2005 Audi S4

I HAVE A 2005 AUDI S4 AND MY HEADLIGHTS FLICKER AND GO OUT WHILE DRIVING ALMOST EVERY TIME I HAVE THEM ON. SOMETIMES IT IS ONE AND SOMETIMES BOTH AND I GET A MESSAGE ON MY DASH BOARD THAT THE AFFECTED HEADLIGHT IS DIPPED. IF I TURN THE LIGHTS OFF THEN BACK ON THE AFFECTED HEADLIGHT WILL USUALLY COME BACK ON. SOMETIMES THAT DOESN'T WORK AND THE CAR HAS TO BE TURNED OFF AND RESTARTED. HEADLIGHTS TURNING OFF WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT IS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION. WHEN I BROUGHT IT TO THE ATTENTION OF THE AUDI DEALERSHIP THEY SAY THEY CAN'T DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. *TR

FOLLOWING A COLD START, THE MAIN BEAM HEADLIGHT WILL FLICKER FOR APPROXIMATELY 5-10 SECONDS, THEN FULLY DISCHARGE. THIS WILL REPEAT FOR SEVERAL MINUTES, TYPICALLY RESULTING IN THE 'RIGHT HEADLIGHT DIPPED' WARNING ILLUMINATING ON THE DASH DISPLAY AND THE HEADLIGHT FAILING TO LIGHT. I THINK THIS POSES A SAFETY RISK AS THE PROBLEM IS CONSISTENT AND RISKS THE DRIVER'S NIGHT VISION. WHEN THE WEATHER IS COLD (<40 DEGREES F), THE PROBLEM IS MUCH MORE CONSISTENT AND PERSISTS EVEN AFTER THE ENGINE HAS WARMED. IN WARM WEATHER, THE PROBLEM SOMETIMES STOPS AFTER ~10 TO 15 MINUTES OF DRIVING, WHEN THE ENGINE HAS WARMED UP. *TR

FRONT HEADLIGHTS (BOTH SIDES) FLICKER(BLINK) BUT NOT ALL THE TIME. WHEN THEY FLICKER I TURN THEM OFF AND THEN TURN ON AGAIN, THEN THEY ARE FINE. BUT I AM WORRIED THAT IT MAY GO BAD DURING DRIVING CAUSING SAFETY ISSUES. ITS NOT THE BULB ISSUES AS ON-BOARD DIAGNOSTICS WOULDN'T DETECT THE PROBLEM. IT HAS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES OVER LAST COUPLE OF WEEKS. I TRIED FINDING SOLUTION ONLINE AND FOUND THIS FORUM HTTP://FORUMS.AUDIWORLD.COM/SHOWTHREAD.PHP?P=23809262. THIS TELLS ME THIS PROBLEM IS PART OF NOTORIOUS DESIGN BY AUDI OF AMERICA. MY CAR IS OUT OF WARRANTY AND AUDI WOULDN'T TAKE CARE OF IT AS THEY HAVE PROVIDED NO ASSISTANCE TO SORT OUT OTHER MECHANICAL ISSUES WITH MY CAR WHICH HAS ONLY 50000 MILES. THOSE ISSUES INCLUDE FAILING OF FUEL PUMPS, LEAKING OF TRANSMISSION FLUID AND MELTING OF GASKET COVER CAPS (MAIN) LEADING TO INCONVENIENCE AND FINANCIAL STRESS FOR US AND ON A CAR WHICH IS NOT EVEN 12 MONTHS OUT OF WARRANTY. I REQUEST YOU TO DO YOUR RESEARCH AND HOPE THEY DO A RECALL FOR THESE FAULTY HEADLIGHTS. *TR

IN THE RAIN/SNOW, CONDENSATION/LARGE WATER DROPLETS/WATER FORMS ON INSIDE OF HEADLIGHT LENS ASSEMBLY REDUCING EFFECTIVENESS OF HEADLIGHT AND REDUCE VISIBILITY IN POOR LIGHTING CONDITION (NIGHT/SNOW/RAIN). WAS TOLD BY AUDI USA/DEALERS THAT THERE IS A TSB FOR THIS PROBLEM BUT REFUSE TO FIX DEFECT UNDER CPO WARRANTY. WAS TOLD BY NYS INSPECTION STATION THAT IT MAY NOT PASS SAFETY INSPECTION DUE TO DEFECT IN HEADLIGHT BECAUSE IT IS NOT SAFE TO OPERATE CAR WITH DEFECTIVE HEADLIGHT AND DECREASE LIGHTING POWER LEADING TO REDUCE VISIBILITY. OWNER SINCE 1/2010 CPO.

SEVERAL INTERMITTENT HEADLIGHT MALFUNCTIONS: HEADLIGHT FLICKERING AS WELL AS HEADLIGHT SHUTTING OFF. THE RIGHT HEADLIGHT HAS MALFUNCTIONED (TURNED OFF), WITH NO CONSISTENT CAUSE APPARENT. THE SPECIFIC ERROR MESSAGE THAT APPEARS IN THE DRIVER INFORMATION SCREEN IS "LEFT HEADLIGHT DIPPED". THIS CONDITION IS BOTH UNSAFE, AND ILLEGAL. IT CAN OCCUR SEVERAL TIMES PER TRIP, THEN NOT OCCUR AT ALL FOR SOME TIME. PROBLEM IS INTERMITTENT AND SPORADIC. THE HEADLIGHT FLICKERS, THEN GOES OUT, BUT WILL COME BACK ON WHEN THE LIGHT SWITCH IS TURNED OFF AND ON AGAIN. IT USUALLY OCCURS DURING COLD WEATHER OR ON BUMPY ROADS. ANECDOTAL EVIDENCE (CONVERSATIONAL, AND VIA INTERNET OWNERS' FORUMS) SUGGESTS THAT THE PROBLEM IS WIDESPREAD AMONG A SUBSTANTIAL PORTION OF AUDI'S MODEL RANGE AND YEARS. *TR

SEVERAL INTERMITTENT HEADLIGHT MALFUNCTIONS: HEADLIGHT FLICKERING AS WELL AS HEADLIGHT SHUTTING OFF. HAVE OWNED THE CAR FOR 2 YEARS. THE RIGHT HEADLIGHT HAS MALFUNCTIONED (TURNED OFF), WITH NO CONSISTENT CAUSE APPARENT. THE SPECIFIC ERROR MESSAGE THAT APPEARS IN THE DRIVER INFORMATION SCREEN IS "RIGHT HEADLIGHT DIPPED". THIS CONDITION IS BOTH UNSAFE, AND ILLEGAL - I HAVE BEEN PULLED OVER BY POLICE AS A RESULT OF THIS. IT CAN OCCUR SEVERAL TIMES PER TRIP, THEN NOT OCCUR AT ALL FOR SOME TIME. PROBLEM IS INTERMITTENT AND SPORADIC. THE HEADLIGHT FLICKERS, THEN GOES OUT, BUT WILL COME BACK ON WHEN THE CAR IS RESTARTED. THE DEALERSHIP HAS BEEN NOTIFIED OF THE PROBLEM ON AT LEAST 3 VISITS, AND HAS CLAIMED THAT EVERYTHING IS FINE AND THEY CAN NOT REPRODUCE. THEY HAVE SUGGESTED/GUESSED THAT IT IS THE XENON LIGHT BULB ITSELF, AND REPLACED THE BULB ON ONE OCCASION. ANECDOTAL EVIDENCE (CONVERSATIONAL, AND VIA INTERNET OWNERS' FORUMS) SUGGESTS THAT THE PROBLEM IS WIDESPREAD AMONG A SUBSTANTIAL PORTION OF AUDI'S MODEL RANGE AND YEARS. *TR

"INTERMITTENT HEADLIGHT MALFUNCTION. OVER THE COURSE OF OWNERSHIP, THE RIGHT HEADLIGHT HAS MALFUNCTIONED (TURNED OFF), WITH NO CONSISTENT CAUSE APPARENT. THE SPECIFIC ERROR MESSAGE THAT APPEARS IN THE DRIVER INFORMATION SCREEN IS "RIGHT HEADLIGHT DIPPED". THIS CONDITION IS BOTH UNSAFE, AND ILLEGAL - AS MANY STATES WILL ISSUE A TRAFFIC VIOLATION FOR DRIVING WITH A NON-FUNCTIONING HEADLIGHT. IT HAS HAPPENED ABOUT 7-8 TIMES, THE HEADLIGHT FLICKERS, THEN GOES OUT, BUT WILL COME BACK ON WHEN THE CAR IS RESTARTED, THEN BE FINE FOR WEEKS OR MONTHS AT A TIME. THE DEALERSHIP HAS BEEN NOTIFIED OF THE PROBLEM ON AT LEAST 3 VISITS, AND HAS CLAIMED THAT EVERYTHING IS FINE AND THEY CAN NOT REPRODUCE. THEY HAVE SUGGESTED/GUESSED THAT IT IS THE XENON LIGHT BULB ITSELF, HOWEVER IT HAS CHECKED OUT FINE EACH TIME, AND AS MENTIONED, HAS FUNCTIONED FLAWLESSLY AFTER EACH OCCURRENCE WITH MERELY A RESTART OF THE VEHICLE. NO PARTS HAVE BEEN REPAIRED OR REPLACED, HOWEVER THEY HAVE CLAIMED TO PERFORM A VISUAL INSPECTION OF THE ELECTRICAL CONNECTIONS ON AT LEAST ONE VISIT. ANECDOTAL EVIDENCE (CONVERSATIONAL, AND VIA INTERNET OWNERS' FORUMS) SUGGESTS THAT THE PROBLEM IS WIDESPREAD AMONG A SUBSTANTIAL PORTION OF AUDI'S MODEL RANGE AND YEARS." *TR

I JUST PURCHASED A 2005 AUDI S4 WITH ONLY 30,000 MILES. THE CAR IS IN EXCEPTIONAL CONDITION AND I AM VERY PLEASED. HOWEVER, BOTH HEADLIGHT UNITS CONTAINED CONSIDERABLE CONDENSATION. IT SERIOUSLY REDUCES MY ABILITY TO CLEARLY SEE AT NIGHT. LAST NIGHT WAS THE FIRST TIME I HAD TO USE MY LIGHTS AND I HAD TO KEEP CHECKING TO SEE IF THEY WERE ON. AFTER DISCUSSING THE ISSUE WITH MY LOCAL AUDI SERVICE DEPARTMENT, I WAS TOLD THAT IS NORMAL. THEY SAID TO TAKE IT HOME AND LET IT RUN FOR AN HOUR WITH THE LIGHTS ON. ALSO IF I HAD A HAIR DRYER, THAT MIGHT SPEED UP THE PROCESS. THIS WAS ORIGINALLY A $45,000 - $50,000 CAR AND I AM EXPECTED TO "DRY" THE HEADLIGHTS EVERY TIME IT RAINS? *TR