[rustynutz]

I could swear on occassions when on the bike I can feel heat coming off some people's headlights.

Am i going mad?
Is my bike just radiating potent V4 gases?

Or do some headlights actually do this... I can feel it on the back of my legs.

Yep, you're going mad....
I suspect it's just the heat radiating off your lovely V4......

[ElleB]

Thanks Guys for the feedback and comment on the HID legality issues that I raised.

 Thanks Rusty for doing the research and cutting through the Blah Blah Blah!!!   

I am just back home last night, after a week in hospital, so am doing some catching up. 

Did the run to Broken Hill 2 weeks back...will report the results in the correct thread soon.

 Cheers
  Elle B

[Dazzler]

I am just back home last night, after a week in hospital, so am doing some catching up. 

Hope it was nothing serious and you are ok now 

[rustynutz]

I am just back home last night, after a week in hospital, so am doing some catching up. 

Needed a break from the wife, hey? 

Seriously, hope all is well now....

[ElleB]

Thanks for the good wishes guys...

  Had a bladder stone removed .... some internal surgery and a biopsy... so the water works are a bit on the "tender" side !!! 

 Anyway, it will take a little time to recover, but each day will be better... ( so I am told).


 Cheers
  Elle B
 

[Dazzler]

Ouch (I will sit quietly with my legs crossed for a while...) Better out than in as they say 

[druggist]

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhh that is the sound an i30 owner makes when his car blows another headlight, 3 weeks after the last one, and when his alternator was replaced in the interim at no cost by Hyundai.

Can't wait to hear the sound the service manager makes tomorrow when I walk in.

Where to from here Hyundai Australia? Is it becoming a Trade Practices issue of a product unsuitable for sale?

[Phil №❶]

Can you describe the sequence of events leading up to this globe failure, what was on/off etc. 

[druggist]

Today I can't except that I turned the lights on after I started the car and had driven 100m. As it was daylight I didn't notice bulb out until I pulled in behind another car at some traffic lights some 60km later at the other end of the F3 freeway.

Previously the bulb has blown when I turn the lights on after starting the car and travelling several hundred metres.

[Phil №❶]

This is a dealership problem of course, but, as it is an ongoing problem, I would be testing the car electrics myself.

If you are competent, rig up a cigarette lighter plug with  2 wires + and -. Buy a digital multimeter, Bunnings, Dick Smith or Jaycar under $20. Set it to dc volts. Have someone else monitor the volts readout over some days.

Normal readings would be around 12.5 v engine off. 11 v engine cranking. 13.5 engine running, no extra electrical loads. Readings higher than 14.5 will cause bulb failure IMHO & I don't think you should see volts that high.

This is a very simplistic test and MIGHT give you a clue as to what is going on. If your helper can record volts and your driving actions on paper you can analyze it later.

Hope this helps.   

[Shambles]

I might be tempted to remove the headlamp assembly(ies) and ensure the fittings aren't wobbling around, as I believe a filament is more prone to failure when it's hot (and being bounced around).

[druggist]

Thanks Shambles, we tried that one early on with no luck.

My best mate is a senior management person at one of the big 2 lighting companies in Australia and he has looked at all burnt out bulbs and diagnosed them as burnt out most likely due to voltage rather than installation problems or dirt on the glass etc.

Has anyone any contacts at Hyundai? Short of parking outside head office at North Ryde with a large lemon sign in the window I can't seem to get past their Customer Care Centre.

They did organise to give me a loan car when the alternator was replaced and "testing" was done. However when I picked up the car they had also fixed a "steering angle sensor internal malfunction and tested OK". The thing is that the airbag light was on when I started the car on picking it up, so it had to go back again to have that fixed. So much for "tested all OK" from the report. Their mechanic had driven it from the Holden/Hyundai workshop back to the Hyundai service reception at the other end of a large Sydney dealership and apparently not noticed an airbag light lit up on the dash.

Now where is the little smiley icon bashing his head against a wall.

   

[Dazzler]

Sorry to hear it is still not resolved 

[druggist]

I had a call back this morning from Hyundai Customer Care.

What is your problem sir?] Sorry didn't the person who took the call yesterday, taking VIN details etc pass that on to you.

No we would probably replace the bulb with a new long life one. Haven't you done that a number of times?

I don't have access to the service information for the car

What about the service details from last fortnight? They aren't updated in the computer for a month or so

Can I speak to the state service manager please? We don't have a phone number for them

I am speaking to you in the same building, can you put me through via the switch? We can't do that sir

I work in a customer service industry myself, surely when you have a complaint put to you and you are calling someone back you look up the history of the problem before you call. You read the notes before you call and have some alternatives thought through.

Talk about a great product, and I do love my cdi CW being stuffed up by poor customer service.

[Surferdude]

Damn frustrating that.
I had a similar problem with my Commodore in Sydney many years ago. A serious one in that a leak (which they couldn't find) was leaving small pools of petrol in the hollows in the rocker cover. Bloody dangerous. But I couldn't get past the local service manager and even the customer service help line was less than helpful.
Luckily it was a lease vehicle and the lease company sorted it out, got me a call back, booking the next day, FOC loan car and all, within 5 minutes of my calling them.

Whilst I realise you 've probably done this, maybe a lengthy e-mail detailing all the issues' history to Hyundai Australia and including your dissatisfaction with the attention the problem has received up till now is about all you can do.
Then it's consumer affairs I guess.

[Dazzler]

Druggist.. I think we may have suggested this before but I would also be pointing out to them that your issues are being documented on this worldwide site .. and include a link..

[rustynutz]

That doesn't surprise me, I had less than helpful communication with them over my door seal issue.......

[druggist]

Just received a phone call from Hyundai After Sales Manager promising a fix. I asked for it in writing and here is a copy:

Michael, thanks for your call this morning, and of course I am troubled by it, I understand your predicament and I will be in close contact with the dealer and Cxxxs Sxxxx to have the problem solved as soon as possible.
I’ll be in contact with the dealer and yourself over the coming days.

Kind regards

  Danny De Chalain
  Area After Sales Manager
  Hyundai Motor Company Australia
  Phone   :  +61 2 8873 6203
  Mobile   :  +61 438 438 118
  mailto   :  Danny_deChalain@hyundai.com.au
  Web      :  www.hyundai.com.au

Local dealer who has been helpful, but I believe hamstrung by Hyundai protocols have offered a loan car for the week they want my car.

Dazzler I have also pointed out to them about the posts on this forum and believe that it was ability to do that, that had the matter escalated from "we'll replace the bulbs BS"

I am lead to believe that they are now looking at resistance in wires to the headlights as a possibility.

[rustynutz]

Great news!

[Dazzler]

Great news Druggist! Sounds like they need to develop a blanket fix and a minor recall on all Diesel i30's.

[Phil №❶]

So far, haven't had a problem with our 2 diesels. 1 does quite a lot of night driving too.

? Resistance in the wires, if that were the case, the wires themselves would heat up and in fact lower the volts to the lights which should protect them, not cause them to blow. The problem would then be damage to the wiring loom & that's not what is happening. (thank goodness) 

[Dazzler]

So far, haven't had a problem with our 2 diesels. 1 does quite a lot of night driving too.

Maybe you don't start the cars with the lights turned to on 

? Resistance in the wires, if that were the case, the wires themselves would heat up and in fact lower the volts to the lights which should protect them, not cause them to blow.

I thought they were suggesting wire with a little more resistance as a fix 

[Phil №❶]

1 No we don't start like that.

2 Depends on how you interpret the sentence. So the fix will produce unwanted heat & yellow lights,,,, they're not touching my cars.

As I've said b4, they need to be voltage regulated on cars with a history of blown globes. 

[Shambles]

I don't suppose...

No, it wouldn't be.


Could it be that someone has been handling the glass part of the bulbs when fitting them?

[accim]

Wait wait wait, so you don't have your lights on all the time (day&night), like we must have? And they still go out so quickly? Huh.

Also.. I've noticed, that at some services, they just don't know how to replace the bulb properly (or they just don't feel like doing it that way). When you are replacing a bulb, you must do it carefully and must constantly have in mind, not to touch the glass of the bulb. In case you do, you will decrease the life time of the bulb dramatically.

Last day, I've replaced the bulb in my uncles Ceed, because I was shocked watching him do it. He took the bulb (holding the glass) and started replacing.... I took the bulb, wiped it well (but it's still no good) and did it myself. He was like: "Why...?"  I have a pic of the bulb somewhere (which was in my ex i30), which almost exploded - I think because of that.. It was replaced at the service and some of them just don't know how to change them.

Here's the pic:

[Phil №❶]

Surely not over & over again   

[Shambles]

Surely not over & over again   

Just once on each bulb would be enough (I know what you're saying tho)


Like accim I've seen the disastrous result of mishandling a bulb; you get an hour max before the glass billows or fragments

[constipated]

So far, haven't had a problem with our 2 diesels. 1 does quite a lot of night driving too.

Are you still on your original bulbs for the 2008 diesel? If so, at least there is hope for us CRDi drivers.

[Phil №❶]

Sorry, only got both cars this year, so I don't know. The 2008 is the one that does most of the night driving though. 

[rustynutz]

I fitted some Osram Night Breaker Plus H1's & H7's last February and haven't had an issue so far....... 

I do only turn the headlights on after I've started the engine though so maybe that's the secret....