OEM hella b4 headlights still on ebay ... germany :)

[burpod]

just got these:

Hauptscheinwerfer VW Passat B3 B4 3A2 3A5 35i LINKS RECHTS 93-97 - OE VW HELLA | eBay

SET HELLA Hauptscheinwerfer VW Passat 35i Facelift. Einbauseite links + rechts. OE Qualität von dem Erstausrüster Hella - produziert für VW ab Werk. ohne Blinkleuchte. Leuchtefunktion mit Abblendlicht.

www.ebay.com

excellent price, genuine OE hella glass lenses, eurospec i assum, and come in genuine hella boxes in sealed aluminum foil bags... quite a good deal!! only 255euro shipped

just an fyi for anyone who wants to replace your crappy old ones

 

[Steve Addy]

just got these:

Hauptscheinwerfer VW Passat B3 B4 3A2 3A5 35i LINKS RECHTS 93-97 - OE VW HELLA | eBay

SET HELLA Hauptscheinwerfer VW Passat 35i Facelift. Einbauseite links + rechts. OE Qualität von dem Erstausrüster Hella - produziert für VW ab Werk. ohne Blinkleuchte. Leuchtefunktion mit Abblendlicht.

www.ebay.com

excellent price, genuine OE hella glass lenses, eurospec i assum, and come in genuine hella boxes in sealed aluminum foil bags... quite a good deal!! only 255euro shipped

just an fyi for anyone who wants to replace your crappy old ones

It's a great deal if they'll ship to the US, and they get here without getting broken.

I still need a new lens....

Steve

 

[burpod]

They came very well packed. 255euro was the price shipped to the US

 

[Steve Addy]

They came very well packed. 255euro was the price shipped to the US

I was surprised to see them shipping to the US, many times I've tried to get German sellers to ship to conti US without any luck.

Steve

 

[burpod]

That price is so good I might just have to get spares...

 

[Steve Addy]

That price is so good I might just have to get spares...

If you're long term owner then it makes sense, you never know when the supply of any of it is going to run dry.

Steve

 

[Nuje]

If you're long term owner then it makes sense, you never know when the supply of any of it is going to run dry.

...the strategy that has led to waaaaay too much stuff in my garage.

 

[burpod]

yes. lol. but with the exchange rate.. it was $310 usd. i'm really tempted to buy a spare set because i need more stuff in my attic

 

[Steve Addy]

The exchange rate is 1.10. Who ****d you out of the extra 10%? Paypal?

It might have been higher when he bought them, but I don't know that. I only pay attention to the USD / Yen exchange rate usually.

If Europe wasn't such a hell-hole right now it's a good time financially to vacation there!!

My guess is that it was either paypal or some other payment mechanism.

Steve

 

[burpod]

The exchange rate is 1.10. Who ****d you out of the extra 10%? Paypal?

trying to get out of the "conversion fees" or whatever it is seems impossible. it was 266euro after taxes were added, so only an extra 5%. at the price, iwasn't going to spend hours figuring out how to get around that...

 

[Lug_Nut]

Check closely.
Hella has factories in the PRC to supply that market. Also there is a sizable market for worn-out tooling and molds used in manufacturing. Tooling that no longer produces product meeting cosmetic specifications might not be auctioned off, implying as 'scrap', but is often returned to production in more distant locations for third or fourth rate quality markets.
The "Hella" B4 light assemblies I purchased were glued to P.R.C. Hella reflector assemblies with the invariable C.R.A.P. reflector coating that flaked off and had quickly rusting, nearly cast iron, metal screws and retention clips.

 

[burpod]

the plastic housings to have a "made in germany" sticker on them. i guess only time will tell on the quality of the reflectors. i'm guessing they'd have to likely be better than most of what else is out there...

 

[burpod]

can't imagine that would be any better. the reflective material on the original headlights on both b4's i have is all but gone. before i found these i thought maybe i'd try some of that reflective paint myself, but i've never done that. have a strong suspicion it wouldn't last....

 

[Steve Addy]

I tried having Sioux Plating electroplate a headlight reflector years ago, I got it back and the exterior was what they focused on, not the inside, the inside was plated, but it had grinder marks all over the place, I angrily said to the guy at the counter, "*** is this?" He said, "do you want it or not?"

I'll never try them again, that's if they're even in business. I made it clear when I dropped it off that the INTERIOR was the important part, and clearly they didn't pay any attention OR more likely the counter idiot failed to note for production what the customer wanted.

Steve

 

[Steve Addy]

I tried having Sioux Plating electroplate a headlight reflector years ago, I got it back and the exterior was what they focused on, not the inside, the inside was plated, but it had grinder marks all over the place, I angrily said to the guy at the counter, "*** is this?" He said, "do you want it or not?"

I'll never try them again, that's if they're even in business. I made it clear when I dropped it off that the INTERIOR was the important part, and clearly they didn't pay any attention OR more likely the counter idiot failed to note for production what the customer wanted.

Steve

They're still around, South Sioux City NE and Omaha.

Steve

 

[thechoochlyman]

...the strategy that has led to waaaaay too much stuff in my garage.

And cars in the back yard...

Now if we can find somebody selling NOS Corner lights.

 

[burpod]

And cars in the back yard...

Now if we can find somebody selling NOS Corner lights.

yeah... i spent a couple hours looking for those. i don't really like how they look tho - a little too curvy. i'm half-tempted to delete them if i could find someone who could do the welding/fab-work to do it. it looks like the "wolfsburg" emblems in the front fenders would fit an mk4 side marker lights, which i'd like to add instead.

 

[thechoochlyman]

Yeah, putting a light in the emblem hole would be cool.

 

[Steve Addy]

yeah... i spent a couple hours looking for those. i don't really like how they look tho - a little too curvy. i'm half-tempted to delete them if i could find someone who could do the welding/fab-work to do it. it looks like the "wolfsburg" emblems in the front fenders would fit an mk4 side marker lights, which i'd like to add instead.

They make the marker lights as reflectors only, all silver, it's a little better look IMO.

The fender mounted castle badges are identical to the openings used in Mk4, so you could add turn signals lights in place of them if you wanted.

The B3's had the rectangular opening that was used on the early Cabrios but for US import they only installed badges. I converted mine to turn signals ala European models.

Steve

 

[JordanTr]

The lights fit the fender perfectly but I never chased the wiring side of it yet. I ordered some blacked out LED ones but have yet to install them. Harness needs a little trickery to have them work as markers and turn signals while being LED. I think I’ll do the same thing with the front corner markers while I’m in there.

 

[BoiseTDI]

just got these:

Hauptscheinwerfer VW Passat B3 B4 3A2 3A5 35i LINKS RECHTS 93-97 - OE VW HELLA | eBay

SET HELLA Hauptscheinwerfer VW Passat 35i Facelift. Einbauseite links + rechts. OE Qualität von dem Erstausrüster Hella - produziert für VW ab Werk. ohne Blinkleuchte. Leuchtefunktion mit Abblendlicht.

www.ebay.com

excellent price, genuine OE hella glass lenses, eurospec i assum, and come in genuine hella boxes in sealed aluminum foil bags... quite a good deal!! only 255euro shipped

just an fyi for anyone who wants to replace your crappy old ones

I wish I could find the Jetta/bora version, great find!

 

[tdi_in_va]

I bought a set from OP's ebay link, and they arrived today. This appears to be the real deal. Shipped via Deutsche Post from Frankfurt. Arrived well packed in sealed Hella boxes. The light assemblies look like 1st rate genuine Hella. No PRC indications whatsoever. The fonts all look correct for Hella Germany product. Everything looks and feels very high quality, definitely not cheap-o Depo. Both the lens and the housing are marked Hella Made in Germany. All hardware feels top quality. The lights are for right-hand traffic and with E-code lenses, and have the city bulb feature. The date on the sticker matches the manufacture date on the housing. Interestingly, it's from 2015. New old stock that was sitting in the back of a warehouse? I'm happy with this purchase.

IMG_20250121_150809.jpg

• tdi_in_va
• Jan 21, 2025

IMG_20250121_150834.jpg

• tdi_in_va
• Jan 21, 2025

IMG_20250121_150905.jpg

• tdi_in_va
• Jan 21, 2025

IMG_20250121_150929.jpg

• tdi_in_va
• Jan 21, 2025

IMG_20250121_150936.jpg

• tdi_in_va
• Jan 21, 2025

IMG_20250121_151019.jpg

• tdi_in_va
• Jan 21, 2025

IMG_20250121_151041.jpg

• tdi_in_va
• Jan 21, 2025

IMG_20250121_151358.jpg

• tdi_in_va
• Jan 21, 2025

 

[burpod]

nice! yeah, i was impressed. enough i had to buy 2 sets... just can't beat that price...

 

[Chungus]

Also ordered a set to replace my existing ecodes that I overpaid for years ago without knowing any better. Will probably let them go for cheap once these show up if anyone is interested. The adjuster arms have broken/come loose so the reflector is floppy, I dont have the time to repair/reseal them.

 

[RIP TDI]

I was always amazed at the high beams on these E-codes; quite narrow pencil beams with a really long throw. That beam pattern seems out of fashion now in favor of a broader, shorter pattern which may be more effective for most conditions, but I love the uncompromised design.

 

[compu_85]

Is the low beam an H1 on those?
You might re-wire the headlight switch to keep the low beams on with the high beams. (Does the Passat do this now?)

 

[Steve Addy]

Are these marked E1 on the lens for country code Germany? I can't quite see what it says.

Steve

EDIT: never mind, I see the E1 on the decal....

 

[ditchbum]

No this is thread is a bit dated but, which bulbs do I need for this headlight to work? H1? How many?

 

[thechoochlyman]

9005 high beams, 9006 low beams.

 

[burpod]

9005 high beams, 9006 low beams.

thats for NA lights, these i believe are h1 and h4