Murano Headlight trouble

[vermonster]

Newbie here, bear with me...Sorry if I mess up on my first post.
I have a 2005 Murano.2 months ago I went to my garage to have a headlight replaced. When the mechanic put it in, it shorted out. He said to take it to the dealer ...they would find the short. $100 for nothing. I go to the dealer and after 2 hours they tell me it is the module. $1.000. YES, ONE THOUSAND!!! Now today, the other headlight is out. I am scared to take it in! i figure there is a module on the driver side as well. There are no recalls for this item.
Any ideas?

[Eric L.]

Originally posted by vermonster
Newbie here, bear with me...Sorry if I mess up on my first post.
I have a 2005 Murano.2 months ago I went to my garage to have a headlight replaced. When the mechanic put it in, it shorted out. He said to take it to the dealer ...they would find the short. $100 for nothing. I go to the dealer and after 2 hours they tell me it is the module. $1.000. YES, ONE THOUSAND!!! Now today, the other headlight is out. I am scared to take it in! i figure there is a module on the driver side as well. There are no recalls for this item.
Any ideas?

It sounds like you have HID (high intensity discharge) headlights. Did your mechanic use the correct bulb? It is odd for an HID to burn out so quickly - they generally last 10 years. Replacing a bulb should not cause a short, and I think your mechanic is responsible for repairing it. The module they are referring to is probably the "HID igniter and ballast" which is needed to deliver a large current to start up the HIDs.

[vermonster]

Thanks, Eric..appreciate the info. I thought the same thing, that the first mechanic should have repaired it. But, I thouoght it was just a bulb...he was not qualified to do anything else on the Murano. i guess i will just biut the bullet and take it in on Monday. How could both headlights burn out within 2 months of each other? Worse, how could both HID ballast things (now you now I'm a girl) go out so soon? Arrrrgggg!!!!!

[Eric L.]

Originally posted by vermonster
Thanks, Eric..appreciate the info. I thought the same thing, that the first mechanic should have repaired it. But, I thouoght it was just a bulb...he was not qualified to do anything else on the Murano. i guess i will just biut the bullet and take it in on Monday. How could both headlights burn out within 2 months of each other? Worse, how could both HID ballast things (now you now I'm a girl) go out so soon? Arrrrgggg!!!!!

Oh I'm willing to bet 95% of the members here don't even know their HID headlights have a ballast.

It is very unusual to have both blow out at the same time - I would argue with Nissan to get it replaced under warranty.

[vermonster]

Good idea! However, with 105K miles on it, I think they will probably tell me to take a hike.

[Eric L.]

Originally posted by vermonster
Good idea! However, with 105K miles on it, I think they will probably tell me to take a hike.

Oh, you never know - if all else fails you might be able to find the parts from ebay for cheaper, but headlights are critical parts, so better to get it fixed right the first time. I wonder if there is any way to claim this on your auto insurance if the lights blue out due to some impact with a rock or something (if that is the case).

[wa4qfy]

My ballast went out also, which they
replaced under the 3/36 warranty, They
claimed the bulb was bad also and
replaced it. But I did not have to pay
for the second bulb, even though I had
just replaced it myself because I
thought it was the bulb that was bad....

[vermonster]

Thanks, Mike...
Good to know I'm not alone...but still, both of them going bad within 2 months of each other is hard to take. Dealer told me today it will be $1400. There goes my "incentive check".

[zebelkhan]

Originally posted by vermonster
Thanks, Mike...
Good to know I'm not alone...but still, both of them going bad within 2 months of each other is hard to take. Dealer told me today it will be $1400. There goes my "incentive check".

I thought a complete headlight, housing, bulbs and balast was $700 each retail. Seems your dealer is charging you full proice of the complete setup. If that is the case, make sure you get the old Headlights, bulbs and balasts back. You can sell them on e-bay and make some of your incentive check back!

[bycmann]

My 2006 murano hid lights are working when engine is on. However, when I drive the left bulb flickers and goes out. Is this normal? I haven't replaced the bulb yet. Is this ballast as well?

My mechanic said it is control module.

[Phatty McPatty]

I assume you're talking about originally-equipped HID, not aftermarket. Swap bulbs from one side to the other. If the problem follows the bulb to the right side, it's a bad bulb. If the problem stays on the left, then it's a problem on the left side. Make sure all the left side headlight connectors are properly seated -- If it were me, I'd disconnect and reconnect them to be sure (obviously the battery needs to be disconnected for all of this to avoid accidental electrocution). It could be a failing ballast, or faulty wiring, or a poor connection somewhere in between.

[bycmann]

Thanks for the reply. I'll find out tomorrow and let you know. Btw, it is original HID.

Where a good place to buy bulbs? He said its around $70 each.

[Phatty McPatty]

If it is simply a bad bulb, I suggest replacing both. If you replace just one, the headlights won't match in intensity or color. It will distract you as the driver and cosmetically it'll just look odd. The MO takes D2S bulbs. Don't buy any kind of a "high color temperature" bulb. Any of the three major brands (Philips, Osram, GE) would be fine, though I've heard the GE D2S is arguably the best. You can buy a pair from a known-reliable vendor for under $70 here.

Be careful with eBay, Amazon and others. Unfortunately, there are a ton of counterfeit D2S bulbs floating around (some estimates as high as 80%) -- they're not easy to spot.

[bycmann]

Luckily it was light bulb. Problem fixed!