Black headlights or replace with stock chrome headlights and tail light film

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steinfire

Member
Joined
Dec 20, 2007
Location
Georgia
TDI
2005 Jetta
I have a 2005.5 Jetta TDI that is Blue Graphite Pearl and the stock headlights need to be replaced. Faded and scratched.......I have tried the kits and even had 2 different people that "repair headlights" try it. The looked good for a couple weeks and then back to yellow and faded. I have been looking all over for the best type for me. I see tons of aftermarket and OEM replacement lights but I have decided to just pull these and put in stocks headlights again.

picture from when the lights looked good/normal


I know I could replace the plastic lens with glass but I would screw something up and did not really want to go that way......I put about 500-600 miles per week on my car and cannot risk cracking a headlight.

I liked the HID lights but did not want to pay for the proper housings and then have to do anything with the computer.

Anyway I have the stock replacement "CHROME" lights ready to order but I was thinking about how the black ones would look on a dark color car like mine.

Not sure if these would work but just thinking of having new lights that make my jetta look a little different than every other one out there with stock headlights


Does anyone have black headlights that are not HID on their car?

How do you like them?

Do you wish you would have stuck with chrome?




One last thing......I really like the darker taillights on the newer 2009 jettas



I do not need to replace the lights but have seen some tinted film to put on them......should I mess with that at all or just leave them as they are.

bright red



 
invader

invader

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 12, 2008
Location
santa cruz area, ca
TDI
2006 Jetta TDI
I say go for the black head lights. I love the look of mine.

As far as the tail lights, don't bother messing with the film.
I had mine sprayed with a clearcoat that had a light tint. Its been about three years and they still look new.

My .02
 
H

Henrick

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 24, 2010
Location
Ireland
TDI
Golf VI TDI, 77 kW (CAYC)
As for polishing the headlights, for the OP and everyone else who will do that. Once you polish plastic, you remove the protective surface (when the plastic is is being baked it forms such). After that the surface is vulnerable. You need to apply protective film on the headlight as soon as you finish the polishing process (I believe 3M, LLumar make such).
 
S

steinfire

Member
Joined
Dec 20, 2007
Location
Georgia
TDI
2005 Jetta
invader said:
I say go for the black head lights. I love the look of mine.

As far as the tail lights, don't bother messing with the film.
I had mine sprayed with a clearcoat that had a light tint. Its been about three years and they still look new.

My .02
Click to expand...
Do you have a picture for the front of your car with black lights?

Henrick said:
As for polishing the headlights, for the OP and everyone else who will do that. Once you polish plastic, you remove the protective surface (when the plastic is is being baked it forms such). After that the surface is vulnerable. You need to apply prote on the headlight as soon as you finish the polishing process (I believe 3M, LLumar make such).
Click to expand...
I don't really know what happened. I washed the car like I normally do and cleaned the headlights.........then one day I noticed that they were just dull and yellowish. I didn't put anything different on them. They went from clear to filthy in a couple weeks and never came clean.

Thanks for the help.
 
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H

Henrick

Top Post Dawg
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Aug 24, 2010
Location
Ireland
TDI
Golf VI TDI, 77 kW (CAYC)
This sometimes happen if you use cheap made in china bulbs. They don't have UV filter so some headlights might become yellowish or "fogged up".
 
S

steinfire

Member
Joined
Dec 20, 2007
Location
Georgia
TDI
2005 Jetta
Henrick said:
This sometimes happen if you use cheap made in china bulbs. They don't have UV filter so some headlights might become yellowish or "fogged up".
Click to expand...
I will have to take a picture of the lights .......I don't think a cheap bulb made the headlights turn yellow. I have been using silverstars for the last 4 years.



Thanks for the picture of the headlights on a dark car. I still don't know what to do but need to do something soon.
 
05_new_jetta

05_new_jetta

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Aug 28, 2005
Location
Van Wert, OH
TDI
MKV Jetta TDI
I have the blacked out hella headlights from ecs tuning but the reflector around the light is still chrome so the output isn't affected.. as for the tail lights I tinted them with lamin-x film which worked perfectly and doesn't make them too dark I don't think. just my 2 cents
 
S

steinfire

Member
Joined
Dec 20, 2007
Location
Georgia
TDI
2005 Jetta
05_new_jetta said:
I have the blacked out hella headlights from ecs tuning but the reflector around the light is still chrome so the output isn't affected.. as for the tail lights I tinted them with lamin-x film which worked perfectly and doesn't make them too dark I don't think. just my 2 cents
Click to expand...

Do you have a picture of the Blacked out lights and are they Halogen or HID?

Thanks, I may try the film.

Do you know which one matched the factory tinted lights on the 09/10's...... tint, gunsmoke, smoked, or dark film?
 
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lessm723

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 21, 2011
Location
Springfield, MO
TDI
2006 Jetta TDI (sold) 2013 Jetta TDI (sold) 2015 Golf TDI
Definitely say go with the black headlights. I plan on purchasing soon. Aslo here is a pic with my lamin-X film I got from ecs. It was a pain in the a** to install but I like the overall look. They have been on one year in the pic with no problems. It is smoke 17%
 
DZL_Damon

DZL_Damon

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Maine
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09 TDI Loyal Edition
S

steinfire

Member
Joined
Dec 20, 2007
Location
Georgia
TDI
2005 Jetta
lessm723 said:
Definitely say go with the black headlights. I plan on purchasing soon. Aslo here is a pic with my lamin-X film I got from ecs. It was a pain in the a** to install but I like the overall look. They have been on one year in the pic with no problems. It is smoke 17%
Click to expand...
have you been able to tell if the smoke matches the factory tinted tails or is it a little darker?

Thanks again for all the help and I agree that you car looks great!
 
L

lessm723

Well-known member
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Location
Springfield, MO
TDI
2006 Jetta TDI (sold) 2013 Jetta TDI (sold) 2015 Golf TDI
steinfire said:
have you been able to tell if the smoke matches the factory tinted tails or is it a little darker?

Thanks again for all the help and I agree that you car looks great!
Click to expand...
its a little darker but not dark enough to get pulled over. never had a problem with the cops and with the brighter brake light bulbs you can see them just fine
 
S

steinfire

Member
Joined
Dec 20, 2007
Location
Georgia
TDI
2005 Jetta
lessm723 said:
its a little darker but not dark enough to get pulled over. never had a problem with the cops and with the brighter brake light bulbs you can see them just fine
Click to expand...

I just ordered the "gun smoke" color.......will put up pics when I get it on
 
05_new_jetta

05_new_jetta

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Joined
Aug 28, 2005
Location
Van Wert, OH
TDI
MKV Jetta TDI
I think mine are smoke so they are darker than the oem tail lights but that's what I wanted.. I even went as far to tint my license plate... oh and I have had mine on for a year or so with no trouble..
 
S

steinfire

Member
Joined
Dec 20, 2007
Location
Georgia
TDI
2005 Jetta
I ordered my headlights last night and ended up going with non-projectors. I was really not sure how it would look but after seeing your front end I really think I will love it.

I'm probably going to spend the money that I would have on projectors towards fogs and a front end swap (Wolfsburg). Did you have a hard time installing your fogs?

I like the color of your tails too but think I went one shade lighter just to be safe. I have to travel all over the state and sometimes to work in some small, one redlight school districts and they have some ticket happy cops. I do have some clear front markers that I plan to smoke or may try to see how it will look if I put a few shades of VHT on my factory side markers.

Hopefully my front end will look different a month or so from now.........with three kids, its hard to find time to do anything.
 
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steinfire

Member
Joined
Dec 20, 2007
Location
Georgia
TDI
2005 Jetta
finished the tails

before

pass side done

after




before side


after side


the pass side was the first one I did and it turned out ok......there are two small spots that I hope fix on their own after a few days but the drivers side turned out perfect


still waiting on the headlights and I cannot fine my clear markers to smoke them........stuff disappears in my garage
 
05_new_jetta

05_new_jetta

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 28, 2005
Location
Van Wert, OH
TDI
MKV Jetta TDI
steinfire said:
I ordered my headlights last night and ended up going with non-projectors. I was really not sure how it would look but after seeing your front end I really think I will love it.

I'm probably going to spend the money that I would have on projectors towards fogs and a front end swap (Wolfsburg). Did you have a hard time installing your fogs?

I like the color of your tails too but think I went one shade lighter just to be safe. I have to travel all over the state and sometimes to work in some small, one redlight school districts and they have some ticket happy cops. I do have some clear front markers that I plan to smoke or may try to see how it will look if I put a few shades of VHT on my factory side markers.

Hopefully my front end will look different a month or so from now.........with three kids, its hard to find time to do anything.
Click to expand...
fogs were really easy, I cant remember for the life of me where I got the harness I used but since I have a highline cecm I wanted it to control my fogs but ecs tuning has the kit and it works just fine too. I have the smoked markers but with the versatility of lamin-x you can tint just about anything.

here is the latest with the tinted plate
 
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S

steinfire

Member
Joined
Dec 20, 2007
Location
Georgia
TDI
2005 Jetta
that looks great!

I was leaning towards no fogs but hearing you say that the fogs were easy makes me think again about getting them
 
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