After the last visit to Redsun, I now know the cause of my Nissan Fairlady Z's left headlamp's problem. The headlamp unit had water seeping in and caused the ballast and ballast cable to short circuit. I asked Redsun to search for the parts but at the same time I will be searching online. I started looking on an online trade website and managed to find a seller for the headlamp. Since the condition of the unit is not good, I might as well change the unit as well. I met the seller and was surprised that I was getting 2 left headlamps for the price of 1 and at a cheap price. One of the headlamp was perfect, had all the bulbs but ballast was missing and had some signs of old age. The other one could not be used because the housing was ripped. A few days later I found someone selling used ballast with ballast cable at a cheap price. I bought it and brought everything to Redsun to have those fixed. At the end of the day, the price for all the parts I bought is only 10% more than what Redsun was going to charge me for just the ballast. I would say I did pretty good and had a steal on the price.
It took around 1 and a half hours to remove part of the front bumper and install the left headlamp.
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| 2 for 1 - Left: One with ripped housing, Right: Perfect replacement. |
Perfect (Front) - No chip, No crack Perfect (Back) - Ballast missing
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| Used Ballast with ballast cable |
On another note, right from the start of my ownership, I noticed that the headlamp is quite dimmed when the lights are on at night. I was told that the pre-facelift models' HID light is not bright enough.
I wanted to change to the facelift ones but now I know it was because of the tinting on my headlamps. So, I asked Redsun to remove the tinting from my right headlamp, that was done by the previous owner. However, by removing the tinting, there is a sticky residue from the adhesive that causes the headlamp to blur. The mechanic then rubbed some brake fluid and it started to clear a little but it went bad when he changed to car polish instead. I do not have the time to send the 350Z to have its headlamp polished. I will just have to drive it as it is, temporarily. Now, it looks bad during the day but at least both headlamps work well at night and it is brighter now without the tinting. I won't be mistaken for a motorbike when I tailgate someone. Next thing I should do is have someone look at the headlight and polish it so it could be clear.
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| Just removed tinting and rubbed with brake fluid |
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| After brake fluid and car polish |
On another note, if you remember, previously I bought a petrol cap that I have yet to install. I finally had the time for some D.I.Y. and got it installed. It was not an important repair but it was an eyesore. Every time I pump petrol, I had to find somewhere to put the petrol cap, which is annoying. This task only required an Allen key wrench and 5 minutes to remove the metal plate. At first it looks difficult because the C-shape opening is behind the flipping mechanism. So, the petrol cover has to be loosen as well. It is much better to the eye and more convenient now. I am satisfied. Not every repair or mod has to cost a lot to be a good mod.
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| Old |
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| New |
Left: Broken cable, Right: With cable
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