Sarcastic Brit

Attempting to fix lighting issue with 2005 A8L DS headlight.
Removed Ballast and Bulb but cannot see how bulb retaining clip fits into housing. Cannot get it to hold bulb in position to refit new ballast. Does anyone have a picture of how the clip should sit in the housing - workshop manual woefully inadequate.
On the plus side, was able to get at everything without removing bumper (fully turned wheel and removed wheel lining and can just get hand to remove everything but now cannot get back together!!!
Hopefully one of you bright guys took some pictures in the process.....

Edd W

No pics but if the car is fitted with OEM with D2S bulbs the clips are fairly straightforward as far as I recall - once you have the wheelarch liner removed anyway. I tried from above with the air filter housing removed and I managed to remove the lamp but it was impossible to get the clip back in - once you can see it however, it took about 5 mins.

Look in the ballast connection to the back of the lamp - there is a lock mechanism whihc has to be set correctly or you cannot fit the ballast onto the back of the lamp - test this with the lamp out of the headlight beforehand to familiarise yourself with the way it goes.

Another thing worth doing - if this is the left hand side, is to check your power steering fluid while you are in there - it is easier to get to with the liner removed.

audi01a6

it took me about 45min. the other day doing one,u just have to line everything up to do it

Sarcastic Brit

I agree it SHOULD have been simple. However the clip is not currently attached to housing and inserting separately does NOT create tension to keep bulb in place and therefore keep bulb in position to twist ballast into place.
Should the clip to free OR should it be attached and pivoted in housing and if so how?
Thanks

snapdragon

The HID bulb is held in by a wire hold-down clip that should be captive.
First, the bulb needs to be rotated so that the locating tabs are in the gaps in the lamp.
The clip is spring-loaded and hooks at each end behind a hook, the centre of the wire is held captive in the lamp.
Something like this general pic...
http://www.llamas.net/~hdclown/audi/HID_bulb.jpg

Sarcastic Brit

Many thanks - unfortunately my xenon arrangement for 2004 A8L looks a tad different (see picture). I am unable to see how the clip should attach into the holder to provide tension on bulb. It should have been a 'no brainer' but clip came off with bulb.....

snapdragon

I see, the wire must be held at the top by a tab because he opposite ends are at ~4 and ~8 o'clock.
Can you see it with a mirror and torch? Probably needs popping back behind a tab or two and them bending back.

skahak

I had a similar problem changing mine on my 2008 8L 3.0 TDI.
After almost braking the damn thing I saw that I had to FIRST
line up the locking tabs in the ballast, align and twist it onto the
bulb, and THEN attach the cable in the ballast. Inserting the cable
activates a lock ring makingit impossible getting the ballast to
connect with the bulb with the cable already installed into the ballast.

K9COP

Being English, and of course, not sarcastic, I do have a question. I have one of my D3 lights that's not as 'blue' as the other. I swapped the bulbs out, and it's the same. Did you have a similar problem, and did the ballast swap cure it?

Thanks, K9

skahak

I changed mine bulbs (DS2) due to one going purple, indicating
soon dead, same ballast installed back on.
Only thing I can think of is that you maybe have received bulbs
with different temp range. This and aging will give different color,
but then again you probably know this already.