i30 Owners Club
GOT PROBLEMS OR ISSUES? => GENERAL => Topic started by: Duckman on July 12, 2010, 09:05:22
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Hi guys, unfortunately I think I have an autoelectrical fault, but I don't think it's necessarily an i30/Hyundai issue, therefore I write it in General Discussion!
Anywho, I have gone through about 6 globes in as many months, all being the standard H7 globes that provide the headlight illumination. I haven't added any halogen/Xenon globes, just the bog standard ones. Is there any course of action I should take (other than to the dealer), that would cause this to happen? Or is there an easy fix? Oh, and they were both headlamps, 4 passenger side, 2 driver's side.
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check earths...
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Indeed. There was a one-off comment from someone on another site that this is caused by a "grounding fault behind the battery". This may have been a literal translation. No more details were given.
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Heh, well I'll try and give it a look, I'll also have to buy a lot of extra lights in case it's an ongoing thing, which I hope it's not!
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Hi Duckman.. I'd get the dealer to check it out (not normal) sounds like a warranty job to me... :cool:
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I hate referring to the dealership. They have never once properly sorted problems out (earlier clutch issue I had). My parents used to take their car there, but they conveniently lost, yes LOST, the car in the yard... Twice...!! And amongst other things that go on there, I am happy to pay my local certified mechanic to do the work.
Am I an idiot? Possibly. But at least the local guys fix the issues at hand.
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I agree it's more than likely an earthing issue. However, it's probably also worth checking that the enclosure cap seals are intact; those being the circular plastic covers that need unscrewing to access the bulbs seats.
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im sure when i was replacing bolts i found 2 earths behind the fuse box/relay box on the left hand side of the engine bay, secured by 10mm bolts and there is one on the throttle body (1.6 diesel) check them! first before you do anything!!!
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you didn't handle the globe with bare hands when you fitted it.sometimes the sweat or oils on your fingers can cause a globe to blow prematurely.most people know this,but a lot also don't know about this. :idea:
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Fair Call Duckman (about the dealership..) I haven't been back to mine for a service or any warranty jobs on either of our cars since I got them two years ago :-[ (now I come to think of it :wink:) For the same sort of reasons that you stated... :cool:
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your not using cheap bulbs... the cheaper chinese bulbs have a tendency to blow for nothing...
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I know about not handling the glass of the bulb, I'm pretty sure that comes in the handbook "Common Sense 101". Also, I used Narva H7 globes, but chose Bosch H7 globes this time, mainly because I had no headlights at all at around 8pm, and the servo only had these! $15 a pop is overpriced, although, I assume Bosch lights are at least OK!
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bro you might be best of taking it back to a dealer and getting them to check it, sounds like your using good quality bulbs, you installed them correctly.
there might be a problem with the car:(
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I dont remeber how old duckman's xcar is, but the bulbs (globes) should be covered for at least 1 year under the warranty. My mind tells me they are covered for 2 years in the UK.
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There might be a problem with the alternator regulator. 14.5 volts should be a maximum (14.3 to 14.4 volts is sufficient) seen at the battery with the engine running at just above idle.
Measure with any old (reasonably accurate) voltmeter and if the voltage goes above ~14.4 and does not plateau at this voltage but keeps rising, when running the revs up slowly, then it has a faulty regulator and needs to be repaired.
A slightly high, yet otherwise well regulated, voltage will appear to be fine but will blow lamps (and possibly other electrics).
I really doubt this is the problem but I mention it because I did have a car that had a 14.55 volts regulated voltage (i.e., a high "normal" voltage) but it blew lamps regularly.
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My car is just on 18 months old with 56,000km, so the lights do get good use, but they shouldn't be lasting so short a time.
BTW, the voltage thing can be displayed on the ScanGauge correct? If the readings are a bit out, it could be what you said Pip...
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I found one i30 with a loose earth lead from the battery to the body It was a one off thing The chap came home, left his car and when he went out later none of the electrics were working Took the battery out , cleaned the terminal and body where it is bolted and re fastened it Everything back to normal
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well after 2 plus years & 70,000+ k's i have blown a passenger side headlight.
not happy as my two previouse cars had well over 200,000k still original headlights and much better lighting than the stock i30. just hope its not a problem.
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just hope its not a problem.
I doubt it is John.. :cool:
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well after 2 plus years & 70,000+ k's i have blown a passenger side headlight.
Check warranty booklet as they might be covered for 3 years
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Yeah, even still, I'd just replace them myself. It's not exactly expensive, and it's hard to go wrong.
Speaking of which, my Bosch headlights have last 10,000km without blowing!!! :mrgreen:
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i would not go to a dealer, i was short of time went to an auto electrican we use on our company transport as no time and okked to tight to get behind the light glube. other cars i've owned you could always remove globes from behind not having to remove whole light asembly. but always had to do that with the tail lights not head lights. so i'm not useing the lights in daytime anymore only at night.
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Two of my also went out quite fast, but probably because of the bulb type. At first I had "stock" ones in and they didn't even die when I replaced them with xenon hid kit (so probably 6 months - 30k km without a problem). But after a while I decided to put the xenon kit out and I bought Osram Silverstar (I think they are +50%?) bulbs. They lasted for about 2 months and then I replaced them with Narva Range (Blue?) +50%. They lasted about 3 months and now I'm running on Philips Premium (+30%?). Hope they will last longer, because they are not as "strong" (+%, etc) as the previous ones, which are known for their short lifespan. Will report if they do go out soon..
You can try with Osram Light@day or other "long life" bulbs you have available over there. They tend to be a bit weaker in light output, but can last least twice as long..
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Well as i posted a few weeks back the left hand stock headlight blew, now the right hand stock headlight has blown.
i with Hyundai would fit HID to aussie delivered cars . so when we drive in rural area's at night we can see. also i would expect the cooler burning HID to last longer but i'm just asuming this no proof.
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Duckman , did you resolve this problem as I now have it, 3 bulbs in six months all passenger side (left one as in UK) the headlight units are a pain to get out.
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I'm just new to the group have a i30 cw desil. (2009) and have had 4 headlights (Low Beams) blown. and they are a pain to get out. is this normal or should i get them to look after it under warrenty?? i have replaced them with Phillips H7.
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Welcome Rats 07 .. Yes the diesels do seem to have a tendancy to blow globes (well some do) a few members have gone 3 years without blowing any :question:
They really seem to chew through the Hi intensity + ones.. :rolleyes:
Fairly hard to get a Hyundai or dealer to admit it though (a couple have been helpful but not sure in which state / country off the top of my head)
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Welcome Rats 07 .. Yes the diesels do seem to have a tendancy to blow globes (well some do) a few members have gone 3 years without blowing any :question:
3.5 years and still on the original bulbs which came with the car
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I have a 2011 diesel CW and it's blown 6 headlight globes in 12 months four of which have been replaced by the dealer. Going back for a complete autoelectical check up next week.
Never seen globes blow like this.
So far the dealer has said there is nothing wrong and it's probably just bad luck but it's gone on too long.
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Welcome tombodombo .. Yes definitely sounds like a voltage spike (Some) CRDi's are experiencing..
One of the few faults that have surfaced with the Korean built i30's...
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Voltage spikes eh? Dealer seems to think rough country roads make them blow. As if. Think I've had one bulb blow in other cars in previous 12 years of living here.
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Did you try using long-life ones? I also had few blows with +50% bulbs, but the Philips Premium +30% lasted for at least 6 months.
With long-life, I mean something like:
Osram Light@Day
http://www.osram.com.au/osram_au/Consumer_Products/Automotive_Lighting/See_and_be_seen/LIGHTDAY/index.html (http://www.osram.com.au/osram_au/Consumer_Products/Automotive_Lighting/See_and_be_seen/LIGHTDAY/index.html)
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Although I don't fully understand it, one member said their problem with headlight blowing was that an earthing wire had come loose.
But why do you need an earth wire in a DC car?
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I have a 2011 diesel CW and it's blown 6 headlight globes in 12 months four of which have been replaced by the dealer. Going back for a complete autoelectical check up next week.
Never seen globes blow like this.
So far the dealer has said there is nothing wrong and it's probably just bad luck but it's gone on too long.
Bad luck be buggered! 6 globes in 12 months points to an issue which should be fixed under warranty. If this dealer can't fix it then it's time to try another......or contact Hyundai direct and have a whinge.... :mad:
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Just on the topic....Last weekend I changed a blown bulb...it was an original and had done 41.000KM. We drive with the headlights on during the day, which would add up to about 2 hrs a day 10-11 days a fortnight, plus night use.
The other original bulb went at 34 K...I didn't replace them with anything extravagant.,... just bulbs from a the local auto shop.' So they seem ok and time will tell.
I figured with the poor run that so many have had from "up market" bulbs... I will be happy with "stockers"for now.... :D
Cheers
Elle B
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Repco had H4 (+30) globes for an amazing $9 for two. I posted a link then remembered that the i30 uses H1 and H7 :undecided:
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My car is at the dealers now for the second day. They claim to have found an electrical fault. I'm hopeful.
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Keep us posted :goodjob:
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Just replaced seventh low beam H7 in 9 months. Dealership seems to have no idea. They have tried a number of earth fixes and claimed a voltage drop from behind the dash.
Hyundai want me to use some heavier duty, less bright bulbs. I have tried Osram & Philips bulbs to no avail.
Their long life bulb lasted longer, just under 4 months, but still most unsatisfactory.
Come on Hyundai admit you have a problem, (Google i30 headlight blown) and sort out a fix. Perhaps even a recall with it happening so often.
I would put in HID kit if it was legal, but it seems it isn't in Australia.
Do Hyundai use HID kit in any other country?
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There are few services in Slovenia that give 2 year warranty on globes -> the same warranty as you get for all genuine Hyundai parts. There's this user, who had them changed (for free) on the service, twice in 1,5 y. Most services don't do that, but there are few that do.
Xenon kit. I had it for some time, it's really great, but it's illegal here. In some countries it isn't, but I think Australia is on the "illegal" list :cool:
And one more thing.. From what I've read so far, there is a problem because the lights are "on", while we are starting the engine. I know, of course we have it, but if you turn on the lights after you've started the engine, they will probably last 2x longer. I've read few people tried that and they went from 4 to 9 months (changing bulbs). They said it's because of the "el. current" that "hits" the bulbs while the car is getting started. You know that your lights stay on while you are doing that. Many cars (including some other Hyundai's) turn the lights off, while the car is being started -> you turn your key to "on" - the lights come on, you are starting the car - they go off, you've started the car - they go on again.
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Many cars (including some other Hyundai's) turn the lights off, while the car is being started -> you turn your key to "on" - the lights come on, you are starting the car - they go off, you've started the car - they go on again.
I wonder if anyone (on here) could work out a mod for the Diesel (in particular) to do this :idea:
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They said it's because of the "el. current" that "hits" the bulbs while the car is getting started.
Interesting that you say the lights stay on when starting.
If my radio/cd player and heater are on, ignition off, when I turn the key to start the car the radio/cd player and heater turn off.
They then comes back on once the car has started.
I'll have to check but I'm sure my lights go off as well.
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They said it's because of the "el. current" that "hits" the bulbs while the car is getting started.
Interesting that you say the lights stay on when starting.
If my radio/cd player and heater are on, ignition off, when I turn the key to start the car the radio/cd player and heater turn off.
They then comes back on once the car has started.
I'll have to check but I'm sure my lights go off as well.
They stay on, 100% ;) Everything else turns off, but not the lights. I remember that I liked that when I had xenon kit in, as we know turning on/off xenon lights quickly isn't good for them, so it seemed like a great thing back then.
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They said it's because of the "el. current" that "hits" the bulbs while the car is getting started.
Interesting that you say the lights stay on when starting.
If my radio/cd player and heater are on, ignition off, when I turn the key to start the car the radio/cd player and heater turn off.
They then comes back on once the car has started.
I'll have to check but I'm sure my lights go off as well.
OK I've been out in the dark.
Engine running.
Turned all lights on
Turned engine off and took key out
Opened and closed door
Put key in, lights came on
started engine and the lights stayed ON (just as accim said)
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Since this topic has hotted up, we have been turning the lights off when parking the car, like the "old days", :rolleyes: ( so much for technological advances).....then turn them on once the car has started.... so far so good...but I think we are still in the normal "window", when the bulbs would have been ok.. unless you are DRUGGIST, what a bad run..
Time will tell and these bulbs are just stock H7 bulbs from the local Auto shop, nothing flash.
Did we establish if the Xenon are really illegal in Oz ? :confused:
Cheers
Elle B
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They said it's because of the "el. current" that "hits" the bulbs while the car is getting started.
Interesting that you say the lights stay on when starting.
If my radio/cd player and heater are on, ignition off, when I turn the key to start the car the radio/cd player and heater turn off.
They then comes back on once the car has started.
I'll have to check but I'm sure my lights go off as well.
OK I've been out in the dark.
Engine running.
Turned all lights on
Turned engine off and took key out
Opened and closed door
Put key in, lights came on
started engine and the lights stayed ON (just as accim said)
Interesting. I'll check that myself.
Fortunately i don't do a lot of stop Start driving at night anyway. Tend to drive somewhere and park for the night. But I also think I still manually turn my lights off when I stop. Old habits die hard.
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eye30
started engine and the lights stayed ON
that is how it works in my car too, but the light dims a little for the time the engine is being started, but this is normal.
I think if the lights goes off while the engine is being started than one has to measure the voltage of accumulator.
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Interesting. I'll check that myself.
Fortunately i don't do a lot of stop Start driving at night anyway. Tend to drive somewhere and park for the night. But I also think I still manually turn my lights off when I stop. Old habits die hard.
Hi Trev,
It doesn't seem to be such an issue with the Petrol versions .. It is the diesel that seems to have the voltage surges (particularly when starting the car)
I found in our previous diesel that the stock globes although not bright enough seemed to cope ok with the apparent surge but the Higher performance ones didn't :disapp:
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Interesting. I'll check that myself.
Fortunately i don't do a lot of stop Start driving at night anyway. Tend to drive somewhere and park for the night. But I also think I still manually turn my lights off when I stop. Old habits die hard.
Hi Trev,
It doesn't seem to be such an issue with the Petrol versions .. It is the diesel that seems to have the voltage surges (particularly when starting the car)
I found in our previous diesel that the stock globes although not bright enough seemed to cope ok with the apparent surge but the Higher performance ones didn't :disapp:
Ok. Thanks Dazz. Mine dim when you turn the engine over but as I said, I normally turn them off manually.
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Finally got Hyundai Australia to admit their is a problem with a car blowing headlights regularly.
My local dealer, Barry Smith, Pennant Hills took my car for 2 days, gave me a loan car, and "removed and replaced alternator and tested all OK" under warranty.
Fingers crossed that the issue is now resolved.
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Fingers crossed that the issue is now resolved.
:whsaid:
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constipated
By earth wire, they mean the -ve wire of the battery which usually is grounded th the car chassis.
Elle b
Imported cars drive in OZ with HID fitted, so they're not illegal. What is illegal is the temperature that they glow at. I think anything over 6000k is considered illegal, they tend to glow blue / purple. I want to put some 6000's on my (wife's) car soon. Maybe our resident rule book looker upper can clarify this for us :) :)
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constipated
By earth wire, they mean the -ve wire of the battery which usually is grounded th the car chassis.
Elle b
Imported cars drive in OZ with HID fitted, so they're not illegal. What is illegal is the temperature that they glow at. I think anything over 6000k is considered illegal, they tend to glow blue / purple. I want to put some 6000's on my (wife's) car soon. Maybe our resident rule book looker upper can clarify this for us :) :)
Hopefully these links will help....... :)
http://www.racq.com.au/motoring/cars/car_advice/car_fact_sheets/headlights (http://www.racq.com.au/motoring/cars/car_advice/car_fact_sheets/headlights)
ADR 13/00 (http://www.comlaw.gov.au/Details/F2007C00608/52069310-a68d-4234-898f-844000bab145)
ADR 77/00 (http://www.comlaw.gov.au/Details/F2006L02305/ff438339-ca28-4735-8777-20c2513a5e18)
ADR 78/00 (http://www.comlaw.gov.au/Details/F2006L02732/58638900-6081-4278-90e9-10143ae89243)
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Thanks Rusty .. Never simple is it :undecided:
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Thanks Rusty .. Never simple is it :undecided:
You're not wrong.... :)
I took one look at those pdf's and saw blah blah blah blah blah......
Got a headache just thinking about it. :-[
Anyhow, the story is, if your aftermarket HID lights aren't self-levelling and you don't have headlight washers, then it ain't legal.... :D
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So... sounds like we should "go for it" then :lol: :goodjob:
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I ran 100w/90w H4's for almost the entire time I had my old Barina and never once got pulled up for an inspection so it may be worth taking a punt.... :winker:
But then, HID lights are probably a bit more noticeable than my H4's.... :whistler:
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They don't seem very vigilent down here with stuff like that.. more concerned with Speeding and drink driving (how it should be) ...
For example I don't know of anyone getting booked for driving with fog lights on during the day .. (touch wood) :winker:
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Chaps, If HID globes are made with the arc in the correct spot, eg same place as the filament, how can there be excess glare if the reflector is made to accept the arc / filament at that position and move according to road conditions. :question:
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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.
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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.... :lol:
I suspect it's just the heat radiating off your lovely V4...... :goodjob:
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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!!! :goodjob2:
I am just back home last night, after a week in hospital, so am doing some catching up. :winker:
Did the run to Broken Hill 2 weeks back...will report the results in the correct thread soon.
Cheers
Elle B
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I am just back home last night, after a week in hospital, so am doing some catching up. :winker:
Hope it was nothing serious and you are ok now :confused:
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I am just back home last night, after a week in hospital, so am doing some catching up. :winker:
Needed a break from the wife, hey? :p
Seriously, hope all is well now.... :)
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Thanks for the good wishes guys... :happydance:
Had a bladder stone removed .... some internal surgery and a biopsy... so the water works are a bit on the "tender" side !!! :faint:
Anyway, it will take a little time to recover, but each day will be better... ( so I am told).
Cheers
Elle B
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Ouch (I will sit quietly with my legs crossed for a while...) Better out than in as they say :undecided:
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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?
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Can you describe the sequence of events leading up to this globe failure, what was on/off etc. :'(
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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.
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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. :)
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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).
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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.
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Sorry to hear it is still not resolved :undecided:
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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.
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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. :evil:
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.
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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.. :mad:
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That doesn't surprise me, I had less than helpful communication with them over my door seal issue....... :mad:
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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 (http://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.
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Great news! :goodjob:
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Great news Druggist! Sounds like they need to develop a blanket fix and a minor recall on all Diesel i30's.
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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) :scared:
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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 :winker:
? 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 :idea:
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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. :neutral:
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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?
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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...?" :rolleyes: 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:
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2700/4387597044_fa2da1b88b.jpg)
(http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4023/4387597536_12bb3b8b82.jpg)
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Surely not over & over again :faint:
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Surely not over & over again :faint:
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
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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.
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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. :neutral:
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I fitted some Osram Night Breaker Plus H1's & H7's last February and haven't had an issue so far....... :whistler:
I do only turn the headlights on after I've started the engine though so maybe that's the secret....
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Oh, and if you happen to put your greasy fingers on a globe, a simple wipe with some methylated spirit will soon clean them... :)
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i have a colleague in Queensland that had also had approx 20 blown headlights in the 2 1/2years that he has owned his I30 slx auto. It went to the dealership everytime and would always blow with the 20000km warranty on the globes. So they would replace them and he also had the alternator replaced and several other things done but now has had the headlights replaced with high intensity globes and that has seem to have done the trick. He has now gone 30000km with those globe ( he will shoot me if one blows after posting this :whistler:). This was done through Keema Cleveland in Qld and all done under warranty (they did try and refuse and he told them in no uncertain terms that it would be covered). Hope this helps Druggist (and other members) perhaps Barry Smith can give the dealership a call and find out exactly what they used
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Thanks for the photos Accim. I understand that a bulb touched with dirty fingers looks like that when it blows out. Apparently the oil from your skin heats up more than the surrounding glass causing the bulging.
None of mine have looked like that. All were still clear with a slight haze of black inside.
I certainly wouldn't start a car with the lights on. I guess I learnt to drive on older cars that had batteries that needed all their charge to turn the motor over.
Dealer has had the car for 3 days this week and is slowly working through the steps with Hyundai technical people.
As far as the high intensity lights go I am intrigued Mel and would be interested in further information. I am lead to believe that the Hyundai bulbs being fitted by the dealer are longer life Osrams, 900 hours v 450 hours. I have had 4 of them so far.
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i have a colleague in Queensland that had also had approx 20 blown headlights in the 2 1/2years that he has owned his I30 slx auto. It went to the dealership everytime and would always blow with the 20000km warranty on the globes. So they would replace them and he also had the alternator replaced and several other things done but now has had the headlights replaced with high intensity globes and that has seem to have done the trick. He has now gone 30000km with those globe ( he will shoot me if one blows after posting this :whistler:). This was done through Keema Cleveland in Qld and all done under warranty (they did try and refuse and he told them in no uncertain terms that it would be covered). Hope this helps Druggist (and other members) perhaps Barry Smith can give the dealership a call and find out exactly what they used
Seems to be the MO for Keema, when the fuel filler flap was playing up I called them, and they tried every trick in the book from saying it was an adjustment and not covered and would cost their standard fee of $60. Some argument ensued, with some blaming of Hyundai, then evasive answers when I asked who to contact in Hyundai to take it further. Eventually he dropped that it was a two minute adjustment and he could do it for free, but I would have to wait until he was free to do it (and you can bet that he wouldn't be free for hours).
Eventually i dropped into my mechanic on the way home from work and he fixed it in two minutes.
But someone at work who used to work in the business told me it was the old double bill trick, bill the client and Hyundai for the warranty work.
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Some interesting feedback here...That may blow some of of our/my theories out of the water..(excuse the pun)
(a) Mel, I think somewhere you said your friend had a Petrol i30 (up to now it has been the diesel as the main culprit)
(b) Druggist not having his lights on when starting his car :Shocked:
(c) High performance globes with a longer life??? Shambles, myself an others have found these to be even more prone to early failure. I was even told by Autobarn and others most + globes have a shorter life rating than standard Hyundai/Philips globes around 400 to 600hours versus 1200 hours for the OEM.. :undecided:
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That is right Dazzler his is a petrol auto SLX hatch. We both drive with the lights on all the time he has his headlights on I just have my parkers on. We are both in and out of the car all day at least 8 to 10 calls a day. He has had nothing but trouble and many trips back and forward to the dealer to try and fix the problem and so far the high intensity globes have fitted the bill better than any other option (which also included a new alternator).
I am certainly no expert on headlights as they have been one of the good things in my vehicle as I still have the original one in the car and I never turn the lights off so if I have parked with the headlights on then they are still on when I start my car the next morning. I didn't even know that there was such a thing as high intensity lights lol my education has come a long way in the last 2 days. :happydance:
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That is right Dazzler his is a petrol auto SLX hatch. We both drive with the lights on all the time he has his headlights on I just have my parkers on. We are both in and out of the car all day at least 8 to 10 calls a day. He has had nothing but trouble and many trips back and forward to the dealer to try and fix the problem and so far the high intensity globes have fitted the bill better than any other option (which also included a new alternator).
I am certainly no expert on headlights as they have been one of the good things in my vehicle as I still have the original one in the car and I never turn the lights off so if I have parked with the headlights on then they are still on when I start my car the next morning. I didn't even know that there was such a thing as high intensity lights lol my education has come a long way in the last 2 days. :happydance:
Yeah, You can get +30, +50 and even +80 globes and a couple of other high performance monikers as well but atleast some of them compromise on longevity to give this extra performance..
THe diesel needs a higher rated battery I believe (and maybe - only guessing) a higher rated Alternator? to "drive" the diesel.. So when it was mostly the diesel owners having globe issues I thought that seemed logical ...
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Some interesting feedback here...That may blow some of of our/my theories out of the water..(excuse the pun)
I was even told by Autobarn and others most + globes have a shorter life rating than standard Hyundai/Philips globes around 400 to 600hours versus 1200 hours for the OEM.. :undecided:
So, I know it's early in the morning and I'm only just waking up therefore my maths might be off a bit here but........
say you spend 2 hours a day in your car on average 6 days a week. That's 12 hours useage per week.12 into 400 = 33 weeks life?
Or in the case of OEM, 3 times that which equates to about 130 weeks of life.
I have to say I find all of those projections extremely low on the expectations scale. Even with all the rallying I've done, using the most powerful bulbs available, plus all the jolting, plus all the overnight trips I've done interstate over the years, I reckon I've probably replaced about a half dozen bulbs in my life (46 years driving).
I'm obviously doing something wrong :whistler:
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Hi Trev..
Many don't use their lights during the day though.. In my Hybrid for example I am guessing I would spend say an average of an hour a day in the car but would probably only need/use the lights for say 1 or 2 hours per week (average) that equates to 600 weeks (12 years) :Shocked:
I used to drive with my lights on in the CRDi (so the dash was illuminated) but mostly only the park lights.. I think I went through 2 or 3 sets of headlight globes (at least one set were the high performance + ones) and also one x park light globe...
Even if I drove with my lights on in the hybrid all the time @ an hour per day globes would last 3-4 years which sounds about right (unless you had a Diesel i30) :whistler:
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Hi Trev..
Many don't use their lights during the day though.. In my Hybrid for example I am guessing I would spend say an average of an hour a day in the car but would probably only need/use the lights for say 1 or 2 hours per week (average) that equates to 600 weeks (12 years) :Shocked:
I used to drive with my lights on in the CRDi (so the dash was illuminated) but mostly only the park lights.. I think I went through 2 or 3 sets of headlight globes (at least one set were the high performance + ones) and also one x park light globe...
Even if I drove with my lights on in the hybrid all the time @ an hour per day globes would last 3-4 years which sounds about right (unless you had a Diesel i30) :whistler:
Sorry mate. I was only speculating that it seems there are quite few drivers who DO drive with their headlights on during the day, not to mention places like Canada where all cars have their lights on all day and have done by law for years (also in some European countries I believe). And if that is the case, there's going to be an awful lot of bulbs replaced on those figures above.
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Yeah, fair call Trev.. They were the life expectancies that Autobarn gave me when my first set of +80? died .. (they did give me a free replacement at the time even though they said it looked like had been caused by a surge) :undecided:
Seems logical about high performance globes (usually) lasting for less time.. like most things that are driven "harder" :cool:
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Dude in my Hyundai dealership said that the problem is in H7 bulbs and every H7 except expensive one will PERHAPS die withing week or month.
Ofc expensive bulbs give more light meaning they are strained more, but in the end they will do 1 year. If you change 6 "cheap" bulbs in 6 months thats it.
For me the only real thing bad on i30 is their short lights. They are just tragic!
I was scared shitless when driving 270km trip on highway during the night and mere 120kph.
Now with xenon installed driving during night is exceptional!
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xamaxy
Surely any reputable brand (Philips etc,) would make bulbs that last longer than a week or month.
Why is the problem isolated to H7, that makes no sense to me?
If what you say were true, people all over the world would be changing globes and that simply is not happening.
Our lawmakers in Oz won't allow HID to be retrofitted, the fools. :disapp:
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True.
That topic was opened on croatian hyundai club/forum.
Conclusion was that ONLY original globes last long and there's a chance that every replacement will die very soon.
Also said, there is absolutely nothing wrong with the i30 electric wiring...some said that H7 are more sensitive to voltage variations and thats why they die - that was measured on 3 different cars and it was fixed and good.
People with different cars VW Passat etc also reported H7 fast dead.
And as "solution" there is xenon or cheapest H7 you can find + 2 in reserve :wink:
Dunno about you but here we have insanely good Hyundai service shop and dude checked everything and wasnt able to see any fault...
PS
Does your only LEFT globe dies often or both?
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none of my cars have blown any globes yet :sweating:
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Picked up the i30 tonight after dealer had it for 4 days.
Hyundai Australia have become involved and they believe they found the problem.
"High resistance in headlight earth circuits.
Tested wiring and found high resistance in earth circuits, removed wiring and cleaned mounting surface, reattached earths and rechecked resistance - all now OK.
Check connections and resistance between alternator and bcm. All OK Fitted two new headlight globes (Osram)."
Area After Sales Manager came out and drove the car to oversee the process. Called me this afternoon as did dealer service manager.
All looked hopeful.
Picked up the car locked up outside the dealer at Pennant Hills tonight. Turned the lights on to discover a large shadow in the headlight beam projected on the road. I knew what caused that as I had done it once myself when I replaced the bulb, in the dark by the road one night. The bulb wasn't seated correctly into the headlight assembly. 45 minutes wasted fixing that.
Also noticed a swirly scratch on my headlight protector that wasn't there on Tuesday morning when I gave them the keys.
Who wants to be a fly on the wall come Monday when I go back to see the dealer?
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Dealer = Gulp :sweating:
Hope that's the end of your problem. As far as I know 1 wire on the globe plug is for earth. I wonder specifically where the high resistance was found, at the globe or somewhere else. If we knew we could check our own cars too. :question:
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I received the following email from Hyundai:
The dealer has been in contact with our National Technical Department at HMCA, we recommended a course of action to the dealer, to be followed to the letter, we supplied them with electrical diagram and requested tests and measurements to be undertaken with reports back to HMCA.
Through this process we identified some issues, with high resistance mainly in the earth side of the electrical system, these issues were addressed and retested, we are confident now that your concerns have been rectified.
As promised I drove your vehicle at Barry Smith this morning.
I am happy to have been involved with your vehicle, If ever you need to contact someone at HMCA, fell free to phone direct.
Kind regards
Danny De Chalain
Area After Sales Manager
When I spoke to him he said that all was documented in Hyundai's hot fix system that all dealers have access to.
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I wouldn't hold your breath that they fixed it. High resistance in the lamp wiring is more likely to protect the globes, not blow them. A loose connection on the other hand (to the point that the lights flicker) might cause a cold filament to fuse however. Unlikely though.
For a lamp to blow it really needs a significant surge (even of very short duration) of current which can only be caused by an increase of voltage or a decrease of resistance. The resistance is low when the lamp is cold: that's why you might have noticed that house lights 'pop' at switch on.
So if the headlight fails when you switch them on it might be a simple failure due to normal cold filamant surge.
Failures due to voltage surges are more complicated and might be caused by a faulty alternator/regulator or voltage transients from the starter motor. The starter motor can be eliminated as a cause if you always start with lights off. I do.
The failure itself may not coincide with the event that caused the problem. The filament can be weakened and fail later.
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both my cars have the Parker's on all the time,but put on headlights only when it gets dark,no blown globes in 31 months. :goodjob2: :goodjob: :mrgreen: but the cw has blown 9 brake light globes in that time and the dealer couldn't find out why. :disapp: i asked the wife if she had her foot on the brake pedal when she started the car and yes was her reply. :whistler: I've told her not to start her cw with her foot on the brake and we haven't had a blown globe ever since. :cool: fingers crossed. :wink: :mrgreen:
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I tend to agree with pip in that resistance will lower the volts which would tend to protect the bulbs.
However, electricity always follows the path of least resistance and when you add the electronics from the BCM, ECU, Alternator, Regulator & THE STARTER MOTOR it all gets very complicated. My feeling is that there is a case of BACK EMF happening from the starter motor. When coupled with the alternator / regulator doing their jobs and providing charging current & the BACK EMF from the starter at startup there is a voltage spike produced.
Here is a link to back emf what back EMF is (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8iONzbOfmzc#)
Some of it is double dutch to me but at least you can get an idea about back emf. :wacko:
Remember pip said the filaments in the bulbs are initially cold, so low resistance momentarily
& where does this emf go,,,,, to the bulbs.
This would also support 2i30s brake light statement, although her bulbs would've been glowing at the time of startup. :whistler:
Not a problem for our cars as we are old timers who turn off lights before engine off.
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Interesting video. His attempt to characterise back-emf as an unwanted or an evil component misses the mark I think. All motors are generators, as he said, and they all operate on the difference voltage between that applied, the battery, and that self-generated, the so called back-emf.
He has it correct though that motors can generate transient voltage spikes and they can only arise from the generated "back-emf".
Actually, I'm going to add here that transients don't generate from the normal back-emf process but none-the-less from the same mechanism and might be better compared to the transformer action of the kettering ignition coil. Without attempting to go into more detail if you have ever heard the interference from an electric motor (one that has a commutator) such as a vacuum cleaner or electric drill perhaps, on a radio, then you are actually listening to the voltage spikes that have sufficient energy to become a "spark transmitter" and generate radio waves like Marconi did way back when wireless was born.
I beieve it is possible that these might be the cause of the headlight problem. As I said, the easiest way to eliminate this as a cause is to switch off the lights when starting as we always did in the past because as 847563 said, in the olden days there often was insufficient current available to drive both headlights and starter together.
Edited for clarity but may have missed the mark while trying to simplify it. :rolleyes:
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I just had another thought. Has anyone checked to verify that the headlights are actually powered whilst the starter turns (assuming of course they are swithed on)?
It would be simple to automatically switch them off while cranking and I'd be surprised if that's not already done really.
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I just had another thought. Has anyone checked to verify that the headlights are actually powered whilst the starter turns (assuming of course they are swithed on)?
It would be simple to automatically switch them off while cranking and I'd be surprised if that's not already done really.
I think I remember someone saying they could see them dim while cranking.
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pip
Excellent explanation and example. It is a requirement in electronic circuits to install a rectifier diode to block back emf from relay coils, so even low power tiny devices create problems. Imagine what is available from a high power starter motor.
With reference to the lights actually being on whilst cranking, they probably are, BUT with the load on the battery to energize the electronics AND crank the engine, I suspect that the headlamps are controlled by a relay and that relay may not actually engage at cranking volts. As soon as the engine fires, the load on the battery is removed, the alternator/regulator go berserk & commence charging, the relay energizes and whamo the spike goes to the lights.
On the other hand, the diesels probably have a higher CCA battery and this may be 1 reason why the failures are mainly in diesel engines. I can think of another reason why diesels are more prone and I'd like to see if anyone can guess what I'm thinking. If not, I'll post in about 6 hours. :neutral:
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I can think of another reason why diesels are more prone and I'd like to see if anyone can guess what I'm thinking. If not, I'll post in about 6 hours. :neutral:
Something to do with the glowplugs :D
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very close :scared:
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I suspect that the headlamps are controlled by a relay and that relay may not actually engage at cranking volts.
That's unlikely because unless your battery is flat the voltage will not dip much. It would need to be managed more positively.
It would be easy to imagine that the battery will act as a strong filter but I'm pretty sure it will be relatively useless at clipping any voltage spikes.
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Thanks for the info 874563 & Pip.
I always start my car with the headlights off and don't turn them on during the day for a couple of hundred metres. At night I would switch them on when engaging gear.
Any thoughts on what would be needed to protect from back voltage?
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Sorry druggist, if you follow the procedure described above, then all I have said won't help you, as back emf only exists while the starter motor is active. My fault for rambling on with my theories, but I do find this topic interesting and hoped I could help with your problem.
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Any thoughts on what would be needed to protect from back voltage?
It's all theory and supposition from me. The starter motor might be innocent. :confused:
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^^^
Theory and supposition is good. :goodjob: :goodjob2:
Helps to promote more theory and supposition - and sometimes answers follow. :cool:
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Okay - her we go again....
I'm one of the guys that experience over and over again that the headlight blows.
Personally I do not belief in the back EMF idea. The reason is that I belief that the battery will take care of most of the EMF unless they are exceptional large
I belief that there is something wrong with the programming of the generator.
The reason is that my measurement shows that the voltage to the bulbs are more than 14 volts which is much more that the bulbs are specified for. As I have said before, the test voltage for bulbs are specified to 13.2V
I have earlier used a multimeter and checked the voltage directly on the bulbs. Today I took it one step further. I borrowed a calibrated FLUKE 189 multimeter, accessories for interfacing the multimeter to the PC and installed FLUKE View Form on the PC.
Now I can record the voltage and in that way document what is happening. All recordings below arw done with 1 sec sample interval.
The first recording was done this morning with a cold car. The temperature was approximately +9C
Recording 1 was done directly on the battery.
Finding:
The voltage before the car is started is 12.49V
Point A: The door is opened and the voltage drops a bit due to indoor light
Ponit B: The key is turned to start the glowing
Ponit C: The starter kicks in and voltage drops to below 11V due to the high current
Point D: Engine has started and generator starts to charge the battery (Why this high 14.7V ??)
Point E: Charge voltage drops to 14.3V after 1min 50 sec
Point F: Engine is stopped
Then I moved the probes to the bulb (connected directly to the bulb) and made a new recording. Here where I live the lights are always on. The only way to avoid this is to put the lights to park lights when the car is started.
As Recording 2 shows the voltage goes immediately up to 14.3V and then it slowly increases to 14.4V.
Then after 2 min and 30 sec the voltage drops down to 12.84V which I consider a more normal voltage for the bulbs.
As the chart shows I started and stopped the car 4 times to see if the voltage behaved the same way every time. Only on the two first occasions I waited until the voltage dropped down before I stopped the car.
My first question when I saw these recordings was.
Why was the voltage on the battery only dropping 0.5V after 1 min and 50 sec and the voltage on the bulbs dropping 1.5V after 2 min 30 sec?
This lead me think that the voltage to the battery and the bulbs where two different voltages. Later measurements today (using two multimeters, one on the battery – one on the bulbs) have however shown that this might not be the case. I have to do more recordings to morrow to verify this.
Anyhow, so far my conclusion is that the high voltage on the bulbs the first minutes after the car is started destroys the bulbs.
I can see no reason why the voltage should be 14.4V !!!!! There has to be something wrong with the generator and the controlling of the voltage.
I’ll try to do some more recordings tomorrow. I’m especially interested in how the generator behaves when the engine is warm.
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Wow.. Great post steinrk :goodjob: Go straight to Hyundai .. don't pass go, hopefully collect $200.. :lol:
But seriously, Hyundai should have done this themselves by now .. I think you need to send all this info to Hyundai Head office along with a link to this thread .. (Or someone does anyway..)
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Wow.. Great post steinrk :goodjob: Go straight to Hyundai .. don't pass go, hopefully collect $200.. :lol:
But seriously, Hyundai should have done this themselves by now .. I think you need to send all this info to Hyundai Head office along with a link to this thread .. (Or someone does anyway..)
I will, but I just want to collect some more info first.....
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:hatoff:
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That's excellent stuff.
Just one thing - and it may be a language translation idiosyncrasy but I haven't had a generator on a car I've owned for decades. They are all alternators now.
I accept they essentially do the same thing but I only mention it because if you do contact Hyundai with the above info, and refer to a "generator" will it harm your credibity to them?
Meanwhile, can someone explain to me the difference between a "generator" and and "alternator"?
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steinrk
As other have said, thank you for the excellent information. I believe that the regulator which is built into the alternator is overcompensating for the drop in battery voltage immediately after cranking the engine. As your lights are already on, they also receive this extra voltage which is too much. There is only 1 voltage produced throughout the whole car. Could you please explain how you connected your meter to the lights.
surferdude
In layman's terms (because that's what I am), a generator is essentially an electric motor in reverse. Output is roughly linear with speed of rotation. So, to charge a flat battery, you have to drive fast and long to put in enough meaningful amps. An alternator produces 110v AC and is then rectified by high power diodes to approx 14+ volts. A regulator looks after the Volts to keep it acceptable for a car. Years ago they were simply relays which were adjustable. Nowadays the regulator is all electronic and is a throw away device. The main advantage of an alternator is enormous amps output at relatively low revs, so high speed is not required 80Amp outputs are not uncommon in today's cars that's 960 watts @ 12 v. This is useful because of the increased electrical loads that exist in modern cars. :razz:
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Just one thing - and it may be a language translation idiosyncrasy but I haven't had a generator on a car I've owned for decades. They are all alternators now.
..of course :-[ , my fault
I believe that the regulator which is built into the alternator is overcompensating for the drop in battery voltage immediately after cranking the engine.
This is exactly what I'm thinking also. If this is due to voltage drop in the cables to the sensor in the regulator there is no help in changing the alternator. It's one or more cables that have to have their dimensions increased.
As your lights are already on, they also receive this extra voltage which is too much.
I doesn't matter if your lights are on or not during start up. As my recording shows the high voltage continues for more than 2 minutes. If you are going to avoid this you will need to leave the lights off until the voltage has stabilized on the correct level.
There is only 1 voltage produced throughout the whole car.
That's what I thought also but the recordings from yesterday puzzles me. Measuring on the battery; the voltage dropped 0.5V after 1min 40 sec, measuring on the bulb; it dropped 1.5V after after 2min 40 sec. This could however be coincident as I did only one recording on the battery and did not have two multimeters that would let me see both voltages at the same time.
This is why I want to do some more recordings.
Could you please explain how you connected your meter to the lights.
See attached picture.
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If it is a wiring and resistance issue and then alternator overcompensating, it explains why it might be a hard fix. Imagine the meters of wiring within the car that are put in when the car is just a metal frame. Now it is completely built how much would they need to pull out to fix wiring problems.
It's like trying to localise a wiring fault in a house after it has been constructed.
If this is the case, I wonder why Hyundai weren't onto it much earlier and change some of the wiring they use. Perhaps not a universal cause.
But really, so many reports of it that surely Hyundai should have rectified this by now.
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Carried out several new recordings today and here is a summary of my findings so far.
• The voltage on the bulbs is 0.31V lower than the voltage directly on the battery. This can be seen in Test 6 where all the recordings are done on the bulb except at point A where the probes from the battery was connected to the recorder for a short time.
• The voltage on the bulb and the battery always follow each other. This has been confirmed by using two multimeters, one connected to the bulb one to the battery
• At start up the voltage on the bulbs will increase to 14.0V – 14.4V. This will normally drop down to 12.4V – 13.0V after a period of 135-147 sec
• The idle rev of the car increases slightly from 1600 rpm to 1750 rpm when the voltage drop takes place
• During 20 recordings of voltage during start up the voltage has on 1 case stopped at 12.4V on the bulb (not going up to >14V)
My worries so far
• Why does the voltage on the bulb go up to above 14V at startup?
• On two occasions the voltage has only dropped down to 14.0V on the bulb. This can be seen on the first recordings carried out and posted yesterday (battery voltage 14.3V) and the Test 7 where I made a 20 minutes drive to get the car warm, and started recording the battery voltage without stopping the car. In that test the battery voltage was again 14.3V. Does this mean that the voltage has been at 14.3V since I started the car?
• If the voltage has been at 14.3V on the battery (2.28V/cell) for an extended time, what will this do to the lifetime of the battery?
Next steps:
Make an adapter to the +12V outlet inside the car so that I can record the voltage while I'm driving.
My wish:
Get as many users of this forum as possible to measure the voltage on the battery immediately after startup and then again after the voltage drop has taken place ( wait approximately 3 min).
This will give us some info if it is only some cars or all cars that behave like this.
I think we need to know:
- Type of engine
- Ambient temperature
- If the car is cold or warm
- Voltage immediately after startup
- Voltage after 3 minutes
A small explanation to the attached recordings:
Test 6: just a normal start/stop recording of voltage on bulb. At point A the test probes from the battery was connected to document the voltage difference between bulb and battery.
Test 7: Connected the recording to the battery after a 20 min drive without stopping the car. The recording up to point A shows that the voltage is 14.3V. At point A the car was stopped. Point B, C, D, E shows the locking/unlocking of doors. At point F the car was restarted and is running until point H. At point G the voltage drops as normal.
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Once again, excellent information.
For the purpose of testing, it would be best to make up some long test leads that connect to the same spots you are currently connecting to rather than making an adapter to work in the cabin. The cabin circuit is not a direct battery or light circuit and may introduce more variables. I did this on a different car & just ran them into the cabin through the window (not fully closed of course). It is only temporary after all.
I don't think your battery will be affected by the current voltages. They are very robust and the high voltage appears only to be a reaction to the engine cranking.
The test you are performing is very good, I wonder if also you would consider a longer test using some electrical loads eg air conditioning on high & rear window demister at the same time to introduce high load on the alternator AFTER the volts have dropped back to normal. This would test to see if at any time the regulator tells the alternator to increase volts to compensate again. If it does, then these volts are possible not only at startup, BUT WHILE DRIVING AT ANY TIME and for an extended period.
Good luck with your crusade. :hatoff:
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:brilliant: Wonder if anyone has the gear to do exactly the same thing on a 2.0 Petrol i30 (as a comparison) I suspect these surges are a lot less prevalent :cool:
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This is what you (almost) guessed the other day.
I think that the ignition circuit which is continuously operating (on petrol engines) is a very robust circuit and absorbs any spikes (in fact it produces them) and may be a reason why lights don't blow as frequently as diesel engined cars. My understanding is that the glow plugs do their work until the light on the dash goes out, then they no longer draw any current. It appears that the regulator is telling the alternator to output too many volts initially & with no ign circuit, diesel cars get the lot to cope with. :neutral:
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Sounds logical .. I wonder if other Diesel vehicles are prone to the same issue.. :question:
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Depends on how many have to drive around with their lights on by law, in the dark, cold countries. I wonder if there's a bad batch of regulators, can't' tell easily because they're incorporated inside the alternator these days. I might try to get some readings from the wife's car (if she'll let me). :'(
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Just a quick update.
Recorded the voltage from the +12V output inside the car all the way to work this morning.
- At startup, voltage was 14.7V
- After 140sec it dropped down to 14.3V
- The voltage stayed at 14.3V all the way to work >50min
- Tried to turn on air conditioning on high, rear window demister, heated seat, radio, everything to see if voltage changed. It didn't
- Arrived at work and tried to stop and restart the car again twice. On both cases the voltage went up to 14.7V and then dropped down to 13.0V.
New recording will be done on way home.
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Depends on how many have to drive around with their lights on by law, in the dark, cold countries.
Up here in Norway/Sweden it's mandatory to use the lights.
I wonder if there's a bad batch of regulators, can't' tell easily because they're incorporated inside the alternator these days. I might try to get some readings from the wife's car (if she'll let me). :'(
That's why I'm so interested in getting as many as possible to measure their voltage. There is no need to do a recording. Just measure it immediately after startup and then after 3 minutes.
The more documentation the stronger the report will be.
I'm also wondering if we have the same alternator as the rest of the world? Some brands (Audi) use a larger alternator and higher capacity battery on cars sold in cold countries.
My car is equipped with a 70Ah battery. Is that the same down under?
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My car is equipped with a 70Ah battery. Is that the same down under?
We only have a 2.0 Ltr Petrol CW these days which I suspected would have a lower rating...
on the top of the battery (only part visible it says)
MF48-23GL 12V RC:91MIN CCA 550A :cool:
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It's no wonder you're lights only have a short life @ 14+ volts constantly.
European I30's are not assembled in Korea, Australian ones are. I wonder if we also have a different brand / capacity alternator. From memory, it's not easy to see but I'll try tomorrow. It's nearly dusk at the moment. :wacko:
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Today the car was driven to the city which is a 1 hour return trip.
I connected a digital multimeter to the extra power jack next to the cig lighter. Here are the results.
Status - Car had been driven recently in the last hour.
Temp 23 deg C
Minutes Out Return
Volts
Rest 12.62 12.72
Run 15.3 14.11
1 16.2 14.25
2 16.09 14.25
4 15.82 14.24
6 15.31 14.24
8 14.99 14.24
10 14.68 14.02
15 14.32 14.13
20 14.34 14.25
25 14.34 14.32
30 14.28 14.27
At this rate, looks like I should expect light problems in the near future, although we do very little night driving.
IMO this is way too high. My other car reference manuals suggest 13.8-14 as max allowable volts. I got 16.09 at 1 stage.
This means that ALL other electronics are at this voltage as well.
If the weather is cold, as it is in Europe, I would expect that 16v could be maintained for an even longer period as the battery is more reluctant to accept charging when cold.
Apart from the compensation for battery cranking, I have no explanation as to why the results are so different. I graphed it but it is too big to attach. The car was parked for 30 minutes while the city activities were conducted. I recommend you do a simple graph to see these results. Note at the 30 minute mark there is .1 of a volt difference.
If the lights begin to fail regularly, I will regulate the voltage with my own circuit.
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Latest findings:
- The setting of the Light Switch has a large influence on the voltage from the alternator .
Some of you might think that this is obvious but to me it's not. The reason is that since it's mandatory to use the headlights in this country the only difference by having the light switch off vs. on is:
- The light on all the buttons in the dashboard is off.
- It's possible to flash the lights but the high beam can not be turned on
- The diming of the light intensity in the instrument panel/LCD/radio is not working (always set to max)
The headlights are on in both cases. I've included two pictures below to show the difference seen from the driver position.
Due to this small difference up to yesterday I didn't really pay a lot attention to if the light switch was off or on. Now I know that this is important.
Coming back from work yesterday I couldn't understand why the voltage sometimes dropped 1.5V after 130-140sec and sometimes not. So I decided to do some more recordings and then it became clear.
- If the light switch is turned off (set to 0) - the voltage drops 1.5 V after 130-140sec
- If the light switch is turned on - the voltage drops only 0.5V
This can clearly be seen in the attached recordings:
- Test 8a, home -> work, light switch on: Voltage drops from 14.7V to 14.3V and stays very stable for the whole ride. Arriving at work I stopped the car and turned the light switch off (due to habit) before I did 2 attempts to restart the car. In both these cases the voltage dropped to 12.9V
- Test 8B, work -> home, light switch on: Voltage drops to 14.3V but then after 10min it starts to toggle between 13.6V - 14.2V - 14.7V
- Test 9, stop/start driving: This was when it became clear to me that the setting of the light switch had something to do with the voltage.
- A-B-C: test carried out with the car parked and on idle, light switch on: voltage drops to 14.3V on first attempt, on the two next attempt the voltage did not go up to 14.7V but stayed at 14.3V
- D: also at idle, but now I turned the light switch to park and noticed that the voltage immediately dropped to 12.7V
- E: went for a 10 min drive
- F: stopped the car and started again but now with light switch off. Voltage goes up to only 12.7V. Tried for a few seconds to turn the light switch on and the voltage jumps up to 14.3V
- G to J: driving back now with the light switch off. Voltage drops from 14.5V to 12.7V after 138 sec, then at point H I switched the light back on for a few seconds. After 5 min the voltage starts to toggle between 12.7V and 13.4V. At point J I get home and the Auto Stop kicks in before I stop the car.
This morning I did a new recording on the way to work, now with light switch off.
The result can be seen as Test 10a.
- As always with switch off the voltage drops from 14.7V to 12.7V after 160sec
- After 10min the voltage starts to toggle between 12.4 and 13.4V
- After another 10 min drive the voltage toggle between 13.6V - 14.2V - 14.7
...next recording on way back from work
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...forgot to add the pictures showing the differences between light on and light off.
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Petrol SLX does it too. Now involved with local dealer (helpful so far) with my car which has blown several globes in two years, but only travelled less than 29,000 km.
After installation of the last set, the alignment of the lighting is so bad I can't see the side of the road properly!
Awaiting a call from the dealer now...
(And yes, I've been missing from this forum for a long time! :mrgreen: )
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GordonG
Please Explain !!! - (P. Hanson) :rofl:
Can you elaborate on how the dealer is being helpful.
I've posted some info on system voltages after start up & I think there may be some value in investigating it further. :)
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Helpful in that they are prepared to listen to me. But I haven't started ranting and raving yet :) Also spoke to Hyundai and they sent up two new globes FOC that the dealer installed; however they are pointing anywhere but where I need them to be. Nearly ran over a guy I didn't even see night before last! He was in army camo, which didn't help, but still... Missed a call from them yesterday evening (I was teaching at karate) so should get a call today. Maybe when I explain why I missed their call, I'll get some prompt attention :wacko:
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. Missed a call from them yesterday evening (I was teaching at karate) so should get a call today. Maybe when I explain why I missed their call, I'll get some prompt attention :wacko:
:goodjob2: :goodjob: :scared:
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@steinrk: I have a 2011 Czech-made diesel i30cw. The dashboard you have is called Supervision here in Slovenia and is almost impossible to get (I have dials for gas tank and engine temperature, not LCD display). Anyway, in Slovenia it is also mandatory to have the lights on all the time and therefore, lights turn on automatically as in your case. But there is a difference in dashboard illumination between your car and mine - when the lights switch is off, only the trip computer, radio and A/C displays are maximally lit, anything else is in darkness (all the dials, buttons, ... are off).
Can you check whether the voltage on the battery and the voltage reported by the ECU over OBD-II is the same? I will try to hook up a OBD-II dongle and monitor voltages, but not before the end of the week.
I have my i30 for 7 months now and have done nearly 28k km. I drive with both light swich settings (I must turn the lights switched off to see anything on the trip computer display during the day and I must have lights switched on during the night to not be blinded by the maximum illuminated displays).
I haven't experienced any headlights blows.... yet.
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@steinrk: I have a 2011 Czech-made diesel i30cw. The dashboard you have is called Supervision here in Slovenia and is almost impossible to get (I have dials for gas tank and engine temperature, not LCD display). Anyway, in Slovenia it is also mandatory to have the lights on all the time and therefore, lights turn on automatically as in your case. But there is a difference in dashboard illumination between your car and mine - when the lights switch is off, only the trip computer, radio and A/C displays are maximally lit, anything else is in darkness (all the dials, buttons, ... are off).
Can you check whether the voltage on the battery and the voltage reported by the ECU over OBD-II is the same? I will try to hook up a OBD-II dongle and monitor voltages, but not before the end of the week.
I have my i30 for 7 months now and have done nearly 28k km. I drive with both light swich settings (I must turn the lights switched off to see anything on the trip computer display during the day and I must have lights switched on during the night to not be blinded by the maximum illuminated displays).
I haven't experienced any headlights blows.... yet.
As you know, there is a user Lynx (Hyundai-klub Slovenia), that might help you with OBD-II and that stuff. I don't know exactly what you have or don't have nor what he has or doesn't have, heck I don't even know what exactly you need, but in case you forgot, you could check with him. He is also from Celje anway.. :wink: :wink:
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I have this one: http://www.dealextreme.com/p/obdii-bluetooth-car-diagnostic-cable-black-blue-orange-dc-12v-42825 (http://www.dealextreme.com/p/obdii-bluetooth-car-diagnostic-cable-black-blue-orange-dc-12v-42825).
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Okay, the latest is that I got a call from the Service Manager asking me to bring the car back, which I did, and while they fed me coffee the workshop foreman fixed the problem of misalignment. All over in 15 minutes. Got a follow-up call from the Service Manager today to check everything was okay. Told him it was fine, and that I've ordered a pair of Xenon globes for it from eBay (about $AUD40), he said they would be happy to fix them for me. Agrees that it's not exactly clever for everything else to be disabled while the starter is engaged - except the headlights.
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@steinrk: We definately have some differences in the alternator settings. See the graphs below - I logged the voltages over OBD-II at 10 Hz.
(http://www.shrani.si/f/1M/BG/3rAuRnix/rpmvoltage.png)
After the initial drop in voltage due to engine starting, there is a nice linear ramp from 11.5 V to 14.5 V (normal charging voltage for the car battery).
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A few hours after the last post, left headlight bulb died... First one after 28500 km.
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This site suggests that 13.2 volts is the correct operating voltage.
http://ezinearticles.com/?How-to-Prevent-Your-Headlight-Bulbs-From-Blowing-Too-Frequently&id=3219913 (http://ezinearticles.com/?How-to-Prevent-Your-Headlight-Bulbs-From-Blowing-Too-Frequently&id=3219913) :neutral:
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This site suggests that 13.2 volts is the correct operating voltage.
http://ezinearticles.com/?How-to-Prevent-Your-Headlight-Bulbs-From-Blowing-Too-Frequently&id=3219913 (http://ezinearticles.com/?How-to-Prevent-Your-Headlight-Bulbs-From-Blowing-Too-Frequently&id=3219913) :neutral:
The above site states
...The typical expected lifespan of a standard halogen headlight bulb is around 350 to 400 hours...
I have done 28500 km with the average speed of 76 km/h - that gives 375 hours, which is apparently normal lifetime :) Anyway, the car has an appointment today at Hyundai dealer to replace the bulb under the warranty.
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Anyway, the car has an appointment today at Hyundai dealer to replace the bulb under the warranty.
Would they do it under warranty at that age. I would have thought they would have said it was a wear item by then thus not under warranty.
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They did replace it, no questions asked.
I was planning to replace it myself this afternoon, but I stumbled upon a discussion on the slovenian Hyundai forum, where someone stated that Hyundai gives 2 years warranty on light bulbs.
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I'm having this problem too. Most recently, both globes were blown when I went to turn my lights on after finishing work....at midnight. I called RACV but they couldn't do anything as 1: He didn't have the globes anyway and 2: If he did, he'd have to take the whole bumper off yada yada yada.
I had to call my sister to come and get me (an hour up, an hour back). Had to leave my car at work and then had to come back the following morning with dad. He took my car to Huyndai, got the new globes and the fuse replaced in my cigarette lighter, as I don't think it ever worked (could never charge my phone and the lighter didn't even heat up, wouldn't even stay in when pushed).
$100 later...
I think both sides have already blown on 2 occasions, both times they were fixed at home. A bit tricky, but it was done.
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I'd be pretty cheesed off with the RACV's response..... :fum:
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I was....called at midnight, they came at 1am, had to call my sister, who arrived at 2am, bed at 3am and up again at 6am for 8am start at work.
Grumpy me on Friday.
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I bet you were grumpy... :lol:
At the very least you'd think the RACV could've organised a taxi....
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Well he did tell me it would be a 'very expensive tow'.
And no offer of taxi.
WTF am I paying them for?
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@Pikapolonica: just short off-topic - where did you get your nickname?
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Sorry to hear that PP, I would have been right peeved too... :disapp:
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@Pikapolonica: just short off-topic - where did you get your nickname?
Mama in ata so bili rojeni v Sloveniji:)
Zato moj vzdevek je Slovensko:)
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@Pikapolonica: just short off-topic - where did you get your nickname?
Mama in ata so bili rojeni v Sloveniji:)
Zato moj vzdevek je Slovensko:)
I thought it was something like that :)
Lepe pozdrave v poletno Avstralijo!
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This discussion has highlighted a couple of points that need to be considered.
1. In some European countries, there is a requirement to drive with headlights on at all times. If the average lamp life is between 200 - 400 hours, depending on the brand & intensity, it will be normal for lamps to burn out at regular intervals and is not a fault with the vehicle electrics at all.
2. There are a number of members whose lights are clearly not lasting anywhere near their normal lifespan, to these people, I have purchased some equipment that I will commence testing as soon as it arrives from overseas. It is not overly expensive and may offer a solution to your problems. I'll keep you posted.
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Sounds good Phil... :goodjob:
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Just did another Passangers bulb...10,600 KM... 3 1/2 months.. :Shocked:
Elle B
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Just did another Passangers bulb...10,600 KM... 3 1/2 months.. :Shocked:
Elle B
:disapp:
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i blew my first head light globe only two days ago,and yes it was only seconds after starting my car. :wacko: l/h side.
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Well, I had one of my Osram Night Breaker Plus H7 globes blow yesterday.... :(
It's been 14 months since I installed them so I guess that's not too bad. I replaced it (for the moment) with one of the originals.
I've just ordered another full set (both high & low) from the UK as I figure the others are probably not that far from blowing too.
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Well, I had one of my Osram Night Breaker Plus H7 globes blow yesterday.... :(
It's been 14 months since I installed them so I guess that's not too bad. I replaced it (for the moment) with one of the originals.
I've just ordered another full set (both high & low) from the UK as I figure the others are probably not that far from blowing too.
I haven't had a single blow in three years :D
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Dave, are you running Night Breakers too, or are you referring to your love life? :P
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Well, I had one of my Osram Night Breaker Plus H7 globes blow yesterday.... :(
It's been 14 months since I installed them so I guess that's not too bad. I replaced it (for the moment) with one of the originals.
I've just ordered another full set (both high & low) from the UK as I figure the others are probably not that far from blowing too.
My new Night Breakers arrived today.
I certainly can't complain about the service and I reckon $44 including shipping was a bargain.... :goodjob:
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That's good value Rusty :goodjob:
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Well, I had one of my Osram Night Breaker Plus H7 globes blow yesterday.... :(
It's been 14 months since I installed them so I guess that's not too bad. I replaced it (for the moment) with one of the originals.
I've just ordered another full set (both high & low) from the UK as I figure the others are probably not that far from blowing too.
I haven't had a single blow in three years :D
Do you have your lights on all the time? Day & night?
I'm still running on xenon kit from previous i30 and still working fine.
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I've just blown another headlight bulb, think it's number 8 in 43000 km. I allways change them in pairs.
This time I bought Osram Night Breaker Plus, but without luck, they didn't last longer.
I've measured the voltage on the battery and with the engine running its 14,2 volt. That might explain the short life of a bulb.
It's getting quite expensive in bulbs if I've gonna change every 6000 km.
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Hi Steen
Peugeot had some problems with lots of blown headlights, maybe they have a solution that can also be used on the i30.. :question:
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I recall reading a test in the UK Auto Express magazine of H7 globes. They tested standard and high light emission bulbs from several manufacturers including Osram, Phillips, Autolamps etc.
Their conclusion was that if you go for globes with a higher light output than standard ones - the price you pay is reduced bulb life.
The winner of the high output bulb test was the Philips X-Treme Vision which gave a 120% increase in light output but a life of only 50% compared with standard bulbs. They cost £30 per pair.
Second was the Philips VisionPLus which gave a 50% increase in light output and a life of 75% compared with standard bulbs. They cost £23 per pair.
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Hi Steen
Peugeot had some problems with lots of blown headlights, maybe they have a solution that can also be used on the i30.. :question:
I'm not sure about the reactions I'll get from the car, if I fit Peugeutparts on it :eek: :eek: :Shocked:
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I've just blown another headlight bulb, think it's number 8 in 43000 km. I allways change them in pairs.
This time I bought Osram Night Breaker Plus, but without luck, they didn't last longer.
I've measured the voltage on the battery and with the engine running its 14,2 volt. That might explain the short life of a bulb.
It's getting quite expensive in bulbs if I've gonna change every 6000 km.
Do you start your car with the lights on? I think this can contribute to globe failure although as per other comments higher output = shorter lifespan too... :disapp:
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I have never had a headlight bulb fail - I don't do very much night driving - possibly 150 hours per year.
If I did need to replace the standard bulbs - these are the ones I would replace them with as recommended by Auto Express.
H7 Philips EcoVision 12v 55w
EcoVision consumes up to 20% less energy than a standard car lamp while giving you twice the lifetime and 10% more light. Using EcoVision lamps reduces your cars fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. Which means you save fuel and money while helping the planet.
Benefits
• 10% more light on the road over a standard halogen bulb
• Safer night driving
• Longer Life
• Fully 'E' Marked and road legal
• UV protected and suitable for use in plastic lenses
• Quartz Glass, giving longer life up to 1000 hours
Who would buy these
Those who are after an upgrade bulb that offers more light output, twice the lifetime and saves energy and fuel. For further detailed information on this new product visit www.philips.com/ecovision (http://www.philips.com/ecovision)
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I have never had a headlight bulb fail - I don't do very much night driving - possibly 150 hours per year.
Well... some of us need to have the headlights turned on all the time (also during the day). I will keep this Philips in mind. I expect the next one to go in a few months.
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In Denmark we use the lights all day, they are not turned on before the engine starts.
A bit tricky to explain but when you turn the ignition on you got no lights, as soon the engine fires up they light up.
It's got DRL which means the headlights are on but not the lights inside the car(instruments, switches etc).
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In Denmark we use the lights all day, they are not turned on before the engine starts.
A bit tricky to explane but when you turn the ignition on you got no lights, as soon the engine fires up they light up.
It's got DRL which means the headlights are on but not the lights inside the car(instruments, switches etc).
I don't see the purpose of those DRL's if they are like normal headlights. I've seen some DRL (LED) kits that can be installed on i30. That might be better. They looked similar to this (http://www.ath-hinsberger.de/out/oxbaseshop/html/0/dyn_images/z3/i30_tagfahrleuchten_eingeschaltet_z3.jpg), but they were in German Hyundai catalog as "additional" equipment. I'll try to find it.
Till I do, here (http://www.ath-hinsberger.de/tuning_mazda_kia_hyundai_zubehoer.php/sid/3cbfc4963c988bca224feb80c1bc8b0a/cl/alist/cnid/3af4b21056c549176.55377193) are some for i30 also.
EDIT:
Here they are (http://www.hyundai.de/pages/modelle/i30/zubehoer.html) or check THIS pdf on 14th site (http://www.hyundai.de/forms/download/zubehoerprospekt/model/3/body/6)
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In Denmark we use the lights all day, they are not turned on before the engine starts.
A bit tricky to explane but when you turn the ignition on you got no lights, as soon the engine fires up they light up.
It's got DRL which means the headlights are on but not the lights inside the car(instruments, switches etc).
I don't see the purpose of those DRL's if they are like normal headlights. I've seen some DRL (LED) kits that can be installed on i30. That might be better. They looked similar to this (http://www.ath-hinsberger.de/out/oxbaseshop/html/0/dyn_images/z3/i30_tagfahrleuchten_eingeschaltet_z3.jpg), but they were in German Hyundai catalog as "additional" equipment. I'll try to find it.
Till I do, here (http://www.ath-hinsberger.de/tuning_mazda_kia_hyundai_zubehoer.php/sid/3cbfc4963c988bca224feb80c1bc8b0a/cl/alist/cnid/3af4b21056c549176.55377193) are some for i30 also.
EDIT:
Here they are (http://www.hyundai.de/pages/modelle/i30/zubehoer.html) or check THIS pdf on 14th site (http://www.hyundai.de/forms/download/zubehoerprospekt/model/3/body/6)
I know them. They wont cure the problem because during winter it's so dark that I still have to use the headlights when driving to/from work.
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Just an observation i made recently, i have an Ultraguage fitted, and decided to monitor volts for a change, i noticed at startup, voltage is 12. something, after about 3 seconds its jumps to 14.6, and stays there, so if your starting your car with the lights on, this jump might be causing the problems, i have 30,000 km up now, and never start or stop the engine with the lights on. never had a bulb problem.
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Thanks Ultralights (doesn't surprise me at all)
We don't call you Ultra Lights .. for nothing :whistler:
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Just an observation i made recently, i have an Ultraguage fitted, and decided to monitor volts for a change, i noticed at startup, voltage is 12. something, after about 3 seconds its jumps to 14.6, and stays there, so if your starting your car with the lights on, this jump might be causing the problems, i have 30,000 km up now, and never start or stop the engine with the lights on. never had a bulb problem.
:whsaid:
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Just an observation i made recently, i have an Ultraguage fitted, and decided to monitor volts for a change, i noticed at startup, voltage is 12. something, after about 3 seconds its jumps to 14.6, and stays there, so if your starting your car with the lights on, this jump might be causing the problems, i have 30,000 km up now, and never start or stop the engine with the lights on. never had a bulb problem.
The lights turns on by them self, instantly, when the engine fires up. I'd have to switch to positionslight and then back to the headlights, when engine is running, if I should prevent that.
That can't be right.
It's because we have to use DRL in Denmark.
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We also need to have the lights on 24/7 (day and night) and that really is a problem. Try with some "long-life" bulbs.. The light output is worse, but they last longer at least.
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Well, today was the day for one of mine headlight bulbs to blow. :disapp:
Also Osram Night Breaker Plus only 5 months old.
Now I bought some other Osram Ultra Light. There's 3 years warranty on those, but they do not offer +50% light.
Exiting to see how they will do.....
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Well, today was the day for one of mine headlight bulbs to blow. :disapp:
Also Osram Night Breaker Plus only 5 months old.
Now I bought some other Osram Ultra Light. There's 3 years warranty on those, but they do not offer +50% light.
Exiting to see how they will do.....
3 years warranty, that is interesting (better check the fine print to be sure they didn't exclude the i30 diesel :lol:)
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Hmm, can't find the fine print, maybe my eyes are getting old... :lol:
http://www.osram.com/osram_com/products/lamps/automotive-cars/halogen-light/ultra-life/index.jsp?productId=ZMP_1013618 (http://www.osram.com/osram_com/products/lamps/automotive-cars/halogen-light/ultra-life/index.jsp?productId=ZMP_1013618)
I will give them a chance. I can only fear they don't provide light enough.. :(
I think I'll try to meassure the voltage at the headlamps while they are removed anyway.
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Here you go: :D
:link:
(http://www.osram.com/osram_com/tools-and-services/services/osram-guarantees/guarantees-for-consumer/guarantee-process-for-headlamps/index.jsp?mkturl=am-guarantee)
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I don't see Australia in the list of Countries that qualify...?
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I don't see Australia in the list of Countries that qualify...?
It's there, they just missed a couple of letters out :undecided:
What is this with "White Russia" :Shocked: (are they allowed to say that) :whistler:
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Here you go: :D
:link:
(http://www.osram.com/osram_com/tools-and-services/services/osram-guarantees/guarantees-for-consumer/guarantee-process-for-headlamps/index.jsp?mkturl=am-guarantee)
Thanks :goodjob2:
Denmark is on the list, so far so good.
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Well, I measurred the voltage when changing the bulbs this morning.
On battery, without ignition: 12,55 V
At headlight bulb with ignition: 11,46 V (started at ca 10,5 V and ended at 11,46 V after a few seconds, must be the glow plugs using all the power)
At headlight bulb at idle: 13,77 V (increasing revs to 2000 didn't change voltage)
So, your 12 V headlight bulbs are burdened by 15 % too high voltage.
Remember 15-20 years ago when I mounted ekstra relays for the headlights to increase the voltage :confused:
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I don't see Australia in the list of Countries that qualify...?
It's there, they just missed a couple of letters out :undecided:
What is this with "White Russia" :Shocked: (are they allowed to say that) :whistler:
Good one :mrgreen: And as for the White Russia - they probably meant neighbor country called Belarus (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belarus) , as "Bela" in word Belarus, means "white" :wink:
So that's it.. Could some relay solve the problem?
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How would a relay help Belarus being called white Russia?
Can you throw some light on the matter?......... :whistler:
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How would a relay help Belarus being called white Russia?
Can you throw some light on the matter?......... :whistler:
:mrgreen: :snigger:
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How would a relay help Belarus being called white Russia?
Can you throw some light on the matter?......... :whistler:
:mrgreen: :snigger:
:Agoodpost:
Silly you :snigger:
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Good one :mrgreen: And as for the White Russia - they probably meant neighbor country called Belarus (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belarus) , as "Bela" in word Belarus, means "white" :wink:
white is белый/ beliy in Russian :mrgreen:
Just checked "White Russia" with a dictionary and it indeed proved to be a former name of Belarus country.
A shame on Osram for this mistake
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EcoVision consumes up to 20% less energy than a standard car lamp while giving you twice the lifetime and 10% more light. Using EcoVision lamps reduces your cars fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.
How do they manage to evade Ohm's law?
Bulbs produce light by heating a filament so how you can get 10% more light and consume 20% less energy is mystery but you will get a longer life by reducing wattage.
The only way a bulb will reduce fuel consumption is when it is not turned on.
Apparently, light bulbs have a accurate life span of 1000 hours and where I worked it was cheaper to group change all the bulbs in a building in one go than return on an ad hoc basis to change the odd one or two. When a group change ran late it was invariably found that almost all the bulbs had failed within a day or two. Heavy Duty (rough service) bulbs are rated at 2000 hours which is achieved by a thicker filament giving slightly less light but doubling the life. I can vouch for this as I have four external lights around the house on a solar switch. When one bulb fails the others will also fail within a day or so.
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How do they manage to evade Ohm's law?
Bulbs produce light by heating a filament so how you can get 10% more light and consume 20% less energy is mystery but you will get a longer life by reducing wattage.
I think I remember reading somewhere that the gas pressure inside the bulb is higher, resulting in more light output. Maybe they can use a thinner filament because of this. :neutral:
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I'll just add this: most of the energy in an incandescent light is radiated as heat (infrared) which is frequency-wise below visible light. Our eyes simply do not see it. If the (colour) temperature of the filament can be raised then the efficiency of the lamp is also raised because less (wasted) invisible light is radiated. This why fluorescent lights are efficient, little infra-red (heat) is generated.
No conclusion...
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Increased light output of a filament bulb can only be achieved by increasing the wattage but this is restricted to 55 watts for road use.. The gas filling to to restrict the evaporation of the metallic filament to a minimum and gases of the halide family under pressure are used for this in car halogen bulbs. Any coloured coating restricts the light output but may make it appear whiter to the human eye.
The car headlamp filament bulb has probably reached its peak performance which is why the trend is now towards HID bulbs which work in a different way. Current marketing of special headlamp bulbs is more a play with words than improved performance and rarely mentions the (much) reduced life.
Just my view. Other views may be available.
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:agreed: pip & baradeur 100%
I think the future will be in LED lighting. Almost indestructible, very low voltage & power requirements, selectable light output K. I have them at home in our standard lamps for room lighting, they use a whole 5 watts, I have more on order. I forecast within 2 years there will be an effective automotive equivalent.
Although HID is the current flavour, they actually produce too much light, are more expensive to manufacture, don't handle off / on cycles well and if done properly, require suspension tracking to keep them safe to oncoming traffic. They are illegal in some countries where not OEM fitted too. :neutral:
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:agreed: pip & baradeur 100%
I think the future will be in LED lighting. Almost indestructible, very low voltage & power requirements, selectable light output K. I have them at home in our standard lamps for room lighting, they use a whole 5 watts, I have more on order. I forecast within 2 years there will be an effective automotive equivalent.
In fact that is slightly incorrect. As you know LEDs have been around for ages as tail lights. We have all seen how prone they are to failing in the old spoiler stop lights.
Luckily today's LEDs are a generation past that and can be expected to last much longer. LEDs are far from indestructible. In fact, the worst enemy for them is heat. On of the major reasons holding them back from incorporation in headlights is that to produce the light output needed, they generate a great deal of heat and unless you can dissipate that effectively, they will cook themselves and self destruct.
In fact I had read that some Audi models and the highest spec Prius may have them as headlights, if not here, overseas.
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:agreed: pip & baradeur 100%
I think the future will be in LED lighting. Almost indestructible, very low voltage & power requirements, selectable light output K. I have them at home in our standard lamps for room lighting, they use a whole 5 watts, I have more on order. I forecast within 2 years there will be an effective automotive equivalent.
In fact that is slightly incorrect. As you know LEDs have been around for ages as tail lights. We have all seen how prone they are to failing in the old spoiler stop lights.
Luckily today's LEDs are a generation past that and can be expected to last much longer. LEDs are far from indestructible. In fact, the worst enemy for them is heat. On of the major reasons holding them back from incorporation in headlights is that to produce the light output needed, they generate a great deal of heat and unless you can dissipate that effectively, they will cook themselves and self destruct.
In fact I had read that some Audi models and the highest spec Prius may have them as headlights, if not here, overseas.
Only slightly incorrect, a bit like being half pregnant :mrgreen:
When I said indestructible, I meant physically, as in no fine filament to burn out. As they are a semiconductor, of course they are sensitive to heat & voltage spikes.
They do fail, traffic lights are nearly all led now and I see plenty with partial lightng, obviously some work to be done there.
I agree, heat is a big killer, but with correct heatsinking, high outputs are possible. There are numerous councils using LED's for streetlighting and saving considerable $$ as a result.
Your reference to Audi & Toyota proves that there will shortly be an automotive application, maybe a little sooner that I thought, they must have the heat dissipation problem sorted. :razz:
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Well, I had one of my Osram Night Breaker Plus H7 globes blow yesterday.... :(
The other one blew last night so looks like that's my job for today. :)
Hopefully these ones will last just as long......
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Dammit crappy poo bum. left side headlight blew this morning! :(
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Low beam I assume? :undecided:
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Good news with the new model i30.....
From my observations today I reckon globes will be able to be changed without removing the headlight assembly.... :goodjob:
(http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y150/rustynutz69/HeadlightBulbAccessDriversSide.jpg)
(http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y150/rustynutz69/HeadlightBulbAccessPassengerSide.jpg)
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Dammit crappy poo bum. left side headlight blew this morning! :(
Crappy poo indeed. How long has it lasted. Less than a year?
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yep, low beam, lasted 37,000km, or 9 months. i drove from the ski fields, back to syd at night, a while at sub zero temps, but it didnt come on this mornings commute. not sure if it failed when i turned the lights off when arriving home, or as i turned them on. both on and off, the engine was running, so not sure if it was a voltage spike.
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Good news with the new model i30.....
From my observations today I reckon globes will be able to be changed without removing the headlight assembly.... :goodjob:
Nice bit of observation Rusty :goodjob:
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Good news with the new model i30.....
From my observations today I reckon globes will be able to be changed without removing the headlight assembly.... :goodjob:
Nice bit of observation Rusty :goodjob:
Ta Daz, hope I'm right.... :undecided:
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i30 Diesel purchased Dec09 popped a LB bulb the other day.
How the bloody hell do you change it? Them, I'll replace both of them @ the same time.
The Manual states
1. Open the bonnet - so far so good
2. Remove the headlight assembly by loosening the headlight installation bolts (3EA) - Que? :wacko: - I'll have a look at that in the morning to find these 3EA bolts. That should be real fun.
I think I will set aside a day and half a bottle of Gin, ditto Tonic water, for this exercise.
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I worked it out folks, I started unbolting things until a piston fell out the bottom so I reckon I had to take a more structured approach.
It wasn't that big a deal, the headlight assembly was a bit fiddly to take out but streets in front of other vehicles I have worked on.
:idea: Perhaps I should have taken an Obstetrician's approach and done it all through the exhaust pipe :eek:
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Well done! :goodjob:
Did the gin & tonic help? :whistler:
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I must admit I haven't paid a lot of attention to this thread in the past but I've been driving my wife's Corolla a fair bit in the last couple of weeks and some of it at night. It's a 2005 model and hasn't yet had a bulb blow.
My i30 is coming up to 3 years old in November and has done a fair bit of night driving back from Brisbane after work and is yet to blow a bulb.
Sure I know all 4 headlight bulbs will blow within a day of my posting this but is it a diesl only phenomenon? I remember some discussion about spikes when starting. Does anyone with petrol model have problems?
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I must admit I haven't paid a lot of attention to this thread in the past but I've been driving my wife's Corolla a fair bit in the last couple of weeks and some of it at night. It's a 2005 model and hasn't yet had a bulb blow.
My i30 is coming up to 3 years old in November and has done a fair bit of night driving back from Brisbane after work and is yet to blow a bulb.
Sure I know all 4 headlight bulbs will blow within a day of my posting this but is it a diesl only phenomenon? I remember some discussion about spikes when starting. Does anyone with petrol model have problems?
As stated before, I haven't had one blow in over three years.
My RHS brake light globe blew very recently which is the first defect my car has had (other than the driver, that is.. :whistler:)
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Yes but so many diesel owners have had problems there must be an inherent design flaw that manifests in some cars but not in others. Whether Hyundai has figured out the exact cause themselves I'm not sure. Or else the fix is too troublesome or expensive for them to fix it properly.
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Just a reminder that some of the headlight globes that are blowing are aftermarket globes. These do have a shorter life than the standard issue globes.
I got, if my memory serves me correctly, 14 months and 15 months respectively out of the Osram Nightbreaker low beams. The High beams are yet to pop..... :whistler:
Probably jinxed myself in saying that now.... :-[
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Just a reminder that some of the headlight globes that are blowing are aftermarket globes. These do have a shorter life than the standard issue globes.
But I got well over 3 years with my Mazda 6 and Osram Nightbreakers. Were still working when I sold the car.
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You must have been lucky then, Con.....either that or you didn't use your headlights....... :lol:
Click the linky thingy for the specs on the Night Breaker Plus Globes:
:link: (http://catalog.myosram.com/zb2b/b2b/start.do?browsername=mozilla%2F4.0%2520%2528compatible%253B%2520msie%25208.0%253B%2520windows%2520nt%25206.1%253B%2520trident%2F4.0%253B%2520slcc2%253B%2520.net%2520clr%25202.0.50727%253B%2520.net%2520clr%25203.5.30729%253B%2520.net%2520clr%25203.0.30729%253B%2520media%2520center%2520pc%25206.0%2529&browsermajor=4&browserminor=4)
As you'll see the lifespan is pretty short.... :)
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I was running Osram Nightbreaker Plus on my CRDI and got somewhere between 6000 and 8000 km's from them. It's because of the DRL, the caralso runs with a high voltage(14.2 v) on the bulbs that does't exectly extend their lives :fum:
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I was running Osram Nightbreaker Plus on my CRDI and got somewhere between 6000 and 8000 km's from them. It's because of the DRL, the caralso runs with a high voltage(14.2 v) on the bulbs that does't exectly extend their lives :fum:
That is standard alternator output voltage otherwise the battery would not get charged.
All car electrics are designed to operate at +14v usually 14.5 / 14.7 volts.
'Super' bulbs achieve 'extra' output at the expense of a shorter life....nothing is free in this world!
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Hi Guys, I was drawn to this forum looking for an answer as my son owns a 2007 i30 diesel which he bought a few months ago off his friend who bought it new and for the second time he has called me to ask me to have a look at his headlights again! I got very interested in this complaint and actually read all that has been happening to all of you people who own one of these cars. The interesting bit is that I am an Auto Electrician and have run my own business for the last 28 years. As my son is off to the UK from Wednesday I will have the car here to test and play with. I have given the thought of Back EMF a lot of priority as there are many things in a car that can cause these "spikes". One of which is the Air conditioning Compressor Clutch Coil! Any way I will not reveal too much yet as if I find the fault I will sell the repair Ideas to Hyundai. I do not believe it has anything to do with Bulb life span. There has to be something that causes them to blow so prematurely. I have been doing Auto Electrics since 1971 and have never come across this problem on any other brand of car. I will keep you posted withy my findings "If any"!
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Welcome to the forum and good luck.
We will watch with interest.
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Welcome and good luck. You could try incorporating an inductor in series with the supply to the lamps to dampen the transient. It may be a band-aid solution long enough to trace the transient without blowing more bulbs - or it could be a fix. :whistler:
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All us CRDI owners wait with bated breath.
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I'm good on theory but short on real experience with modern auto electrics but if my CRDi had the problem I'd have been where you are now - seeking answers - but fortunately mine has had no problem. Because only some have a problem leads me to think that it's not a design flaw directly but rather something to do with manufacturing or assembly tolerances. Poor battery connection to chassis (earthing) has been implicated.
Pleased to see someone with the requisite knowledge sus it out... good luck.
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Welcome AUTOSPARK, I would be checking the earthing first :goodjob:
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I had a couple of hours with my son's i30 diesel today. I have replaced both low beam bulbs I just fitted Narva +30% H7 bulbs nothing expensive of fancy. I believe that if these bulbs last for years on other cars they should do the same on an i30 without problems. What I did notice that I did not like on this car is that the Earth cable from Battery (Negative) is just a strap[ to the Body and then there is another earth strap from the body to the engine mount bracket on driver's side of engine. I added an extra earth cable of decent size from Negative battery terminal to the gearbox side of the top starter motor mounting bolt. The rest of the earth straps I let as found. At the headlight assembly plugs I joined the two black wires together and added to them another 5mm wire which I earthed on one of the two panel bolts behind the headlight just below fuse box. I also fitted a 3 amp blocking diode between the Low beam wire and the earth in reverse. This should stop any spiking coming this way to the Low beam circuit. With the heavier engine earth cable that I added one can notice a significant difference in the speed the starter spins the engine over when cold. All we can do now is wait and see what happens with regular use. I can only try and improve things at the moment. I did ask my son if he was using the Air conditioning when the bulbs blew and he said NO. So that rules out spiking from A/C clutch coil. We shall wait and see.
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Thanks AUTOSPARK, sounds good :goodjob:
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I added an extra earth cable of decent size from Negative battery terminal to the gearbox side of the top starter motor mounting bolt...
.. At the headlight assembly plugs I joined the two black wires together and added to them another 5mm wire which I earthed on one of the two panel bolts behind the headlight just below fuse box. I also fitted a 3 amp blocking diode between the Low beam wire and the earth in reverse...
..We shall wait and see.
Not meaning to be critical but "wait and see" could be a long time and because the problem appears to be intermittent and quite unpredictable I'm worried that the empirical results might be very inconclusive. Having said that, if this particular car has no more episodes then something will have been proved. :goodjob2:
The extra herbs to the starter motor is interesting, even if it has no bearing on the problem sought.
A lot of us are watching with great interest.
Can you possibly offer some resistance measurements from the car as it is? I'd like to compare my car to yours after the mods you made although I appreciate that the very low resistances we are talking about will render comparisons difficult without calibrated equipment.
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Hi Guys, I was drawn to this forum looking for an answer as my son owns a 2007 i30 diesel which he bought a few months ago off his friend who bought it new and for the second time he has called me to ask me to have a look at his headlights again! I got very interested in this complaint and actually read all that has been happening to all of you people who own one of these cars. The interesting bit is that I am an Auto Electrician and have run my own business for the last 28 years. As my son is off to the UK from Wednesday I will have the car here to test and play with. I have given the thought of Back EMF a lot of priority as there are many things in a car that can cause these "spikes". One of which is the Air conditioning Compressor Clutch Coil! Any way I will not reveal too much yet as if I find the fault I will sell the repair Ideas to Hyundai. I do not believe it has anything to do with Bulb life span. There has to be something that causes them to blow so prematurely. I have been doing Auto Electrics since 1971 and have never come across this problem on any other brand of car. I will keep you posted withy my findings "If any"!
I take it you haven't seen the Toyota Prius? namely the passengers side headlight?
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Unfortunately us Auto Electricians don't speak the same terms of testing as unprofessional and we tackle problems differently as we understand what is happening a bit better. "We" don't do our testing like you speak of. To be honest it makes no sense. I did not say what Modifications I did will fix the problem as it is only intermittent an all cases. But I am sure with what I covered I am quite close to solving it. Like I said we will just have to wait and see. Unfortunately my Son's car will not be getting much use in the next 4 Months as he is off to Europe till September working but as I will have the car at my place I will try and make us of it myself and most use will be at night with lights on. We will give it time. Regarding the starting it definitely winds over with more ease having a negative cable to the engine direct with less connections. This leaves the original earth supply (Battery Negative) to the body just for body electrics like the lights and other engine electrics will have a better connection to the battery without having to go through bolts and connections. Just a shorter cut really.!
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Regarding the starting it definitely winds over with more ease having a negative cable to the engine direct with less connections.
I wonder why the car has been wired up as it is and the car not set up as you have done by the boffins at Hy.
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Unfortunately us Auto Electricians don't speak the same terms of testing as unprofessional...
Ouch, I suspect that was directed at me. :TutTut:
I will add that I have worked in the electrical/electronic service industry (at the coal face) all my working life (46 years) but you are right, I'm not a professional in your field and on this forum just an interested owner. :winker:
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Don't worry Pip, it was directed to all who have voiced opinions on this matter, including me. Not quite how we expect to be referred to, by new members. :whistler:
However, putting a decent earth close to the starter motor is always a good idea and if I had the headlight problem, I would have certainly bolstered up the earth at the lights.
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Hey guys I am not saying that you people don't know what you are talking about. I just mean that you make problems sound so complicated with the type of testing you do which are un necessary in my books. Mind you knowing electrical systems like I do makes it easier to find a resolution. However if I did not read all your previous replies I would not have come to the decision that I came to. It all helped. I am still learning too and there is always lots to learn with cars these days. I usually play with Classic Minis which are much simpler than today's cars. I have 3 of them!!!
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When an unusual problem is presented to us here, we try to look at all aspect of what could be wrong. So the discussion will range in quite a few directions until we (clue / luck) onto a workable solution. We value anyone who has professional qualifications that can offer logical, direct and simple solutions. Personally, I believe you have more than likely cured the light problem in this car because of your actions. If you have, by reporting what you have done will help many other members. :goodjob2:
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If it works I might try and sell me remedy to Hyundai! unless someone else reeks the benefits before me.
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If it works I might try and sell me remedy to Hyundai ...
I can tell you now, at least 3 4 dealership IP addresses have clocked this thread.
Let's hope, if they decide to post, that they're not quite as condescending.
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We unprofessionals can only try. :whistler:
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HI , My local Hyundai say there is a fix for this issue, it's a wiring loom modification with a diode in. I am having then fitted (FREE) on Thursday. I Will try and get some more info and let you all know.
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Huh!!! , It looks like Hyundai have already "read my remedy" and are copying it. That is exactly what I came up with! They have eyes looking for answers everywhere. I wonder if they will say thanks for me getting them out of a shitty problem!
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Huh!!! , It looks like Hyundai have already "read my remedy" and are copying it. That is exactly what I came up with! They have eyes looking for answers everywhere. I wonder if they will say thanks for me getting them out of a shitty problem!
:snigger: Don't hold your breath! But :Agoodjob: anyway...
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Time for me to reactivate this problem again. My i30 is going in for 60000km service in two weeks and I have just sent a 9 pages written report describing my problem and findings (described somewhere on page 5 in this thread) to the local garage.
I even gave them a hint about the "wiring loom modification with a diode in" described by sparki30 just above here.
Interesting to see what they come up with.
I'm really getting tired of changing bulbs all the time...
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:fingers:
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As this thread is now very long I won't read from the beginning. :P
Have you ever measured the voltage at the bulbs.. :question:
My CRDi have 13,8 Volt at the bulb when engine is running.
Still too much for a 12 V bulb, but if I don't buy those +50% (or more) light bulbs, I don't have to change the bulbs very often, and here we have the lights on at all times, the headlights are used as DRL on my FD.
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After 5 years of discussion it now appears very likely it is partly to do with the earthing of the lights.
That appears to be the case from recent discussions on here (and in this thread too I think) :confused:
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Thanks for the synopsis, Dazz. :goodjob2:
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I don't think 13.8 is too high, it's just normal running / charging voltage. Can anyone confirm this or is there 12V regulation to the lights? :eek:
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No regulation AFAIK and I measured a lot higher than that but no blows yet.
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I don't think 13.8 is too high, it's just normal running / charging voltage. Can anyone confirm this or is there 12V regulation to the lights? :eek:
13,8 is normal.
The regulator in the alternator is normally at 14,4 Volt.
When I said it is too much, I meant that 13,8 V is too high voltage to be good for a 12 V product in general. :mrgreen:
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Surely bulb manufacturers realise, that no operating 12v system runs at 12v :Shocked:
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@Phil №❶: As I wrote in another thread 2.5 years back, the H1/H7 bulbs are produce accordingly to ECE Regulation 37 http://www.unece.org/fileadmin/DAM/trans/main/wp29/wp29regs/R037r7e.pdf (http://www.unece.org/fileadmin/DAM/trans/main/wp29/wp29regs/R037r7e.pdf) and this specifies that the Test Voltage (Test voltage: voltage, at the filament lamp terminals for which the electrical and photometric characteristics of the filament lamp are intended and are to be tested.) should be 13.2V
I guess that this also means that the life time of the bulb is measured at the test voltage = 13.2V
Since the real voltage is sometime more than 14.4V (10% higher than test voltage), this will lead to shorter life time. Most likely much more than 10% reduction.
The big question is of course why this only seems to be a problem with some cars not all...
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Unless I missed something, quite possible lol... I have a question. Accepting that even petrol versions have air-con, then if it may be air-con related,why does it seem to be exclusively diesel owners having this problem? I have had no headlight bulbs go in 5 years!
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The general consensus at present is that a surge is responsible for the headlight failures. The likely culprit is poor earthing and there are published solutions for that. Diesel only, my theory is that Diesel engines do not have any ignition equipment fitted. By nature, this equipment is a heavy electrical consumer and because it is on, surges are probably absorbed in the coil etc. The only things running in Diesel's initially, are solid state devices, radio, ecu, bcm, with the exception of the heater fan, these are low current devices, so a surge can do more damage.
BTW, we leave the fan on while cranking just for this purpose, never blown a globe yet, @ 40+k's. :Touch:
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Had the car back for 90K service and again raised the problem of headlights blowing, 20 and counting. Again checked and no faults found, so spoke to Hyundai Australia who escalated the matter and sent it to a local auto-electrician.
He could find no obvious fault due to intermittent nature.
His suggestion was to have HID globes fitted at my cost (approx $500).
I can feel a court case coming on. :fum:
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If my car had blown 20 bulbs, I would have undertaken the earthing measures already discussed, regardless of what Hy did or did not find. It will inevitably be quicker, cheaper and more satisfying than a court case.
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Hyundai has already claimed to have performed earthing measures described.
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Had the car back for 90K service and again raised the problem of headlights blowing, 20 and counting. Again checked and no faults found, so spoke to Hyundai Australia who escalated the matter and sent it to a local auto-electrician.
He could find no obvious fault due to intermittent nature.
His suggestion was to have HID globes fitted at my cost (approx $500).
I can feel a court case coming on. :fum:
I had thought this had been resolved with their last fix but turns out not so. Are the bulbs lasting any longer than previously.
Perhaps fair trading or small claims tribunal (whatever it is called) may be able to come to a solution. If it can legally be done, ie HID, perhaps fair trading could force Hyundai to meet the cost as they don't seem to have an answer for the obvious fault.
This bulb thing would be driving me crazy. I symphathise with you.
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Has anyone considered vibration?
Always seems to be diesels doing this doesn't it?
Just askin......
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1 The vibration in our cars (Ruby & Lila), is no more noticeable than a petrol.
2 Doesn't happen to all diesels apparently.
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1 The vibration in our cars (Ruby & Lila), is no more noticeable than a petrol.
2 Doesn't happen to all diesels apparently.
Must be something though hadn't it Phil.... Maybe all diesels are not created equally?
Has anyone had it as a constant issue with a petrol?
Doesn't happen at all to mine. I still have the original bulbs in full working order that I put in for the annual MoT!
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I agree, the biggest clue seems to be an earthing issue, an auto electrician member posted his recommendations some time ago and if I were having this problem, I'd be following his advice.
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I agree, the biggest clue seems to be an earthing issue, an auto electrician member posted his recommendations some time ago and if I were having this problem, I'd be following his advice.
I agree, I always wondered what on EARTH was causing it (didn't realise how close I was!!) :D
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Yea I've seen that, but.... It's not just Hyundai i30's.
Astra diesels too... I'll see what other anecdotal evidence I can uncover to support the diesel theory.
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Seen examples of intermittently failing voltage regulators causing it on Honda and VW forums...
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Yea I've seen that, but.... It's not just Hyundai i30's.
Astra diesels too... I'll see what other anecdotal evidence I can uncover to support the diesel theory.
I think it is a new car thing. So much technology getting around in there.....I asked my mechanic about it, and he said that a lot of new cars have it, a head light, or a stop light will go continuously dependent on the car.
Keep an eye on the early model Prius cars getting around. More common to see them with one head light than not.
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But isn't each cars Tech common to each version of the same model across a range BM?
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So my 2010 Diesel has blown a few bulbs over the past 3 1/2 years about 2 a year, last week it blew the near side and before i had time to get a new bulb the off side blew as well not good as no headlights !!!
I phoned my local dealer and they said they had a upgrade under warranty to solve the problem the cars going in on Wednesday to be done will find out what they do and post :goodjob2:
i30Sean
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Thanks Sean... :goodjob:
Will be interesting to hear what the fix is....
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Thanks Sean... :goodjob:
Will be interesting to hear what the fix is....
:whsaid:
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Ok so cars back and this is what they did a resistor and extra wiring the tech said it stops power surges and educes volts to the bulbs I'm not a tech person but also took some photos if it helps anyone else (was done under warranty)
(http://i118.photobucket.com/albums/o96/v90wsb/Picture022_zpsc74f4cc6.jpg) (http://s118.photobucket.com/user/v90wsb/media/Picture022_zpsc74f4cc6.jpg.html)
(http://i118.photobucket.com/albums/o96/v90wsb/Picture023_zps9e83fdd0.jpg) (http://s118.photobucket.com/user/v90wsb/media/Picture023_zps9e83fdd0.jpg.html)
(http://i118.photobucket.com/albums/o96/v90wsb/Picture024_zpsf9ee1f81.jpg) (http://s118.photobucket.com/user/v90wsb/media/Picture024_zpsf9ee1f81.jpg.html)
So you can see the new connectors and wiring as it clean, and the blue tape lump in pic 3 by the battery is the resister apparently
Hope this help im taking my other one in to have that done as well although it's nearly two years old and never had a bulb blow yet (touch wood)
i30Sean
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Very good Sean, thanks.. Glad I seen that :winker:
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seen :question: :-[
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seen :question: :-[
A play on Shaun's Sean's name ... :D :rolleyes:
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Might've worked if you had spelt it correctly, Daz... :lol:
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Had this fixed, Hyundai said there was a recall for this item, in addition at the same time there was another recall for the locking mechanism/cable in one of the doors.
Hyundai wanted me to pay for the headlamp bulb, so I told I already paid for 4 new bulbs because of this problem. They said sorry it Hyundai policy we only cover bulbs for 2 years and I need to provide a receipt in last 2 years. So I told them what I thought of this policy and asked to also pass my rude comments onto the big bosses. I said just try and charge me for a headlamp bulb when I pick up the vehicle. Anyways I got a call a couple of hours later to say not to worry about the charge for the bulb and rightly so!! What a cheek!! I told them they are irritating their loyal customers for silly items that cost Hyundai next to nothing and for something that they have already declared is a design fault.
I told the guy at Hyundai about this post on the forum and he just laughed and said I don't believe anything on the internet.
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... he just laughed and said I don't believe anything on the internet.
If you PM me his name, I'll make damned sure he soon changes his opinion on that :twisted:
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I told the guy at Hyundai about this post on the forum and he just laughed and said I don't believe anything on the internet.
Those misguided comments demonstrate their continual ignorance.
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Name and shame I say....
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Name and shame I say....
Andy Smith ???
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The headlamp wiring fix is HCE13-92-P340-FDFDe
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Lorian,
Do you have a copy of this technical bulletin ? I have called Hyundai HQ Australia and they have no info regarding this HCE number. I just want to know the specifics about the current limiting resistor value, package and power rating, if transorbs are part of the modification etc...
Thanks,
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Our 2010 Diesel hatch has blown the passeneger side low beam globe twice now .
Original globe lasted just on 4 years , replacement (which has just blown) about 3 months .
I replaced both globes with after market Narva Artic Blue H7's , so not happy to see it blow again so soon.
Looks like the gremlin may have surfaced in this car ? Will have to get local dealer to check it out while its still under warranty (can't hurt) .
Our 2009 CW diesel is still on original globes but headlights don't get much use .
Note: I never leave the lights on , always start the car with lights off (used to doing that for many years)
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@cruiserfied
Can you elaborate on this annoying long term problem.
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Ok had a quick look through the thread and as you already know it is a common occurance.
In Australia we have no bulletins for this concern. I had never even heard of the resistor mod.
We have been having very good results with cleaning headlight earths and the wiring terminals between Alt and ECU. High resistance causing excess current and spikes.
Alot of cases we replace the globes with genuine longlife globes and never hear about it again. The longlife globes are rated to 960hrs where the standards are only 400hrs.
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@ Cruisefield .. thanks for the feedback .
Got to say I am surprised that earths need to be cleaned in a vehicle thats only a few years old .. .
Also , why not fit long life globes from new I wonder ?
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@ Cruisefield .. thanks for the feedback .
Got to say I am surprised that earths need to be cleaned in a vehicle thats only a few years old .. .
Also , why not fit long life globes from new I wonder ?
I do believe that long life bulbs are standard issue. They certainly are in my FD model. I recently changed to osram nightbreakers after 3 years with standard bulbs. They were still going. They were Philips long life ones.
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Hi guys,
My i30 2011 1.6 diesel has blown twice passenger low beam bulbs. First I replaced with Osram Nightbrakers, but it lasted 8 months. Second I bought Osram Long Life bulbs and this seams stopped the problem.
So far so good.
It seams that diesels do not like premium light bulbs
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Hi guys,
My i30 2011 1.6 diesel has blown twice passenger low beam bulbs. First I replaced with Osram Nightbrakers, but it lasted 8 months. Second I bought Osram Long Life bulbs and this seams stopped the problem.
So far so good.
It seams that diesels do not like premium light bulbs
The same here... :)
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In Australia we have no bulletins for this concern. I had never even heard of the resistor mod.
We have been having very good results with cleaning headlight earths and the wiring terminals between Alt and ECU. High resistance causing excess current and spikes.
I have a 2010 i30, and this week had the RH side Low Beam go to god.. I replaced the Bulb and it lasted the trip home from the service station :twisted: where I got the replacement bulb.
I thought I must have not connected the harness properly to the pins... So Three bolts and some heave ho later, out with the housing again. I wriggled it around, and it seemed to come good.
Till the next night when I notioced no RH light again... Hmmm. So I removed the housing, and with the ignition and lights on, I tested voltage at the Battery and the connector that clips onto the bulb pins... 12V .... Globe looks intact.... So I reconnected the pins, and then noticed instead of the bulb lighting up, it glowed orange for a split second ... hmmmm Now I started scratching my head...
Given the Globe does not appear to have blown, I wonder if I am having the same issue as everyone on this post. Also, I went and looked at the old bulb... Even though it looks a little smoky on the glass, the bulb looks ok.. I might try both on the other assembly (more bloody mucking around to get that assembly out) to see if the bul;b is really ok.
Otherwise,Ill search this post for the cleanup instructions Cruiserfied has referred to....
Cheers all.. :neutral:
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You need to use a multimeter to check the resistance of connections and wiring, also check continuity across the old bulb filament. If no reading (extremely high ohms), then it's blown. The break in the filament can be very small to the naked eye.
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Im going to have to look into cleaning the earths and finding some remedy to this issue. Passenger side seems to blow alot more than the drivers side.
Im glad we have mostly illiminated the regulator. My Excel had a faulty regulator. Over charged the battery and exploded into pieces. Stupid me just heard a bang and kept driving for a few hundred meters... Then EVERYTHING that was running in the car blew! Blown fuses, all lights that were on blown, HVAC blower resistor gone, Relays, Indicator Relay, ECU totally fried.
Had a few trips to wreckers getting all the bits and pieces going again. Learnt heaps. Still was the best car I ever owned.
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Which of your current cars did this happen to? :undecided:
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Ok had a quick look through the thread and as you already know it is a common occurance.
In Australia we have no bulletins for this concern. I had never even heard of the resistor mod.
We have been having very good results with cleaning headlight earths and the wiring terminals between Alt and ECU. High resistance causing excess current and spikes.
Alot of cases we replace the globes with genuine longlife globes and never hear about it again. The longlife globes are rated to 960hrs where the standards are only 400hrs.
On other threads I have recommended Phillips long life eco vision globes. Since I wacked these bad boys in, problem solvered. There is a thread somewhere, but from memory I threw the troublesome passengers side globe in at 80k, I've done 130k and I do a lot of night driving.....They are rated to 1500 hours.
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Ok had a quick look through the thread and as you already know it is a common occurance.
In Australia we have no bulletins for this concern. I had never even heard of the resistor mod.
We have been having very good results with cleaning headlight earths and the wiring terminals between Alt and ECU. High resistance causing excess current and spikes.
Alot of cases we replace the globes with genuine longlife globes and never hear about it again. The longlife globes are rated to 960hrs where the standards are only 400hrs.
On other threads I have recommended Phillips long life eco vision globes. Since I wacked these bad boys in, problem solvered. There is a thread somewhere, but from memory I threw the troublesome passengers side globe in at 80k, I've done 130k and I do a lot of night driving.....They are rated to 1500 hours.
That's interesting, thanks.. I don't recall seeing Tim's excellent post either! :goodjob:
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I'm now up to about six years' total i30 ownership and I haven't had a single blow. :neutral:
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I'm now up to about six years' total i30 ownership and I haven't had a single blow. :neutral:
That seems a bit hard to swallow!
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He is pretty ugly though... :snigger:
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Tongue in cheek, of course.
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Even uglier when you pull that face, Dave... :P
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I'm now up to about six years' total i30 ownership and I haven't had a single blow. :neutral:
Thats what happens when you get married.....
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^ Haha brilliant!
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Alright im trying these out this weekend. This is the first time I have ever bought standard globes. (http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/04/24/344cb4241eefb9802362cfa53630cd9e.jpg)
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Where did you get those?
Mine come in a funky plastic 2 pack.
The higher intensity headlight globes might give you more light, but they also burn hotter, the filament is thinner and they have a shorter life. Might be why your pinging so many.
I once got a globe replaced with a cheap servo job, it didn't last long at all....
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Did you guys get the TSB for the headlight wiring mod in .au that we did here in the uk?
Even my +120's seem to be lasting so far. I have cleaned the earths too.