Hi UniBob. I don't normally comment, but. this video (and the second one), have saved me a fortune. I've just finished changing the ballast on my drivers side insignia, drying and sealing the headlight unit. I also had to change the beam fuse (thanks for pointing this out as well). There's no way I ever would have found the 'hidden' screw without breaking the unit. Even once I had found it, it was a nightmare to undo (and put back on). Anyway, it's all working now. Many thanks again.
That's lovely that you stopped by to leave a nice comment, many thanks. Glad that you got it sorted without paying main dealers prices, if I've helped one person I'm happy. Many thanks and happy new year 2023!!
Extremely helpful video. Guys like you help the rest of us save on time, money and mistakes. These AFL are great when they work, not so much when it fails the Mot. £1,200 quote for new headlight unit just because the main beam won't work 🤬
Hi, thank you for producing a very very helpful video. It more than adequately shows how to gain access to enable removal of the headlight unit and more specifically shows where the xenon ballast unit is fitted on to the headlight. All in all a brilliant video complete with the helpful errors that you made which will no doubt help prevent many many novice diy individuals like myself from making .
I changed the ballasts and lights are working again thanks for the upload very good. Only problem now is the lights are getting condensation in them again already
Check out my other video, it shows how I sealed mine up to prevent it from reoccurring. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Z7UB85Z5_pI.html Thanks for watching and stopping by to leave a comment. Please like my videos to help me if you found these helpful.
Dave i used CT1 all around the clear plastic just in case. But also check if you are not missing vents covers. There should 3 i think, i have suspicion that water might be getting through there
Very good video with useful information especially the addition screw to remove the lamp from the car. Saved me sometime without removing the bumper completely. all the information was very helpful. Thank you
Thanks Bob, saved me a fortune, replaced both Ballasts and bulbs today, Ballasts £24 each from ebay and 2 D1S bulbs from Amazon for £18!! Headlights now working perfectly. Both my Ballasts were full of water! Very useful video, Thank you.
Thanks for the video. I have a load of condensation in mine. Cleared it once with a hairdryer. But it’s back so I need to take the whole thing out and seal it. Your video a saved me a massive headache. Thanks again.
@@bobgriffiths @unibatbob Its the luck of the drawer so I'm told its a design fault in the manufacture,years ago headlights used to solid glass reinforced edges.Alot heavier too,insignia headlight housings are thinner,so eventually with the heat of the bulbs they slightly warp the housing,It creates a tiny tiny gap not even enough for you to see,the headlight heats up the unit makes the gap bigger,you pull over get out of the car and so I'm told the heat in headlight pulls in the damp as its cooling.I can near enough have gold fish in mine.Not all units do it.Its the luck if the drawer.Its a shame that your told you have to remove the bumper to replace it.Why!! Just to get to 1 screw!! Seriously vauxhall! Anyway,Thanks again for the great video
Thanks for creating and uploading this video! It's nice to know you don't have to remove the whole bumper for the head lamp repair (but also be careful to not oversee the fourth screw). THX!
Further to previous reply, I've used this video again to get the headlight out, to have another go at trying to seal it again... Very helpful.... You need a 2nd pair of hands to hold the bumper out while you work out the 7mm bolt underneath. And you will definitely need an extension for your socket as you'll never get your hand in there. There's obviously an issue with moisture ingress on insignia headlights. And with the cost of the AFL Bí-Xenons, its definitely worth having a go at trying to reseal them. As per previous contributors, you can get away with just loosening the 3 Torx 20 bolts inside wheel arch, along with the 5 similar bolts at top of bumper/grill inside engine bay. And just be aware how hard and where you pull the bumper, so as to not overdo it and crack the paint.... I've been having to dry out the headlight regularly with 1 of those Earlex electric paint sprayers, as the hose is ideal for blowing warm air into the headlight assembly, once the machine warms up. Don't leave the moisture accumulate too much or you will definitely blow your ballast....
Hi my friend just to let you know, you don't need to undo the bottom push clips , all you need to do, is take of all the screws along top of the bumper, then 3 screws in each wheel arch, then carefully pull off from the wheel arch then you have underneath the bumper a plastic bracket that keeps the bumper in line, then undo the clip then you have enough room to take the screws out , even the awkward one with out breaking the light, such has you did, but with parts, i paid £40 for the ballest unit, & £19 for two bulbs with all five yr warranty, you done well considering, but messed up by pulling the complete headlight, thus coursing the hole you put in the rear of the headlight. Give you some advice, never force things that does not warranty it. Keep up the good work though.
Thanks for the informative video,I have water in my headlight,I just bought a 2nd hand unit off ebay,I really didn't want the faf in removing the front bumper.So your video helped me out in a big way,so many thanks
Craig Shears glad it helped. As long as you didn’t copy my mistake of ripping a hole in the bottom of the light eh? I’ve also nearly finished another vid as my other headlamp did the same and I sealed it with some silicone. It seemed to work too.
@@dannew this what i posted on a insignia forum insignia-drivers.uk//forum/insignia-ownership-technical-workshop/lights/265959-condensation?p=267457#post267457
One or two little extra tips. If you get something the correct height to go underneath the bumper as you slide it back to support it (a builders bucket upside down is usually a good fit and there's no real weight on the bumper), you can actually slide the bumper out quite a way which gives you a lot of room to work. Also, nobody mentions, if you loosen off the two 10mm nuts a little holding the bottom of the wing seen underneath the side of the bonnet once slid back (next to the side headlamp 7mm nut) and also loosen the wing holding nut 10mm (on the bonnet bracket) and completely remove the other wing nut further towards the front of the car you can move the wing just a little but enough to give you plenty of room to remove the headlight SOOO easily. Its hell of a job to remove otherwise because the wing holds it in place there, near impossible to get out. By doing this I can remove one of these headlights in 15 minutes, not a big a job as you'd think.
I wasn't that confident about doing this job myself, this video changed that. I will order some parts tonight and hopefully by weekend I'll have a crack at it. Out of curiosity, did your car come up with 'service AFL' and Self levelling lamp fault. And the yellow warning light on the tacho ?
No It was a dipped beam error on the dashboard, I think the AFL light came on once or twice too but that might not have been related. If the water has been in the lamp for a while I'd imagine that the AFL mechanism could become damaged from that but I don't remember having to do anything to mine. Good luck with it and if you get stuck take it to a mechanic..
Nice one mate love it. Only that about disconnecting the battery it doesn't matter nothing can happen UNLESS U HAVE THE IGNITION ON AND LIGHTS ON 😂 Who does that ?????
Yep, I hear you on the battery disconnection, but I like to do things belt and braces to prevent any random event like my kids turning the lights on or something. Hope it helped. Cheers
Honestly I don't know what that might be. Sounds like it could be a faulty/incorrect ballast or a faulty bulb. Try bulb on other side of car first to check. If it continues, it might be worth taking it to a garage for a pro to take a look. Sorry it hasn't gone smoothly for you.
Very helpful video thanks, as with some of your previous contributors, I've a condensation issue on my 2013 Elite with these AFL lights. I'm thinking about trying to get the headlight out, and having a go at removing the front lens & re-sealing it with butyl tape, cos these lights are about 700 quid to replace if they fail on you.
Followed your extremely helpful video, replacing the ballast. Headlight now works correctly, however I am still getting the check dipped beam on the dash. I went for a cheap eBay replacement and suspect this could be the issue or does the error code need clearing?
Mine also had the check dipped beams thing on the screen, I think it was also because I bought a cheaper one off ebay, someone else has commented that they might need to be the same part number to allow the error to stop appearing. The message can't be cleared though I don't think, only by using the right equivalent part. It all worked perfectly though even if it did show the check message.
Sorry < i no longer have the vehicle any longer but from memory I think it was H11, don't quote me on that but I remember buying some H11s once whether it was for this car or another I really don't know. If you struggle take it to a garage or an auto electrician, they'll help you out. Good luck.
thanks for video, i have same message on mine. Dipped and high beam not working, they went at seperate times not together, , just hope it is the bulbs, fingers crossed lol
Really helpful video, thank you! I’ve got the same problem and am looking to replace my ballast and reseal the light. Can I check, did any of the screws/bolts need to be tightened to a specific torque? And any idea if the ballast needs to be coded?
Someone commented that it doesn't need to be recoded if you get exactly the same model ballast as you take off, mine was slightly different so always showed an error light aftrwards. In terms of torque settings, I'm sure there will be a setting specified but I never found it and just nipped it up, don't forget it's only plastic with an insert so don't give it too much...
@@bobgriffiths thank you for your response. I have attempted to remove the headlight but I am struggling to reach the bolt at the bottom of the light. Would you be able to advise how you managed to reach it? Did you remove the bumper further? Use a very long extended on the end of your ratchet wrench? Or another method?
Sorry, I don't know exactly. I would think that it is a different bulb, there's likely to be a separate smaller bulb in there for sidelights. But if you're unsure take it to a garage. Like I said, I'm not a professional car mechanic so this is only advice. Good luck getting it sorted.
In my 2010 Opel Insignia, I've already changed the ballast twice because it's filled with water and it damages my lights. The problem is that the issue keeps coming back. I don't believe that switching to a new headlight, despite spending more money, will resolve the problem. This car has many issues with water infiltrations and electronics. I think that a seal in this case around all the components of the headlight is the solution. But from what I've read, silicone is not advisable. They recommend plastic welding along the areas with air vents while performing a leak test. What do you think can be done? My mechanic has had the car since yesterday, and he's also not quite sure what to do because the solution of a new headlight is expensive for me, and buying the ballast and the light and replacing them will result in the same issue soon with water getting in. A lot of water enters the headlight, and it's not condensation; it's actual water accumulating at the bottom where the ballast is. Do you have any solutions on how to waterproof a headlight and all its components? And if it's cracked from some impact, is it possible to seal it? Thanks for the help...❤
I think the water gets in around the edges of the seal of the headlamp, just changing ballast will empty the water out but it will get back in. There are too many people with this issue to be a rare occasion so I recommend sealing it to prevent the issue reoccurring. If silicone isn't recommended then feel free to do plastic welding but it was easier and more instant for me to use silicone.
Great tutorial thanks....I bought a ballast off ebay and still have same issues, I'm thinking it may be a duff ballast Chinese copy...I did see another video on you tube that said brand new ballast have to be coded or was it a case of plug and play? Thanks again for all info you supplied 👍👍👍
@@bobgriffiths totally agree, though if they were smaller they would fit in to the housing easier so you could close the dust cap which would mean it wouldn't need to be waterproof.
Quote was £1250 for ONE replacement headlight and ballast to be fitted. £50 for a ballast off ebay and some sealant got it sorted. Thank you so much for your video! Only issue is when light comes on I get a warning that can be cleared. Would be nice to get that sorted and from what another said it needs to be coded. Any ideas on if that can be done cheap and easy?
Glad you saved a load of cash. I think that the ballast you need is the same number as comes off originally but I'm just going off what others have said in the past. It all still works though so I was never bothered about it, then I part ex'd it for a newer car. Never bothered me since.. ;-) good job!!
The warning is because it wasn't a Hella ballast or wasn't with correct part number (on the old ballast). Copy parts will put the headlight back on but you will get the warning light coming on. This can only be rectified with a genuine Hella ballast.
Yes. Around the little circular cap for changing bulbs was cracked and a jet wash found its way into filling the lamp with water. It ran straight through and filled the ballast.
Hiya mate, good video. I have just had an issue with my headlight on my insignia, a bird flew into my car on the way to work and smashed the light, unfortunately it was raining so not sure of the full extent of the damage at the moment but for a brand new light it's £700 on my 2013 elite. Is this easy enough to replace or would you recommend a mechanic? Is disconnecting the battery easy enough? As you may tell, I'm useless with cars haha.. Thanks.
It should be on the ballast you take off the car. Or some people in the comments have mentioned it too. I can't give you the guaranteed correct one as mine didn't get rid of the error entirely.. Sorry. And good luck getting it sorted..
Some have said that but I don't think it's true in all cases, I think that if you get exactly the same part number (an official part) then it should not need coding. But, I am not 100% sure. Mine was swapped and still complained with an error code, even though it was all working spot on, someone told me that I may have fitted the slightly incorrect part number. Best to make sure and if you're not sure, take it to a garage.. Thanks for stopping by.
Thank you very much for the great video. I found it very useful! The problem for me seams to be condensation in on of the headlights which resulted in water ingress in the ballast. I changed the ballast with £80 one from ebay and the headlight is working now but doesn't feel that is giving the same colour light as before and as the other headlight. Also the fault on the dash still pops up every time I turn the headlights on. It says check left low beam(same as when it was faulty before that). I don't think it requires DTC clear cause it doesn't show up if the headlights aren't on. I suspect that it could be the dodgy unit that I bought even though it is matching like for like the label on the original one. Have you had such issues at all?
Mine was the same, some other people report that the correct ballast should be ok but mine still showed error when lights came on. I part ex'd the car in the end for a newer insignia so I'm not too worried about it. Glad the rest of the video helped a little.
@@bobgriffiths I managed to sort it. Bought another ballast £140 and noticed the difference. The £80 one was fake. Mine is working properly and no errors now. Hopefully these comments would help someone else. Thanks again.
Hi, Fab video,some questions Did you find out the cause of the condensation in the headlight unit? Did the AFL service message show on the dash? When the fault light on mine happens the driver's motor and everything doesn't even start up.
Water in light unit was from a crack in the top of the unit. The error on dash says check front dipped beam or something like that. Once o replaced the ballast I still get the error. You probably have to get an oem one to avoid that. They do all work on levelling and self adjusting too.
@@bobgriffiths Thanks for the uber rapid response... before you changed the build and during the diagnosis of the issue , did your motor even try to move when you turned the ignition on?
@@bobgriffiths that remains to be seen.. I'll have a look tomorrow now but thank you so much it's been a great help. I'll let you know how I get on.👍👍👍
So update... the headlight has condensation in but cant see why or where it got in... the D1s lamp works on the other side and swapping them over remains the side still out . So after all o think its the ballast. Its on order... gone for a cheapo £26 to see. 👍🏼
Thanks for the video, I didn't know about the ballast units for each lamp. I may now retro fit halogen units, I'm not sure these xenon things are worth all the extra cost and aggravation.
There's a ballast on the underside of each, left and right, headlamp unit. Important to point out that it's not on all headlights but only the Xenon HID versions which need a ballast to build up a super high voltage to power the bulbs..
Thanks for watching the vid. The part that broke on the base of the light glued back in super solid and was never an issue after that. The ain water ingress is the poorly designed seals around the headlight.. Hope that you haven't had the same issue or that you've got it resolved. Cheers.
@@bobgriffiths Oh im ok I just have the left dipped beam error and was looking intona way to not take down the bumper. check my channel indo opel vids too 🥰 have a nice evening! cheers
@@bobgriffiths forgot to ask did you find the reason for condensation/water in the unit ,i,m having the same problem ,did you have to put any sealant around the headlamp anywhere,cheers
newry123 yes. The one in this video had some damage / a crack around the round cover on top of the unit. The passenger side one has now misted your on my insignia and I can’t see where it’s got in. Wondering if there’s a way I can pressurise it with some smoke and see where it is escaping and thus letting water in. Good luck with your car.
@@bobgriffiths i was reading somewhere this guy who was having the same problem took the caps off were the bulbs go in and with masking or duck taped the holes up,you might have to do the air vents if there is any to,then with a bicycle pump with a narrow valve what you would blow a ball up with punctured the tape and pump some air in,on the outside of the headlamp around were the lens seals spray some soapy water so with the headlamp sort of pressurized you could see wee bubbles were the air was escaping
