Date:         Sat, 13 Dec 2003 22:57:56 +1300
Reply-To:     Andrew Grebneff <andrew.grebneff@STONEBOW.OTAGO.AC.NZ>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Andrew Grebneff <andrew.grebneff@STONEBOW.OTAGO.AC.NZ>
Subject:      Re: Xenon Lights? South African grills & H4s
In-Reply-To:  <AIEFIGCNNANNIHLNFBPEEEPEJOAA.vanagon@volkswagen.org>
Content-type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset=us-ascii

>It comes down to the design of the light shell as opposed to the bulb in the
>shell.  You can put a 200W bulb in there and you will have bright light that
>goes everywhere but where you need it to go.
>
>With European lights, I find that using 55/60W bulbs is very adequate as
>these put the light on the road where it is supposed to be.
>
>Picture way back when in grade school and out came the 8mm movie projector -
>if it is out of focus, you could not see the picture.  If you put a brighter
>bulb or a different color behind it you still be able to see it correctly.

Well-put, David.

I put 6V H4 bulbs into my standard 57 van's buckets. Very bright...
but no beam wharsoever! Then I 12Volted it and fitted complete H4
headlights, glued into the buckets, with unribbed lenses, and instant
great lights!

Any brand-name H4 semisealed unit (lens/reflector) with removable H4
bulbs will do the trick nicely. This includes Stanley (Japanese),
Hella, Bosch, Cibie..

A pair of South African grills rounds things out... er... makes a
nice appearance update. The full-width lower grill looks factory,
unlike the stock German afterthought "Hitler mustache" grill. It fits
the stock clips and the indicators mount on ans secure the ends. The
upper grill looks like a Golf 1 GTI grill and gives you a set of
smaler-diameter dedicated high-beams (which use H3 QH high-beam
bulbs) as well as the stock dual-beam units. This grill fits the
stock fasteners as well. The inner lights & buckets come with the
grill.

If you can source a grill set from South Africa it'll cost you a lot
less than it will from a US dealer. You'll still need those H4 outer
units, though.

HID or gas-discharge xenon lights are extremely expensive, require a
different alternator (I'll bet) and draw a huge voltage. They are not
an easy-install 12V system. Beam-changing with dual-beam HIDs
requires changing the aperture. So these lights are complex (note
that there is NO filament)

>Except that if you are coming towards me a**holes like me will turn on their
>brights and leave them on 'til you get by.  They are way too bright.

HID lights are stock or optional fitment in quite a few cars such as
upmarket Toyotas (Lexus) and BMWs.

>I hear NHTSA got a record number of complaints when they asked for
>public comments on those lights.  I expect there will at least be some
>changes in the aiming/pattern guidelines.

Do the complainers even know what they're complaining about? I very
much doubt it... they'll be unknowingly referring to those
blue-coated H4 bulbs. Which are getting popular over here with the
boy-racer morons.

>No kidding - last night I had my retinas burned by a guy with an HID lamp
>mounted on his helmet while he was riding a bicycle!!!!

Must be Friday over there...

--
Andrew Grebneff
Dunedin, New Zealand
64 (3) 473-8863
<andrew.grebneff@stonebow.otago.ac.nz>
Fossil preparator
Seashell, Macintosh & VW/Toyota van nut