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Old 07-30-2015, 09:15 AM   #1
grafton
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19 WRX & WRX STi

Default HID dark spot

I'm having a beam pattern issue
my drivers side looks like this:

and the passenger side looks like this:


I've had an issue before where the bulb popped loose, so I pulled the bulb out and reseated it, but that had no effect.
My bulb looked like this one on the passenger side: http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/show...36&postcount=8
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Old 07-30-2015, 10:48 AM   #2
satrya
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797 (blaze yellow)

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It's quite hard to tell what's going on with a projection that close. Note that the beam shape (as seen on a flat surface like that) do not stay fixed as it comes out of the lens onward. You'd need to provide more info:
(1) Pattern on a wall 20-25ft away (or more)
(2) What projectors
(3) What bulbs (e.g. D2S, D2R, rebased aftermarket like H1, etc.)
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Old 07-30-2015, 11:52 AM   #3
grafton
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working on the more info

(1) will get picture after work, I'll also swap bulbs from side to side to see if it follows
(2) Stock STi projectors
(3) Stock style bulbs, D2S
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Old 07-30-2015, 01:47 PM   #4
satrya
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It is possible that the return wire of the bulb is oriented incorrectly (e.g. bulb is upside down), but at such a close distance, the beam pattern can look very different from the regular driving distance pattern.
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Old 07-30-2015, 09:51 PM   #5
grafton
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Here is the pattern


And it didn't change when I swapped bulbs, it didn't used to look like this, I just noticed the really reduced output on the passenger side earlier this week.
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Old 07-30-2015, 11:36 PM   #6
satrya
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^
If the projector's bowl has no obvious burn marks (that can happen even with OE projectors over time), then the position of the arc in the passenger side bulb is a bit off. If it were a biXenon (which it isn't), it would've been easy to check by switching to high beam mode; you'll see the hotspot sit high up above the low beam's cutoff.

Many aftermarket bulbs (even one that is D2S based) are not necessarily produced with sufficient process control (or good design to begin with). As a result, the position of the HID arc may be a bit off. Some bulbs are very obvious to spot; those that lack a good support for the glass capsule.

See those metal supports at the base of the capsule? Different brands come up with different ways of providing that support. I've seen some budget brands that don't even have that support. Instead, the capsule is fused directly into the plastic base. Not sure how they ensure proper alignment.
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Old 08-01-2015, 10:37 PM   #7
chrisman287
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Have you tried swapping bulbs from side to side to see if the problem follows the bulb? If you have and it's no different, your passenger side projector bowl is probably toast.
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Old 08-05-2015, 08:31 AM   #8
CRAZYHAWK
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He already wrote that he swapped them.

Quote:
Originally Posted by grafton View Post
Here is the pattern


And it didn't change when I swapped bulbs, it didn't used to look like this, I just noticed the really reduced output on the passenger side earlier this week.
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Old 06-27-2016, 10:42 PM   #9
grafton
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Bump from the dead, the dark spot was caused by a burnt HID reflector:
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Old 06-28-2016, 09:28 PM   #10
satrya
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Quote:
Originally Posted by grafton View Post
Bump from the dead, the dark spot was caused by a burnt HID reflector
That's too bad. But OE projector bowls can burn sometimes.

Time for a retrofit.
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Old 08-26-2016, 09:49 PM   #11
frederik
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If the bulb popped loose while turned on it is probably what caused the burn as the bulb could have sit directly on the bowl, or too close and burnt it.
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