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2006 XC90 high beam question

16K views 35 replies 16 participants last post by  Manntis 
#1 ·
Hello. Question about the high beams on my 2006 XC90 2.5. It has the HID/Xenon bulbs but they don't seem to help. I replaced them a year ago as a pair (Philips D2R Standard Xenon HID Headlight Bulb) after one burnt out. The high beam indicator on the dash works. The lens assembly moves up and down audibly and seen aimed against a flat wall at night. There is no change in visibility though.

The assembly cut-out for a high beam is empty (no bulb on either side) but the connector has power. The owner's manual lists an H7 bulb for high beams but it is appears to be an angled H10/H11 plug fitting. I've received different responses from different dealers as well as my usual Volvo part supplier. I know the tilting angle of the assembly is supposed to change visibility and act like traditional high beams but does not actually help. All driving and fog lights work as expected, headlight knob is in the correct position, both assembly tilt motors work. Any thoughts?

I just buffed and polished the lenses and there is no significant pitting. Both sides are equally level and correct. Help!!!

Thanks,

-CMA
 
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#2 ·
They're just simply terrible, and working as designed. My '04 had them, and I'm very glad my '06 does not. Your best bet may be to add some other type of lights, and somehow get them tied into the high beam relay. The HID headlights were the biggest complaint I had with my '04. They were simply the worst headlights I've ever experienced on a vehicle, and I've owned a lot over the years.
 
#6 ·
When I first got my '10 the HID lights were horrible. I adjusted the height by a turn and a half on each side. Much better now. I am not sure what the differences are between '10 and '04 though.
The differences are day and night. The '03-'06 have Xenon bulbs with a halogen-like reflector (no cutoff). The '07+ use a projector. I'm not sure of other differences, but that alone would make a difference, as the light is more concentrated with projector housings. If the newer style uses the same bulb for low and high beam, it may have a cutoff shield that flips. If so, that's a huge difference.
 
#5 ·
I have the same xenon HID lights on my xc90 as well. I just adjusted mine the other day. There is a good write up in another area (S40 & V50) on this topic of adjusting the lights. Mine don't seem to have good output either. But they are better now that I aimed them up. Seemed like one day they just both got worse all the sudden and aimed down at the road. I did not take them apart very far to see if something was broken. Suppose the bulbs could be bad also as they were cheapies on the internet. I didn't want to pay $100 a bulb at the store.
 
#7 ·
So jsut to set things correctly the inner "high beam" slot is used for DRL on US models only. Those do not come on when you turn the high beams on. INstead the low beam reflector shifts upwards slightly causing the light to shine farther but its hardly notisble such as you see when you use actual high beams.

ON the halogen version I beleive it is a H7 bulb and on the Xenon it is H10, im am quite sure.

Now you can see if there is a positive wire feed on the headlight connector that receives a constant 12V + source when the high beam is enabled and then you can tap into the actual headlight but I would cut the vehicle source wiring as during the day your DRLs will back feed into the high beam motor and who knows what that can do to them over time.

If you want some better lights, either upgrade to the 07-up or add auxilary hgih beam units on the bumper which will likely work a lot better for you. I bought a set off Amazon for 20$ and they put out the most foucesd light you could ever see simply perfect for high beam use.
 
#9 ·
So jsut to set things correctly the inner "high beam" slot is used for DRL on US models only. Those do not come on when you turn the high beams on. INstead the low beam reflector shifts upwards slightly causing the light to shine farther but its hardly notisble such as you see when you use actual high beams.
WHAT?!! What kind of low grade bull is this?! I haven't had the occasion to use my high beams yet as it's Summer, dusk goes on til almost 9pm, and I live in the metro area. However, later in the Summer I tend to travel to rural parts where high beams are needed and if I'm reading this correctly, I do not have actual supplemental hi-beams, but rather the normal HIDs simply point themselves higher a bit.

Like "hi-beams" as in "High" elevation but not actual output?!

I can't even being to digest how breathtakingly disappointing that is from a brand like Volvo who hails from a place where they get 18 hours of darkness during the Winter.
 
#8 ·
The only way I could get enough light on the road was to figure out which pin in the connector controlled the high beam and which was the DRL (needed here in Canada). I got that figured out on the harness end and since my headlight housing lenses were pitted and hazed up I chose to take a cheaper route by installing the Halogen variant. Instantly I got rid of the halogen bulbs and installed the Vled Micro LED H11 35w 6000K for the low beam and then got the SNGL Super Bright 9005 ( H10,HB3,9145 ) - 110w 12,400Lm - 6000K Bright White for the high beams. I also installed a 21.5 inch 120w light bar plus H1 HID fog lights to give sufficient light to the road. Needless to say I have a lot of errors by changing the wattage of the lights.
 
#14 ·


Connect pin 1 and 6 together on the headlight harness and you will activate the high beam as European models.



Mine is 2010 with the ABL Bi-Xenon lamps.
I have added spot lamps on the OEM Aux lamp kit and a spot beam LED bar for what I call super high beams.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
#17 · (Edited)
Looks great!
1)How do you like your custom eBay LED DRLs? I see they've arrived and you've installed them!

2)What are you using in the inner halogen bulb socket (the one wired up to the high beams)? Are those halogen or have you installed a brighter bulb? If so, what managed to fit while keeping the housing rubber cap on the back? I'm not sure what type of LED module will fit in there while still being able to put the cap on. I plan to use my AUX light switch and harness to control these inner lights selectively (light bars are being cracked down on in my area).

3)Any odd behavior following the DRL high beam mod? I've been following YouTube guy's blog who first did it and he hasn't had any odd effects. Won't affect me with my plans, just curious.
 
#19 ·


This is the XC finished for the summer.

Chinese DRL!




Last set up.


My fog lamps have retrofitted LEDs from Ford.



Light bar itself and output.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
#24 ·
In my experience the HID's are poor. To have the dip beam aimed in a legal fashion in thenUK gives abyssmal lighting, but raise them a bit and theyre not bad. High beam is pretty good though. A far few folk, including me, have supplemented the ehadlamos with a small light bar in the front bumper.
 
#34 ·
I think perhaps confusion has arisen for reasons twofold; 1. you didn't specify who you were responding to, but your comment did occur directly following Manntis'... I can see why he might think you were replying to him. I did. 2. You should perhaps be more specific with regards to "HID" in reference to the XC90, as there are two types. The pre-facelift reflector-based HID housings, and the post-facelift projector-based HID housings with ABL. The reflector HIDs are indeed considered horrible by all accounts. The projector HIDs, though, are generally agreed upon to be far improved.

As an aside, I'm curious... you mention legality with regards to dipped beam aiming (in the UK specifically, and what seemed to be in response to someone living on another continent with potentially vastly different laws, no less), but then you go on to admit that you added an LED light bar to supplement said dipped beam. What is the legality of that where you are? Here, as far as I'm aware, no auxiliary lighting that isn't DOT approved may be utilized when the vehicle is being operated on any public roadway. I have my doubts that DOT-approved aftermarket LED light bars even exist, so I really don't understand the point in bringing up legality when (besides the fact it wasn't ever a point of contention in the thread) you immediately thereafter potentially negate yours/anyone else's adherence of said law... Care to enlighten? shrug
 
#25 ·
With respect, I asked if a part is compatible without tripping a computer error, not for an opinion on whether it's desirable in legal fashion on another continent without adjustment. Consider that perhaps I might have taken adjustment into account.
 
#28 ·
Yes, swapping in 2007+ bi-xenon ABL housings will yield errors. The ABL HID housings require additional software control that allows them to both steer the projector which is based on the steering angle sensor, and also the blocking flap for low-high beam operation (hence 'BI'-xenon), as opposed to the single-beam operation of the standard HIDs' reflector, with halogen high beams in a separate inside reflector. Also, I'm not sure if the standard HID units have the ability to level the beam based on the rear suspension sensor, but that's something that the ABLs do which necessitates additional sensor input monitoring and control. So there's lots of additional control circuitry, and communication is likely happening on the CANbus. If anything is not what the car expects based on its current/factory programming, errors will result.

The ballasts are likely different enough as well (being that the bi-xenon ABLs use D1S bulbs with an internal ignitor, and the standard HIDs use D2R bulbs that employ external ignitors).

Of course, it is possible to change this and reprogram the car to accept the upgraded ABL headlights... You just need to find the software part number in VIDA, have a DiCE unit, pay for a 3-day subscription, pay for the requisite software, download it, and load it onto the car (CEM, I think). Then no errors, and everything will work as if they came on the car originally.
 
#30 ·
My pleasure!

Btw, I did end up figuring out the pins in case you're still wondering about that as well. Turns out they're numbered on the plugs. Look closely and you'll see VERY small embossed digits next to the pins. Going to add this further up to my previous reply to yaz00us.
 
#35 ·
Summertime else claimed success by swapping the control module as well. My parts vehicle doesn't have the bi xenons, so no help there, but thought I'd mention for future readers as a point of investigation
By 'control module' do you mean CEM? If so, doing that would potentially cause the loss of other optional equipment functionality due to software differences between vehicles (things like standard vs late-model LED tail lights, for instance, are handled through software 'part numbers' applied to the CEM).

On the other hand, if you mean the ballast mounted to the bottom of the housing, this would still leave the ABL (and potentially height auto-leveling) inoperative since the control is done via the CEM (and partially REM in the case of auto-leveling). It may prevent bulb-out errors though, but that would be the extent of it. I suppose "success" is a variable term based entirely on expected outcome. ;)

If the software part number for the ABL housings isn't actually available in VIDA, my guess would be that this is something that VDASH from D5T5 could handle.
 
#36 · (Edited)
Yes, sorry, the CEM. I don't consider ballasts control modules so much as igniters and regulators. Back in the early days of HID I converted a mid 80s Daytona to the new lighting (proper projectors with shields while most were doing janky rebulbs) and the ballasts were a PITA but they've come a long way.

Regarding LED low beams, to the best of my knowledge neither the FMVSS nor CMVSS allow such aftermarket mods for road use, hence why they're sold "for offroad use only" with a wink and a nudge.

Factory LED headlights are, of course, compliant and seem to have leapfrogged over HIDs thereby making the latter tech one of short lived advantage a la betamax and 8 tracks; but converting from my XC90's HID to proper, approved LED headlights would be such an undertaking I may as well just buy a slightly newer XC90 and have done with it.
 
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