Date: Fri, 3 May 2002 20:53:21 -0700
Reply-To: David Marshall <vanagon@VOLKSWAGEN.ORG>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: David Marshall <vanagon@VOLKSWAGEN.ORG>
Subject: Re: 7" round E-Code lights for your SA Grill or pre-'86 Vanagon
In-Reply-To: <OE57wVlmFjvAwhFj3NA00000fd4@hotmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
Brent and Mathew,
You forgot to mention two things here! :)
- The four to seven week wait is if we YOU were to purchase 40 pairs of them
for the group as we originally discussed. I have about 6 pairs left in
stock at this moment - these are ready to go now - the rest of you will have
to wait about 4 weeks for me to get more back in stock - seven weeks is the
utmost extreme if 'all goes wrong'.
- The special is 80 USD for the kit (Bosch Lamps with city light, Hella
55/60W H4 bulb, 5W park bulb, weather boots) and this included FREE postal
shipping. Upgrading to Hella 80/100W Bulbs is an additional 14 USD. In
order to get this special pricing you MUST mention the Vanagon / Syncro List
group purchase. The offer ends June 1, 2002
A picture of what is offered is at the URL that you mentioned -
http://www.fastforward.ca/Lights/default.htm
If anyone has any questions please let me know!
David Marshall
Fast Forward Automotive Inc.
4356 Quesnel Hixon Road
Quesnel BC Canada V2J 6Z3
http://www.fastforward.ca mailto:sales@fastforward.ca
Phone: (250) 992 7775 FAX: (250) 992 1160
- Vanagon Accessories and Engine Conversions
- Vanagon, Transporter and Iltis Sales and Importation
- European Lighting for most Volkswagen models
-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com]On Behalf
Of Brent Christensen
Sent: May 2, 2002 6:11 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: 7" round E-Code lights for your SA Grill or pre-'86 Vanagon
Ladies and Gentlemen: (This e-mail best viewed as html rather than plain
text)
Matthew Pollard and I have spent the last couple of weeks researching new
E-Code headlight options for our new SA grills, and intended to organize a
group purchase of a "turnkey" solution for lamps, bulbs, relays, and even an
OEM VW switch for the inner driving lights. Well, after doing a lot of
research and getting price quotes from a variety of vendors, we have
determined that we cannot get a much better deal than the one being
currently offered by a couple of List Vendors
Here is the "Kit" that we had envisioned:
a.. Pair of Bosch E-code reflectors with "city lamp"
b.. Pair of 55w/60w or 80w/100w H4 bulbs
c.. Pair of 5w "city lamp" bulbs
a.. OPTIONAL: Three Bosch dual-terminal relays (one for the high beam
circuit, one for the low beam circuit, and one for the driving lights)
VENDORS:
From David Marshall at http://www.fastforward.ca/Lights/default.htm , this
setup will run you about $80 based on the current special he is running on
the web site. NOTE: he will be ordering the units from Germany, and it
will take FOUR TO SEVEN WEEKS for the order to arrive. These lamps have the
City Lamp feature.
Ken Wilfy at www.vanagain.com sells the same Bosch E-Code lamps for about
the same price, but without the "city lamp" holder.
http://www.vanagain.com/search.asp and search for product ID 0301600118 $79
for the kit.
Bus Depot sells a Hella light kit without city lamps for about $55 per side
(Item 938 874 ) as well as very inexpensive "knock-off" E-code reflectors
and bulbs for about $35/pair with bulbs (item HQ6014 ). The latter are made
in India, I believe. I wouldn't personally recommend the them, based on
comments I have received.
Daniel Stern Lighting offers Cibie lights with the city lamp bulbs. They
are considered by some to be superior to the Bosch units, but they are
considerably more expensive ($55 each without bulbs) The total "kit"
outlined above will run you about $160 from Daniel Stern Lighting.
http://lighting.mbz.org/prices/
APPLICATION:
These light "kits" will work for any Vanagon using the South African Grills
which are sold by various list vendors, and are part of the group purchase
being conducted by Bill Kasper. In addition, these would be very nice
upgrades for any pre-'86 round light Vanagon. Note that the third relay is
NOT required unless you want to run a set of driving or fog lights. The
E-Code lamps offer a superior beam pattern over the US-spec "DOT" lamp
reflectors, and also allow you to have more choices of H4 bulbs in various
wattages. If you choose to go with the 55w/60w bulbs, you will not need to
use the relays (the stock wiring will handle the load) However, performance
will be much better with the use of relays, since the lights will receive
full voltage straight from the electrical system and not via the switch (it
will also keep the switch from burning out). If you choose higher wattage
bulbs, YOU MUST use heavier guage wiring and relays. The job to rewire the
lights is fairly straightforward and can be done with wire cutters, a sharp
knife (for stripping insulation), solderless terminals, and a crimping tool.
You can also certainly solder the connectors (which I plan to do).
SWITCH:
Also, there is a nifty "factory" VW auxilliary light switch that mounts in
your dash right below the emergency flasher switch. There are three parts
in the assembly, which is available at VW dealers.
Rocker Switch 251 941 535 16.27
Bulb holder 141 957 397A 1.62
Bulb N 017 751 2 0.79
-OR-
"Fog Light Switch Kit, Vanagon Genuine VW!" - ZVW 123 251 $15.95 from The
Bus Depot
DISCLAIMERS:
a.. You supply your own wiring. There is a nice diagram and instructions
at http://lighting.mbz.org/tech/how_to/relays/
b.. Matthew and I have nothing to do with this other than doing some
research and making suggestions. We are not recommending one particualr
vendor over another, nor do we stand to gain anything financially (or
otherwise) from this transaction.
c.. Please feel free to p-mail me if you have questions about this e-mail,
but contact the chosen vendor if you have product-specific questions
d.. The opinions expressed here are based on non-scientific research,
heresay, and a tad of empirical evidence. Please form your own judgement.
e.. Currently, E-Code lamps are technically "illegal" in the USA and are
not compliant with DOT certification. The speed limit is also 55 on many
interstates, and you shouldn't talk with your mouth full of tuna sandwich.
f.. Caveat Emptor
Cheers, and let the buying begin!
Brent Christensen
'89 GL Syncro Westy
Santa Barbara, CA
