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Old 02-04-2017, 03:06 PM
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wpoll wpoll is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gee0393 View Post
Thanks wpoll. Yeah the lights worked fine until a few weeks ago and suddenly went very dull. I changed the bulbs and are still the same. Even the main beam lights don't seem as bright as they should be which would make sense if it has a grounded earth. I have checked the output at both headlights with a multi meter and the readings were Drivers dip beam 12'19 - 12'23 pass side dip beam 12'26 - 12'32. Not sure if this is a little low or not? Could the alternator be a factor?
If these readings are with the car off (engine not running) then they are pretty good and indicate a good battery in a good state of charge.

If they are with the engine running, then yeah, your charging system (alternator, regulator etc.) is a little suspect. I would expect to see voltage well above 13v with a good charging system, with 13.8-14.2 being the norm.

If your charging system has failed, you would likely have an orange battery icon lighting up on the cluster but as you haven't mentioned this, I assume it's not.

Have you unlocked the diagnostics readings on the cluster BC? You can check the system voltages there too - menu #9. It reads about 0.3-0.5v low but it's a good indication of what's going on.
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