Have just purchased a new Yeti SE TDi 110 and have driven around 400miles in the car so far and have noticed how lacking the front headlamps are when on dipped?

Unfortunately I could not afford to go up to the Yeti Elegance which would have had the Xenon lamps fitted.

My old car was a Ford Focus TDi estate which had separate QH lamps and was very good in the lighting department on dipped and both filaments on when switched to high beam.

My Yeti on dipped is only good for about 58 mph seeing distance around country lanes in the dark? My old BMW K100RS is now 25 years old and has the same 65/55 QH H4 bulb fitted headlamp which is actually better at speed.

So 25 years later Skoda put in an H4 QH bulb for driving as standard on my model. Is there anything I can now do having purchased the SE to improve on the lighting when on dipped as in my experience it is not very good?

FlyingBrick

Hi K100RS,

I have the SE model too, and swapped the dipped H4's with Halfords Super Brilliance bulbs. It improved night vision by quite a margin.

Hope that helps.

There are a number of posts about Yeti headlights - worth a search.

I changed my H4s to Osram Nightbreaker Plus and the difference is well worthwhile.

it is well known in this Forum that I do not like HID lights as I have suffered from dazzle so many times. I find the H4 bulbs give a good cut off and less chance of upsetting other drivers.

Have just purchased a new Yeti SE TDi 110 and have driven around 400miles in the car so far and have noticed how lacking the front headlamps are when on dipped?

Unfortunately I could not afford to go up to the Yeti Elegance which would have had the Xenon lamps fitted.

My old car was a Ford Focus TDi estate which had separate QH lamps and was very good in the lighting department on dipped and both filaments on when switched to high beam.

My Yeti on dipped is only good for about 58 mph seeing distance around country lanes in the dark? My old BMW K100RS is now 25 years old and has the same 65/55 QH H4 bulb fitted headlamp which is actually better at speed.

So 25 years later Skoda put in an H4 QH bulb for driving as standard on my model. Is there anything I can now do having purchased the SE to improve on the lighting when on dipped as in my experience it is not very good?

FlyingBrick

Give THESE a try............ http://www.powerbulbs.com/product_detail.asp?prod=203

I used them in my old Honda Accord before I got the Yeti, and they were GREAT. My Honda had separate bulbs for dipped and main beam, so I purchased 4. :yes:

They give a nice CRISP white/blue beam and have an heir of authority about them, if that makes sense.

I find the H4 bulbs give a good cut off and less chance of upsetting other drivers.

I have been dazzled so many times, I find Porsche and Lexus HID the worst!!

the H4 dip beam lamps aren't very good at all are they.

it's just a shame the SE doesn't come fitted with the projector halogen units with DE (whatever that is) as promised in the literature and online brochure.

even the base model fabia has them fitted and they are really quite good, so why not on the SE yeti?

Give THESE a try............ http://www.powerbulbs.com/product_detail.asp?prod=203

I used them in my old Honda Accord before I got the Yeti, and they were GREAT. My Honda had separate bulbs for dipped and main beam, so I purchased 4. :yes:

They give a nice CRISP white/blue beam and have an heir of authority about them, if that makes sense.

"Important: This product is not road legal to use in the EU."

Anyone tell me why?

tom

There are a number of posts about Yeti headlights - worth a search.

I changed my H4s to Osram Nightbreaker Plus and the difference is well worthwhile.

it is well known in this Forum that I do not like HID lights as I have suffered from dazzle so many times. I find the H4 bulbs give a good cut off and less chance of upsetting other drivers.

+1

tom

"Important: This product is not road legal to use in the EU."

Anyone tell me why?

tom

The "OSRAM Cool Blue Hyper H4 5000K" aren't legal because they have a blue tint and are not E marked.

Just buy the Nightbreaker Plus..............."they're great"

There are a number of posts about Yeti headlights - worth a search.

It is a real backward step indeed to have one bulb do both functions. When you switch high beam on you should not lose the dipped beam light spread as a result. But from this thread below I understood that the dipped was ok for most people and it was the high beam that was the main problem?

http://briskoda.net/forums/topic/178553-full-beam-not-so-great/

Thanks for all the feedback.

A few years ago I did source some 80/65 watt QH H4 bulbs that improved the light output on my old Fiat UNO60 car headlamps by a large margin.

Yes I know the legal limit is 60/55 watts but I thought it far more useful to actually see where I was going on unlit country roads and the dipped part of the element was well cut off. Over some 12 years it never failed the annual MOT.

Thanks chaps will have a look at the Halfords Super Brilliance and Osram’s Nightbreaker Plus H4 QH bulbs first. Anybody know which ones give the best improvement to the factory fitted bulbs on the Yeti?

FlyingBrick

It is a real backward step indeed to have one bulb do both functions. When you switch high beam on you should not lose the dipped beam light spread as a result. But from this thread below I understood that the dipped was ok for most people and it was the high beam that was the main problem?

http://briskoda.net/forums/topic/178553-full-beam-not-so-great/

I find the trick with full beam is to put your front fogs on at the same time. You must then, of course, turn them off at the same time as the full beam when an oncoming car comes along. The fogs give you coverage of the area in front of you which the full beam ignore. Full beam on their own seem too high to me.

I also find the standard dipped very poor. I was tempted to change bulbs but heard some horror stories about changing the dipped bulbs and so ducked out. I seem to remember words like, contortionist and arms like a 6yr old required.

I fitted the Osram's as they got a better write-up than the Halfraud's ones in the AutoExpress test. They are a HUGE improvement! Don't be tempted to use the higher wattage bulbs from the past; they get too hot and can damage the plastic lenses.

Fitting them isn't that hard, but smallish hands and nimble fingers are useful. I think I did the drivers side first, to get some practice.

Don't be tempted to use the higher wattage bulbs from the past; they get too hot and can damage the plastic lenses.

I had some of these on my Audi and they never damaged the lens but they really never had a long lifespan. You need to replace them far more frequently than normal bulbs. So be prepared to ask your tiny-handed friend's help often if you can't get in yourself to replace the bulbs!

I find the trick with full beam is to put your front fogs on at the same time. You must then, of course, turn them off at the same time as the full beam when an oncoming car comes along. The fogs give you coverage of the area in front of you which the full beam ignore. Full beam on their own seem too high to me.

Why was I criticised by the so called experts when I suggested that fog lights give a better overall coverage. IT IS ILLEGAL - so I was told and ANYONE using foglights should be strapped to the bonnet and flogged. What a load of ***********

Oh dear...... foglights and snow chains. Two subjects NEVER to mention on the Yeti forum. Hence Terfyn's comment about the hypocrisy going on about these subjects...

This time lets stay on topic (OT) please guys!

Do a search for "fog lights" or "snow chains" if you want to see a fight! Lets not replicate it here AGAIN. Yetis are peaceful beings.

So, what was being said about bulbs?

I did say turn them off whenever someone else comes into view. Treat them the same as the full beam, on when the road is clear and off when not. I don't see that as controversial. The problem, or disputes, come when people leave them on along with dipped lights. Just to clarify............

"Important: This product is not road legal to use in the EU."

Anyone tell me why?

tom

No idea Tom, but whilst I had them fitted to my Honda, my main Honda dealership passed it TWO years running with an MOT without batting an eyelid with the bulbs fitted.

No idea Tom, but whilst I had them fitted to my Honda, my main Honda dealership passed it TWO years running with an MOT without batting an eyelid with the bulbs fitted.

See my reply at #9.

Don't forget that an MOT lights inspection only looks at whether things work, not what they look like or whether they are "E-marked". (Until later this year when things re HID lights change!!) The problems can come when a VOSA or specifically trained Traffic Officer takes a close look at a vehicle, or when post-accident an Insurance Technical inspection is made. Then having "non-E-marked" bulbs, etc, can cause problems.

I do wonder whether that linked page is causing some confusion, as it also mentions the Nightbreaker Plus at the top, and these are totally legal.

Edited 13 June, 201115 yr by Llanigraham

I did say turn them off whenever someone else comes into view. Treat them the same as the full beam, on when the road is clear and off when not. I don't see that as controversial. The problem, or disputes, come when people leave them on along with dipped lights. Just to clarify............

Sorry EdmundB I was not getting at you. I think your method has a lot going for it. I use foglights on the narrow lanes around where I live to light the verges.

Its as Johann says, some people think the use of foglights (except in fog) a mortal sin and worthy of the extreme sanction. To them I say :moon:

Sorry EdmundB I was not getting at you. I think your method has a lot going for it. I use foglights on the narrow lanes around where I live to light the verges.

Its as Johann says, some people think the use of foglights (except in fog) a mortal sin and worthy of the extreme sanction. To them I say :moon:

You only need to use them as you don't have Xenons...

The use of fog lights was a question I was asked by my examiner last month when I took my test......

Mike

Looks like I have opened up a can of worms on this subject folks.

Apologies for getting you all started again.

I have only just joined having purchased a new Yeti 110 and was shocked at the standard of lighting on dipped. As I said in my start up letter my old motorbike had these dual filament bulbs fitted 25 years ago?

Just shocked that Skoda bring out a new model called the Yeti and unless you purchase the very top model they come with sub standard lighting on dipped compared to my old Ford Focus estate turbo diesel with two bulbs.

Will dig around my motorbike forum to see which QH bulb comes out the best and see if the recommendation agrees with the others. Point taken about cooking the plastic lens as my old motorbike now runs with a 100 / 80 watt H4 QH headlamp bulb with a thick glass lens. The QH lamp in that is now over 10 years old and still going strong.

Get the misses to walk in front with a red flag or purchase an image intensifier lens strapped to my head.

FlyingBrick

Not really. People with the HID lights, correctly, think they are wonderful - but they are sitting behind them and are not dazzled by (badly adjusted) beams. The H4 brigade (i.e. me) prefer the more cut off and controlled standard lights.

I will agree that the supplied bulbs are very poor which is why I replaced them with the Osram NightBreaker Plus. The difference is well worth the cost of the new bulbs.

Replacing the heads on the Yeti is a bit tricky. I use a camping mirror on a piece of string to check the bulb placement. The trick, once the bulb is in place, is to return the clip and waggle the bulb. If it is firmly located the clip is in place.

Just remember, when you buy your new bulbs, that the HID guys will be visiting their bank manager for a loan when their lights go on the blink!!

Thanks Terfyn

The standard bulbs supplied are Osram Bilux 64193L 60/55 watts. H4 U37R stamped on the outside.

Will dig around for a good price and have some fun next weekend trying to replace them with Osram Nightbreaker Plus.

My only worry was if they are the same wattage i.e. 60/55 watts then how do Osram get more useful available light out of them?

As they are mass produced and can be bought by the thousands then why does Skoda not fit them on the production line knowing there is a problem when dipped is used? Surely the roads over there are as twisty as in the UK?

Having got XL hands I will have to get my younger son to get his hands in with the bulb.

Bring back my old Fiat Uno which would allow the changing of a bulb in minutes with a spring clip and masses of room behind the headlamps.

FlyingBrick

Sorry EdmundB I was not getting at you. I think your method has a lot going for it. I use foglights on the narrow lanes around where I live to light the verges.

Its as Johann says, some people think the use of foglights (except in fog) a mortal sin and worthy of the extreme sanction. To them I say :moon:

Don't worry, I understood what you were saying. I put that in so that, as Johann indicated, we did not get into a fog light/snow chain debate. By the way, I have not see the drop your trousers cartoon before, magnificent!