Xenon Lights

[ja1758]

Hi all, I have had my Yeti for approx six weeks now and I still think it is the best car I have ever owned. This is also the first car I have had that is fitted with the Xenon Lights. The lights are excellent and when you first turn them on they are a very bright bluey white. However, as I watch them they appear to fade and lose the brightness or bluey white look. Is this normal? I would have expected them to stay the colour they are when first turned on all the time. Any suggestions/advice would be very much appreciated.

Thanks

Jez

[Silly Old Hector]

They go from blue to white as they warm up - must be to the right colour temperature (in Ks - can't remember the number). You should also find they wiggle when you move the steering (plus do a levelling check on start-up from cold)

They are very good !

[bahnstormer vrs]

I've not noticed this myself; my xenons always seem to be good and bright.

[Macdemon]

Hi all, I have had my Yeti for approx six weeks now and I still think it is the best car I have ever owned. This is also the first car I have had that is fitted with the Xenon Lights. The lights are excellent and when you first turn them on they are a very bright bluey white. However, as I watch them they appear to fade and lose the brightness or bluey white look. Is this normal? I would have expected them to stay the colour they are when first turned on all the time. Any suggestions/advice would be very much appreciated.

Thanks

Jez

They do go from a bright blue to a nice crisp white :yes:

The little dance is funny too

[The Plumber]

I have three things that make me :wonder: with my xenon's

a) beam pattern on the drivers side just stops at a clearly defined line (across your path) then beyond that just blackness. problem for me is that line is far to close to the car for my liking :S Asked one dealer about it but they say cannot be adjusted; will have to try another for a second opinion :wonder:

b ) although working fine at the moment the curve function stopped working properly for about three weeks or so, again a dealer looked but found no fault :wonder: :wonder:

c) this is new hot of the press; noticed this week that a very occasional impact with a road imperfection (far to many round here) and the lights flicker for a fraction of a second :wonder: :wonder: :wonder:

Other than the above I'm a convert to xenon's

TP

[Arkaig]

a) beam pattern on the drivers side just stops at a clearly defined line (across your path) then beyond that just blackness. problem for me is that line is far to close to the car for my liking :S Asked one dealer about it but they say cannot be adjusted; will have to try another for a second opinion :wonder:

You could always try Osram Xenarc Silverstar replacement bulbs, supposedly "the brightest Xenon-automotive bulbs in the world", with up to 30 percent more light on the road and a cone of light that is up to 20 metres longer, though they're not cheap at c£87 each.

http://www.osram.com/osram_com/News/Trade_Press/Automotive_Lighting/2011/110914_Xenarc_Silverstar.html

[The Plumber]

You could always try Osram Xenarc Silverstar replacement bulbs, supposedly "the brightest Xenon-automotive bulbs in the world", with up to 30 percent more light on the road and a cone of light that is up to 20 metres longer, though they're not cheap at c£87 each.

http://www.osram.com...Silverstar.html

Thanks for the tip if the next dealer fails to come up with a solution I might consider them.

TP

[silver1011]

c) this is new hot of the press; noticed this week that a very occasional impact with a road imperfection (far to many round here) and the lights flicker for a fraction of a second :wonder: :wonder: :wonder:

The xenon's on my Octavia vRS do this, rather than flickering they appear to be vibrating/shimmering when the road surface is particularly rough.

The xenon's on my Octavia Scout don't though :wonder:

[Llanigraham]

The "shimmering" over road imperfections could well be the auto-levelling moving them slightly.

[speedsport]

The "shimmering" over road imperfections could well be the auto-levelling moving them slightly.

I rather suspect that the shimmer is actually the dip mask being moved inside the projector lens by road shocks as you hit a bump. It's certainly noticeable on main beam, but I've not noticed it on dip beam - yet!

[speedsport]

You could always try Osram Xenarc Silverstar replacement bulbs, supposedly "the brightest Xenon-automotive bulbs in the world", with up to 30 percent more light on the road and a cone of light that is up to 20 metres longer, though they're not cheap at c£87 each.

http://www.osram.com/osram_com/News/Trade_Press/Automotive_Lighting/2011/110914_Xenarc_Silverstar.html

EDIT 1:I think we are in danger of being at cross purposes here.

TP has an Elegance, so is referring to the steering HID Bi-Xenons, whereas arkaig is referring to standard headlamp bulbs that happen to contain Xenon gas. Certainly, the Osram is an excellent (if expensive) upgrade to standard headlamps, but the HID Xenons cannot be upgraded at all. and according to Osram's website, when changing a Xenarc Xenon it must be fitted by "an approved installer as the alignment needs to be checked immediately the extraordinarily bright Xenarc bulbs are replaced in order to ensure compliance with legal specifications".

As for adjusting the HID Xenon's, yes the aim of the headlamps can be adjusted just like any other headlamp and the adjustors are readily accessible. What they can't adjust is the beam pattern, but the aim is certainly adjustable.

My offside (driver's) beam was way too high when I first got the car & my dealer said it was "factory set and therefore must be right". As I was dazzling oncoming cars, I checked it on an MOT beam-setter at an friendly independent & it was indeed too high. So I adjusted it myself with an ordinary allan key. It now matches the nearside beam & I no longer dazzle other drivers. The dealers should know this, they have been dealing with cars fitted with HID headlamps for long enough now.

Good luck!

EDIT2 - the steering headlamp facility can be disabled in Maxidot (for when you are driving abroad) so it's possible that there's been a glitch in the system that turned it off for a while, though I've not seen anyone complaining about this on here before. Do bear in mind that the lamps don't steer at slow speed, I think its about 15kph before they come into play.

Edited 17 November, 2011 by speedsport

[Arkaig]

I think we are in danger of being at cross purposes here. TP has an Elegance, so is referring to the steering HID Xenons, whereas arkaig is referring to standard headlamp bulbs that happen to contain Xenon gas. Certainly, the Osram is an excellent (if expensive) upgrade to standard headlamps, but the HID Xenons cannot be upgraded at all.

I disagree and suggest you re-read the link provided. The Osram Xenarc Silverstar bulbs are most definitely not "standard headlamp bulbs that happen to contain Xenon gas", but are genuine HID Xenon upgrades.

[speedsport]

I disagree and suggest you re-read the link provided. The Osram Xenarc Silverstar bulbs are most definitely not "standard headlamp bulbs that happen to contain Xenon gas", but are genuine HID Xenon upgrades.

Hmmm...... I think I stand corrected, apologies!

There has been confusion for some time about the Xenon terminology, as some manufacturers were referring to their upgraded H4, H3 etc lamps as Xenon well before HID lamps came along.

The Osram Xenarc Silverstar do indeed appear to be HID lamps, but what fooled me is that they make no reference to the driver module needed to excite these lamps to fire them up. Presumably, they are a straight plug-in replacement for existing HID Xenons. However, I'm not sure about the advisability of further increasing the brightness of the Yeti's existing HID lamps and risking further discomfort for oncoming drivers. Projecting a light 20m further along the road must surely mean extra dazzle if the lamp aim is not absolutely spot-on.

Edited 17 November, 2011 by speedsport

[Arkaig]

Hmmm...... I think I stand corrected, apologies!

Apologies accepted, though I think you should have stopped at the end of your first sentence.

Mike

Edited 17 November, 2011 by arkaig

[r999]

You could always try Osram Xenarc Silverstar replacement bulbs,

Replacing one HID Xenon bulb with another, even if it is brighter, will do nothing to tackle The Plumber's complaint, which was about the cut-off pattern. That is a function of the lens design, the reflector, and the shutter, nothing to do with the bulb. A non-standard bulb might well make the beam pattern worse, by being a different size or shape and so moving the point source a bit away from the designed point, but cannot possibly improve on the beam pattern unless you assume the internal geometry was all wrong to start with.

[Arkaig]

Replacing one HID Xenon bulb with another, even if it is brighter, will do nothing to tackle The Plumber's complaint, which was about the cut-off pattern. That is a function of the lens design, the reflector, and the shutter, nothing to do with the bulb. A non-standard bulb might well make the beam pattern worse, by being a different size or shape and so moving the point source a bit away from the designed point, but cannot possibly improve on the beam pattern unless you assume the internal geometry was all wrong to start with.

I really don't know, but according to Osram: "Due to the innovative geometry of the bulb the beam of light is extended and more light actually arrives where it is intended – for example on the road ahead or on illuminating road signs. This leads to increased safety, as obstacles and other hindrances can be seen much earlier."

[speedsport]

Apologies accepted, though I think you have stopped at the end of your first sentence.

Mike

Thanks Mike, though I'm not sure what else you think I said that was wrong. I've now edited my original post, hopefully to make what I was trying to say clearer.

Despite what his dealer told him, the aim of the HID Bi-Xenons as fitted to TP's Elegance can be adjusted in both the vertical and lateral planes if they have been set up incorrectly. However, if the problem is that the beam is correctly aligned but does not give low level illumination beyond the very sharp cut off that is characteristic of HID Xenons, then I'm afraid there's nothing that can be done to change this.

Basically the beam projected from the lens is so bright that any zone out of the intended illuminated area will appear to be significantly darker when compared with a standard headlamp beam because the light scatter that you'd get with a normal headlamp has been avoided by concentrating all the light output into the intended area through a more efficient design of lens, specifically to reduce the risk of the car's brighter lights dazzling other drivers. Upgrading to an even brighter bulb won't (or shouldn't) put any more light into the area beyond the cut-off, in fact it may just accentuate the difference between the illuminated and non-illuminated areas.

So I don't understand Osram's claim. Unless the aim is changed, the new higher output bulb shouldn't illuminate any further along the road ON DIP BEAM, but it will of course on main beam, which may be what they are referring to.

Edited 17 November, 2011 by speedsport

[jeep]

I have three things that make me :wonder: with my xenon's

a) beam pattern on the drivers side just stops at a clearly defined line (across your path) then beyond that just blackness. problem for me is that line is far to close to the car for my liking :S Asked one dealer about it but they say cannot be adjusted; will have to try another for a second opinion :wonder:

b ) although working fine at the moment the curve function stopped working properly for about three weeks or so, again a dealer looked but found no fault :wonder: :wonder:

c) this is new hot of the press; noticed this week that a very occasional impact with a road imperfection (far to many round here) and the lights flicker for a fraction of a second :wonder: :wonder: :wonder:

Other than the above I'm a convert to xenon's

TP

I don't have the zenons, and I don't know if the headlamp reflector and lens design is different to that used with standard halogen lights, but I still don't feel it is as good as it should be, and driving at night, especially in bad weather conditions is more taxing than it should be, even with brighter bulbs. Also compared to some lesser and older cars I've owned not very good when dipped even at the highest setting - to try and get a little more distant vision.

Edited 18 November, 2011 by jeep

[rockhopper]

Well they say a picture is worth a thousand words, so what is a video worth?

Seeing as I have the technology, I'll share the results with you.

Enjoy the swivelling xenons......

[Arkaig]

Upgrading to an even brighter bulb won't (or shouldn't) put any more light into the area beyond the cut-off, in fact it may just accentuate the difference between the illuminated and non-illuminated areas.

So I don't understand Osram's claim. Unless the aim is changed, the new higher output bulb shouldn't illuminate any further along the road ON DIP BEAM, but it will of course on main beam, which may be what they are referring to.

As I can't afford these Osram bulbs nor have tested them, I really don't know. :'( :'(

But Osram do make bold claims which presumably they can evidence:

"OSRAM offers the brightest Xenon-headlight bulb worldwide"

"OSRAM takes Xenon-technology to a new level: when compared to conventional Xenon-bulbs"

"When compared to standard Xenon bulbs, Xenarc Silverstar is able to generate a beam of light that is 20 metres longer than that of conventional bulbs and provides 30 percent more light on the road"

"Due to the innovative geometry of the bulb the beam of light is extended and more light actually arrives where it is intended – for example on the road ahead or on illuminating road signs. This leads to increased safety, as obstacles and other hindrances can be seen much earlier"

Mike

Edited 18 November, 2011 by arkaig

[rockhopper]

As I can't afford these Osram bulbs nor have tested them, I really don't know.

But Osram do make bold claims which presumably they can evidence:

"OSRAM offers the brightest Xenon-headlight bulb worldwide"

"When compared to standard Xenon bulbs, Xenarc Silverstar is able to generate a beam of light that is 20 metres longer than that of conventional bulbs and provides 30 percent more light on the road"

"Due to the innovative geometry of the bulb the beam of light is extended and more light actually arrives where it is intended – for example on the road ahead or on illuminating road signs. This leads to increased safety, as obstacles and other hindrances can be seen much earlier"

Mike

and I guess they don't have to be aimed higher to get it to project further, so in theory shouldn't blind anybody. I have never yet been flashed because my xenons have blinded anybody in almost 14,000 miles. Though I was in my old 523i touring when the sensor went awol and they were pointing upwards

[bahnstormer vrs]

Well they say a picture is worth a thousand words, so what is a video worth?

Seeing as I have the technology, I'll share the results with you.

Enjoy the swivelling xenons......

Thought I'd look at the Video; YouTube is telling me "This video is private". Oops?

PS> Just looked at the timestamp of the video which is 2011-11-18 22:57 - in other words it looks like you went out especially to take the video for this thread; now that's devotion!

[Big Rich]

Please can you make the video available for us all. Marked as Private!

[rockhopper]

Thought I'd look at the Video; YouTube is telling me "This video is private". Oops?

PS> Just looked at the timestamp of the video which is 2011-11-18 22:57 - in other words it looks like you went out especially to take the video for this thread; now that's devotion!

Please can you make the video available for us all. Marked as Private!

Apologies all, I sent from Quicktime and must have missed that check box.

Changed now.

PS I love the moving xenons, and when it was foggy the other night when I was out and about anyway, thought I would video it and start a new thread, then found this one, which will do nicely.

[dieselV6]

How on earth a stronger HID bulb is going to move the headlight beam cutoff on the ground ?!? It won't accomplish anything, just put more light below cutoff.

Xenon lamp going from blue to white is normal, the end colour temperature is 4300K to 5000k. Basically, on ignition the HID lamp produces light only by arcing through gas, it takes a moment for the salts inside of the capsule to heat up and start glowing white. So on starting up cold lamp you will always see colour shift.

To address the problems of short range, you need to find someone with VCDS cable, and set the headlights to "beam setting mode". Then you can adjust them up a little just like normal halogen lamps, this will move cutoff further. Do not overdo the adjustment.

Here is how to program the controller.

It is actually quite common problem, VW's levelling schemes are not the best. I fought with this on my Octavia, then finally gave up and retrofitted levelling thumbwheel in addition to auto levelling (you need to splice into sensor wiring, NOT the levelling motors as they're different to halogen ones).

Regarding other problems, it would be good to check first if headlights touch bumper, are there any screws loose around the headlight, and are the cables plugged in correctly (unplug and plug back in to make sure).

Edited 18 November, 2011 by dieselV6