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Salutations everyone,
It seems like my 2013 Evoque Pure has a strange ground fault. The driver's side connector melted, and the headlight bulbs have been blowing recently. Ceramic pigtails were soldered in their place.
I bought a pair of HIDs that are compatible with the canbus protocol because, alas, I already have the halogens.
Even though the connector hasn't melted on the passenger side, it has been replaced anyhow, and both xenons and ballasts work as expected.
Regardless of which ballast I use, the kit only stays lit for a fraction of a second after I install it on the driver's side. A buzzing sound is produced by the ballast (both) on the driver's side, but not on the passenger's side.
I'm wondering if anyone has ever encountered this before and if my assumption that the driver's headlight is grounded beneath the wheel arch is correct.
Reconnecting the battery to the chassis and the battery to the starter body (negative) are also on my list of things to fix. Are those the only three that I've named?
I would greatly appreciate any help.
Much obliged.

For some reason, my 2013 Pure Tech could blow LED bulbs—not HIDs, but on the driver's side—just as strangely. It also used to consume halogens before switching to LEDs, so you guessed correctly.
My Freelander was identical before the Evoque and would accept any kind of driver-side bulb I put in it.

I recently realised that the bulbs there simply ran a little hotter than the ones on that side of the engine bay.

There was only one perk, and that was how easy it was to switch out.

Thank goodness I'm not alone! According to my research, the Freelander 2 and the Evoque both feature a primary ground point located behind the arch liner in both wheel arches.
This is a problem for the Range Rover Sport as well, as is the ground stud breaking and the main earth hanging loose. Each headlight is connected to the ground via its corresponding wheel arch on each side.
I will remove the arch liner, level the ground, and assess the situation. The HIDs can't function without a constant 12v power source. High current indicates likely high resistance on the earth connection, which is likely causing the headlight connector to melt. When the resistance is high, the voltage drops, which causes the buzzing ballast to attempt to start.
Is it possible that the high current and temperatures are to blame for the bulbs primarily burning out on the driver's side?
There must be some problematic ground somewhere; I will provide more details on Friday after I have had a chance to investigate.

I hope it works out. That was the only issue with my four Land Rovers—two Freelanders and two Evoques. Tires, anti-lock brake system sensors, and boost hoses and drop links—basic stuff.
Fantastic vehicles, with 300,000 miles between them, and very few complaints...