Headlight blue lense - why??

[kunaalv]

Here's a question for you, why does the Passat (no Xenon's fitted, just standard highlights) have a circular blue, round lense that the headlight beam passes through? Is it supposed to improve the beam because it doesn't, period.

I've tried Phlips extreme, Osram and Autobulbs own brand, non of them give a good amount of light.

My brothers 57-plate Golf (which doesn't have this blue lense in the headlamps) has brilliant coverage and his too are standard bulbs (i.e. non xenon's).

Any thoughts chaps?

[ToMBoY_C]

I had this, thought my Passat Headlights were the worst ever! Even bought 100w bulbs as they were so bad and dangerous at night! However after smashing one of the 100w bulbs I put the old one back in to find I hadn't been putting them in right! The headlights are so fidly, I had to take a picture with my phone as you can't see inside. Once I had them in properly it was better than perfect!! My headlights are the best ever, I'm running with Ring Sportzblue, they are the best bulbs by far, well worth £14 a pair!!

[g-black]

The difference in headlighs it's project and reflector. The Passat has projector lenses and the Mk5 golf has reflector lenses. The projector lenses are supposed to reduce the amount of scater that a reflector lamp produces.

But it's agreed, the standard headlights are terrible. It has been well discussed on here how terrible they are. As Tom said, check the bulbs are in correctly first. If failing that, then your best bet is better bulbs or an HID kit. I went for the HID kit, basically the same as xenon lights but more expensive and harder to kit than standard bulbs.

[kunaalv]

Umm..interesting. I did consider this butI don't have headlamp washers and go scared due to the 'legality' of it. Are xenons under the same law constraints as hids?

i.e. needs to have headlamp washer and be auto levelling?

[kunaalv]

Oh and thanks for explaining the differences between the two, I'll try what g-black suggests and check the bulbs are in correctly.

Honestly, you would have thought after > 70 years of motoring, they would have made changing/aligning a headlight easy! :biglaugh:

[g-black]

HIDs are xenon bulbs so yea they fall under the same laws. My HIDs passed MOT but the test system in NI is different that the mainland. You could spend 20mins trying to fit the bulbs correctly the first couple of times.

[brightside]

HID's/Xenon's are a worthwhile investment. Ive got 6000k in mine, which looks just about perfect imho.

[HIDorigin]

The Passats projection lens' make it an ideal candidate for HID conversion. The lens will keep the bright HID light under control unlike reflector headlight units that will result in glare.

[pendle wizard]

when i got the my pasat B6 sport same as you the headlights were terrible, I bought philips extreme and they were still terrible, decided to have another mess and realised the bulbs wern't seated properly after messing a while and getting very sore hands finally got them in right, and now they are spot on.
( A while messing involved using a small torch one of my daughters hand held mirrors and being able to bend your hand into very strange shapes).