Just observed that the driver side head light was dimmer than the passenger side. This is the first time I am seeing this on my 2000 i30.
If I turn off and turn back on (the headlight switch), both lights come up at same brightness.

Also noticed the battery is dying. The battery is 2yrs old.
The car was parked for 7 days without use. This is probably why the battery is dying.
Is the headlight connected to this?

What is the recommended Battery CCA. I was thinking of getting the 580CCA battery from walmart (50$).

 

It sounds like you have the Xenon HID headlights. It is probably the lamp. they do lose their brightness over time. A quick test would be to swap the lamps to the other sides and see if the dimness follows the bulb.

It sucks that the battery is dying after only 2 years, but letting the car sit for a month will not cause a battery to fail. But it is possible. Most batteries will have a pro-rated warranty on them for 3 to 5 years, so you could get a low cost replacement. Most auto parts stores will do a load test on the battery to see if it is good or bad. Get it tested first before buying one.

As far as CCA goes, the original factory installed battery was 582 CCA, so the Walmart special would be OK. But my personal opinion would be if you live up north in the cold winter climates, get a 700 - 800 CCA battery.

 

Thanks, Dennis.
Do you have to take out the front wheel guard to get to the headlight or is it just the two 10mm bolts on the top?

 

Aftermarket garbage HID?

 

No idea. I've had the car for 2years. Worked fine so far.