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07 IS350 HID issue

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Old Jan 3, 2013 | 10:25 PM
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Default 07 IS350 HID issue

I recently been noticing the passenger side HID would go out on its own sometimes when im driving. if i shut the lights completely off, then back on, the HID's fire up again just fine. Ive searched the forums in all incarnations of the issue but i havent seen a definative answer yet. The bulbs were brand new and still look new, but im not 100% sure its the ballast either.

Went to the dealership here and explained what was going on but upon inspection, they couldnt replicate the issue(just my luck). Ive read mixed solutions from old threads between replacing the bulbs and ballast, some the issue went away, some it didnt. I really dont want to buy new ballast and they not fix it considering they aint cheap.

Any help would be appreciated, thanks fellas
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Old Jan 4, 2013 | 04:58 AM
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I also noticed the exact same thing last night. Its very intermittent and turning the lights off and back on will fix it. Dealer was also unable to replicate the problem.

Originally Posted by jdmSW20
I recently been noticing the passenger side HID would go out on its own sometimes when im driving. if i shut the lights completely off, then back on, the HID's fire up again just fine. Ive searched the forums in all incarnations of the issue but i havent seen a definative answer yet. The bulbs were brand new and still look new, but im not 100% sure its the ballast either.

Went to the dealership here and explained what was going on but upon inspection, they couldnt replicate the issue(just my luck). Ive read mixed solutions from old threads between replacing the bulbs and ballast, some the issue went away, some it didnt. I really dont want to buy new ballast and they not fix it considering they aint cheap.

Any help would be appreciated, thanks fellas
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Old Jan 4, 2013 | 05:33 AM
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Try swaping the bulbs side to side and see if it follows the bulb to the other side.
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Old Jan 4, 2013 | 05:52 AM
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If the lights are sometime turning off then it sounds like its a ballast problem.
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Old Jan 4, 2013 | 12:20 PM
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Originally Posted by bob4256
If the lights are sometime turning off then it sounds like its a ballast problem.
That's what I was leaning towards as well. But when I saw a couple threads where the people spent for new ballast and it still didn't fix it, that's what kind of worried me.
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Old Jan 4, 2013 | 12:26 PM
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Are these aftermarket HID's or ones that were stock (car came with HIDs). I'm not asking if the bulb itself is different, don't think that matters. I only ask because I put in aftermarket HIDs into my previous car and I had a bulb that would go out. Turned out not to the ballast or the bulb but the connectors.

A lot of times for HID kits, and I'm not sure if this goes for stock HIDs, you need to have dialectic grease put on for the connectors. It helps seal the connection and reduce arcing(?) or something between cables. If you get this arcing/flickering it's an unstable connection and can cause bulbs to go out.

I redid my HID kit install and used more dialectic grease (I used sparingly before not knowing any better) and I never had the issue again.
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Old Jan 4, 2013 | 01:30 PM
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I've read previous stories of this happening, and the fix was simply new bulbs.
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Old Jan 4, 2013 | 05:51 PM
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Originally Posted by Tarrant64
Are these aftermarket HID's or ones that were stock (car came with HIDs). I'm not asking if the bulb itself is different, don't think that matters. I only ask because I put in aftermarket HIDs into my previous car and I had a bulb that would go out. Turned out not to the ballast or the bulb but the connectors.

A lot of times for HID kits, and I'm not sure if this goes for stock HIDs, you need to have dialectic grease put on for the connectors. It helps seal the connection and reduce arcing(?) or something between cables. If you get this arcing/flickering it's an unstable connection and can cause bulbs to go out.

I redid my HID kit install and used more dialectic grease (I used sparingly before not knowing any better) and I never had the issue again.
Yes these are the stock HID's. we tried some of that grease about a week ago and it still does it sparingly.
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Old Jan 4, 2013 | 05:54 PM
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Originally Posted by Gville350
I've read previous stories of this happening, and the fix was simply new bulbs.
That's what I've read too. But my bulbs are brand new, they just now are a month old OEM 4300K Phillips bulbs. They still even look brand new when we took them out to check them.

I'm thinking of trying new bulbs again and hope the issue was those
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Old Jan 4, 2013 | 06:12 PM
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Op - you said that only one side goes off intermittent . I suggest swap the bulbs. If the problem goes to the other side, then it is the bulb. If not, the problem maybe a connector on the ballast to switch. Clean contacts. Also see if you can disable the headlamp and access the ballast. It just might a poor grounding.
Good luck
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Old Jan 4, 2013 | 06:58 PM
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Originally Posted by JCMusika
Op - you said that only one side goes off intermittent . I suggest swap the bulbs. If the problem goes to the other side, then it is the bulb. If not, the problem maybe a connector on the ballast to switch. Clean contacts. Also see if you can disable the headlamp and access the ballast. It just might a poor grounding.
Good luck
Yeah and it's completely random too. Like some nights it might not cut off at all. Sometimes it might about 2-3 times in a single short trip. I'm gonna go through every avenue before I start throwing money at it. Thanks guys
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Old Jan 4, 2013 | 11:03 PM
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It's the bulb. i had this same exact issue, i too have a is350 2007. and i got new bulbs and it solved the problem. simple fix, i upgraded to phillips d4s flash white 6000k from nigel.

fyi, i did swap out the ballast and it didnt help at all, then i tried new bulbs and it solved the issue. hope my post helps
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Old Jan 4, 2013 | 11:18 PM
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Originally Posted by Adam350is
It's the bulb. i had this same exact issue, i too have a is350 2007. and i got new bulbs and it solved the problem. simple fix, i upgraded to phillips d4s flash white 6000k from nigel.

fyi, i did swap out the ballast and it didnt help at all, then i tried new bulbs and it solved the issue. hope my post helps
Thanks man, much appreciated. It starts to make me wonder if its just the 4300k bulbs? Because it seems like everyone that goes to a different temp bulb, problem free after that?
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Old Jan 5, 2013 | 09:47 AM
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That wouldnt be the issue. OEM bulbs are 4100-4300K. People go with a different temperature bulb to get different color light output
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Old Jan 5, 2013 | 11:03 AM
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i didnt test this theory to use new 4300k bulbs in passenger/driver but im pretty certain new bulbs in ANY color temp would solve this issue. i felt 4300k was to dull for me anyways and not enough light output. but thats just how i feel; so i upgraded.
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