Evening all.

I took my headlights out today for an unrelated reason and whilst out I had a look at the HID bulbs. The little 'bubbles' of gas look very cloudy and discoloured. Could this be a reason for them not being very bright?

The car has done 202,000 miles with lots of night time motorway use and I know the bulbs are the originals. Are they due a change?

I'm convinced they're not as bright as they should be. My octy with xenons was excellent but the dipped lights on the superb are really not good at all.

Any thoughts?

Thanks

Xenon often loose brightness after 2000hours off use, and get a slight purple tint when you look at them when they are on.

Best Regards

Mine are very blue... I quite like the colour but its not helping me see on the way home

I changed mine on my Octy (7.5 years / 110k miles) and the replacements (OEM Philips 4300k) are miles brighter. The old ones were very blue by comparison, they go that way apparently as they wear out. The replacements had a slight salt deposit in them, but that's normal as it vapourises when they arc. The old ones were a right mess though!

I don't know if this applies to the car Xenon arc lamps, but projector ones need to be turned after about 2000 hours.

If possible it is worth taking the bulb out and turning it so the side that was at the top is now at the bottom.

I don't know if this applies to the car Xenon arc lamps, but projector ones need to be turned after about 2000 hours.

If possible it is worth taking the bulb out and turning it so the side that was at the top is now at the bottom.

Be very careful boys, I was going for a Passat last week that had the Xenon gas bulbs and before I bought it I asked the question.....how much is it 2.

SIT DOWN & HAVE THE KLEENEX READY.

£250 per side.

You can change them yourself and it didn't help with the cost of a VW bulb either, but it has to be aligned so I'm told, how much of this is Vag-Com or simply turning the adjusters I don't know, but lets just say it's put me right off, £3.50 diy H7's all the way for me.

Mind you, someone I know with an Elegance told me it was £83 for Skoda to replace one, so unless they've gone up radically, or VW just prestige load the cost I don't know.

I think with over 200k on the clock Phil they will need changing, I may be able to help source some bulbs for you if required................. :yes:

I don't know if this applies to the car Xenon arc lamps, but projector ones need to be turned after about 2000 hours.

If possible it is worth taking the bulb out and turning it so the side that was at the top is now at the bottom.

The bulbs only mount one way into the lamp I am afraid............... :no:

Be very careful boys, I was going for a Passat last week that had the Xenon gas bulbs and before I bought it I asked the question.....how much is it 2.

SIT DOWN & HAVE THE KLEENEX READY.

£250 per side.

You can change them yourself and it didn't help with the cost of a VW bulb either, but it has to be aligned so I'm told, how much of this is Vag-Com or simply turning the adjusters I don't know, but lets just say it's put me right off, £3.50 diy H7's all the way for me.

Mind you, someone I know with an Elegance told me it was £83 for Skoda to replace one, so unless they've gone up radically, or VW just prestige load the cost I don't know.

My OEM D2S bulbs were about £45 a side from Powerbulbs. The hardest bit about fitting them (on an Octy anyway) is removing the headlights, but other than that they're a doddle.

My OEM D2S bulbs were about £45 a side from Powerbulbs. The hardest bit about fitting them (on an Octy anyway) is removing the headlights, but other than that they're a doddle.

I was thinking the same, £250 seemed steep when they are available from Powerbulbs on OEM spec, and with freedom discount iirc

Phil

How about these

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Volkswagon-Passatt-B5-5-01-HID-Xenon-2-Bulbs-Set-D2S-5_W0QQitemZ220483969202QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM?hash=item3355de60b2#ht_2320wt_941

I was thinking the same, £250 seemed steep when they are available from Powerbulbs on OEM spec, and with freedom discount iirc

Buying bulbs even Xenons from VAG - not likely - VAG just buy them in from Philips so why not buy Philips from Powerbulbs - exactly the same item - seem to remember the price being closer to £85 - but that was a few years ago.

Osram bulbs are under £50 each for D2S or £88 for a pair.

http://www.hids4u.co.uk/osram-replacement-d2s-bulb-c-23-p-1-pr-10.html

I've used these before, for my current H7R kit in my Sorento.

New Superb ordered with HID's, so did research on Bulb price before hand...

Al.

Thanks for all the replies.

As an update, I sourced some genuine Osram D2S bulbs for £25 each and fitted them a week or so ago. I also solved another issue which I've had since I got the car, which was the N/S headlight beam vibrating quite violently, noticeable when pulling up behind other vehicles in traffic.

I took the headlight out and found that the Xenon projector is mounted on little ball joints (which allow it to move up and down for levelling) and one of them was very lose. Initially I thought that the cup side of the socket had been damaged so was no longer gripping the ball. In a final attempt before condemning the light, it suddenly clicked in to position and is now its nice and secure, so I'm pretty pleased with that.

So, for the past week I've been able to see where I'm going at night. The difference with the new bulbs is absolutely incredible. Much brighter with an excellent spread of light and very defined cut off... exactly as they should be. Well worth the money, and I can't complain if I need to do it again in another 200,000 miles

Many thanks to Baker21 who very kindly offered to source me a set of bulbs, apologies once again for the confusion.

Edited 24 April, 201016 yr by VRSPhil

Good price for the bulbs Phil, any links for the other folks?

Have you had them aligned up yet, it might be bull, but iirc these need to set with VAG-Com to give then a starting position, could be wrong it's only what I've read on the masternet recently, I was put right off, but if it was simply £25 for an Ozzy, and no need to go to the dealer for setup, I would love these lamps, as they do crisp it up for you at night.

Glad you got it sorted.

I got them from a guy on ebay, but he messed me around so I'm not inclined to recommend him to be honest. If you're careful you can get genuine ones on ebay for the same price, though.

They shouldn't need aligning after a simple bulb switch although I am going to get mine checked because of the other issues and also because I had to change both the load sensors a while back. You do need vag-com to set them up, I'm going to go to an MOT centre with vag com and see if they will set the level once I've put it into learning mode.

Good price for the bulbs Phil, any links for the other folks?

Have you had them aligned up yet, it might be bull, but iirc these need to set with VAG-Com to give then a starting position, could be wrong it's only what I've read on the masternet recently, I was put right off, but if it was simply £25 for an Ozzy, and no need to go to the dealer for setup, I would love these lamps, as they do crisp it up for you at night.

Glad you got it sorted.

Hi All

Just to let you know I have just ordered some lamps off ebay (admitting they are not a Osram or philips) but as my son is getting rid of his car soon they should be fine !

and at £15.50 for a pair !

Radiotwo

my elegance 2002 model has xenons which don't have a clear cutoff line and are quite blue and frankly dim and "too dipped".. I'm not new to xenons, my 2nd car which is a Primera P11-144 Sport+ model has OEM xenon projectors made by Valeo and they are by comparison i n c r e d i b l e, very sharp cut-off, white sharp light very far reaching beam and wide coverage.

I will have to get some new bulbs for the Superb to make its lights truly (wait for it....!) ... superb!

The Hella lamps fitted to the Superb will never be as good as the equivalent Valeo lamps.

rotodiesel.

The Hella lamps fitted to the Superb will never be as good as the equivalent Valeo lamps.

rotodiesel.

Why is this the case? Is this based on experience with a few cars, or are you aware of a design feature/advantage of Valeo over Hella?

Interested to know.

I know Saab Aeros have Valeo Bi-xenons and those are pretty damn good, probably best in class again. But thought Hella should not be far behind really.

Valeo lamps are better detailed, especially with regard to dirt ingress sealing. The performance differences become more marked as the lamps age and the Hella units fill up with muck. I also think the Valeo units perform better from new; observations being based on a number of newish vehicles.

Other than dirt sealing, Hella lamps suffer from excessive voltage drops within the units (poor unplated connectors, thin wires, common earths etc) and the optical unit tends to fall off the ball pins when the car is dropped off a transporter. It's easy enough to pop them back on - but an MOT failure for the average punter.

The tourist lever detailing is unspeakably bad - my dealer wanted £200 to remove the lamps (twice) to set and replace these for a foreign trip. Of course, there's an easier way but I wonder if any suckers paid up.

Valeo got the OE business for the Mk2 Superb headlamps - they were probably cheaper as well.

rotodiesel.

Many thanks to Baker21 who very kindly offered to source me a set of bulbs, apologies once again for the confusion.

No problem Phil I have some spares now so it's all good..........

The Hella lamps fitted to the Superb will never be as good as the equivalent Valeo lamps.

rotodiesel.

Not entirely too sure how you can quantify this statement and with many things you post on here Roto, they are clear and straight to the point and what you say going............. :no:

Valeo lamps are better detailed, especially with regard to dirt ingress sealing. The performance differences become more marked as the lamps age and the Hella units fill up with muck. I also think the Valeo units perform better from new; observations being based on a number of newish vehicles.

Other than dirt sealing, Hella lamps suffer from excessive voltage drops within the units (poor unplated connectors, thin wires, common earths etc) and the optical unit tends to fall off the ball pins when the car is dropped off a transporter. It's easy enough to pop them back on - but an MOT failure for the average punter.

The tourist lever detailing is unspeakably bad - my dealer wanted £200 to remove the lamps (twice) to set and replace these for a foreign trip. Of course, there's an easier way but I wonder if any suckers paid up.

Valeo got the OE business for the Mk2 Superb headlamps - they were probably cheaper as well.

rotodiesel.

I should really stay out of these types of discussions but I do find some of these posts pretty ridiculous.

Before I go on, for those of you that don't know I used to work for Hella for over 5 years until like many things within the UK they get pulled to other countires where production cost and overheads are lower, I now work in the same line of business but Designing more prestigious motor's as opposed to mass production vehicles, so I know a little about lamps and their designs.

I would love to know how you can quantify the statement with regards to dirt ingress sealing? Can you give me some examples Roto?

The common fault detailed with the module carrier popping off the adjuster pivot is valid, this was solved later down the line with a small Design Change.

The touirist lever is something that is used my many manufacturer's and not only is this a feature that most OEM's aren't interested in it is also something that doesn't need to be fancy, it's simple something to change the cut off, there is in my opinion nothing wrong with this feature on the Superb and other manufactures have similar functions on their modules.

Valeo did indeed get the business for the Superb MK2 but have you really ever thought to ask yourself why? I doubt it..........Hella will receive RFQ's from the customer for different projects and quote accordingly, in most instances the OEM will not allow a Supplier to have all the lamps on one car to ensure that they don't have any supply issues and placing all their eggs in one basket, in this instance Hella won the business for the Octavia as they can handle the higher volumes as opposed to the lower volumes on the Superb, this was an OEM decision not based on whether Valeo lamps are deemed better than Hella's, let's all remember the Nationality of Valeo at this point...........

Other comment's related to light output are also slightly inaccurate as one of the major things that effect the beam pattern is all driven by the Outer Lens A-Surface and the rake and glare given from the curvature, this will give a perfect cut-off in some instances and others it will blur the cut-off.

All I will say is don't believe everything you read on forums by people who really just have an opinion and force it strongly upon you, granted this applies to everything and you make your own decisions but comparing the MK1 Superb Head Lamp technology to the MK2 Superb Head Lamp technology is roughly 8 years difference, I am sure you can all see how quickly Lighting Technology is developing, this can be seen with Audi leading the way currently and they now have an entire team of people specific to Lighting of which whom I know have more than a few ex-Hella employees.

Edited 26 April, 201016 yr by Baker21

" Designing more prestigious motor's as opposed to mass production vehicles, "....

Baker21, I too am designing more prestigious motors, and doing that probably about 7 miles north of you!

Good luck on Sunday.

Isn't it a small world, eh?

" Designing more prestigious motor's as opposed to mass production vehicles, "....

Baker21, I too am designing more prestigious motors, and doing that probably about 7 miles north of you!

Good luck on Sunday.

Isn't it a small world, eh?

Sure is mate, slightly different fields but live not far away from where you work.......... :yes:

Has anyone pulled out bowl+lens out of chassis? I would like to change bowls (my old are in bad condition)

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I did it