Headlight adjustment

[MilgeS]

Slightly off topic but, anyone else had their "coming home" lights stop working? Mine are fine "leaving" but don't come on when I lock the car, I have done a factory reset on the display but still not working, both my R-Line and GTi+ have recently stopped have "coming home" lights working, I'm off to the dealer this week to ask them.

[Adam_013]

You have to flash the main beam first before getting out

Slightly off topic but, anyone else had their "coming home" lights stop working? Mine are fine "leaving" but don't come on when I lock the car, I have done a factory reset on the display but still not working, both my R-Line and GTi+ have recently stopped have "coming home" lights working, I'm off to the dealer this week to ask them.

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[MilgeS]

I'll give that a try but it worked before without having to flash the lights, they came on when the doors were locked! Thank you for your reply

[silverhairs]

Hi Andy, while I was searching for the bulbs your using (100W) I got onto a site that was just about headlight bulbs. And they were discussing about using H7 100W bulbs. I don't know what the fuse is on the Polo for the headlights, but they were saying on another make of car the fuse for the headlights was only a 20 amp. If you had both dipped and main beam on at the same time, you are very close to the fuses max and could even fry your cabling?
Can this be the case using 100W bulbs, and what is the fuse for the headlights?

[monkeyhanger]

The dip stays on, the main come on in addition to that.
So dip uses two headlights, main uses four.
If you want the white look while still being 'legal', it's the 4200K Osram 'cool blue intense' you want.
They're not as white as the 5000K, but still better than the very yellow standard rubbish.

Are you sure about dipped and main staying on at the same time? In any other car I have ever used or owned (all have used H7 bulbs if halogens), dipped goes off when main comes on. In LED array /Xenon bulbs, one bulb pair does both dipped and main, either by shutters or pivot/tilt to adjust the height. Main beam lighting isn't more powerful than dipped beam, it is just set higher up, hence the extra distance and it will dazzle oncoming traffic.

The only possible exception for halogens is when you flash your mains, the dipped might not go off (although I think it does.

If you put 100W bulbs in, you'll pop fuses or fry the outercasing of the wiring.

60W bulbs is about the designed limit of the lights wiring, also the reflector units may distort through the extra heat you're subjecting them to as the 100W bulbs kick out more heat.

Power (Watts) is Volts x Amps. 200W at a time (2x 100W bulbs) on a 12v circuit is 16A - assuming only 1 pair is on at a time, double that (32A) if the car does use all 4 bulbs for dipped with a flash of main beam.

For 60W bulbs, you require 10A (or a momentary 20A with dipped + main flash).

VW are not in the habit of putting in bigger cross-sectional wiring than is needed. You put more current into a wire that is meant to handle 10A and the extra resistance causes the wires to heat up, cooking the casing, then bare wires touch and "POP", you have a short circuit or a popped fuse if the fuse link melts first, or maybe even an electrical fire.

This might not happen over days or weeks (wiring casing/sheath melting or embrittling, reflectors warping), especially for shorter journeys, but if you fry your electrical system then you're in for a big unwarranted bill.

The reasons above is why it's an absolute no-no to put these HID kits in.

[Adam_013]

I've never known a car with separate bulbs for dip and main to turn off the dip when main is switched on...

H4 obviously do, but not separate bulbs...

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[monkeyhanger]

I've never known a car with separate bulbs for dip and main to turn off the dip when main is switched on...

H4 obviously do, but not separate bulbs...

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On that assumption, pivoting Bi-xenon lights (only 1 bulb each side to act as dipped and main), and LED lights acting the same way would be woefully dim next to halogens when high beam is on - 90W Xenon (2 x 45W bulb) vs 110W Halogen (2 x 55w standard) is comparable in output. 90W Bi-xenon vs 220W (standard 55W x 4) or 400W (4 x 100W) is not.

[Adam_013]

That's like saying the 10w led bulbs found in the house will be woefully dim compared to normal 60w bulbs.
If LED have lower power consumption - which they do, you can't compare brightness on power consumption.

Vehicles with different main and dip lights don't turn off when main is operated. You find an example... If there is one.

In addition to what you said, it's the lens and reflector which is different hence again, the consumption not being relevant.


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[RUM4MO]

I agree that any cars I've owned with H7 bulbs, both the dips and mains are on when the mains are switched on.

One maybe oddball with VW Group might be some, but only some versions of Fabia as it seems some of them had a shutter so used either only one H7 for dip/main or used an H7 with shutter for dip/main and another for main, I'd doubt the latter though.

I agree that 100watt bulbs are for off road use only and fitting them if stopped by police etc would end up with an on the spot fine, as well as the extra light level output even on dip being a possible hazard and/or an annoyance to other road users, as well as the risk of causing damage to the plastics in the headlight assembly and wire damage.

There does seem to be a few selfish people out there fitting HID burners to filament bulb reflector headlights - and not being caught, just causing dazzle to oncoming traffic.

[Adam_013]

Yeah, easy to spot too, since the pattern is all over the place...

Our old V70 and a xenon dip beam in it with the bending light feature. And it also had a H7 for main beam too.. I think it was there more for when you flash someone with your lights off to prevent the xenon being fired up for a few seconds.

Although I don't know if the Fabia came with xenon lights?

Friends Hyundai also has the projector style headlights with normal halogens... However it does enable him to retro-fit the LED bulbs and provide an excellent beam pattern.

Tend to find this on HGV's too, projector lamps do definitely give a superior pattern.

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[monkeyhanger]

That's like saying the 10w led bulbs found in the house will be woefully dim compared to normal 60w bulbs.
If LED have lower power consumption - which they do, you can't compare brightness on power consumption.


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You can if you understand the equivalence between bulb types:-

Halogens get very hot in use, most of their output is wasted in heat.

Xenons get very hot in use but due to the system projecting light rather than reflecting it, there's less light wasted in the scatter, so lower output needed for similar output transferred to the road ahead as a focussed beam and a cleaner white colour. Usual equivalence is 35-45W Xenon vs 55W Halogen.

LEDs are much more efficient, they run very cool, almost no input wasted as heat output. In domestic bulbs, you need about 1/9 output in LED to be comparable in Halogen light output : 4.5W LED equivalent to 40W Halogen. That ratio is more like 1/7 In an automotive set-up when focus of output is relevant.

For those reasons, a 10W LED bulb won't be woefully dim compared to a 60W Halogen.

[Adam_013]

Yes of course, but again this doesn't change the fact of both dip and main lights illuminate at the same time... No assumption is made. Of course, despite using more power they are not as 'bright' as other light systems.

[RUM4MO]

Yeah, easy to spot too, since the pattern is all over the place...

Our old V70 and a xenon dip beam in it with the bending light feature. And it also had a H7 for main beam too.. I think it was there more for when you flash someone with your lights off to prevent the xenon being fired up for a few seconds.

Although I don't know if the Fabia came with xenon lights?

Friends Hyundai also has the projector style headlights with normal halogens... However it does enable him to retro-fit the LED bulbs and provide an excellent beam pattern.

Tend to find this on HGV's too, projector lamps do definitely give a superior pattern.

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Same as my old 2000 VW Passat 4Motion - ie HID in projector type housings for dip beam and H7 for main beam not a good look having yellowish side light bulbs on beside HIDs!

My Fabia referance, I was not meaning that Fabia had HID option, I was meaning that certain, and only certain models of Fabia had a strange arrangement where the dip beam halogen bulb had a shutter on it so that it could be used as a main beam as well, as well as I thiink, having another bulb for main beam only - sounds a bit different and not a system that is in regular use!

I'm guessing that your V70 had a manually operated shutter on the dip HIDs to allow you to clip the LHS off the beam when driving abroad, my Passat had that but VW dealers knew nothing about that - nor did VW UK when asked about it, so I needed to use electrical tape on the lights when driving it back to UK from deepest North East Holland and also when taking it back abroad on holiday the year that I bought it! Later on the internet came up with that fact which made future trips abroad easier to prepare for!

[Andy Beats]

The reasons above is why it's an absolute no-no to put these HID kits in.

Who mentioned putting HID kits in?
I didn't, so why was my post quoted?

[Adam_013]

The V70 HiD would would do both dip and main, but the H7 would accompany it too.. and I believe you could switch from RHD and LHD on the dash, but can't say we used it abroad. The bending light feature was nice though.

I suppose the few fabias' would use the same system with the additional bulb. And now I think about it, it's a bit uncommon.



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