Hey everyone, I've been looking around, but haven't been able to find a scenario like mine, so sorry if this has been brought up before.

Anyway, since about a month or two ago I noticed that my passenger side headlight has been flickering a bit. By flickering I mean it will actually kick off or a fraction of a second, then kick back on, but I've not had the light completely go out. There's also a slight issue I noticed where it seems to look like it's bouncing around a bit; it's especially noticeable when I'm parked facing a wall.

I've taken the car to a mechanic, and he says it looks like the bulbs are going out, but to me it seems like this has been going on for a bit too long to be a bulb going out; and looking around it does seem like the ballast could be an issue as well.

Does anyone by chance know what could be causing this? Any ideas and advice are much appreciated.

 

The bulb is the last thing I would check. It's most likely a ballast issue. Have you eliminated the easy stuff? Checked all connections with the bulb and ballast? If the connections are all fine try switching your passenger and driver ballasts. If the driver side starts doing it then you know its the ballast. They can be found used on eBay for around $60.

 

Personally, i'd check the bulb first. Easiest to swap, and cheapest to replace.

Swap the bulbs, and see if the problem follows the bulb.

If not, then swap the ballasts.

 

The bulb is $100 at AutoZone. The ballast is cheaper.

 

I would look at the socket... My first G, the socket melted.... I had a flicker as well.

 

Yea I'm a mobile discotecccaaaaaaaaaaa I need to look into it but probably won't until the light won't go back on

 

Or you buy an aftermarket bulbs for $15/pair.

I've had a set in my car for the last 4 years with no issues.

 

http://www.ddmtuning.com/Products/AP...lacements-Pair

 

Ha! I'm glad you created this thread. I have the same issue, but always forget to look up a solution.

 

Still not the issue. It's very rare that these bulbs go out. They're made to last the life of the car. It's not like a halogen.

Plus, when has it ever been a good idea to just throw money at a problem and hope it fixes it? Find what the real problem is and spend as little as possible to fix it correctly.

 

A whole new setup with a lifetime warranty from ddmtuning is less than $60 or with a 1 year warranty from diode dynamics for a few dollars more. Mechanic makes $60+ per hour. Probably better to buy a pnp new setup and diy than to pay a mechanic to troubleshoot.

 

Pay a mechanic? All he has to do is take the ballast from one light and switch it into the other. That will most likely diagnose his problem.

 

Thank you all for the replies. I took my car out last night to go to dinner, and noticed that the driver side light is flickering slightly as well, though not as bad. I think I'll double check the headlights to make sure the connections aren't melted or anything, and I may have to try getting a used ballast off of ebay. Thanks for all the ideas! I'll post back with any new information (hopefully soon, but my time is mainly going to be taken up by tests and papers for the next few days).


Also, sorry for the off topic bit here, but does anyone know what this is? I feel as though this may be a bit of an issue, and I'm not quite sure if there's supposed to be anything there, or how to go about fixing it... (sorry, cars aren't my strong suit )

 

Easier said than done.

I know plenty of guys who take their cars to the mechanic when a headlight bulb burns out.

 

Rear subframe bushing is leaking/bad.

https://g35driver.com/forums/drivetr...luid-leak.html

The fluid is the fluid that is inside the bushing.