Date: Wed, 2 May 2001 16:40:10 MDT
Reply-To: Joe Fortino <biker.pride@usa.net>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Joe Fortino <biker.pride@usa.net>
Subject: Re: [Re: Lighting]
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII
I just lined some trucker DOT-? tape under my rear tail laps
so anyone ballin down the back of my van on a dark HWY can see me
or ram me.. ;P
I might bump up the front head lamps with a hella lamps instead of the
sylvinia? (seems I have some water build up in my head lamps.. not good
refective tape if used nice works great I think.. Ohh my freind was
kid'n me about vanagon rear bumpers, he said that him and his wife always
check the rear bumpers of VW vans, guess some get banged up.. mine has
been there but looks like its been used..
Joe
Jennifer <ncc876@yahoo.com> wrote:
More on e-code headlights that I've picked up from other Golf enthusiasts...
At 11:17 AM -0400 5/2/01, Blaine Bachman rearranged electrons to say:
"He said that they were stock on European Sciroccos (hmmm?)"
European cars do not have the same reflectors or bulbs that NA spec
cars do (in many cases; this is so with the Jetta and Golf, though
the difference on the Jetta is far more pronounced than on the Golf,
from what I've heard.) The difference also extends, in at least the
case of the Golf and Jetta, to the replacement of the plastic
(Lexan?) lenses with glass ones, which are unfortunately more
susceptible to chipping from road junk.
US spec headlights always have a DOT ID number stamped into them
somewhere; I've heard at least one report that, under the hood, the
e-code lights for the Mk4 Golf/Jetta are stamped "NOT US STREET
LEGAL" or somesuch... they aren't, though I don't know how stingy
state inspection stations are on stuff like this.
I should find out in case I ever decide to put HID lights -- the OEM
xenon for Mk4 Golf/Jettas are done by Bosch) on my car.
The US DOT regulations don't allow the more advanced light-toss
patterns that European headlights produce.
"and that he had obtained the entire assembly (both hi-lo and hi
beams with the necessary carriers) somewhat directly from Hella,
having paid significantly less than the price I paid for my
VW/Audi-boxed hi-lo beams."
A friend of mine got some for an Audi dirt cheap straight from
Germany, only to have his brother wreck the car while the HIDs were
in transit... they arrived with no car to put them on.
Try http://www.parts4vws.com and http://www.pgperformance.com -- they
both, to the best of my memory, have lights for sale. I know the
former (Parts) has the Hella Micro DE fogs that I'm going to fit to
my Golf sometime this summer.
"I'm still puzzled about the difference in lens numbering - do you
suppose that there are actual differences in the lens base upon the
installed height difference between a Scirocco and a Vanagon?"
That I don't know about, but I'd cautiously hazard a 'yes' based on
the fact that a higher light has to throw light more downward,
logically, to light up the road in the right places. But I may be
wrong.
"He put higher power bulbs in and melted the plastic between it and
the chamber above (which I recall was the backup light) causing white
light to show through."
Do not exceed stock wattage! You may melt your wiring! I've heard
more reports than I can count of people putting 100W bulbs in their
Golfs (stock: 55W) to try to get more light output, melting the
wires, then complaining when VW won't pay for the repairs. The right
way to fix this is to get E-code lights (at least on Golfs/Jettas,
which I'm more familiar with as I don't have the vanagon yet) or
different taillights. I know my turn signals and taillights are
brighter now that I've installed Hella's red/clear/red MagicColor
taillight assemblies on my Golf. The car looks better, too. :)
--
-----
Jennifer - ncc876@yahoo.com
... knee-deep in the hoopla ...
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