MK4 Jetta Light Bar Install Questions

Zak99b5

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Joined
Apr 30, 2021
Location
Albany NY
TDI
2003 Jetta TDI
I paid like $300 for my set on eBay. Price in that link is killer, but says NLA?

The stock headlights sucked. I sanded & cleared them, put good bulbs in, and still the output was poor. Tried LED bulbs for a minute, but it was all scattered glare. That’s when I got the headlights with projectors.

Tried them with halogens first, but they were only a little bit better than the stock lights. So I got the HID kit and bam—now I can see. Way better than stock.
 

Nuje

Top Post Dawg
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Feb 11, 2005
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Island near Vancouver
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2002 Golf 6MT; 2015 Sportwagen 6MT; 2016 A3 e-tron 6DSG
Doesn't NLA on that page listing mean "no longer available"?
(But also, having owned a set that looked a LOT like these....save your $65 regardless. I ended up gutting them to put in some real D2S projectors.
 

agent_jwa

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 9, 2024
Location
WI
TDI
02 Golf
I've installed a bunch of hid kits and have almost 20 years of running aftermarket ballasts. The number one issue is the input power connectors to the ballast. They use some very crappy design that has 100% failed on every one I've done. I'm at the point where I just cut them off and solder directly to the jumper/main power harness on the car. Never had the high voltage leads fail but the 12v has failed every single time.

Right now I run these cheap $12? Ballasts from Amazon and they've been awesome wired directly in, but if you use the connectors and it starts to give intermittent power it will kill the ballast very quickly. They don't like to be cycled on and off when hot at all.
 

GlowBugTDI

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Jul 20, 2018
Location
Cambridge, MN
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2001 Beetle GLS TDI (BIODSL). 01 original Glow Bug TDI (sold)
I've installed a bunch of hid kits and have almost 20 years of running aftermarket ballasts. The number one issue is the input power connectors to the ballast. They use some very crappy design that has 100% failed on every one I've done. I'm at the point where I just cut them off and solder directly to the jumper/main power harness on the car. Never had the high voltage leads fail but the 12v has failed every single time.

Right now I run these cheap $12? Ballasts from Amazon and they've been awesome wired directly in, but if you use the connectors and it starts to give intermittent power it will kill the ballast very quickly. They don't like to be cycled on and off when hot at all.
Link?
 

Nuje

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Feb 11, 2005
Location
Island near Vancouver
TDI
2002 Golf 6MT; 2015 Sportwagen 6MT; 2016 A3 e-tron 6DSG
I'll just mention that I've had poor experiences with Innovited Ballasts - just random failures. Granted, I didn't seal up the wiring, so.... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Someone here mentioned used BMW ballasts on eBay - closer to $40ea, but they reach proper color nearly instantly and have been working great for me since I got on them.
 

J_dude

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Jan 9, 2020
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SK Canada
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2003 1.9l “Jedi”
 

KrashDH

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Dec 22, 2013
Location
Washington
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2002 Golf
Hella Gen 2 OEM ballasts from Audi, BMW, Benz from the early 2000s. Workhorses.
I buy em up whenever I can.

Was using them on the Golf and Cummins for my retrofits, still on the truck, and my buddy still has them on the Golf. No failures with them
 

agent_jwa

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 9, 2024
Location
WI
TDI
02 Golf
I'll just mention that I've had poor experiences with Innovited Ballasts - just random failures. Granted, I didn't seal up the wiring, so.... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Someone here mentioned used BMW ballasts on eBay - closer to $40ea, but they reach proper color nearly instantly and have been working great for me since I got on them.
Every since I started soldering them directly to power I haven't had a single one fail. I do believe they do not like repeated hot starts, which is what happens when the power plug gets wonky, that has killed a couple before I learned what I know now.
 

northern diesel

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Dec 5, 2023
Location
Northern BC
TDI
2006 mk4 TDI Jetta Wagon
That's not the right mod. I think that gives you DRLs, not real low beams.

Look of Vortex for the "Golf Mod." I did it on my car (Jetta with separate low/high bulbs) and wrote about it here, so you'll find it here as well.

Basically, you want to take a wire that goes to the Jetta's left stalk in the steering column and transfer it to the headlight switch instead. It duplicates how the Golfs are wired from the factory, and it's easy to do.
I’m looking to do this in the next couple of days - is this the post you were talking about - so far it’s the only one I’ve found on Vortex
 

GlowBugTDI

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2001 Beetle GLS TDI (BIODSL). 01 original Glow Bug TDI (sold)

Nuje

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Feb 11, 2005
Location
Island near Vancouver
TDI
2002 Golf 6MT; 2015 Sportwagen 6MT; 2016 A3 e-tron 6DSG
This look like the right one ?
The how to mentions 1.5mm this kit seems like a larger gauge wire
Oh - definitely do NOT buy those repair wires; ridiculously expensive for what you get (look at that price - ~$40CAD for 18" of wire and two terminals?!? 😱).

Find a wreck, pull the headlight connector (either at the lights or the switch) - there's your proper terminal ends. Some heat-shrink butt connectors and any roll of 16g (equivalent to 1.5mm^2) wire and you're set.
 

Zak99b5

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Joined
Apr 30, 2021
Location
Albany NY
TDI
2003 Jetta TDI
I certainly didn’t spend $40 for the repair wire—I would remember that.

Found it in my history: Repair Wire 000 979 133 E [1mm 125C]. $9.68 at that time.

It seems weird, but all you are doing is taking a wire that runs to the left stalk and moving it to the headlight switch.

Steps are,
take off the upper column shroud,
unplug the connector,
clip the wire mentioned in the vortex how-to,
tape off end of cut wire coming from the connector
add repair wire to the end of the wire coming from behind the dash
snake repair wire behind dash & out the headlight switch hole
put business end of repair wire in the correct spot of the headlight plug
 

Nuje

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Feb 11, 2005
Location
Island near Vancouver
TDI
2002 Golf 6MT; 2015 Sportwagen 6MT; 2016 A3 e-tron 6DSG
The one linked to by @northern diesel is $26USD = just under $40CAD.

And I don't think the repair wire is long enough to cover that distance, so you need some interstitial wire anyway; so for the cost of two butt connectors (literally 1/100th the price at maybe $.40), build your own repair wire.
 

Vince Waldon

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Apr 25, 2009
Location
Edmonton AB Canada
TDI
2001 ALH Jetta, 2003 ALH Wagon, 2005 BEW Wagon
Counterpoint: if you read thru the articles on Stern's site ( I *think* there's good references on this there?) or other automotive lighting sites you'll read that turning on both the hi beams and low beams at the same time actually makes your night vision worse, because your eye has to deal with bright objects in the foreground (the road immediately in front of you, for example) when what you're trying to do is improve your distance acuity.

It's why the sharp light cut-off between low beams and high beams is carefully designed and prized, when done well, and why many cars automatically turn off fog lights when the high beams come on.

In addition: on a Jetta, running both filaments at the same time is also heating already poorly-designed lamp enclosures to twice their designed wattage... and doubling the stress on the already-weak electrical supply to the lights.

YMMV, of course... just tossing the above out there as food for thought that may factor into how reversible you make your wiring changes.

You can test what both filaments being on will look like by pulling on the high-beam stalk while using the low beams... the "flash to pass" setting.
 
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northern diesel

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Dec 5, 2023
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Northern BC
TDI
2006 mk4 TDI Jetta Wagon
The one linked to by @northern diesel is $26USD = just under $40CAD.

And I don't think the repair wire is long enough to cover that distance, so you need some interstitial wire anyway; so for the cost of two butt connectors (literally 1/100th the price at maybe $.40), build your own repair wire.
I like the sounds of that- I’ve definitely experimented with holding down the passing lights, and if they do burn out the housing, I guess there’s the golf front clip mod I could do- my thinking is if @Vince Waldon is right that the Jetta wasn’t designed to withstand that kind of wattage, and they made golf lights (and electrical) to have both high and low on for high beams - perhaps that might be the better choice.
I know - I know - the best choice would be to diy retrofit projectors- and I will - one day
 
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Nuje

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Feb 11, 2005
Location
Island near Vancouver
TDI
2002 Golf 6MT; 2015 Sportwagen 6MT; 2016 A3 e-tron 6DSG
Counterpoint: if you read thru the articles on Stern's site ( I *think* there's good references on this there?) or other automotive lighting sites you'll read that turning on both the hi beams and low beams at the same time actually makes your night vision worse, because your eye has to deal with bright objects in the foreground (the road immediately in front of you, for example) when what you're trying to do is improve your distance acuity.
On my Golf, I have some stupid-bright LEDs in the high-beam position, so when I flip on the high beams, not only do I get the "open" HID projector, but also the 10,000+ lumens out of the high beam bulbs. And I can concur - when driving with just the low beams, I feel like I have plenty of light; after flipping on the high beams (or worse, doing so when driving through snow-covered area) and then going back to the low beams, though....I almost wonder if my HID bulbs are out.
(Ok - maybe not quite that drastic, but you get my point: There can be such a thing as "too bright".)
 

Zak99b5

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 30, 2021
Location
Albany NY
TDI
2003 Jetta TDI
Counterpoint: if you read thru the articles on Stern's site ( I *think* there's good references on this there?) or other automotive lighting sites you'll read that turning on both the hi beams and low beams at the same time actually makes your night vision worse, because your eye has to deal with bright objects in the foreground (the road immediately in front of you, for example) when what you're trying to do is improve your distance acuity.

It's why the sharp light cut-off between low beams and high beams is carefully designed and prized, when done well, and why many cars automatically turn off fog lights when the high beams come on.

In addition: on a Jetta, running both filaments at the same time is also heating already poorly-designed lamp enclosures to twice their designed wattage... and doubling the stress on the already-weak electrical supply to the lights.

YMMV, of course... just tossing the above out there as food for thought that may factor into how reversible you make your wiring changes.

You can test what both filaments being on will look like by pulling on the high-beam stalk while using the low beams... the "flash to pass" setting.
I did the mod because I installed headlights with separate high and low beam bulbs. I would never do this mod to get both filaments cooking at once.

I did leave a long-enough pigtail in the stalk connector in case I ever need to revert back.
 

Zak99b5

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Joined
Apr 30, 2021
Location
Albany NY
TDI
2003 Jetta TDI
The one linked to by @northern diesel is $26USD = just under $40CAD.

And I don't think the repair wire is long enough to cover that distance, so you need some interstitial wire anyway; so for the cost of two butt connectors (literally 1/100th the price at maybe $.40), build your own repair wire.
My repair wire was long enough to reach the headlight switch—it’s really not far at all.

That said, if you have the correct female end sitting around anyway, you sure can make it for cheaper. I did not, so it was worth the $10 to me.
 

northern diesel

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Dec 5, 2023
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Northern BC
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2006 mk4 TDI Jetta Wagon
My repair wire was long enough to reach the headlight switch—it’s really not far at all.

That said, if you have the correct female end sitting around anyway, you sure can make it for cheaper. I did not, so it was worth the $10 to me.
I’m headed to the wreckers this morning to try to pull this wire, do I need a de pinning tool to get the female end ? Noob question I’m sure but
I am new to all things wiring. I’m going to see what I can salvage there today, and then try to tackle this mod while leaving a long enough pigtail in case I want to revert back to stock set up.
 

northern diesel

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Dec 5, 2023
Location
Northern BC
TDI
2006 mk4 TDI Jetta Wagon
Woke up early and ripped over to the wreckers today to pull some wire and do this low beam mod finally.
I followed those written instructions - found the yellow / green wire- cut it a ways back from the signal switch and tied in one of my salvaged brown wires with the pin already on.
https://flic.kr/p/2qGrkvh Then I ran the wire through the dash by reaching through the fuse box and plugged it into slot #7.
https://flic.kr/p/2qGqofw Oh and installed my new steering wheel while I was at it and voila !
https://flic.kr/p/2qGqpxL https://flic.kr/p/2qGqpyC Got the brights I’m looking for on these long dark roads.
Man I love this forum, I’ve always been nervous about wiring stuff, but this was easy going and a first step confidence booster on my way to manual swapping my wagon and tdi swapping my van.
Thanks 🙏
 

northern diesel

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Joined
Dec 5, 2023
Location
Northern BC
TDI
2006 mk4 TDI Jetta Wagon
That wire gives me anxiety... Why...
Well it’s got one of those butt connectors and then I taped it and then zip tied it to the harness headed towards the front. But I’m definitely not an electrician.
I’m all ears if you got comments or critiques.
 
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