Hi,

i have got my z for about 1 month,
(been browsing this forum longer than that so hopefully i post this in the right place)

anyhow, after a car wash yesterday i discover the right side of the headlight has gone wrong (with my limited knowledge i dont know if its burnt or about to die)

it first appeared a red-ish color (compare to the bright white on my right side)


just having a closer look,

the right bulb is completed out.

having the hazard lights on, both left and right orange turning lights on

there are 4 small squared orange lights on the far right top of the right side, which the 4 on the left all work, the 4 on the right, top one is out, and the rest 3 kept flashing, and make some buzzing sound.


any idea what was going on to my Z

im wondering if anyone can tell me if its the bulb that is burnt/dying, so i have to replace the whole thing or just the bulb (i youtubed looks like if i have to replace the whole headlight i have to take off the bumper...)

and maybe someone can tell me the cause of this?



any help is appreciated, and once again, sorry for asking if this is a dump question, Z is my second car and i am a true newbie


**update**
i just went back out and check on the car
im think the bulb is not burnt:
when i had the light switch on, the right headlight came on for 2 seconds, although it was dimmer, but it was on.
but i wasnt able to get it back on no matter i switch it back on/off or between high/low beam
if is was burnt, it wouldnt be able to get back on, ever, right?

next, if it was the bad fuse, again, if the light was on, that means the fuse isnt burnt.

also, regarding the 4 orange LED, tinight i had all 4 blinking (yesterday the top one was completely off)


any idea what further investigation should i take?


thx

 

looks to be just the bulbs. Take off that wheel and remove the plastic fender well liner then you can access all the bulbs on the backside of the light assembly.

had my z on a lift at friends place and put all new bulbs in both sides while the wheels were off for brake work not too long after I got the car.

 

here bro its lookng nobody is going to help you because if your headlight is out it is out, its common sense to change it.

How to change it:
https://my350z.com/forum/body-interi...s-non-hid.html


What to buy:
https://my350z.com/forum/exterior-an...l-of-them.html

 

Looks like its the bulbs like previously posted , the four little buls is actually an led strip with those 4 led mounted on it , i have an exta one that i can give you if you want , pm me and well work out the details

 

thanks, i just wasn't even sure if its burnt (i know its common sense to the most, but not to me,....)

since 2 days ago it was fine, a day ago it was half-dying with red-light
today is completely out.

i was also curious if i should bother with the 4 orange LED, and wondering if the bad fuse causes this.....
since i could hear the current/buzzing sound.

thanks for the comment ho

 

and thanks again for the link, i did youtube and search around, if the expects here believe its a bad bulb then i can just go ahead replace them, the links save my time!

 

I disagree - sounds like a bad connection, and the clue is this:

"there are 4 small squared orange lights on the far right top of the right side, which the 4 on the left all work, the 4 on the right, top one is out, and the rest 3 kept flashing, and make some buzzing sound."

I'd look for a bad ground, or a bad/wet main connection between the headlight and chassis harness.

 

yes, especially it happens right after i washed my car (well, maybe 15 mins after) but i didnt pop the hood or anything while i was it.

how can i check those part?


much appreciated.


thx

 

There are two things you can easily check, but now that I notice you're in Canada, your problem can easily be more complicated than it might be on my car.

If you open up the hatch cover on the back of the headlight you'll see a flat, uninsulated ground cable inside the HID housing. Make sure that's intact. Also, find and open p the big connector (maybe 8 pins?) which connects the headlight harness to the wiring harness on the car. There should be a pink/orange o-ring seal inside, it should be dry inside, and there shouldn't be any corrosion on the male or female connections inside.

Finally, this may be another possibility. Since you need to have working DRLs in Canada, and the Z didn't come with that setup originally, there is somewhere an aftermarket DRL control unit added under the hood. A failed module in that, or poor connections on any of those wires in/out of the unit could also be the source of your problem. Can't help any more from here, since I've got no clue how the DRLs are set up.

 

I agree with dcains. Also your ballast is located under the head light housing. Check to make sure that everything is sealed and no water is getting inside and affecting the wiring. I mean it very well could be the bulb. The easiest way is to switch bulbs and see if it works before having to buy a new set of D2S's.

 

hi there,

so i brought it to the dealer and have them looked at it and fixed.

it was a bad bulb.

over me $317 (65 for diagnosing, then $190 for the bulb (i know i could get it much cheaper elsewhere, and labor then it gives me some discount here and there)


now, the Z is back home, but i still found the 4 orange LED is blinking!!

any thoughts?

 

Holy rape without lube 190 for the bulb? I just got a pair for 40 bucks

 

i know. i told the service guy i can get a blub at canadian tire for 99, which isnt even a cheap place to go to, at first he was ok to have me get my car back, get the bulb, and bring it to them have them put it back on, then he called me back and told me when i bring it back its gonna be extra labor, and throwing 10% discount on labor and 10% on the bulb, so i was like......fine. total spent ~ 2 hrs.

i just called him back and advised about the 4 blinking LED

 

hi,

im wondering if xeon light would change color after years?

what happen is last night i finally had time to check the lights, the new light dealership installed for me (assuming its OEM, brand new) is a light yellower than my other side, which is from 2006 when car was made.

should i bother bring it to the dealer's attention, or its common as my original light has been used (that means new lights are yellower and after used it gets whiter?)


any thoughts?

 

HID bulbs come from many manufacturers and come in many color temps, so randomly trying to match a pair, especially of different ages, is just not a winning bet. If the bulb the dealer installed was indeed new (even if it's got a 2006 date), your best bet might be to match that one with another bulb from the same source. FWIW, the OEM bulbs are 4300K, which is slightly to the yellow side of white. That color temp actually provides the best light output, even though the ricer crowd often prefer blue, purple. or even green. Above 5000-5500K light output drops off quickly.

Another option is to buy a new pair of quality HID bulbs (meaning German-made Philips, Osram, or Sylvania) and you'll very likely be done for the life of the car. I have yet to see a decent pair of Chinese-made HID bulbs, although I have tried them from a very popular site sponsor, and several friends have purchased from other sources. I've found both the light output and beam pattern to be sub-par, but I guess other guys don't find that too much of a compromise. The cheap Chinese stuff may run from $29 to $79 per pair, while the quality German bulbs may cost quite a bot more, but here's one I'd recommend:

 

BTW, changing a headlight bulb on the Z isn't that big a deal. For example, if you want to change the right side bulb, turn the steering wheel full left. Then remove two screws and two push-clips from the fender liner and peel it back so you can reach the headlight. There's a large gray hatch that unscrews from the back of the headlight, allowing access to the HID bulb. Just make absolutely certain the bulb is seated squarely in its holder before closing everything up, as it is possible to have it be slightly crooked, which really screws up the beam pattern and light output. Give yourself a few hours to do both sides, take your time, and learn something new, which will also save you those ridiculous labor charges.

 

...mmmhhmmm i hear ya....
the dealer just charged me ~$400 (200 for 1 bulb)

not sure if i should go back and complain about it and they would even do anything.

i, for sure wont pay to get the other one (the original one) changed by them.


i did youtube about how to change the bulb, but i wasnt certain if it was a bad bulb so i brought the car there initially just want a look up ($60),
then they told me its the bulb, i had the choice to get it at a local store ($90/bulb)
since they charge me $180, but they they told me if i bring back the bulb and let them do it, they would have to open up the car again and charge the labor again.

so end up letting them do the replacement cost 2 hours, ~$150 for the bulb and $150 for labor (the guy there gave me some discount here and there)


now im left to decided if i should bring the car back to them, have them check my blinking LED, and question them for the bulb.

they already told me there will be no initial check up cost (the first $60 is waived)

 

They're not called "Stealerships" for nothing.