. Whoever your talking to is ripping you off