Replacement bulb/main headlight D4

[landoman]

I have a 2011 HSE D4 ........one of the main headlight globes has gone ( not the high beam ...just the main headlight

I went to trivets and they said a replacement globe was $430 ?????

Surely this cannot be right .......

What sort of bulb do I need to replace ....and can I buy this from other sources
Other than LR.......

I'm not sure if I have xenon or halogen .......but I think they are xenon ...

Many thanks

[Redback]

Search on google for the replacement bulb, the genuine bulb is either Ozram or Phillips, OK it's a DS3 Phillips Bi Xenon, heaps on Ebay.

Found this mob

http://www.lightbulbs4cars.com/product/HID3S6

AND

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-XENON-BIXENON-PHILIPS-D3S-BULB-AUDI-A3-A4-A5-Q5-A6-/200454651552?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item2eac073ea0

Baz.

[landoman]

Many thanks for that baz ...........that looks better than $430 even if they don't last as long
Spoke to phillips in Australia and they say that bulb in original ( D3S) not available as aftermarket in Australia still only available as replacement via dealers ( subject to contracts with car companies ) ...at $430 I can see why !!

Thanks again much obliged

[eddomak]

Many thanks for that baz ...........that looks better than $430 even if they don't last as long
Spoke to phillips in Australia and they say that bulb in original ( D3S) not available as aftermarket in Australia still only available as replacement via dealers ( subject to contracts with car companies ) ...at $430 I can see why !!

Thanks again much obliged

For the D4 3.0 SE Xenons (D3S bulb) I bought some aftermarket "OEM" from Mars Performance (http://www.marsperformance.com.au/) (who are also on eBay). They seem to sell ones with the sticker on them (http://www.marsperformance.com.au/Philips-D3S-35W-AC-HID-Xenon-Head-Lights-Bulbs) for $120/pair, with a lifetime warranty. They are also located in Australia, so postage was quick.

At first they sent me their own non-Philips-sticker pair, and I was OK with it (and a refund of the price difference) but both stopped working within 2 weeks. I claimed the lifetime warranty and all they needed were some photos of the blown bulbs. They then sent me the Philips OEM sticker ones (since that was the original transaction) and those have lasted with no problems.

The performance side by side with the remaining factory original bulb was on par, but slightly whiter (even though still rated at 4300K) and so I have swapped it so they match.

[landoman]

For the D4 3.0 SE Xenons (D3S bulb) I bought some aftermarket "OEM" from Mars Performance (http://www.marsperformance.com.au/) (who are also on eBay). They seem to sell ones with the sticker on them (http://www.marsperformance.com.au/Philips-D3S-35W-AC-HID-Xenon-Head-Lights-Bulbs) for $120/pair, with a lifetime warranty. They are also located in Australia, so postage was quick.

At first they sent me their own non-Philips-sticker pair, and I was OK with it (and a refund of the price difference) but both stopped working within 2 weeks. I claimed the lifetime warranty and all they needed were some photos of the blown bulbs. They then sent me the Philips OEM sticker ones (since that was the original transaction) and those have lasted with no problems.

The performance side by side with the remaining factory original bulb was on par, but slightly whiter (even though still rated at 4300K) and so I have swapped it so they match.


Thanks for that .......I have read somewhere that most of the phillips bulbs offered on the internet are fakes from china .......but if they last a reasonable time at this price I'll be happy .........I'll order two of these and tell them I want "the phillips " ones and hope they give a reasonable life ....

...had found some other ones for $79 for 2 .....but I think they are genuine fakes from china and suspect they might be few days life like your first two

Thanks again

[eddomak]

Thanks for that .......I have read somewhere that most of the phillips bulbs offered on the internet are fakes from china .......but if they last a reasonable time at this price I'll be happy .........I'll order two of these and tell them I want "the phillips " ones and hope they give a reasonable life ....

...had found some other ones for $79 for 2 .....but I think they are genuine fakes from china and suspect they might be few days life like your first two

Thanks again

I have had a look at Mars Performance on eBay and on their own website and it seems they don't offer the cheaper (non-genuine-imitation) $80 pair anymore. To their credit they were very responsive to my emails during both the original stuff up as well as the warranty claim. Hey, if it is a lifetime warranty, then you can just keep swapping...

[rasinater]

I got a replacement Osram D3s 35w Zenon bulb from Repco - Narva part no 49309 for $180 trade price .

[landoman]

Thanks for that
When I took mine out it was an osram

Got the two "phillips " ? From Mars for $120

Fitted and was working then stopped working .....removed headlight and unplugged and replugged ....then it was working .....put headlight back in ....and not working ......thinking my problem may not be bulbs after all .....may be a connection problem ......tomorrow will clean the connection plug with contact cleaner spray

So questions

Anyway you can test the bulbs ( want to test the old one as it looks to be ok ...no signs of burning out

Anyway to check connection wiring ...

Don't think it's a fuse issue as all other lights seem to work

[rasinater]

Try checking the ballast & earth connections , sometimes moisture causes the problem in the connections .

[landoman]

Not sure id know where to find them .......only one multiple pin plug going into the back of the light module ......

[rufusking]

The wiring on the connector has 3 to 5 black earth's depending if you have adaptive headlights or cornering / static bending lights. Not near my vehicle at the moment but the wiring diagram states that the LH earth point is only 130mm away and the RH 205mm. Should be easy to locate.

[eddomak]

Got the two "phillips " ? From Mars for $120

Fitted and was working then stopped working .....removed headlight and unplugged and replugged ....then it was working .....put headlight back in ....and not working ......thinking my problem may not be bulbs after all .....may be a connection problem ......tomorrow will clean the connection plug with contact cleaner spray


Yeah, I had some similar experiences as well, but only with the $80 pair. Since I still had one original factory one which worked absolutely fine, I tried swapping left/right to see if the problems switched sides as well. And it didn't help diagnosis when in the end all that flickering ended up in a blown bulb anyway - it was just the signs of the bulb on the way out.

For reference, check that the hard ceramic wire that goes the length of the tube (but outside the tube) is not damaged/cracked, as that part broke on mine.

It's so frustrating when you don't know for sure if you spent money on something that never needed to be fixed in the first place! But for me, when the "Philps" ones came all problems disappeared.

[RickO]

Hello Everyone,

Just wondering if any of you have replaced Xenon headlamp bulbs recently?

Just weighing up Mars performance replacement globe (https://marsperformance.com.au/MARS-Performance-D3S-35W-AC-HID-High-Intensity-Discharge-Xenon-Bulbs-Headlights)@ $159 (with lifetime warranty) vs a replacement D3s 35w Zenon bulb - Narva part no 49309 (https://automotivesuperstore.com.au/narva-49309) the cheapest I can find for $284?

Any help much appreciated.

Ta muchly,
RickO

[Tombie]

Never Narva!

Those Mars units are 12 month warranty according to their site and a complete unknown but likely a cheap Chinese unit as they look like some I’ve seen elsewhere.

Osram or Philips would be my recommendation

[ontheway]

Osram or Philips would be my recommendation

I bought the following from powerbulbs for my L320. They are almost always 25% off.

OSRAM Xenarc Night Breaker Laser D3S (Twin) 1 $374.28 AUD each
OSRAM Night Breaker Laser +150% H7 (Twin) 1 $57.11 AUD each

They are a little brighter compared to the old worn out working bulb. I bought the H7s so the colour matched closer. not that this really matters.

Lots of other options on the site.