Headlight problem on 2007 GranTurismo

Thatch

Member
Messages
232
note I have heard that they need to be "coded" to the car with an SD3 for the turning function to work, though the lights will without it.

Hi Aaron - can you elaborate on this?

What is an SD3? and how do you 'Code' it?
 

Contigo

Sponsor
Messages
18,376
If you have paid for the part from a main dealer and they fitted then that part is under warranty so take it back and have them investigate further. I was in France a couple of years ago and drove through a large puddle and ingested water into the head unit (offside) and immediately adaptive headlight failure. I had a new unit fitted and it had to be coded with an SD3 to setup the adaptive (moving) part, it does a self test. All sorted since. You may have been unlucky with yours. Welcome to try my old one out to determine if something else on yours is faulty.

What exactly fails on yours the light itself?
 

Contigo

Sponsor
Messages
18,376
Your adaptive featured is not working as it needs calibrating. Can you please explain exactly what the issue is here?
 

Thatch

Member
Messages
232
Hi Phil

It's a long story, but in summary:
1. Headlight must be cracked, as misting up.
2. Condensation is blowing ballast units (seen corrosion in connector of most recent ballast to blow - cheap ebay unit)
3. Decided to buy New unit from Eurospares (£1500) - Out of stock at factory, and no date for back ordering.

In the meantime, while I wait for the new unit:
4. Decided to see if I have the technical ability to remove the headlight myself (assuming it can be done without having to remove the front bumper!), and see if I can find and fix any cracks.
5. buy another ballast unit from ebay.

I was trying to understand what and how to 'Code' the ballast unit.
 

AaronE

Junior Member
Messages
156
Hi Phil

It's a long story, but in summary:
1. Headlight must be cracked, as misting up.
2. Condensation is blowing ballast units (seen corrosion in connector of most recent ballast to blow - cheap ebay unit)
3. Decided to buy New unit from Eurospares (£1500) - Out of stock at factory, and no date for back ordering.

In the meantime, while I wait for the new unit:
4. Decided to see if I have the technical ability to remove the headlight myself (assuming it can be done without having to remove the front bumper!), and see if I can find and fix any cracks.
5. buy another ballast unit from ebay.

I was trying to understand what and how to 'Code' the ballast unit.

sorry to be late to reply. an SD3 is the $50,000 diagnostic system that dealers use to work on the car. many computers on the car need to be configured to work with the rest of the car. I have no first hand knowledge of what needs to be coded for the adaptive headlight feature, other than what I've heard anecdotally.

I do know first hand that replacing a ballast will get the headlight to work (i.e. light up and have low/high beam functionality) without doing anything other than simply plugging it in.

I also know that the ballast also contains the "computer" for the light, but that it is not at all related to any of the auxiliary bulbs like turn signals, running lights, flash to pass lights, DRLs, etc. all of those will work with a completely dead ballast.

so, my suggestion -- while waiting for the $1500 part, buy the $50 part and see if it works.
 

Belfry

Member
Messages
184
Tino at Barr-Tech is so helpful with issues like this. Such a contrast to Main Dealers suggesting to “book the car in”..
 

Thatch

Member
Messages
232
New Update:
1. bought new headlight from Maserati (£1400)
2. before it arrived, '*******' light started working again!
- hot summer somehow resurrected the 'blown' ballast!!!
- so never got round to fitting new light (still boxed)
3. yesterday (Wet and dark), the other headlight decided to play up!!!
- not working if lights on 'auto'
- working if select headlight manually!!!!!!!

It's clearly an electrical issue (water ingress), but no idea where to start looking.

Anyone had similar issues?
 

AaronE

Junior Member
Messages
156
I think I may have cursed myself by replying! I have a headlight filled up with probably an entire quart of water. took the ballast off and it's filled with water too.

I'm really kind of tired of Maserati's really abysmal engineering skills. The ballast (manufactured by someone else) has a gasket well designed to keep water from ingressing. However, how does Maserati design the mounting of it? Upside down, and at the lowest point of the assembly. Results? It guarantees that any water drains directly into the electronics.

A MechE intern would have figured out that that's stupid.

Anyway... took the unit out, disassembled, baked @ 180°F for 20 minutes to dry it all out, replaced the ballast with another one, drilled some drainage holes and reassembled. Worked...... until it rained again.

Fu€#ers.
 
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Thatch

Member
Messages
232
With such a poor/fragile design, I can't understand why others aren't suffering.

We cant be the only two with issues! Or are we the only people who don't have a garage, and drive our cars in the dark and wet?
 

CatmanV2

Member
Messages
48,547
With such a poor/fragile design, I can't understand why others aren't suffering.

We cant be the only two with issues! Or are we the only people who don't have a garage, and drive our cars in the dark and wet?

Mine's not been in a garage in my ownership. It gets driven to the station 3+ days per week as long as it's not snowing. <shrug>

C