Hello guys - this is an odd one ...
2004 1.8 TDCi 90ps
I have owned this van for nearly 4 years. On a few occasions (less than 6, from memory), the charge light has come on after setting off. Normally I stop, wait a minute, restart and drive away and the problem disappears. Last evening the charge light came on, went off, came on, went off for the first 2 miles. I stopped and started and it still did it. As I was only going 6 miles each way I decided to just suffer it. One mile later the near side dipped beam blew and, bugger me, less than another mile and the off side went as well. The full beams were still OK, so I dropped the adjusters down as far as they would go and completed the journey(s) without annoying any oncoming motorists. On the return leg (a couple of hours later), there was no charge light ...
What was odd is that the bulbs were a pair of Philips X-Treme Vision H4 that I fitted in mid June. By my calculations, I have done less than 200 hours using them (nearer 150), and the specs on the Philips site show them as - Lifespan 450 hours. They ain't cheap and 450 hours is not a great deal of time if you were a busy road user. The light that they throw is really good though so maybe I'll be spending £17 every 6 months to "enjoy" the benefits of better vision and improved safety.
What I was wondering is whether the headlamps blowing was down to the intermittent charging light OR just plain old coincidence ..?
Thoughts or experiences welcome.