Date:         Sat, 22 Jan 2000 14:25:31 -0800
Reply-To:     Dick Taylor <hetchins@MONTANA.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Dick Taylor <hetchins@MONTANA.COM>
Subject:      Re: Vanagon grilles and lights
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

I just installed a pair of the Hella XL low beam driving lights on my Syncro
and I love them. However, if you are as old and slow as me, plan on six
hours or so to do the job.

If I had been thinking, before I dove into the instrument cluster, and the
fuse panel, to get at the headlight switch and its wiring, it would have
gone a lot faster.

The thing I wasn't thinking about is this: The light kit is designed to be
connected to the low beam wiring so that the XLs can be turned on only when
the low beams are on, and they will be off automatically when the high beams
come on and the low beams go off. I know, I know...the part I wasn't
thinking about is the fact that the low beams stay on all the time, even
when the high beams are on, so it's not possible to wire them the way the
kit specifies. (Insert big DUH! here)

If I had been thinking, it would have been a lot quicker just to find a wire
that is hot all the time and hook up to it, which is what I ended up doing.
I won't tell you how much time and energy I wasted before the light dawned
(pun intended).

And, this is the really dumb part, if I had stopped to think for a second I
would have realized that I wouldn't want the lights hooked up the way the
kit says anyway, even if it was possible to do it that way. I really like
being able to turn the XLs on all by themselves for fog/snow driving,
without having the headlights on at all. Plus, with the high beams (and the
low beams) on, when I turn on the XLs it really lights up the winter
landscape. It gives me a fighting chance against all those deer. So far,
when I've had them on with the low beams on, nobody has flashed their lights
at me so I guess they don't bother folks. It's not a good idea to bother
folks unduly in Montana.

If you install these lights, I recommend pulling the bumper (just two bolts
to remove, plus the screws on the plastic bumper ends), rather than using
the molly kit. If you use the mollys you have to make sure your lateral
alingment is perfect because you won't be able to swivel the lights from
left to right once they are installed. With the single bolt installation
(have to remove the bumper) you will be able to swivel the XLs left/right
for perfect alignment.

Also it is a good idea to order the clear acrylic stone shields at the same
time you order the lights.

If I am missing some really obvious thing about this whole deal, I don't
want to hear about it.

Dick Taylor
hetchins@montana.com

>Ken and Listees:  the solution is a $95 pr. of hella XL low beam driving
>lights mounted on the front bumper.  Susquehanna Motor Sports and others
>sell them and it's the best modification I've made to my vanagon besides th
>roof rack for my boats and the CD Changer!