LHD OE Xenon Retro-fit...

[animal]

In my on going search for a 3dr DSG GTi it's become apparent that a lot of people who originally ordered the cars were either stingy or didn't appreciate the benefits of Xenon lights. As my current car has them, I'm loathed to go without on a Golf but it seems that I'm going to have to compromise to get what I'm after and there is a high probability that I will have to retro-fit a few options, including OE Xenons (with levellers and lens-wash I assure you - I'm trying if possible to find a Winter Pack equipped car if Xenons aren't available). And an HID kit is not an option for me as they aren't legal.

I've been keeping an eye on German eBay, for prices and to see what's around, as there seems to be more VW parts available there for obvious reasons. My question is, are Golf Xenons generic? I know on some cars the lights aren't 'handed' and can be switched from one side of the road to the other - is this the case with Golf headlights or is it a lost cause and I need RHD units?

Also, I think this has been covered before so forgive me, but do you need a high-line dash and/or updated CAN-BUS to run Xenon lights bearing in mind I'm looking at 55-56 registration GTi's. I know you can enable them in software with VAGCOM but are there any upgrades required to the actual hardware as well to handle the Xenon coding?

[JPC]

i have found in my experience, they are not handed. there is a switch in the light housing that flips a metal plate, creating either a LHD pattern or a RHD pattern, depending on what you want.

i swapped toms xenons in france when we got there in august last year, it takes 10 seconds, even if there fitted to the car

[bennylenny88]

i just bought some xenons from hong kong..
not seen behind the housing yet.. but theres 2 cables coming from the ballister (sp?) red and black.. if i remember correctly on the housing its just a connector with no cables? so how would i go about fitting them?

[JPC]

you got genuine xenons?

[NEWEY]

you got genuine xenons?

sound like ebay items to me

[JPC]

yep, sounds like a HID kit.

watch out for the HID police benny.

[animal]

Thanks JPC - that's good to know, I drive abroad too so even better.

Also, am I right in saying that there are two types of Xenon housing like the Halogen units? Black/smoked and Chrome/silver ones?

[vwrascal]

I feel your pain animal, wish I had xenons too   

found these
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/VW-Mk5-Golf-Bi-Xenon-Zenon-R32-GTI-Headlights-Headlamps_W0QQitemZ290295104770QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM?hash=item290295104770&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=66%3A4%7C65%3A16%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318

If I hadn't just booked in for a blueflame TBE, then I would be the highest bidder   

[JPC]

i dont know who is selling those, but i wouldnt recomdend buying those in the auction. they have been fiddled and dont include the OEM bulbs or ballasts by the looks of it. just cheapo HID kit in them.

some might not mind this, but in my experience, the light output is never as nice, and the ballasts break all the time

[bennylenny88]

yep, sounds like a HID kit.

watch out for the HID police benny.

HID kit yep enon ones 10000k

[JPC]

oh jesus...dont do it benny, they will look worse than dose of chicken pox

[vwrascal]

yep, sounds like a HID kit.

watch out for the HID police benny.

HID kit yep enon ones 10000k

I spent 70 hard earned squids on a HID kit and every oncoming car flashed me because I was blinding them - also the xenon bulbs do not fit properly in the halogen bulb holders, so every small bump in the road makes the xenon bulbs rattle/shake!!!
You have to drill holes in the plastic caps which I wasnt keen on, so then I had condensation building up in the lights + im £70 down!!!  HID was ripped out within a week!!
I know they are a cheap alternative to REAL xenons BUT IMO a complete waste of money  , but hey ho, you learn by your mistakes I suppose!

so you wanna buy my HID kit benny, £50 incl p+p     just kidding, wouldnt sell these to my worst enemy   

[JPC]

yep, i really hope the police start pulling people soon with HID kits in standard housing.

Im really glad you came to the conclusions you have vwrascal.

i got sent to F*****G court for a numberplate that CAN be read via ANPR and theres LOADS of cars with HID kits round my area and nothing gets done!!!!!!


argh!

[bennylenny88]

oh right.. well whats the difference in hids and Xenons?

[sixpot]

yep, sounds like a HID kit.

watch out for the HID police benny.

HID kit yep enon ones 10000k

Oh dear! they will look terrible, 10000k is far too high a colour temperature, and will barely give out any white light. OEM xenons are about 4500-5000k as a comparison. Save your money mate, and look elsewhere.