Bad Headlight?

[redroomri]

Hello!

I have a 2004 Maxima 3.5SE with all the options. My left front headlight just started to go out. It comes on when I start the car but then quickly goes out. When it is on, its color seems bluish or purplish and it appears to flicker slightly. My mechanic wasn't sure if the problem was a blown bulb or a bad power pack which powers the headlight. He said the bulb might be blown but just hanging on which may explain why it works for a short time. We're not sure.

Help??

Thank you in advance for your help!

[sergey85]

u have projectors it might be a loose wire but usually with projectors they need to wrm up a lil before the work i believe. i know on my maxima the projectors will flicker aand get brighter after a few seconds of being lit. do they stay on or go out?? if they keep going out then check the lamp connector, the wire connection might be loose or a wire is exposed.

[theonedub]

That is exactly what happened when my bulb went out.

[redroomri]

Was that your headlight that only needed to be replaced?

Mine turned pink for about 2 days before it started crapping out. I just want to make sure that I replace the right part. They're both very expensive.

[digitalbow]

Originally Posted by sergey85

u have projectors it might be a loose wire but usually with projectors they need to wrm up a lil before the work i believe. i know on my maxima the projectors will flicker aand get brighter after a few seconds of being lit. do they stay on or go out?? if they keep going out then check the lamp connector, the wire connection might be loose or a wire is exposed.

Whether the light is projected or reflected has nothing to do with the bulb warming up. Flickering and sporadic outage is likely due to a bad bulb or bad connection. The easiest thing to do is switch the bulbs - LTR, RTL. If the problem persists on the same side then you have narrowed the issue to the connection and not the bulb. If the bulb flickers or illuminates a strange hue on the other side then you need a new bulb.
The diagnosis doesn't require a mechanic here.
EZ

[theonedub]

Originally Posted by redroomri

Was that your headlight that only needed to be replaced?

Mine turned pink for about 2 days before it started crapping out. I just want to make sure that I replace the right part. They're both very expensive.

Yes, just the bulb needed to be replaced. Anytime there is a problem with HID lights swapping the bulbs left to right, as Digitalbow mentioned, is the best and easiest way to determine what the problem is.

Perform the swap and see if the problem stays or moves to the other side. If for any reason you feel uncomfortable doing it yourself, have your mechanic do it then buy the necessary parts.