headlight dipped beam failure Golf Mk6

[ucb]

Golf Mk6, halogen headlights. Dipped O/S beam failed a few days ago, replaced bulb with no effect. Checked with other new bulbs and headlight does not come on. All other lights working.
I've read that the mount ring and bulb holder can be the cause and there does seem to be some burning on the contact point.
How easy is it to replace the mount ring and bulb holder? Don't have any soldering equipment at home if its needed. Or is a replacement headlight the simpler solution?

Edited by ucb on Sunday 19th December 08:07

[annodomini2]

Fuse?

[ucb]

Fuse serves the entire unit as I understand it.

[annodomini2]

Can't hurt to check them

[catso]

Fuse, relay, check for power to the bulb holder - a few things to check before buying a new headlight.

[Sheepshanks]

I'm struggling to remember now but I changed the holder on daughter's mk6 - I think the kit came with both the bulb holder and the ring it locks into and I only changed the holder and that sorted it. Clearly if this is the fault then the holder should be changed too as the contact on both the holder and the ring are likely to be burnt.

So sorry, don't know how tricky it is to change the ring - I guess fiddly (maybe the headlamp has to to come out) but I don't think it will involve soldering.

The car was written off (rear ended) some time later so I don't know if my slightly bodged fix would have lasted.

[cuprabob]

catso said:

Fuse, relay, check for power to the bulb holder - a few things to check before buying a new headlight.

It can be difficult to do that on these cars as the control module monitors the current in the circuit and if it"s not as expected the circuit is shut down as a precaution. Therefore if you try and check the voltage at the bulb holder without a bulb fitted you don't get any voltage as there is no load.

Even after fitting a new bulb, sometimes it won't work until the fault is cleared in the module by an appropriate tool or by disconnecting the battery for a short period.

[ucb]

As a FU, bulb holder had melted slightly around the contacts pulling them back which meant there was no longer any electrical connection with the wiring harness.
Contatcs pulled out, headlight working, warning gone
Will buy new bulb holder though

[catso]

Coincidentally my Son called me yesterday because one of the dipped beam headlights didn't work on his Golf Mk6, I told him to get a new bulb and come over so I could change it for him.

I'd not seen that type of bulb holder before (certainly easier to change than fiddling with a bulb, a spring and a plug) but a new bulb didn't fix the problem and the old bulb was actually OK anyway.

A bit of 'wiggling' would get it to work but wouldn't stay on unless pushed to the side so I took the contacts out of the holder and 'tweaked' them up a little to make better contact with the headlight and, other than a scraped up hand from the fuse box (why are most modern cars so tight around the bulb area?), all is good.

[Sheepshanks]

ucb said:

As a FU, bulb holder had melted slightly around the contacts pulling them back which meant there was no longer any electrical connection with the wiring harness.

That rings a bell and is exactly what happened on daughter's car. The base contact must have looked OK enough to leave (although I am terrible for not fixing things properly so I'd only have changed the mounting ring if I had to).