jamiejamie 0 Posted August 17, 2008 Just failed my mot, done all the other things with no problems, only thing remaining is the light output is poor (even for a 'c') On looking inside you can easily see the yellow on the reflector, my mates vr6 passat failed the same way... So my question is... I'm running 55/60w bulbs, i don't really want to uprate the wiring as i'm getting only just under 12volts at the bulb anyway but what would happen if i just put in a 100w bulb in place of my stock ones? If that does sound iffy to do then what about the Xenons? Are they really that good and who sells the NON blue-tinted ones at a sensible price? Would the Xenon 55/60w really improve the headlights enough with dodgy reflectors to pass an mot?? Looking at the other topics about hid's, Xenons, etc i just want an easy fix on this one and then after my mot's done i will look at taking things further. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bcstudent 0 Posted August 18, 2008 I had to do this to get my Corrado through an MOT a couple of years ago. I hacked together an uprated loom and used some higher output bulbs. It wasn't pretty but it did the job. I've got a pair of early headlights with good reflectors if they're any good to you. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dr_mat 0 Posted August 18, 2008 Hmm. Dodgy loom and you want to double the current it's carrying? Doesn't strike me as a good idea. Sounds like you'd be better off replacing or resilvering the reflectors. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
n3p 3 Posted August 18, 2008 I think you can buy the reflectors separately Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jonny-5 0 Posted August 18, 2008 How do you go about re-silvering them out of interest? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dinkus 10 Posted August 18, 2008 Plastikote Chome paint 8) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
vwdeviant 0 Posted August 18, 2008 Plastikote Chome paint 8) Does that actually work? Had the same fail with a Saab, not so much output but pattern, cured with new refelctors... which are available from ARZ Headlight Parts Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dinkus 10 Posted August 18, 2008 Plastikote Chome paint 8) Does that actually work? It'd work enough to get a better output, but I doubt it would last very long. New reflectors is the way forward really. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Toad 0 Posted August 18, 2008 Are the reflectors not available through the dealer? Some of ARZ's prices are higher than dealer prices for readily available items. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jamiejamie 0 Posted August 21, 2008 It would only be a temporary fix just to get the mot, not going to leave it like that. So far, i tried vw (or the stealers), they don't sell the parts seperately but a new one will set you back £150 each +vat i think Euro wanted 170 as main dealer only, i saw in-pro's in germany for 150 so may go for that in the long run. I have some reflective sticky tape (mirror-lon) which i use in work (high temperature stuff for use with lights) and i've covered the reflectors in that for now. Put in 100/80w bulbs to try and it's no brighter (i know how much they pull current wise) So the next thing is if my wiring really is bad as there is little differece from standard bulbs, which is what i'm about to look into and then see what the best plan is after that. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jamiejamie 0 Posted August 21, 2008 I did try to reply to this the other day, failed, just posted my saved reply so you can see what i was thinking but below is how i solved it... thanks for your input everyone, i think i have it all sorted now... I tried the main 'stealers' they don't do the reflectors on there own, the headlight assembly costs £150 each i think + vat Euros etc can only get them from main dealer and charge £170+ My route... I was going to try painting them but i ended up using 'mirror-lon' which is a sticky reflective tape that i use for work - that improved things about 1%!! I bought some bigger bulbs to try (80/100w) which helped a little on their own but not enough to pass the mot. I had a good check of the electrics, as expected the voltage at the bulbs was low (suprise suprise) but also my battery was holding a low charge. The aternator is not charging properly and the new battery is low becasue of that, with a charged battery there was a noticable improvement, so much better. Now wanting to keep the better bulbs in i bought one of the uprated looms of ebay, very suprised to find it here the next morning (royal mail 1st class actually came through in time for once!) All fitted and was using tonight, got flashed for my lights being too bright. So i would say it is all fixed, going in for re-test on the mot tomorrow but i can't see how it would fail. This is the brightest my lights have ever been and an upgrade i should have done a long time ago! Now it's all the other problems to sort out! What i can't understand is if we all spend a fortune maintaining and improving our cars (they are great, when they work!) how come when i tried to sell mine last year i got offered peanuts - they really don't hold their value anymore! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dr_mat 0 Posted August 22, 2008 What i can't understand is if we all spend a fortune maintaining and improving our cars (they are great, when they work!) how come when i tried to sell mine last year i got offered peanuts - they really don't hold their value anymore! Sad but true, these cars are worth less than the sum of their components... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jamiejamie 0 Posted August 25, 2008 That was a pass by the way on the mot, so much better when you can see where the hell your going! Next is the horrid steering problem to fix, to narrow down the problem further new track rods going on this week... Then the annoying minor running problems, if all goes well i will finally get the bodywork sorted out! I lost interest and tried to sell it earlier this year, was expecting to get £2500 with poor bodywork but very good mechanically - i was getting offered £1k (which i had just spent that much getting engine re-built) Would rather keep it than let it go for that little even if i bought a replacement car! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Yandards 0 Posted August 25, 2008 A note on the ARZ items, they are going to be LHD reflectors not RHD ones.. As for uprated or not, your best bet is to get some Philips Xtreme power bulbs in the standard wattage, along with some Halfords brilliance H3 bulbs for the main beam. These provide more and better quality light due to improvements in the manufacturing process of the bulbs, it is also worth noting that bulbs should really be changed every 3 years to keep them operating well. This way you dont get any uprated loom issues, you keep the standard wattage units and take advantage of 20 years of R&D into lightbulbs. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dec 1 Posted August 25, 2008 Aren't the reflectors identical for LHD/RHD cars? I think it's the lenses that make the difference. There is no separate part number for LHD/RHD reflectors on Vagcat, and I've been using those ARZ reflectors for ages without any problem with MOt's etc. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
