TheSilverBullet

So, when it rains it pours right? Some of you have probably seen my post about my leaking water pump, and now I have not one, but two lights out: My low passenger-side low beam and passenger-side fog light are now both out. The high beam still works on both sides, so at least I know it's not some type of electrical problem.

Anyway, my question is: What replacement bulbs should I get? I've looked at the local parts store and online and see many different types of bulbs for C5 A6's. There is a choice of either halogen or xenon bulb types (I think I have halogen but am not 100% sure -- the lights are bright white but not bluish like most xenon's), and then there are sizes/types labeled H1, H3, H7, etc. Which is which and what do I need (for both the low beam and fog light)?

Also, I see blauparts.com seems to have some bulbs on close-out special (http://www.blauparts.com/products2.asp?cat=3856), so hopefully one of those is right for me.

SloopJohnB@mac.com

look carefully at your low beam wire...is it fat and on the bulb a big black socket with a red rim? Dangerous voltage symbols all over it? LOL...it's High Intensity Discharge or HID, commonly called xenon. The factory bulbs are about $200 each...you can get them online from www.candlepower.com in several temperature ratings. If I were you I'd replace both HID bulbs if they're older than 4 years...you WILL notice the difference. Unless you have the eyes of a bee, don't go above 4300K temp...sure the higher ones look cooler but YOU will see the road better.

The highs are H7 on my 2K 4.2A6 w/HID. I bought Osram 65w H7 bulbs form candlepower.com and they are noticeably if not significantly brighter than stock.

VONBOTTLE

i as well just replaced my xenon and high beam bulbs as my xenons were very dim. i got Phillips D2S #85122 hid bulbs, they are 4300k which is the oem color. they must be 2-3 times brighter than my old ones(which were 10 years old), nice, pure white, not ricey blue. now they actually have a cutoff line like they're supposed to. i got them on ebay for $87 shipped. for the high beams i went with Sylvania silverstar ultras, H7 - $30 shipped on ebay. nice and bright, not that my old high beams were dim, but i figured while i was replacing bulbs, why not change them all. years ago i replaced the fogs with PIAA superwhites (or something like that), the ones that claim like twice the light output from 35 watts, pretty much bs, but they do have a nice white light compared to stock, not that i use them much.
as for the xenons - you'll know if you have them if when you first turn them on, they warm up (sort of change color and gets bright in the first couple seconds)

TheSilverBullet

OK, I just took a quick look under the hood in the parking lot at work but I wasn't able to remove the plastic housing behind the headlights (no tools with me). However, the back of the housing has one plug with about 8 small wires connected it and no voltage symbols. Does that mean anything? Is this where I should expect to see what SloopJohn described or do I have to remove the housing to see that?

Also, I've never noticed that the lights "warm up" when I turn them on, and while the light they produce seems to be bright white, when looking at the lit bulb in daylight it does appear more yellow than white or blue so I'm guessing that I probably have halogens. If this is correct, which one do I need for the low beams (H1, 3 or 7)?

VONBOTTLE

you could look for the code 8JD on the label in the spare tire well that lists all options on your car. i know that code is for a 2000 model as it was a separate option and not part of a package as in later years. what year is yours? if it's later, you can search for other package codes that might include xenons. if you do have xenons and they are original, they probably will have a yellowish tint as mine did - they dim quite a bit as they age. i believe Osram makes the same model bulb as the Phillips one, but apparently it has a yellower color and not bright white. but if you do have halogens, i think it's an
H3 - but you can go to sylvania's website and look up what your car has - and if they are halogens, the silverstar ultras are very bright white and you could do the high beams as well so they'd match

TheSilverBullet

OK, so I've taken a look at the option codes in the spare tire well (and took a picture which I'll try to attach to my post).

I don't see option code 8JD anywhere, so I searched around for a list of option codes and found this very helpful website: http://www.jettamkv.co.uk/tools/option-codes-decoder/

The site lets you type in your option codes and will tell you what they mean. According to the site, none of my option codes say anything about Xenon lights. The only code that even mentions the headlights at all is 8BH, "Ellipsoidal headlight for driving on the right, US design". So, does this confirm that I have halogens and not Xenons?

Also, BTW, my A6 is a 2002 2.7T. I'm adding this info to my signature for future posts.

TheSilverBullet

Oh, and according to Sylvania's website, if I have halogens, the low beams are H7 and the high beams are H1. IF I have Xenons, the low beams are D2S and the high beams are H7. In either case, the fog lights are H3 (55w).

Why is it that, if you have Xenons, the high beam bulb is the same as the low beam bulb for halogens?

2.7Lturbo

lights out? gorilla radio!

TheSilverBullet

Turn that sh*t up! LOL!

Didn't think about the Rage connection when I posted this...

2.7Lturbo

im just glad someone got my post ans wasnt like wtf?