Hey guys! First post here. Searched the threads and found some similar issues but nothing that matched exactly, so please forgive me if there is a duplicate thread out there.

So, we're military and our family just moved to Germany. We bought a highly used US-spec 07 XC90 from the lemon lot on base and this thing is full of issues - but nothing I can't handle - until the headlights went out.

OK, so about 3 weeks ago, Pass side low beam went out (fuse was good). Went to the auto parts store for a replacement and that's when I learned it has the Xenon HID lights - special order. I pulled the bulb and plugged it into the driver's side and it worked - ballast, right? A week later, we were on a road trip heading home, at night, on the autobahn. Started the car - no headlights. No high beams, no low beams. Checked the fuses and both low beam fuses were blown. Replaced them and they immediately blew again. Thank God we had fog lights to navigate home with - every single German on the autobahn flashed me! Took it to the German Volvo dealer and the only way they could think to diagnose the problem was to plug in a new ballast and see if it worked - but they didnt have any in stock.

So today I pulled both headlight housings and brought them inside to inspect them. All the bulbs appear to be in good shape. High beams still have filaments attached and are not discolored. I pulled the ballasts and saw nothing that appeared that they were failed/failing. There were no signs of water in or on the headlight housing, nor on the connectors inside the engine bay.

So my question is, would a failed ballast effect the high beams as well?
Should I go ahead and order the ballasts and replace them?
Is all this indicative of a bigger problem?

Thanks for the help!

 

Pull the headlamp assemblies out and unplug them. Replace fuses. See if the fuses blow. Start car. See if the fuses blow. Shut of car. Plug in one headlamp. See if the fuses blow. Do the same for the other headlamp.
Step by step one thing at a time to see what change blows the fuse/s.

 

I will do that tomorrow. Never occurred to me to try that.

If fuses blow without headlights plugged in - is that gonna be a more serious issue?

 

Fuses blow with the headlamps unplugged then the issue is in the wiring/systems up to the headlamps.