my first warranty service
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Joined: Sep 2007
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From: Las Vegas
my first warranty service
So, a headlamp went out at about 3000 miles. Thought it was a bulb and my friends here advised me that bulb or otherwise it was covered! It might be a stretch to uncover that from the warranty book--I didn't find it after a 5 minute scan, but hey I'm fallible. A quick call to nearest dealer (where I didn't buy the car) confirmed that it was fully covered regardless.
Turns out that it was the "ballast something or other" (wtf, ballast has to do with weight and balance, how does it relate to electrics?). Normally, I would care about what exactly the issue was, but since there was no charge, a car was ready for me and I was in a hurry, it was enough to know that it was not the bulb and that a part was on order. So, I took my loaner, an '08 g35 sedan, and I hit pavement.
I was truly taken aback at how humble and plain that car was. No premium, no sport, and no g37 sport premium goodness. Almost like a cardboard cut-out of my g37, it just did not feel like a stand-in for my car in any way! I didn't really try the car's power, but it's power curve was noticeably less exciting; the handling was soft and sloppy and the acceleration response was late. The lack of luxury was noticeable, from the seat to the steering, to the electronic toys, and overall aesthetic.
I guess I'm just confirming that the g37 sport premium is money well spent!
Turns out that it was the "ballast something or other" (wtf, ballast has to do with weight and balance, how does it relate to electrics?). Normally, I would care about what exactly the issue was, but since there was no charge, a car was ready for me and I was in a hurry, it was enough to know that it was not the bulb and that a part was on order. So, I took my loaner, an '08 g35 sedan, and I hit pavement.
I was truly taken aback at how humble and plain that car was. No premium, no sport, and no g37 sport premium goodness. Almost like a cardboard cut-out of my g37, it just did not feel like a stand-in for my car in any way! I didn't really try the car's power, but it's power curve was noticeably less exciting; the handling was soft and sloppy and the acceleration response was late. The lack of luxury was noticeable, from the seat to the steering, to the electronic toys, and overall aesthetic.
I guess I'm just confirming that the g37 sport premium is money well spent!
Arm flailing tube man
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 2,043
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From: Northern Virginia
^^not really. The ballast ignites the Xenon gas. That's about it. A Xenon bulb actually draws less power than a halogen bulb. It just takes a large jolt to ignite the gas something like 30,000 volts (ballast does this).
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Joined: Jan 2008
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Go to this link:
How HID's work
Scroll down a bit and it will tell you all about the function of the ballsat
Ty
How HID's work
Scroll down a bit and it will tell you all about the function of the ballsat
Ty
Thread Starter
Registered User
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 108
Likes: 1
From: Las Vegas
Ah, thanks for the explanation guys. Always a wealth of info here. I found a general description of ballast as it applies to electronics (and lamps) here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrical_ballast
They have an HID link at the bottom that also has an interesting article.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrical_ballast
They have an HID link at the bottom that also has an interesting article.
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