Headlight going off after a while
03-29-2010, 02:38 PM
#1
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Headlight going off after a while
Has anyone experienced your headlight going off after a bit of driving? When it goes off, you can turn off headlights, then back again and it will come back on. After some time of driving, the one headlight will go off again. It's a 2000 TL. Any ideas?
03-29-2010, 05:55 PM
#2
i had the same problem, i thought it was the ballast, and not the bulb, so i went ahead and ordered a 5000k d2r HID kit from HIDextra, i figured, why not try just the bulbs before i yank the stock ballasts out and changing the bulbs actually did the trick.
03-29-2010, 07:34 PM
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ok, Acura replaced the bulb $200+ and it is doing the same thing. They said it could be 2 things behind the bulb (something that controls the bulb to go on or off) and it was 2 pieces quoted at $1000.
Still learning here. What is a ballasts?
Still learning here. What is a ballasts?
03-29-2010, 09:21 PM
#6
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Whoa..you actually paid $200 for them to replace the bulbs. Dude..you coulda found Philips bulbs for like $70 and done it yourself to find out something else is the issue. Next try switching hardware around and see if the problem follows an ignitor or ballast. And keep moving on from there...
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03-29-2010, 09:38 PM
#8
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Oh my gawd..I hope that was just a typo and they actually did replace both bulbs. Otherwise OP..I'm sorry. You got bent over and the dealership had it's way with you...
03-29-2010, 11:18 PM
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Just for the record, this is the going rate around here. I am not in the US 
Yes, it's $200+ just to replace the bulb (parts & labor). Wait till you hear the price for an MDX's driving light!
Yes, it's $200+ just to replace the bulb (parts & labor). Wait till you hear the price for an MDX's driving light!
03-30-2010, 12:34 AM
#10
dealer gets 125 dollars per bulb- and lets call it an hour labor to replace ONE bulb
Smart people replace in pairs as they follow each other into death~
Do you have moisture behind the plastic lens of the headlight?
Smart people replace in pairs as they follow each other into death~
Do you have moisture behind the plastic lens of the headlight?
03-31-2010, 12:05 AM
#11
Traded in my
Get on eBay, search for HID bulbs, buy for WAY cheap even with shipping to wherever you are, install yourself and BAM..just saved $100+. Never go to a stealership for soemthing so stupid simple you can do yourself even if you've never worked on a car before. We got great DIY write-ups here that can talk you through most anything and people who will help if you run into problems...
03-31-2010, 05:21 AM
#12
well the OP was stuck so lets not harrass- lets work the problem people!
mealto- do internet research to understand ballast and ignitors
On the TL when the headlight front seal fails- moisture gets behind the lens, drips down and out a vent hole and onto the ballast- a high voltage piece that shorts out
in diagnosing they wanted to replace all parts= easy to be sure its fixed!!
for others- if bulbs fails and didnt do the pink death warning at startup- swap bulbs left to right and see if it works on the other side-
gen2s are ready for new bulbs- only last ~2500 hours useage
cheap bulbs may not last or have bad optics,, or may be the deal of the century-- try whatever brand you like
4300k is stock color, 5000k used by many with its more blue, and 6000 some like but loses white on the road in front of the car
any higher is worthless for seeing with
mealto- do internet research to understand ballast and ignitors
On the TL when the headlight front seal fails- moisture gets behind the lens, drips down and out a vent hole and onto the ballast- a high voltage piece that shorts out
in diagnosing they wanted to replace all parts= easy to be sure its fixed!!
for others- if bulbs fails and didnt do the pink death warning at startup- swap bulbs left to right and see if it works on the other side-
gen2s are ready for new bulbs- only last ~2500 hours useage
cheap bulbs may not last or have bad optics,, or may be the deal of the century-- try whatever brand you like
4300k is stock color, 5000k used by many with its more blue, and 6000 some like but loses white on the road in front of the car
any higher is worthless for seeing with
03-31-2010, 06:24 PM
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Thanks everyone, and especially 01tl4tl and '02_TL-S for the helpful comments and not just teasing at the price.
Unfortunately, the going rate from Acura is the price above and having seen a few tutorials on how to replace the bulb, not sure I have the skills or time to take apart the bumper to do the actual replacement. If the issue comes up again, I will have to dig deeper to see what I can do to replace the bulb and ballast on my own. Car came back from Acura and looks like issue may be gone. I wonder if the tech re-seated the bulb or connections without removing the bumper? I hope the light stays on now!
Thanks for all the great help gang.
Unfortunately, the going rate from Acura is the price above and having seen a few tutorials on how to replace the bulb, not sure I have the skills or time to take apart the bumper to do the actual replacement. If the issue comes up again, I will have to dig deeper to see what I can do to replace the bulb and ballast on my own. Car came back from Acura and looks like issue may be gone. I wonder if the tech re-seated the bulb or connections without removing the bumper? I hope the light stays on now!
Thanks for all the great help gang.
03-31-2010, 08:37 PM
#14
Traded in my
well the OP was stuck so lets not harrass- lets work the problem people!
mealto- do internet research to understand ballast and ignitors
On the TL when the headlight front seal fails- moisture gets behind the lens, drips down and out a vent hole and onto the ballast- a high voltage piece that shorts out
in diagnosing they wanted to replace all parts= easy to be sure its fixed!!
for others- if bulbs fails and didnt do the pink death warning at startup- swap bulbs left to right and see if it works on the other side-
gen2s are ready for new bulbs- only last ~2500 hours useage
cheap bulbs may not last or have bad optics,, or may be the deal of the century-- try whatever brand you like
4300k is stock color, 5000k used by many with its more blue, and 6000 some like but loses white on the road in front of the car
any higher is worthless for seeing with
mealto- do internet research to understand ballast and ignitors
On the TL when the headlight front seal fails- moisture gets behind the lens, drips down and out a vent hole and onto the ballast- a high voltage piece that shorts out
in diagnosing they wanted to replace all parts= easy to be sure its fixed!!
for others- if bulbs fails and didnt do the pink death warning at startup- swap bulbs left to right and see if it works on the other side-
gen2s are ready for new bulbs- only last ~2500 hours useage
cheap bulbs may not last or have bad optics,, or may be the deal of the century-- try whatever brand you like
4300k is stock color, 5000k used by many with its more blue, and 6000 some like but loses white on the road in front of the car
any higher is worthless for seeing with
Whoa..you actually paid $200 for them to replace the bulbs. Dude..you coulda found Philips bulbs for like $70 and done it yourself to find out something else is the issue. Next try switching hardware around and see if the problem follows an ignitor or ballast. And keep moving on from there...
I told him to try switching hardware to try to see if it's something else that causes the prob. Plus giving him advice for the future when his other bulb goes out or they are two different colors which looks 
OP - If it come back, try this (which is what I mean by hardware):
1) Take off front bumper cover..just a few bolts on the outside and a few clips under hood and on grill. Really easy. Lay down on grass or on a blanket to avoid scratching it.
2) Unplug ballast and remove headlights..this will be apparent when you remove the bumper cover. Again really easy.
3) Unplug ignitor from bulb and remove ballast assembly (including ignitor) from headlight. Then unplug ignitor from ballast.
4) With these two items apart, try different combos to see what is causing the problem (e.g. take bulb that's out and put on opposite ballast/ignitor. If stays out, prob bulb. If it now works, then the original ballast or ignitor is causing prob..) And just keep trying different combos until you can determine what exactly the problem is...
Sorry, kinda confusing when read but easy when done
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