Sidelight not working!

[sean.smithy]

I'm having some problems with my drivers side sidelight, I've recently changed my headlights, all the lights worked before changing them, i don't know whether a fuse has blown or something to do with a relay? just to make sure every other light works, it's just the drivers side sidelight that doesn't, if you can help great!

 

[sean.smithy]

im also having a problem with the passenger side headlight getting condensation on the inside? could this be due to damp getting into it?

 

[guysy]

Are the covers on the backs of the light? so it keeps the damp out?

So the passenger light has condensation, and the drivers side light doesnt work... For the passengers I would take the covers off the back and heat the headlight with a hairdryer, put the caps back on and hope whatever moisture was in there is gone and doesnt return.

For the side light, look inside the bulb holder, are the connectors close enough together to make contact with the light bulb when inserted?

 

[sean.smithy]

yeahh the covers are on the back, they seem to mist up when i drive but when i stop its very slowly disappears, how long should i heat the headlight for?

Im not sure, how would i check this? also ive realised that when i indicate or brake, the fog light on the dash comes on, has this got anything to do with my side light? im really confused

 

[guysy]

You want to warm it really not heat it, just enough to make the moisture go, then you can hope it doesn't return.

Just look at the sidelight holder if you look at the contacts you will see if they are together enough to make contact with the bulb when it's in, you might have a contact that's bent too far back which would stop the bulb from working.

Also could be corrosion but don't stick any metal objects in there to clean it without the battery negative off.

 

[guysy]

Oh and also the fog light coming on slightly when you brake is your rear clusters having dirty contacts.

Remove the rear lights, un pop the clusters out, unplug them, take the bulbs out, then clean the contacts with a flat screw driver and wd40. When putting the bulbs back in wiggle them a few times to clean the contacts again before refitting.

 

[Alastair.]

My audi was a fuker for the headlights steaming up, i have left the caps on half way now, they have been fine for the past year.

 

[sean.smithy]

will have a go this weekend thank you both, when it comes to cleaning the connection how do you turn the battery to negative?

 

[guysy]

What you do is you look at the battery in the engine bay, there should be a red box covering one terminal which is the positive, leave that alone. the terminal closest to the front of the car with a short black wire is the negative, unbolt it and take it off the terminal carefully and put it in a carrier bag or something so it doesnt re-conect by accident . This means you wont have electricity flowing round the car if you intend to clean the contacts.

Its simple but dont mess about with it if you dont understand that, ask someone who knows if your unsure.

Have a look at the bulb holder and take a pic of the inside and post it on here before messing with anything if your uncertain mate.

 

[sean.smithy]

alright i'll have a look in the morning could it be a bad earth for my fog light on the dash coming on from the rear light clusters? if so, does the same thing apply as i would need to clean the contacts? have i got to make sure the negative is unbolted too?

could it also be a bad earth to why my side light doesnt work? just a bit confused as they a brand new lights so surely the connections must be clean on the front and my passenger works fine.

 

[sean.smithy]

sorry i keep posting stuff but i keep forgetting things haha, when i was testing the lights, i had my hazards on, dipped beam, main beam and sidelights, i went to the back and realised that the sidelight was dimming when the hazards flashed? any ideas on this?

 

[guysy]

Rear clusters unplug from the car so when your cleaning them they wont be attached to any live electrics so thats fine.

The sidelights dimming do sound like a dirty earth or old battery. I'm not sure if you need the negative off the battery when cleaning the earths, but You might as well take it off and clean all the contacts in one go.

The earth for the passengers side is bolted onto the metal divider that divides the engine bay from the battery bay. And I think the drivers light has its own earth behind the light itself which would need to be removed for access to that bolt (I think).

Each rear light has its own earth point if you pull the boot carpet away slightly where your unbolting each light inside the boot.

 

[sean.smithy]

ahh right okay, i think i understand haha the rear clusters i could do myself, just unsure and not very confident with everything else:/ first car and all that im not very car minded:/

 

[sean.smithy]

im gonna buy some contact cleaner to clean them could a bad earth be why my front sidelight is out? as i read somewhere a bad earth from the rear clusters can take out lights at random?

also, with the contact cleaner can i also use it on the front side light connector without messing with the battery?

 

[guysy]

Yeah rears should solve the fog light blinking. You dont have to buy contact cleaner, some WD40 / penetrating fluid will do and just run clean any muck off the contacts.

Have you looked at the sidelight holder yet? could be a contact not making contact, could be something else.

You can give it a quick blast inside the holder then push the bulb in and out a few time with the lights turned off and the ignition off. then turn lights on and see if it works. you might clean the contacts up pushing the bulb in and out and make it work.

Make sure you havent got a dead bulb too!

 

[sean.smithy]

ahh right okay i havent had chance to yet as the weather has been awful all day, will try tomorrow when its light now will try pushing the bulb in and out first like you said, if not i will try some WD40.

and noo im pretty sure i havent got a dead bulb as i swapped them over when i fitted them when they didnt work at first, drivers side worked in passenger side but passenger side didnt work in drivers side, but will double check tomorrow thank you for being patient with me

 

[guysy]

If your trying LED bulbs you have to get them the right way round, so if it doesn't work one way, try turning it round and try the other way.

If its a normal bulb it doesn't matter which way.

 

[sean.smithy]

noo its just standard bulbs, 501 i think it is? im hoping to get LED bulbs in the future though so will remember that

btw, off topic now but i soon hope to change my bulbs to a nicer white bulb, for my dipped and main beam i was thinking about diamond vision philip bulbs, any idea if there good? and whats a good match for sidelights?

 

[guysy]

Yeah the branded "extra power" "whiter" bulbs are usually slightly whiter than cheap normal bulbs, but there not really white if thats what your expecting.

The bulbs that look white-ish blue are the blue tinted ones, but from my experience there cheap and crap.

I ran Osram Nightbreaker plus for dipped and Philips bluevision 501 sidelight bulbs which I found where a good combo. They where a clean look but don't expect them to be xenon white.

 

[sean.smithy]

yeahh the diamond vision are blue tinted, i think for a pair im looking at around 20 pound if i was to buy them? im not expecting xenon white just a nicer and cleaner looking light than a yellow aha, got any photos of them together? and any idea what i can use for my full beam?

 

[sean.smithy]

gonna try sorting out my electric problems today haha im half tempted though to just take the sidelights out as id just drive with my headlights on at night, can you drive around without sidelights in?

 

[sean.smithy]

ive just noticed that my tail lights are out, could this be the cause of it? like a blown bulb or something? i know its not a relay as my number plate light and speedo lights still work which is all the same circuit as the tail lights