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 Posted: Thu Jun 04, 2015 8:08 am |
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Joined: Jun 04, 2015
Posts: 3
Trade Rating: 0
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I am new to the forum so hi to all...I am also VERY unmechanical so please go easy on me ! 
I have a 206 HDI ..2005 I think ...problem started occuring ...the drivers side dip headlight wont work. It does work on high beam. All the other headlights work.
-I changed the bulb
-I checked (and swapped around) the fuses 10 & 11
-I have not done a BSI reset yet which I saw recommended here on the forum for a similar issue ...I will try it (but anticipating it wont solve..)
Anything else I can try ?
I see reference to "relays" all the time but the info is not very clear...sorry to sound stupid but is there a relay I should also check and if so what exactly is a relay, were is it, and how do I check it ?!?
For info I do have a multimeter but literally only know the absolute basics of using it so if anyone recommends I check a connection please could you explain exactly what i need to do ...i.e what exactly I need to do or touch with the multimeter....sorry but I am really a novice at this...
Thanks for any info, its appreciated.
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Posted: Thu Jun 04, 2015 2:22 pm |
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Joined: Mar 23, 2014
Posts: 309
Trade Rating: 0
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buying a multimeter and checking voltage to the wires would be a big help for you as I had a similar problem but with my HID bulbs
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Posted: Fri Jun 05, 2015 3:49 am |
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Joined: Jun 04, 2015
Posts: 3
Trade Rating: 0
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So I solved my problem and as embarrasing as it is I decided to write this more to give you all a good laugh…but also to highlight how easy it is to take some things for granted when you know about cars....
So the problem in a nut shell is as I explained in my first post was that the dipped drivers side headlight did not work but did on high beam.
Knowing literally the absolutle basics about cars...I at least knew the first job would be to check the bulbs. So I get out the owners manual and my little toolkit and open the bonnet ..following the lovely instructions I take off the plastic cover over the lights…not so easy but I get there in the end. I then notice 2 sets of wires going to bulbs one I assumed was the side light the other the headlight…I then attempted to remove the bulb of the more central light to check it…the owners manual simply says “open the mteal clip and remove the bulb” …oh yes nice and easy …just open the clip and out she comes smooth as silk.
1 hour later hands cut to ribbons I have managed to force the clip out of its housing which was the only way I could actually get to the bulb….yes I am sure its easy when you know…but I don’t…because no one ever explains it…
So I check the bulb…looks good to me….I even manage to use my new multimeter to check current is passing through it (whoopie for me!) ….that also looks ok…however just to be 100% sure I make my trip down to the shops and buy a new bulb anyway. Back I come and plug it in….the problem is still there…no dipped headlight.
So I check all the fuses….the manual says fuse 10 & 11 in the engine compartment…they look ok…but I swap them around anyway…the problem still persists. So I remove, clean and swap every fuse…still no dipped light….Ok ...time for the web...
So I start looking on the internet ......lots of people reporting the same or similar problems...LOADS of advice...but often very confusing…and ranging from give it a kick to rewire your entire car…people start referencing complete electrical diagrams of the whole car…which I tried to understand but found impossible. One commone theme was people kept talking about checking relays…others say there is more than one fuse for each light .....but the manual does not say this …no one appears to ever say where exactly the relays are or if indeed there is more than one fuse to check….so I start digging around in the drivers side fuse box…cant see anything amiss there….but just to be sure I remove literally EVERY fuse…clean it and swap it with a different one (yes of the same rating) …
STILL the problem persists. So I find this forum…I see someone suggests resetting the “BSI”…sounds complicated but turn out to be just basically disconnect your battery…so I download the instructions and give it a go ….didnt hope for much…and not surprisingly it didn’t do much…in fact it did nothing whatsoever….
My head is now awhirl …I have read literally pages on the web of advice…complex wire diagrams, fuse box layouts, Passenger side fuseboxes (which turn out don’t exist) …and goodness knows what else….but I am still at square one with no dipped headlight.
So I go back to my car and open the bonnet…I have another play around…switching the lights on and off and resigning myself to going to an electrician who I am quite sure will baffle me with some complex explanation of why I have to pay 300 quid to get it fixed.
As I am standing there looking at the lights and suddenly something occurs to me…I had assumed there were 4 bulbs in total on the front of the car for the lights…2 for the headlights and 2 for the sidelights…But looking closer I notice there is not just 4 bulbs….there in fact appears to be 6 bulbs….I do a double take… and look again…yes there are 6 bulbs …3 on each side…so I open the bonnect again..and I notice the 2 bulbs and sets of wires that were hidden behind the plastic casing that I took off are not in fact the side lights and headlights..…the side lights appear to be much more on one side hidden away….so I look more closely at the bulb I had assumed was the side light…I think I can see it looks burnt out….another 45mins forcing the metal clip out its housing and I have the bulb in my hand…its blown..
SO in case you don’t follow what I am saying …basically the bulb I had assumed was the headlight was in fact the high beam bulb…the bulb next to it that I assumed was the side light was in fact the headlight and THAT had blown ...basically I did not know that high beam was a separate bulb to the headlight…. I assumed the two were the SAME bulb and that it simply either angled higher (“HIGH” Beam) when I turned it on or alternatively “got brighter” when I turned it on.
So I replaced the bulb of the headlight and the problem is solved! ….I even had a beer to celebrate.
So yes I agree …How stupid can you be ! ..2 days…hands cuts to ribbons, endless web searching and it was simply a blown bulb and I was looking at the wrong one. Silly eh ! …& very embarrasing  ...I know.
However ! ….it also amazes me that in the pages of internet “advice” that I read no one had taken the trouble to ask if people are looking at the correct bulb. SO please have a laugh …but perhaps this might actually help some of those other people I see reporting the same problem and being sent links to complex wiring diagrams, BSI resets or sent to search for non existent passenger side fuse boxes.
Have fun guys ! 
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Posted: Fri Jun 05, 2015 6:16 am |
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Joined: Jan 29, 2011
Posts: 6526
Trade Rating: +10
Location: Westhoughton, Lancashire
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At least you got it sorted.
A little tip for making life easier to get to the bulbs on the drivers side, pull the washer bottle neck up and remove it. This gives you plenty of room to get your hands in.
It's always worth changing the bulbs in pairs. they have both been on for the same amount of time so is possible that the other will go soon.
The best thing about the H7 headlamps is that you always have a temporary spare. If your dipped goes, you can always pinch one of the main headlamp bulbs until you get to an accessory shop and stops attention being drawn to your car by having a bulb out.
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