Tharussian45

like the title says... when i hit the brakes and the car weight shifts forward, the headlights seem to flicker one time off and on real quick... sometimes the driver bulb just turns off and i have to turn the lights on and off to get both on again... the problem seems to be occurring only when i brake semi hard/hard, if i brake smoothly the headlights seem fine... what im wondering is if this could be a battery ground issue? or just a bulb issue... if anyone has had anything similar happen when braking feel free to chime in... thanks

mitchkramez

Sounds like the bulb is failing to me, someone else suggested in another thread to swap the bulbs and see if the problems transfer to the other lights - seems like a good place to start and will get you familiar with the bulb replacement process anyways...

Tharussian45

ya, figured it could be the bulb... but why flicker on and off when braking hard? shouldnt it flicker and turn off other times as well?

mitchkramez

As hid bulbs get older they require more power to stay light and ignite in general, i'm guessing braking with the lights and the ABS etc may be just enough power draw to cause them to flicker. You might also want to get your battery and charging system checked...

Tharussian45

looks like ill be making a quick trip to autozone to get my battery checked...

oo7spy

I would check the terminal connectors to the battery for tightness. I have heard here that the battery testers will pass a battery that the RL will have trouble with. Also, if the car is on, the battery voltage/current should have little effect. The terminal connection will effect the electronics with the car on. How old is the battery?

DiabloSVRacer

same with me, before i would take really hard turns because i would think im drifting, and the lights would flicker and then turn off. just replace both bulbs. if the driver side is flickering the passenger side will follow soon and u might as well do it.

mitchkramez

I concur that I think the primary culprit is likely the bulbs going bad... my reasoning behind it was mostly conjecture and comparing it to the DLP bulbs that I have more familiarity with from projectors and TV's

Tharussian45

battery is new, less than 6mo... i have noticed some corrosion on the terminals... what im thinking is that when im braking, the battery could be shifting and causing a quick loss of power maybe... (possibly a grounding issue) so i will go this weekend and buy some new terminals and new ground wire... hopefully thats the issue and nothing more serious...

Tharussian45

ummm.... is this too good to be true? a d2s bulb for this cheap???? if so, i'll buy em now and replace mine asap!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/D2S-D2R-HID-...ht_3470wt_1163

HEAVY_RL

iTrader: (1)

if not it claims there is a warranty

Tharussian45

ya, worth a try... a little update btw, cleaned the hell out of the battery terminals and so far the lights havent flickered again... could be coincidence... but im ordering new bulbs either way... what color temp are the stock ones? 4300? im thinking of getting 5k...

oo7spy

They are 4300K, but 5000k is my next step.

Zelaya

iTrader: (1)

I noticed this last night on my way home. I was working on my car this past weekend and I accidently left the headlights on and I remembered my alarm went off and all my lights were flashing until my battery die.

getakey

Even if you leave your headlights in "on" position (not auto), they will still turn off automatically.

oo7spy

^ After much time?

getakey

^ only a few minutes - can't remember if you can set the time

oo7spy

Are you sure the battery voltage just doesn't drop below the ballast threshold?

getakey

No, I'm sure. 1) I believe it is in the manual. 2) I left my lights on one day. Remembered after several hours and thought I would return to car with dead battery.
Lights were out and battery fine.

getakey

Just confirmed lights go out automatically in the manual whether in On or Auto position. Uses the same timeout period for both that you can set through the MID menu. Default is 90 seconds

Black Widow Gen2

OP, I am having the same issue with my passenger side light, only mine flickers and goes out when I make right turns, and hit a bump in the middle of the turn while the AFS is activated. I've read about the AFS light staying on in other threads, and it annoys me when mine comes on, but I really think this is a bulb or voltage issue. I'm gonna swap my bulbs and see what happens.

Anyone have a link to some good 5000K bulbs?