B5 Headlight upgrade

[Derek Audi 1.8T]

Hi there, I have the below pictured headlight style.

http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff49/DEREKCOULL/IMG_2826.jpg

I would like to upgrade to HID "look" headlight bulbs if possible.

I know this might have been mentioned previously on the forum but I couldnt see it.

Does anyone have any information as to which bulbs would be the best idea?

Vehicle details

2000 "W"
Audi Quattro 1.8 T Sport
Petrol

any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[paul b]

I got some Xenon look bulbs for my A6, that don't require any fiddling with ballasts etc as they run on the standard halogen bulb wattages etc. I got them from ace-parts on e-bay I think. I am soon to fit a full HID kit to my A6. The bulbs I fitted are a white light rather than yellow, so that was a plus point. The thing is though they are not quite as bright as the halogen ones. Headlights in A6s are useless anyway though. I reccommend the sidelight 501 bulbs though, they do a good job.
Paul

[ini]

The purple look of the projector lens means you have '00-01' 1 piece Valeo halogen's, and require H7 type bulbs.

I would just go for an HID kit, they can be had for around £40 nowadays, and will look really good in your halogen projectors (beam cutoff will fade into ultraviolet).

The halogen bulbs painted blue are a waste of money & space.

[Derek Audi 1.8T]

If the HID Kits are going at that price I would be as well going for them. Some of the retailers up here in Scotland are selling bulbs for £40!

A few questions

Ini, is it difficult fitting this kit? Do you need to play around with wiring? Does the kit look tidy once installed? Any links? Are my style of headlights particularly suited to HID?

How good are the lights, I have heard some good reports.

I am pretty keen on fitting this upgrade :D

Paul B, what are the advantages of the sidelight upgrade? Does it compliment the hid look?

[paul b]

Yes, totally. I see cars going around with dipped beam Xenons yet the sidelights are dirty, yellow halogens. The 501 sidelights definitely compliment a HID kit.
Paul

[Derek Audi 1.8T]

Are you allowed to say the manufacturer? If not a wee pm would be good. Are these 501 a direct replacement? I have notice that they come in white and blue, I would imagine blue is illegal, so the white would be the one to go for. Would you agree.......I take that you have these.

[paul b]

I'm not sure of the manufacturer of the bulbs themselves. I (think) I bought them from ace-parts on ebay. The 501 bulbs are a direct replacement to your original sidelight bulbs, no messing about with them. Mine are blue, 100% legal, they don't shine really blue on the road, just the yellow is filtered out and it becomes a white light with a slight tint of blue. If I get a chance later on I'll take a picture of them in the dark so you can see for yourself.
Paul

[Derek Audi 1.8T]

Aye that would be good Paul, I think I know what type you mean, but a pic would confirm it. Cheers

[Derek Audi 1.8T]

What is the sidelight type? Is it W5W fitment? I have seen these on e-bay

[ini]

Fitting is a 10 minute job.

Make sure you get a kit that includes a relayed harness, so that the ballasts can draw directly from the battery (most kits include them).

[Derek Audi 1.8T]

Cheers Ini, I will have a look for a kit, I have noticed different Kelvin rated kits, Is it best to go for the higher rated kit for the ultimate upgrade or is there a risk with headlamp construction materials? Ie Plastic lights melting etc?

Cheers fior the help.

[paul b]

Sorry to hi-jack but I'm thinking of fitting 6000k Xenons to mine. The more the Kelvin the bluer the light becomes, anything over 8000k becomes a bit silly. From stock, cars are usually fitted with 6000k or 8000k HID kits.
Paul

[Derek Audi 1.8T]

Cheers Paul, i have seen 8000K kits retailing at around £95.

As i am new on here, do any of the sponsors do these kits? :D

[paul b]

I think there are sponsors on here who might do you a deal. Maybe drop one of the moderators, RickT, mk5golfgttdi, mycarsavw, onzarob, stuart (sorry If I've missed anybody out :D) a line, I'm sure they'll put you in touch with somebody.
Paul

[Derek Audi 1.8T]

Thanks I will look into it and see if I can get a kit from a sponsor :D

[paul b]

I assume to much. I assume you know how to PM one of the moderators...
Paul

[Derek Audi 1.8T]

Yeah I know how to Pm, I am a Mod on another forum ( Not a car related one though )

[ini]

Dont go too high on the Kelvin scale, 4300 - 6000 is ideal.

The bluer the colour, the less light they output.

Your halogen projector lens will help to create the blue 'of axis' beam colour anyway.

[Derek Audi 1.8T]

Cheers Ini, good tips here!

I havent yet contacted anyone but can I ask, is there any good and bad manufacturers of these Kits? Just so I know what to look out for.

[paul b]

As promised:

Sidelights

2045

Dipped Beam

2046

Main Beam

2047

As you can probably see, the sidelights on there own look naff. But pair them with some decent dipped beam bulbs (like a Xenon kit) and they look good.

Paul

[karachi_kops]

Hi Paul

Your lights do look cool and very bright!

Ive changed my A4 headlamp to Angel Eyes. I believe they use the H7 bulbs and give the Xenon look but arent xenon, if you know what i mean.
Im after some replacement bulbs but ive noticed that main beam isnt really that bright, can i get brighter H7 Bulbs?

Sorry if i sound dumb ...

[Derek Audi 1.8T]

Hi again, thanks for posting up the pics. Looks smart , I will go about getting a kit, should be good. :D

[paul b]

Hi Paul

Your lights do look cool and very bright!

Ive changed my A4 headlamp to Angel Eyes. I believe they use the H7 bulbs and give the Xenon look but arent xenon, if you know what i mean.
Im after some replacement bulbs but ive noticed that main beam isnt really that bright, can i get brighter H7 Bulbs?

Sorry if i sound dumb ...
Exactly the same for me. Soon I will fit a HID kit though. Have you tried some of the uprated Osram stuff? They might be worth a try. If they are still not bright enough then a HID kit is probably the only way to go. Main beam is pretty naff though, but all A6s are like that, even the stock halogens.
Paul

[Derek Audi 1.8T]

I have now ordered a 50W 6K HID Kit and some M-Tec sidelights to match. Cheers for the contacts Rick, I even got 10% Discount.

[mrjolly]

hi, i bought a cheep hid kit from china £55 for h4 (hi-lo) bulbs. best mod ive ever done to a car. the install will look as good as the installer. you cant tell ive fitted mine:D. i went for 6k . it does give a cool tinge of blue, you dont notice it when driving but you can deffo see it in reflections etc.
ive had mine for about 6 months with no problems so go for it mate!!

[Derek Audi 1.8T]

aye I will get them installed early next week, Should be good :D

[Derek Audi 1.8T]

My HID Kit arrived today :D Looks very well made and appears to be very simple to fit, I also got my sidelight upgrades. I will fit at weekend and try and get some before and after pics.

The kit came with a bulb alarm canceller to stop dash warnings, very hand tool I think.

[karachi_kops]

im still kinda wondering how HIDs work but im sure one i see the before and after images i will realise how lol

just wondering if these only work on factory fitted headlights or will they also work on angel eyes ??

[ini]

They work well with any low beam 'projector' enclosure.

They are not suited for a 'single element bulb' low beam 'reflector' application, as they are too dazzling (you can see the bulb).

Ideal for high beam reflectors though.

[audimad]

AS long as you have a projector syle housung then go for it. Normal style lights do not work properly with HIDs and dazzle.

I wired my HID ballasts into the light and mounted them in the OE space under the unit itself so i now have a self contained HID light/ballast assembly.Also means the wiring hole is on the underside sealed up,and the headlight looks EOM from under the bonnet, no extra wiring and such

[Derek Audi 1.8T]

Hi there audi-mad, can you elaborate on your method as I will be fitting my 50W HID Kit at the weekend and will be looking for a tidy installation. I have Valeo projector style headlights and my kit is a supervision from HIDs direct.

Also did you fit the warning canceller between on the "IN" side of the ballast?

(maybe a daft question as it looks to be the only place it can go! ) thought I would ask anyway.

[simonmac]

ha ha, audimad, i have hunted you down on this forum.:D

derek - when you've fitted your kit can you give some opinions of brightness of the 50w kit. i was looking at getting this kit, but worried about being too bright, as normal hid kits are 35w.

thanks

[Derek Audi 1.8T]

Hi Simon, Yeah I will let you know how it looks and the brightness factor :D

[Derek Audi 1.8T]

Hi there, I installed the HIDs and sidelights today and they look the part! Very impressed indeed. I ended up snipping a square out of the back covers at the side and retaining the seal in one piece to ensure a tight fit, I have hidden the ballasts and cancellers and zipp tied cables up to ensure safe installation. Its quite bright outside and they still look crisp!

I will post up pics later on when I get a nightime shot of the new lights.

Big thanks to everyone who helped out and big thanks to Martin at HIDS Direct

[Derek Audi 1.8T]

Hi again, I havent yet got a decent snap for my HID comparison, might manage to sort that out this weekend( camera out of batteries!) , but I do have a before and after of the MTEC Sidelight bulbs that I got to go with the xenons.

Before with Standard sidelights.
http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff49/DEREKCOULL/003-7.jpg

After with MTEC Sidelights fitted
http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff49/DEREKCOULL/001-8.jpg

I am pretty happy with the kit, I will post up the HIDs comparison later on this week.

[ini]

Here are some pics of the LED sidelights & HID's on my old banger.

Did have some before shots, but cant find them.

1 piece Valeo's installed, still has a little too much gap at the top of the enclosure, but i will sort that out. (phone camera pic)

http://i118.photobucket.com/albums/o99/inisj/Valeos.jpg


LED sidelights in, 4xled forward facing type.

http://i118.photobucket.com/albums/o99/inisj/DSC00244.jpg


HID kit installed.

http://i118.photobucket.com/albums/o99/inisj/DSC00240.jpg


Dodgy 'Barry' mod on map lights, lol

http://i118.photobucket.com/albums/o99/inisj/BarryLights.jpg

[Derek Audi 1.8T]

Hi again, thats some colourful map lights there Ini!

I will post up a few snaps of my HID conversion, I actually changed my installation, the pics will tell the story.

The 50W Supervision kit 6000K
http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff49/DEREKCOULL/010-1.jpg


I originally cut out small holes at the corner of the valeo rear covers to allow the wiring through.

http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff49/DEREKCOULL/013-2.jpg

I was not happy with this though as I thought it could strain the wiring. I decided to drill 25mm hole in rear valeo covers. The gromit fits like a glove and the rear cover seals perfect. Job done!

http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff49/DEREKCOULL/Reargromit.jpg

I had originally tried to hide the ballast bahind the brake fluid but it didnt look stable. So I used the provided bracket and mounted the ballast on the plastic cover. Solid,works a treat and no need to drill any metal work.

http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff49/DEREKCOULL/NSBallast2.jpg

Another Snap of nearside ballast

http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff49/DEREKCOULL/NSBallast.jpg

Offside ballast Hidden behind the airbox. This ballast is actually cable tied into place, but will not move! Well hidden too.

http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff49/DEREKCOULL/OSBallast.jpg

This snap was taken as a comparison, the offside still stock and the nearside HID is so bright that you can see it in the daylight. Big difference.

http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff49/DEREKCOULL/015-1.jpg


I will post some pics of the HIDS at night when I get a picture. I am very impressed with the Kit. :D

[Derek Audi 1.8T]

I have recently noticed that if I switch on my headlights when the car is stationary i get a brake warning up, but if i put the headlights on when the car is moving, the warning doesnt come up? Strange, must be some form of alarm?

[audimad]

That will be the bulb out warning, its a voltage thing, some kits do it, some dont.You need the resistor thingy that stops it or a relay loom direct to the battery,both of these methods have been seen to work.

Pucs as requested, sorry a bit late car blew up and it kinda took my focus off a bit.
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e123/audimad/100_1095.jpg

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e123/audimad/100_1094.jpg

[ini]

It is advisable to use a relayed harness to feed the ballasts directly from the battery, with a local earth.

This prevents any electronics/EMF wierdness caused by a big HID 'startup' voltage drop over the factory loom.

[Derek Audi 1.8T]

Hi again audi mad, sorry to hear your car blew up! what happened?

My kit has an alarm canceller fitted? I originally had a faulty ballast, but it was replaced very quickly ( thanks again to Martin at HID Direct ) I did get a bulb alarm up then but now its replaced no bulb warnings. Instead a brake warning?? I was occasionaly getting a brake warning before the kit was fitted but it does seem strange that it comes up now when the lights are put on?

Like your HID ballast install, looks the part. I did think about putting them in that gap, but i thought it might ake headlight removal/refit a bit tight. looks great.

[Derek Audi 1.8T]

It is advisable to use a relayed harness to feed the ballasts directly from the battery, with a local earth.

This prevents any electronics/EMF wierdness caused by a big HID 'startup' voltage drop over the factory loom. Today 04:50 PM


Ini, might look into it, are they expensive?

[audimad]

Probably make your own for around a fiver with buying the relay and some spades etc ect

I had a rattle, ignored it was giving the car a seeing to ( ooh er) and the little rattle got much louder (ie big end knock) oil pressure dropped, temp went up and it was game over.I have a new engine here to go in, its had a new oil pump already, but is waiting for the mounts for the 6 speed and the stage 3 clutch to come from the US. Then i can hopefully see what power she puts down properly ( k04 and custom map)

[Derek Audi 1.8T]

Wiring is defo not my forte, I would be best getting a plug n play when it came to the relay harness.

Will be interesting to see how your car performs with the new parts. :D

[Derek Audi 1.8T]

Iv had a look on the net at the wiring relay, looks like I will order one up sometime soon, It makes sense that i'm getting a warning when the car is at low revs but no warning at higher revs.

Hope all this wiring doesnt look untidy!

[Derek Audi 1.8T]

Hi again, I now have the wiring relay harness and it looks simple enough. Am I correct in thinking that with this you are only connecting onr of the headlight cancellers up? It would appear that there will be a free plug left on my NS headlight?

Any hints or tips before I decide to fit?

I assume it is the best idea fitting this harness?

Got the harness from same company as kit.

Any advice greatly appreciated as I have said before...scared of wiring!

[ini]

Yes, you will have one of your H7 low beam connectors unconnected.

This will only be a problem if your car uses the CAN BUS system.

My 97 A4 does not throw any bulb warnings.

If a relay did not come with the harness, it is recomended to get a high amp version (although i have been using a standard 35A relay for years with no problems)

[Derek Audi 1.8T]

Thanks for the reply Ini, I have had a look and my relay says 40A on it. I think I will have to move one of the ballasts nearer the batery and under the plastic tray. Hope it fits in there. The negative lead is quite short.

Because one of the alarm cancellers will be void, I guess I should remove and keep as a spare and I take it the other canceler will still perform its task, or are they no longer relevent because the HIDs will have a separate supply?

[ini]

It is the factory loom that needs the 'canceller', if you need resistance, keep it fitted to the spare connector.

My ballasts are mounted under the headlamps, in the space for the large, flat OEM ballast.

My relayed harness seemed fractionally too short to tidy it away properly in the engine bay.

[Derek Audi 1.8T]

so what did you do with tidying them? Did you extend them?

[ini]

The long wire is cable tied under my top boost pipe (TDI) and runs around the rear of the engine.

The wire that could have been longer is the + from the relay to the battery.

[Derek Audi 1.8T]

I had a quick look at installing mine earlier but wasnt 100% sure, thats whay I consulted you. I will have a bash at installing it tomorrow. is the 40W relay okay?

[ini]

The 40W relay is ideal.

[Derek Audi 1.8T]

Hi again, I had a bash at the wiring relay today.......and I reckon unless you are Paul Daniels or David Copperfield, there is no way of getting that harness onto a b5. It just isnt long enough, and my ballasts are nearer the battery than most peoples.

It is far too short, In fact even if you had the wiring running over the engine and everything else, in other words throwing away the idea of trying to be neat and tidy, it still doesnt fit.

So I guess its more brake warning lights until I can think of a way of getting it to fit.

I am thinking I might have to put it to the auto electrician so that he can perhaps extend it?

What you guys reckon would that work? :confused:

[dcross]

I've been considering this HID conversion\side light issue myself. Using Derek's photo above as an example (my cars the same "purple" look), I assume this "middle" lamp is the dipped beam. If converting to HID - should we replace the dipped beams, the main beams, or both? If replace just the main beams, what do we do with the dipped? What about the H7 Osram Night Breakers? Any experience of these?

ini says a HID kit can be had for £40. The cheapest I've found so far is £99. And mentions they would look really good in the halogen projectors. I'm a little confused! :confused:

I've only had the car for two weeks now and havn't really looked at the headlights. I know right now that I have a very distinct "sploge" of light on the road passenger side just in front of the car visible from the drivers position - with a very distinct line leading off the right and then up. There doesn't seem to be much "projection" ahead on a street with lights. Dark motorways seem fine so I'm no sure if there's an alignment issue here. I look at the front of other cars on the road and I don't feel I have the same spread of light in front of me. :1zhelp:

And then what do we do with the sidelights. I've looked about the forum and some people have discussed LED sidelights. I'm looking at the 501 LED Extreme Power 1.5W 360 degree and 501 LED Quad Bulbs from Autobulbs Direct. Has anyone used these? Do the 360 degree make a difference?