Bi-Xenons - ballast/control unit issue?
10-27-2011, 05:09 PM
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Bi-Xenons - ballast/control unit issue?
Summary of my long winded question below: Is there any way to reprogram a ballast/control unit that is currently causing the leveling motor to make constant minor adjustments to the xenon projector? Any issues leaving it that way?
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After having many 'dipped beam' issues on the 05 CS, I performed the harness surgery about a year ago and no longer utilize the sliding tray for that connection. All was good until I had a light go out about 6 months ago, swapped bulbs L->R and discovered it to be a bad bulb. Ordered a new pair, installed, good to go.
About a month ago, same issue (one light out) so I grabbed the 'good' bulb from the last swap out figuring it would work still until I could get around to ordering a new pair. Still didn't work. Swapped L->R and all 3 bulbs tested good, just right side light not working with any of the 3. Decided to swap the ballasts/control units L->R and problem was now on left side so it must be the ballast. Searched all over, new Porsche ones were $350 from Sunset and used ones are ~200 so I went used. While waiting for it to get here from China, the other side stopped working and I had zero operational low beams (high beams, cornering lights and parking lights still worked on both sides).
When the part arrived, I installed it on drivers side and that side worked. Moved it to passenger side and that side also worked. I guess I need another ballast...ordered another used one, this time from USA so it would get here quicker, and got it installed last night.
Both xenons now light up and function, no dash errors, but this most recent replacement ballast now causes the leveling motor on that side to constantly make minor adjustments after the initial sweep when they turn on. I did notice that while the ballast part number itself (Valeo LA5DG) was the same, the sticker had a VW logo on it that was not on any of the previous 3. If that ballast/control unit came out of a Touareg, would that cause the imperfect functioning of the leveling system, even though the bulb is working fine? Any way to reprogram it? I am just worried that the constant running of that motor will wear it out in time and not sure how expensive that fix would be...
Thanks for reading (and possibly laughing) along with me on this one...almost ready to find a set of Halogen lights and install them and be done with this saga...
Chris
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
After having many 'dipped beam' issues on the 05 CS, I performed the harness surgery about a year ago and no longer utilize the sliding tray for that connection. All was good until I had a light go out about 6 months ago, swapped bulbs L->R and discovered it to be a bad bulb. Ordered a new pair, installed, good to go.
About a month ago, same issue (one light out) so I grabbed the 'good' bulb from the last swap out figuring it would work still until I could get around to ordering a new pair. Still didn't work. Swapped L->R and all 3 bulbs tested good, just right side light not working with any of the 3. Decided to swap the ballasts/control units L->R and problem was now on left side so it must be the ballast. Searched all over, new Porsche ones were $350 from Sunset and used ones are ~200 so I went used. While waiting for it to get here from China, the other side stopped working and I had zero operational low beams (high beams, cornering lights and parking lights still worked on both sides).
When the part arrived, I installed it on drivers side and that side worked. Moved it to passenger side and that side also worked. I guess I need another ballast...ordered another used one, this time from USA so it would get here quicker, and got it installed last night.
Both xenons now light up and function, no dash errors, but this most recent replacement ballast now causes the leveling motor on that side to constantly make minor adjustments after the initial sweep when they turn on. I did notice that while the ballast part number itself (Valeo LA5DG) was the same, the sticker had a VW logo on it that was not on any of the previous 3. If that ballast/control unit came out of a Touareg, would that cause the imperfect functioning of the leveling system, even though the bulb is working fine? Any way to reprogram it? I am just worried that the constant running of that motor will wear it out in time and not sure how expensive that fix would be...
Thanks for reading (and possibly laughing) along with me on this one...almost ready to find a set of Halogen lights and install them and be done with this saga...
Chris
