VW TDI forum, Audi, Porsche, and Chevy Cruze Diesel forum banner
Cancel

Philips Xenon HID

1977 Views 2 Replies 3 Participants Last post by  chittychittybangbang, 
Z
I was interested in maybe installing some HID in my 2010 Jetta Sedan TDI, I saw allot of HID conversion kits on the internet? But the Philips Xenon website seemed to be the most informative:
http://www.philipsxenon.com/volkswagen-c-356/volkswagen-xenon-lights-kit-by-philips-hid-p-1241

A couple of question though, Can this kit be installed in the OEM reflector housing? From watching the installation video on the website, it appeared that you can, also if anyone has installed this kit, where would be the best place to mount the ballest's, Can you still use your hi beems? is the daytime running lights become an issue (DRL's)?

Thanks!

Here is the link for the installation Video: http://www.philipsxenon.com/conditions
Reply
Save
Like
1 - 3 of 3 Posts
DriverFoundNC
I can't answer any of your questions but I've got to be a little suspicious of that web page. Philips is a ginormous multinational and frankly I'd expect them as such to have better damn English than this:

"Volkswagen are remarkably known vehicles that are luxurious in nature and its invention The Volkswagen vehicles are in the same level with the Lexus and Infiniti that are among the luxurious car known. Volkswagen became very famous for the racing. The car was designed for the 750 kg racing-class. But it was his rather more Unitarian designs that brought the greatest success."

Huh?
Reply
Save
Like
chittychittybangbang
That's not an official Philips website. They are a company that sells HID kits and used the word Philips in their name.

Will the HID kit fit? Yes. Will it work well, NO! Even if the bulb filament is the correct depth, the reflector housing simply isn't designed to direct that amount of light correctly. There will be lots of glare.

Long story short, reflector halogen headlights are designed to not have a sharp cutoff which is tolerable because the lumens aren't as great. HID have sharp cutoff because the greater light would blind other drivers. When used in a reflector housing, all that soft transition light zone is now glare.

I've used HID kits in halogen projector housings but the projector has a cutoff shield. Different story. For the price of that aftermarket kit, get OEM xenon housings. They are DOT approved and are only a couple hundred more and you can sell the old housing. If you're going to go cheap, you might as well go with an under $100 ebay kit. Or buy some ebay headlights that use a projector housing and put a xenon kit in those.

On a side note, some people with HID in the new Golf have complained that their headlights are aimed too low. This is because the cutoff is set to the correct position. With halogens there isn't a cutoff so they get that gradual transition to the dark areas. With HID the contrast between light and dark is very noticeable because of the cutoff and as a result, people feel their headlights are too low. And of course, it's possible they are too low.
See less See more
Reply
Save
Like
1 - 3 of 3 Posts
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
VW TDI forum, Audi, Porsche, and Chevy Cruze Diesel forum
A forum community dedicated to Audi, Volkswagen, Porsche, and all turbo diesel owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about performance, modifications, troubleshooting, TDI, maintenance, and more!
Full Forum Listing
Explore Our Forums
VW Mk4 Jetta, Golf, New Beetle, Passat TDI forum Mk5 VW Jetta, Sportwagen, and Audi A3 TDI forum New TDI forum member introductions VW Mk6 Golf, Jetta, Beetle, Sportwagen TDI forum General Diesel Discussion
Top