[afterimageburn]

Hello. I need help figuring out what is wrong with the passenger side Xenon headlight on my '04 Touareg, which is not powering on unless I have it on high beam. The bulb itself is fine, but don't know what else is going on with it. Anybody else with experience in this issue? The mechanic I took it to said that it might be the ballast, but don't want to dish out money unless I know FOR SURE what is causing the issue. Please help with this!

 

[Denker]

Have you tried swapping the bulbs from one side to the other to narrow it down? Ensure that it isn't the separate H7 "passing" high beam bulbs that come on when you flick the stalk towards you. It would surprise me if this were the case as the xenon bulb should always be on and a reflector is moved to make it the "high beam." Pushing the stalk forward so your high beams come on and stay on will cause the shutter to move rather than the passing high beam bulbs to come on. Although the that can be changed with vagcom to have all of them come on, but that is another thread for another time.

 

[twoVWs]

I had the same problem..simple fix, change the bulb (comes with the ballast)..Autozone has brand new ones for $90+ dollars..they used to be over $250. from a dealer..no problems since. Instructions for changing them yourself can be found on the forum..Very easy, takes 10 minutes.

 

[afterimageburn]

I had the same problem..simple fix, change the bulb (comes with the ballast)..Autozone has brand new ones for $90+ dollars..they used to be over $250. from a dealer..no problems since.

Hi. Thanks for your recommendation. So, just buy the ballast unit from Autozone? What do I tell them? Do I need a specific model number or anything? Sorry but am clueless with this and really appreciate your help. My mechanic is an independent. The dealer wanted $120 just to look at the light

 

[afterimageburn]

Have you tried swapping the bulbs from one side to the other to narrow it down? Ensure that it isn't the separate H7 "passing" high beam bulbs that come on when you flick the stalk towards you. It would surprise me if this were the case as the xenon bulb should always be on and a reflector is moved to make it the "high beam." Pushing the stalk forward so your high beams come on and stay on will cause the shutter to move rather than the passing high beam bulbs to come on. Although the that can be changed with vagcom to have all of them come on, but that is another thread for another time.

Yes, we tried swapping the bulbs and that didn't work either. So can we narrow it down to the ballast? All the wiring has been checked and everything is fine. Thanks!

 

[Denker]

I had the same problem..simple fix, change the bulb (comes with the ballast)..Autozone has brand new ones for $90+ dollars..they used to be over $250. from a dealer..no problems since.

Google Touareg D1S bulb and see what you get for images. Google Touareg xenon ballast and see what comes up in images. Ensure that you are correct in your assessment of what the ballast is as I am amazed that Autozone had one and that it was cheap and came with a bulb. Just want to ensure we aren't confusing the OP with misinformation.

 

[afterimageburn]

Gotcha, will look into it. So the ballast comes with the bulb or do I have to buy the bulb separately?

 

[twoVWs]

it comes as one unit..signing out..

 

[Denker]

Autozone does not carry ballasts for Touaregs.

Here is a link to a good source for the bulb:
VW/Audi Bulb Low Beam 12V - 35W (D1S) (2 Per Car) N10566103 - RM European Auto Parts

And for the ballast (module part #16) along with a parts diagram:

http://keffervwparts.com/parts/2004.../parts/2004/VOLKSWAGEN/TOUAREG/?siteid=216177&vehicleid=1433596&diagram=9240020

These are some of the best prices I've found for OEM or OEM quality replacement parts.

 

[afterimageburn]

I went to Autozone, and like you said, they had the Sylvania unit HID bulb set, here is the link:

Sylvania HID/Headlight (D1S) | AutoZone.com

Now, the description says that there is a ballast included. I was mistaken earlier. My low beam headlight on the passenger side is not working. My mechanic replaced the bulb twice (thinking that it was defective the first time around) and it is still inoperable. I don't know what's going on, but he told me that it might be the ballast, and when I look at the Autozone one, it says that there is a ballast included in the unit. Is that the right one you think?

 

[noobytoogy]

You should replace in pairs by the way for consistency of illumination/colour.

 

[Denker]

Please do an image search as I recommended earlier and it will all make sense (hopefully). My link to the parts diagram at KefferVW is also relatively self explanatory. You are confusing the description on their website of how HIDs work for a listing of included parts. It sounds like you may be at the mercy of your mechanic though.

 

[Fourdiesel]

Have the vehicle scanned with VCDS - there must be someone in the LA basin with one. I just had my independent (who has a VCDS as do I) replace a defective headlight control module under extended warranty ($385 w/o warranty)

 

[Tregowner83]

Have had crazy issues with headlights. So both were flickering for a while. Finally i broke down and bought two new bulbs. Replaced them both which was an adventure considering the previous owner broke the heads off the release. Both bulbs back in and working fine for a day then out of the bleu i start the treg and the warning light came on. I got out and checked lights and sure enough the drivers side was out. Tried restarting treg and turning lights on and off. No luck. Tried a new bulb yet still wont turn on. I have no leveling or flapper nor bi xenon on drivers side. Checked wiring all looks good. Swapped ballasts thats where im confused. Pass side ballast still will not operate drivers side assembly and drivers ballast wont operate pass side assembly. Should the good ballast not make the drivers side work drivers side still has signal and marker lamp and high beam still work. Looking for some advice or a diagram of which pins are what on the vehicle side where the assembly plugs to.

 

[Mina08]

I have had the same problems and finally realised, you have to push those lights hard back in, then twist the locking knob.

 

[Mina08]

I have had the same problems and finally realised, you have to push those lights hard back in, then twist the locking knob.

To get a good connection

 

[Tregowner83]

Thanks for the help. Yes i did notice that my drivers marker would not turn on until i pushed the assembly in. But i ensured it was in all the way. And even pushed harness in the back all the way in. Still lost.

 

[rinaic]

The connections can get funky when you pull them out and may not recognize when you re-seat.
Easy way to test is to pull up the plug inside the T-Reg and pull it out as far as it will come.
You can then plug in the other complete light assembly to see if it's working and vise versa (albeit it may sit in there somewhat precariously).
This is the easy way to troubleshoot. I figured it out after ripping everything apart, changing ballasts, cleaning every connector, etc.

What the problem ended up being is that the fuse blew for some reason when I installed the new lamps. The fuse didn't exactly match the fuse card in my Touareg (that would be too easy). But once I found the blown fuse and replaced the light came back to life just fine.

 

[Tregowner83]

Guess i will go and examine every fuse. Ill i checked was the ones that were headlight related on the card. Might get lucky. Is there separate fuses for low beam and flapper and level adjustment.

 

[rinaic]

Yes the HID is different fuse than the other bulbs.
Try swapping the light assemblies with the plugs out first. If they both work on passenger connector then it isn't the fuse, it's just a bad connection.