Buying Xenons from Germany

[Lucky13]

Don't the Germans drive on the other side of the road? If you install LHD headlights on in a RHD country you'll blind every other driver....

there is a lever/switch at the inside of the headlight to change left/right driving. it need to remove the headlight to change it.

[Maverick]

there is a lever/switch at the inside of the headlight to change left/right driving. it need to remove the headlight to change it.

You can flick the lever to change it from LHD to neutral or RHD to neutral when the Bi-Xenons are fitted in the car, you do NOT need to remove the headlights to do this.

The switch as I just mentioned switches the headlights from a kick to the left or right to a neutral (no kick). There are problems with no kick apart from making the car unroadworthy and that is illumination of signs etc on the left of the road which isn't so much a problem with halogens in a reflector housing as they flick light everywhere but it is an issue with the Bi-Xenons.

You could get away with one LHD and one RHD Bi-Xenon and flick one to neutral as this works well in my testing. There are also ways to covert a LHD to RHS and vice versa. I have a ton of information I have to put together and post from my retrofitting of Bi-Xenons (OEM).

A pic of one of my factory Bi-Xenons fitted.

[Maverick]

I wish I knew. Try posting on the MK5 GTI UK forum?

They have levelling motors inside, all headlamps do, Corey was referring to the the loom that runs to your rear wheel well. It has like a hanging sensor that works like a plum bob. That tells the headlamps to dip the headlights under heavy braking, going over hills etc.

Not all have leveling motors inside when you buy them second hand and they're hard to source.

The ALWR fitment is important with the Bi-Xenons, there is a sensor in the front and rear wheel well and a controller that mounts under the dash. I have a wiring loom on it's way from Germany that I had made up for my car so will be retrofitting this in the next few weeks. Without this as soon as you load anything in the back or carry back seat passengers you risk blinding oncoming traffic.

[Maverick]

I've had a look on eBay.de and found that there are Bi-Xenon headlights available for under 300 euro. Cheapest I've seen them anywhere else is about $1000.. So why dont people buy them from Germany? Is there a huge problem converting the LHD ones to RHD? From what I've read its just a wiring adapter or something.

nb. Might require a shipping forwarder if seller is unwilling to post to Australia.

You can buy completed sets that have the OEM Bi-Xenons, the ballast, igniter, bulb and adapter for around 1200 euros.

Or you can buy bare units and buy all the parts but this can work out to cost more.

RHD/LHD I answered in another post.

[Diesel_vert]

In Europe and Australia, headlights with an output of more than 2,000 lumen (OEM D2S bulb = 3,200 lumen) requires headlamp washers and automatic levelling systems.

And as far as I can work out, this is how they go about it...

The central electrical control unit manages, amongst other things, the headlights (halogen & gas discharge), the headlight washer system, and headlight range (level) control, and provides a link between all three systems.

The gas discharge bulbs are managed by one control unit per side (i.e. ballasts), located in the engine bay.

The headlight washer system is managed by another control unit that is integrated within the instrument panel.

The headlight range control is managed by yet another control unit located near the glovebox (in LHD vehicles). This provides a link between the two level sensors (front and rear axle), and the two headlight motors (left and right).

You can see why no one bothers trying to make their DIY installations road legal - too much money, too much time.

True but has anyone actually heard a case of that happening ($90 HID kit in a reflector housing of a Mazda 323 does not count)

I have to tell people my headlights aftermarket and sometimes they don't believe me. Considering the headlamp in questions is an OEM part, do you really think an insurance inspector is going to know about and go digging for the auto levelling loom in the trim on the drivers side?

Come on dude.

All the authorities have to do is to ask you to demonstrate that your headlamp washers are working (non-existent for 99% of modders), and then promptly slap you with a defect.

However, I doubt many inspectors (if any) are clued up on such matters. As long as the headlights aren't blue or purple and properly aimed, they'd be none the wiser.

[jazd]

OK I'm definitely a lot more clued up on the ins and outs of Xenons now. One thing I still have to ask though is if there are two different Golf Xenon headlight varieties.. Is there Bi-Xenons and then normal Xenons? Because all the pictures I see seem to have a halogen high beam (inside lamps) and the low beam (outside lamps) is the Xenon.

[benough]

Bi-Xenon and Xenon are the same in this case, the former is just a marketing term.

The definition of it though is that when you go to high beam with these headlights the cutoff moves out of the way allowing the full amount of light from the low beam lens to fill the upper portion of your view along with the high beam.

There's probably a a youtube video of it.

A HID kit in the high beam lenses is a bad idea b/c of light temp and the time to ignite (i.e. you can't do "flash to pass"). That said I put those 66W bulbs in my highbeam it's it's a good improvement.

[benough]

Not all have leveling motors inside when you buy them second hand and they're hard to source.

The ALWR fitment is important with the Bi-Xenons, there is a sensor in the front and rear wheel well and a controller that mounts under the dash. I have a wiring loom on it's way from Germany that I had made up for my car so will be retrofitting this in the next few weeks. Without this as soon as you load anything in the back or carry back seat passengers you risk blinding oncoming traffic.

That's news to me. I just assumed that if you had OEM Xenon Headlamps out of a car they would have come with the levelling motor from the factory.

[Maverick]

That's news to me. I just assumed that if you had OEM Xenon Headlamps out of a car they would have come with the levelling motor from the factory.

They come with the leveling motor from the factory but people can remove them before sale so a used headlight may not come with them. Just like it's not uncommon to buy the headlights without ballast, igniter, bulb and even the bulb retention ring.

[jazd]

Bi-Xenon and Xenon are the same in this case, the former is just a marketing term.

The definition of it though is that when you go to high beam with these headlights the cutoff moves out of the way allowing the full amount of light from the low beam lens to fill the upper portion of your view along with the high beam.

There's probably a a youtube video of it.

A HID kit in the high beam lenses is a bad idea b/c of light temp and the time to ignite (i.e. you can't do "flash to pass"). That said I put those 66W bulbs in my highbeam it's it's a good improvement.

So the high beam is actually halogen and they call them Bi-Xenon because a shutter lifts on the low beam when high beam is activated?

[Maverick]

So the high beam is actually halogen and they call them Bi-Xenon because a shutter lifts on the low beam when high beam is activated?

No. The halogen is a flash to pass/DRL.

High Beam is the xenon, it has a shutter that enables it to be dipped or high beam.

You can code the lights so you can use the halogen as an additional high beam, by default it's a flash to pass and DRL use only.

Bi-Xenon = Xenon for high and dipped beam using a shutter in the projector housing.
Xenon = Xenon for dipped beam with a fixed shutter in the projector housing.
(Xenon is the type of technology but the above is what they equal on cars and in this case the MkV Golf)

The shutter is what gives the light it's pattern when dipped, for example the kick to the left or right.

[jazd]

So does the Golf come with two variants or are all Golf parts Bi-Xenon? I didn't know there were three bulbs.

I'm guessing your modifications you mentioned earlier include changing the shape of the shutter? Do you have a picture showing the shutter?

[edit] Just re-read and I think I understand you now. There are only two bulbs, inside is halogen, outside is Xenon. Low beam - halogen is off and xenon shuttered, high beam - the halogen is still off unless coding changed and Xenon is unshuttered.

Got it? haha that was confusing.

[Maverick]

So does the Golf come with two variants or are all Golf parts Bi-Xenon? I didn't know there were three bulbs.

All Mark V Golfs are Bi-Xenons.

List of all OEM lights for the Mark V are here - Volkswagen Golf Mark V Headlights - Halogen and Xenon - Part numbers will be put up as part of my Bi-Xenon pages.

I'm guessing your modifications you mentioned earlier include changing the shape of the shutter? Do you have a picture showing the shutter?

Yes and Yes. I can't post the photos yes as I have about 700 or so to sort out on the work done so far.

[jazd]

I bought a set of OEM Xenons for €595 delivered. Pretty good price I thought, works out to be AU$800. Complete set in good condition with ballasts, igniters and bulbs.

Original VW Golf 5 V Bi Xenon Scheinwerfer komplett | eBay

He agreed to post to me directly with DHL. I also signed up with Address Germany which seems to be a decent shipping forwarder but I didnt end up needing it.

[benough]

Cracker deal.

So they are LHD drive parts?