Those bright bluish headlamps that really light up the road and make distant street reflectors and signs visible to the driver during night drive are known as high intensity discharge lights. These lights are powerful than other traditional tungsten light bulbs and uses xenon gas to create a bright and much focused beam light. This light does not create a glaring effect on the opposing traffic and works as an active safety feature in all new vehicles in which these hid lights comes as a standard now.

Scania Headlamp Malfunction

Xenon HID gas discharge lamps were first introduced on a handful of high-end luxury cars and also the technology has been slow in growth due to high cost involved in it but due to the performance and safety advantages of this high tech lighting system created demand for all mid-level vehicles as well such as construction equipment, trucks and lorries etc. Number of brands offering these hid lights as factory-equipped component is increasing continuously including Caterpillar CAT Volvo Liebherr Komatsu JCB Kobe Steel Hitachi Doosan Sumitomo KATO TAKEUCHI KUBOTO IHISCE NAGANO Terex Kubota John Deere Bobcat Yanmar Cummins New Holland Agriculture Hyster Mitsubishi Hanomag  HyundaiIn and many other. For Most vehicles, the HID headlamps were only used for low beams and conventional halogens were the high beams. But on some of the newest HID system vehicles, the position of the shielding around the bulb changes position to provide both high and low beams.

What Are HID Headlamps?

HID bulbs are an advanced lighting system which requires no filament and filled with xenon gas to produce a bright light perceived as having a bluish tint when viewed at night. The produced brighter near-white light improves visibility and makes it easier to see distant objects on the road. These HID lights are also sometimes known as xenon lights.

Identifying HID Bulbs on Your Vehicle

One way to tell if a vehicle is equipped with HID headlamps is to look at the outer lens cover or white sticker on the headlamp unit as it always states what kind of bulbs are compatible with headlight unit. There are four basic types of HID bulbs that are used in HID lighting systems. If the headlamps are HID, the markings will beD1R, D1S, D2R or D2S 12V or 24V will be displayed on the lens.

How HID Headlamps Work?

Although HID lamps require a high voltage ignition source to start but only about 80 to 90 volts are required to keep it operating.  To maintain the right level of voltage, it uses an igniter module and inverter which is known as HID ballast and converts the voltage into alternating current (AC) which is necessary to operate HID headlamps.

Because there is no brittle filament inside a xenon HID bulb to break or burn out, the headlamps typically last up to three times longer than halogen headlamps. HID headlamps are sometimes mistaken to last for the lifetime of a vehicle but the fact is, these HID bulbs or any component of HID lighting system may fail like other electronic components. Usually when there is a problem with your headlamp or with any of its component, your dashboard will display a message pointing towards the issue.

So whenever, you find your one headlight in working condition, swap it with the other one to find out if it is really a problem with ballast or simply the bulb. If swapping the igniter module to the other side starts the bulb then the problem is definitely with the ballast not the bulb. “Headlamp malfunction warning message” is displayed when xenon control unit ballast has failed. It is very rare that both bulb and ballast fail at the same time.

Symptoms for Identifying Ballast Failure

If you experience a flickering light coming ON and then OFF or a buzzing sound is produced but no light is ignited on D1S or D1R 35W 24V HID bulbs, it means HID ballast module has gone faulty.

Reasons for the Failure of Xenon Ballast Module

If your headlamps fail to illuminate and you find the ballast is failed there could be many reasons for this including the natural reason of completing its own life. If your headlamp has broken or cracked lens cover then sometimes water moisture or dust particles can contaminate the system and make it to fail. If your vehicle has met a collision then a short in wirings could damage the HID light ballast module.

How to Fix the Issue?

Unfortunately, there is no way to fix the existing rotten HID ballast, all you will need to do is to check with a mechanic for the correct specification of new HID control unit/ ballast and get one for the replacement because Xenon HID lighting has become one of the most counterfeited products in the automotive replacement lighting market. Advice from a specialist professional will save you money and time to quickly and easily replace the faulty ballast and get your vehicle back to the fit position.

SCANIA OEM Part Numbers:

The most commonly used xenon ballasts on Scania 24V trucks are Osram 1900353 35XT5-1-D1/24V A62480801DG Xenaelectron and Philips 1746876 XLD245 91370017998 brand, at Xenons4u you can buy high quality replacement parts or genuine and these HID light ballasts are fitted and used with Scania 1900397 D1R 35W Pk32d-3 Xenon HID Bulb 24V.

Compatible Motor Vehicles:

  • Scania R450 R480 R500 R520 R560 R620 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
  • Scania Lastbilar
  • Volvo 9700 Bus
  • Man TGS TGX

Osram D1R Xenarc Electronic Bulb Part Numbers:

  • 66154
  • 66052
  • 66152
  • 66156

Philips D1R XenStart Bulb Part Numbers:

  • 9285 142 294
  • 9285142294
  • 85409C1
  • 9285 108 294
  • 9285108294
  • 8897814
  • 9285 140 294
  • 9285140294
  • 9285 141 294
  • 9285141294
  • 9285 168 294S
  • 9285168294S

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