Headlights

[jonnyoffcas79]

Can you put hID kits into 25s? If so which ones are tried and tested?

If for some reason the wiring carne take it can you just do bulb upgrades like ice blue or ultra whites? Cheers boys!

[silverbullet]

HID retrofits are illegal afaik

[R0B]

If its brighter lights your after,do the relay mod.Instructions are in the wiki. And get yourself some osram nightbreaker bulbs

[CovKid]

I've completed a lighting upgrade that gives me a clean white light even on stock bulbs by using different light units, relays, an upgraded main cable and additional feed to dash thus:

1) https://club8090.co.uk/wiki/VW ... ain_cables" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

2) https://club8090.co.uk/wiki/VW ... ry_to_dash" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

You may be able to skip (1) if yours are in excellent condition. These are mine and they're round lights. Square pose greater challenges:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cEIkGpC72GY" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Headlight units are about £30 to £40 a pair.

[lokisdad]

This came up on the Stag Owners Club forum a while back. If I remember correctly the official regulations state that if you replace a halogen bulb with an HID version it is illegal. However if you replace the complete unit for one designed specifically for an HID bulb, then that is legal.
Harvey

[CovKid]

And most of the 'complete' HID conversions are described as "off-road" only.

To be honest, you don't need HID if you upgrade the voltage path and start with good headlight pods. The stock Hella ones rely on the lens to do all the work. Things have moved on and computer-designed reflectors do a much better job, something I can vouch for and they are available in EU approved versions at lower cost than Hellas. The same could be said of Bosch wiper blades, once great in their day yet Home Bargains wiper blades (around £2.99 each) are far superior.

There are a few issues which give rise to crap headlights:

Dull/fading reflectors
Vague focusing of light
Insufficient power supply (typically a stock T25 sees only around 10.5 volts at bulbs)
Cheap bulbs

I run on totally stock bulbs and had intended to fit another set of Osrams post upgrade but found the light was fine for my needs. The greatest contributor is old-school light pods and stock wiring. Fix those and most of the problems vanish. Those with round headlights can upgrade fairly easily but those with square are still somewhat let down by lack of good aftermarket alternatives.

Finally, NEVER fit higher wattage bulbs on a stock setup. You'll gain little other than hot wiring and potential fires. Osram Silverstar (and similar bulbs) do help but they only work to their full potential with a good power source with minimal voltage drop and that means upgrading the wiring to something more akin to modern lighting setups. I'd say at the most, £130 to upgrade properly and that includes cable, pods, relays and bulbs. When you consider the cost of just fitting a pair of old-school Hella pods, an upgrade makes a lot of sense.

[Wychall]

Tried to follow the link in that there YouTube video for the drl's but they all come up as not suitable for the Transporter. Am I missing a trick here?

[CovKid]

Yeah you are Read thread below (heats up from page 8 ). Most Hella headlight holders accept 7" lucas-style headlights including angel-eyes - with a little fettling. Ideally you want US-style vanagon headlight beauty rings (as they call them) for a perfect fitting but mine went in OK using nothing more than cable ties. Fully adjustable.



https://club8090.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=39&t=139248" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Wychall]

https://club8090.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=39&t=139248" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

So, with hind sight, which is best? DRL, angel or crystal?

[CovKid]

Personal choice. All equally bright. I drive with DRLs (sidelights) on all day every day. Really helps you stand out in Winter but you could fit DRLs separately to be honest. You should be able to follow that thread to get jist of how they fit. Absolutely delighted with mine but do upgrade dash cable and use relays.

Its amazing the difference modern lights make. My sensitivity to light is lower than most at night but I have no problem even on stock bulbs. HID pointless (and potentially difficult to get passed during MOT test) in my opinion and it doesn't get over the hurdle of the limited 6mm cable supplying stock fusebox. It would just put more strain on the harness. Unlike the others, mine are not EU marked but two MOT testers said they were perfectly acceptable in their view and I set aim by hand as explained.

[Wychall]

I need to check out my wiring then. I know I have a 'modern' fusebox but don't know how the cable size was improved in the facelift.
Just annoyed now at the number of the retaining bezels I have dumped across the years from my mini/minor/defender fetishes.

[marlinowner]

The wiring diagram for the 2.6i bus has relays for the quad main beam lights, but don't think my 1993 2.5i has them - at least not that I've found. Not sure how the four light setup would look with original inner lights and modern outers.

[CovKid]

My approach has always been to keep everything stock for insurance purposes except where safety is clearly improved and that any change is barely noticeable. Lets face it, the safer manufacturers make cars, the faster people drive (false sense of security). Its much harder to navigate UK roads now than it was in the 80s with everyone seemingly wholly reliant on their brakes. I just plod along safely but being able to see more and being more visible is an exception worth making - I think.

Angel eyes might look better if you want things to look closer to stock. They do a few different types though so in the end it'll be a compromise between personal taste, aesthetics and ultimately, improved lighting. Stock T25 lights are very poor to be honest.

[Wychall]

The wiring diagram for the 2.6i bus has relays for the quad main beam lights, but don't think my 1993 2.5i has them - at least not that I've found. Not sure how the four light setup would look with original inner lights and modern outers.

Silly me! I hadn't thought of checking the wiring diags for the 2.5.

Sure enough, relay on mains but not on dips. Looks like a bigger job than I had hoped.
Hopefully I will be able to fit a new relay in the fuse box. Each light would then have 1.5mm cable. Will that be sufficient?
The battery to fuse box is already at 6.0mm.

[CJH]

Not sure how the four light setup would look with original inner lights and modern outers.

Here you go. This is my aftermarket four light grille, with angel eye outers and the original inners that came with the grille.