Bi Xenon output?
- Thread starter Wankel7
- Start date
Thunderstruck
Veteran Member
Best advice is take a VW with regular headlights for a test drive in a dark neighborhood then take one with Xenon lights out. Take it out last since that's the one you'll end up buying. I never knew how bad regular lights were until I got one with Xenon.
TurnOne
Veteran Member
Pretty sure this was discussed and a quick search may reveal.
Consensus is that they are worth it.
Consensus is that they are worth it.
Looking for output shots though
Ruso Turisto
Well-known member
Take our word for it, they are worth every penny.Looking for output shots though
Go for a test drive at a local dealership.Looking for output shots though
or better yet see if you can put a car with standard bulbs next to one with xenon bulbs.
Cameras can't capture the real difference between the two.
If you can find the car you want with that package it is worth the price, however after having bi-xenons in multiple cars since 2001, it is not a make or break deal for me. When I have a car with halogens I typically will uprate the bulbs, and the output of light (which is what I care about vs the color) is better than factory HID with a proper beam pattern, www.candlepower.com has lots of great information on this
I have the 2015 golf tdi M/T SE trim. With the SE came the lighting package, sunroof, and fender audio system. It's worth every penny. The lighting package comes with the xenon headlights, fog lights and lots of nice interior lighting.(lights along the doors and by your feet.) the sunroof is great to have especially on days it's nice out. And the audio system.. Let's just say it's the nicest sound system in any car I've owned. The subwoofer has a scale of 1-10 I keep it on like 4 I think, and man does that bass kick. Having the volume 1/2 way up will be louder then any normal person can handle. But back to the main question. Yes the lighting package is worth it. So much brighter and safer then any other type of headlight.
I couldn't justify the extra $1k for the lighting package. I had aftermarket HIDs in my last vehicle and loved them. I see there is a plug and play HID kit for the GSW now for ~$100 so I'll add that in the next few weeks.
I know the aftermarket kits are no substitute for the adaptive aiming with the lighting package, but it just seemed a bit steep in price for me considering how common these features have become on the current crop of autos.
I know the aftermarket kits are no substitute for the adaptive aiming with the lighting package, but it just seemed a bit steep in price for me considering how common these features have become on the current crop of autos.
Please reconsider a PnP HId kit
At least do some research on why they are a bad idea for driver and oncoming traffic.Can you elaborate? I had zero issues on my SUV with a Kensun 6000k HID kit. Zero. Nobody flashing their high beams at me, no reliability issues. Zero.Please reconsider a PnP HId kit
Prior to installing the HID kit I would get about three months out of my low beam bulbs (issue common with that vehicle). I had almost 2 years on the HID kit when the car was totaled three weeks ago.
Edit: After doing some reading, I can say that the reason I didn't have any issues on my last vehicle was because it had projector low beams. I haven't looked at the GSW. If it doesn't have a projector setup, I won't install an HID kit.
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I'm not a fan either, but I will say some of the latest HID's are designed for reflector housings. Even Subaru offers them as factory options in the Forester, HID's in a reflector housing that is.Please reconsider a PnP HId kit
I think the best bank for buck, because I'm not about light color, I'm about light output is just upgrading the bulbs themselves. We can easily add the Osram Rallye H7's , which put out more lumens then HID's, and do not require ballast or other non-sense.
http://store.candlepower.com/osraulhiouh7.html
This is upgraded bulbs in a halogen assly, H9's replaced H11's (up from 1300 lumens to 2100 lumens)...my work car
Yeah, that is true...any projector is better than no projector with HID bulbs. Reflector housings are problematic because of the way they handle the light and keep it out of oncoming traffic's eyes. A projector has a cut off shield to do that and a lens to focus the light in the right places.
manyVAGs
Well-known member
The lighting kit offers a few features that an HID upgrade does not. The lights steer with the steering wheel. The amount they turn is not dramatic but after having them in my Audi A6 for a while when I drive a car without them I really notice the difference. The lights auto level based on sensors on the suspension so if you load up the rear with camping gear your headlights do not point into the sky. And the final feature of the lighting kit are cornering lamps that come on when you make a shaper turn at an intersection. This is a really nice feature that the GSW has that my A6 does not.
All GSW's have this feature....it's the fog lights being used as cornering lights, you could've (chances are) engaged that on your A6 w/ VCDS
To Wankel7's gentle post about PnP HID upgrades, his points are quite valid. I wish we, our DOTwould adopt the eCode standards here in the U.S. Those PnP Bulbs are dangerous for all others on the road, most specifically when used in a reflector housing.
ssffnomad
Veteran Member
Have Cornering Lamps, on our 91' Olds Custom Cruiser wagon. Would have thought after how good they work, would have been more popular over the years.
No More Buffalo
Veteran Member
Yet another case of DOT ludditism. Some Euro models have fully steering headlights...DOT doesn't allow it.
rcracer
Veteran Member
- Joined
- Apr 10, 2008
- Location
- chapel perilous
- TDI
- 2015 MK7 GTI S 6MT, Previous: 2012 Golf DSG w/ Tech Pkg
So, who makes the best aftermarket plug and play lights for the MK7?
Thanks!
Thanks!
No one... It's generally NOT recommended to use HID bulbs in reflector housings that were designed for a halogen bulb.
The only true (plus coding and possible wiring work) plug and play is a HID projector/headlight assembly directly from VW. Prepare to pay way more for the headlights alone compared to just buying the lighting package from the dealership when you buy the car.
No one... It's generally NOT recommended to use HID bulbs in reflector housings that were designed for a halogen bulb.
The best HID upgrade projector/headlight assembly directly from VW. You can buy the headlights with projectors, but you'll also need wiring and lots of other bits to make it work the way it does from the factory. Prepare to pay way more for the headlights alone compared to just buying the lighting package from the dealership when you buy the car.
NGP has a kit with new housings for $599
http://www.ngpracing.com/newstore/b...led-uu-drl-and-turn-signals-mk7-golf-gti.html
I'm not heartbroken about not ordering the lighting package. I felt it was too high of a price for technology that is now standard on many cars. Repairing the system down the road isn't an appetizing thought either. Pricing will only go down on retrofit kits such as the one posted above.
http://www.ngpracing.com/newstore/b...led-uu-drl-and-turn-signals-mk7-golf-gti.html
I'm not heartbroken about not ordering the lighting package. I felt it was too high of a price for technology that is now standard on many cars. Repairing the system down the road isn't an appetizing thought either. Pricing will only go down on retrofit kits such as the one posted above.
Osram makes the best...they are called H7 Rallye's, and they are basically H9 (which are 65w) built onto the H7 base. Light output goes from 1300's to 2100's, which is higher than the factory HID lights.
Now if you are looking for color...again, just get a coated bulb and be happy, color is not light output
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Does this create the same issues that HID elements in a non-projector housing creates? Do you get people flashing you at night?
I hate the short lifespan of Silverstars, but I prefer the whiter light at night for contrast on the road.
I'd be curious to see the light pattern of those projectors. It isn't a oem housing but the price is right for seeing how it does with some hid bulbs.
There are some very good bulbs that don't have any coating on them. That's generally the best way to go if you're looking for light output. Coated bulbs reduce the amount of light in favor of color temperature.
rcracer
Veteran Member
- Joined
- Apr 10, 2008
- Location
- chapel perilous
- TDI
- 2015 MK7 GTI S 6MT, Previous: 2012 Golf DSG w/ Tech Pkg
Thanks! I would just like better output similar to our former MK6 Xenon clarity. We did not get a lighting package
Oops! I meant to say: Who makes good complete replacement housing with better light, not bulbs per se, but complete units.
Thanks!
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H7 Rallye's, not RC's are what is needed (doh). I'm not sure how the RC's would work, but I do think they are in the new Forester as the HID's, they are not using a projector housing, so the RC's is all I can think of to accomplish this. I've had RC's on my mind reading up on them, but still not going to purchase them as I'm not sure, and would need a ballast to get them going.
I have the H7 Rallye's http://store.candlepower.com/h7bulbs.html, which are the 65w vs 55w bulb I was talking about. I've used the H9 in H11 housings for years without complaint. I've installed them in my parents car, my work cars (50k a year on those) and my gf's car...never has anyone mentioned being flashed. The life is great, rated only 50 hours fewer than a standard H7. I as well made my fog lights the coming home lights instead of low beam, and a few other changes with vcds to help extend the bulbs.
On post 14, I put a link of my Equinox (last work car before impala) when I switched out the bulbs. This is reflector housing, using an H9 with modifed base in the H11 housing. Its a very clean beam pattern
http://forums.tdiclub.com/showpost.php?p=4804019&postcount=14
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