GolfGTIforum.co.uk
Model specific boards => Golf mk5 => Topic started by: scotgc on 04 January 2009, 12:50
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Hi Everyone,
With the dark nights in and me driving more at night im getting fed up with the poor quality lights on
the GTI and am after changing them for brighter ones. What kind should i go for ? Searched the forum but couldnt find much. What type of bulbs do i need to get and which make is the best ?
Thanks :smiley:
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Use powerbulbs website. You can find your car and get the appropriate bulbs. Off the top of my head, both mainbeams and dipped are H7-type bulbs.
I bought the philips x-treme ones - hullva lotta difference between stock and those ones.
Good luck with fitting them, especially if you get the sidelights,
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You can consider the Philips X-Treme Power Bulbs
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These are the ones that I have in mine and have been very impressed and are a great improvement over the original "candles" that VW provide. There have been a few threads on this so take a closer look with the search function to get more opinions.
http://www.powerbulbs.com/product_detail.asp?prod=81
When I bought these I got these free as they had a deal going on. Id say its also worth getting these aswell if the deal is no longer on:
http://www.powerbulbs.com/product_detail.asp?prod=31
You also get a forum membership discount of 10% off - http://www.golfgtiforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=7198.0
Hope this helps.
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Im still amazed the GTI didnt come with xenons as standard. They should be considered a safety feature over a luxury!
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I have fitted the Phillips H7 Bluevision to my ED30 - They are fantastic - they really do give a xenon tint on the road and are very noticable to other road users, without the boy racer blue effect. I have Phillips H7 Xtreme Visions fitted to my partners Mk4 Polo - they are also extremly good bulbs - more light that the bluevisions, but the bluevisions definately hit that xenon look.
Hope this helps,
Regards,
Gareth
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http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/products/product_honours_2007/208754/accessory_of_the_year_philips_xtreme_power.html
I put the above bulbs in my car and they are absolutely superb. I've never been sold on xenons, they looks very cool but our cooper s has them and they simply don't throw the light as far as the golf's lights do. Mini xenons (04 onwards) are regarded as brilliant so i feel its a good comparison. The above bulbs are very white but not blue. My understanding with blue halogen bulbs is that they become less effective the more blue they are.
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I threw some OSRAM Nightbreakers in the Chrysler, and it is a HUGE improvement, you can actually see all the bumps and turns down lanes now.
They are better then Phillips X Treme apparently.
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gents , is this a diy fit ? if so how easy to do pls, any picture guides for the technically challenged ?! thanks
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You don't need pics to do it. I'm a complete numpty of a mechanic when it comes to things like these so if I can do it, guaranteed you can.
The dipped beams are behind a plastic cover that has a handle on it. Twist the handle and the lid comes off. The light bulb is attached to the lid (I think). The mainbeams are a little more tricky. They're behind a rubbery lid that is just a lid (no sockets or anything). Can't remember how I got it, bit of a fiddle. The indicators were also easy to change.
The sidelights are a nightmare.
Do a search for 'bulbs' in the title of the threads and you'll get three or four posts telling you exactly what to do.
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Thanks for the quick reply chaps, ordered some from power bulbs tonight, ordered the blue vision ones as i am after a xenon look and they are highly recommended ! Also got side lights for free and the forum discount so worked out pretty good !
Cheers :cool:
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Just read through this thread on the bulbs guys :cool: And just went and ordered a set of Philips ultra h7's to replace the jobby standard candal bulbs that are in my Ed 30 :grin:
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Nice Reg Toast. :wink:
I bought some Philips X-Treme Power H7 from powerbulbs, great service and the bulbs were pretty good too........... :smiley:
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Nice Reg Toast. :wink:
I bought some Philips X-Treme Power H7 from powerbulbs, great service and the bulbs were pretty good too........... :smiley:
Thanks mate :cool: I really wanted E30 Dub but left it to late it was only P or L30 Dub I could get, always watch out for any other Ed 30's with E30 Dub on them not seen it yet :huh:!! I got offered E 3 OVW at gti international back in 2007 from a chap but it was to expensive.
Can't wait to fit them, I bought a set of Hid's lst year but wasn't that impressed looked to blue in my opinion :shocked:
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Just replaced my dipped headlights for the Philips BlueVision and am very happy with the results, and very easy to fit. Thanks for the recommendations.
I also got the free blue sidelight bulbs from powerbulbs.com (great service), but they ARE a nightmare to fit. I can't get the old ones out, so I am going to search on the forum for advice.
Wilko
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I used had to resort to using a set of pliers to get them out.
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I used my fingers and persistance.
I tried pliers but all I ended pulling on were the wires to the sidelight! Thankfully I realised what I was tugging on and stopped.
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These are the ones that I have in mine and have been very impressed and are a great improvement over the original "candles" that VW provide. There have been a few threads on this so take a closer look with the search function to get more opinions.
http://www.powerbulbs.com/product_detail.asp?prod=81
When I bought these I got these free as they had a deal going on. Id say its also worth getting these aswell if the deal is no longer on:
http://www.powerbulbs.com/product_detail.asp?prod=31
You also get a forum membership discount of 10% off - http://www.golfgtiforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=7198.0
Hope this helps.
Thanks for that, I think I might pick some of those X-Treme H7's up as the standard bulbs are worse than a candle in a jam jar!
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I also went for the phillips bluevisions and managed to fit the sidelights which came free.
Just get a pair of pliers onto the plastic holder and pull the bulb out it just clips in and should come out no problem. :cool:
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Any pics of the light from the blue visions? I want to know if they really do give off a blueish light.
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They are NOT blue, they are white :)
The bluevision name is very misleading.
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Wish I hadn't stumbled upon this tonight now! ended up going and buying bluevision H7's from powerbulbs! o wel i hope they are as good as u guys say!!
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bought some too ! being very technically challenged tho. i'm not looking fwd to changing em :cry: btw, can changing bulbs effect any warranty claim going forward?
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Don't worry about changing them mate. If I can do it, so can you! The sidelights (if you get them) will give you a bit of hassle, but persevere and after a few scraped and bleeding knuckles, you'll have changed them!
As for warranty, surely you could say they stopped working and needed replacing?
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Id say its near on impossible that it would invalidate your warranty.
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ok, another dumb question- i've ordered and received 2 bulbs, do i need total of 4 ? :huh: :rolleyes:!
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Couldnt resist, just ordered some as well, give me something to do at the weekend!!
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ok, another dumb question- i've ordered and received 2 bulbs, do i need total of 4 ? :huh: :rolleyes:!
Yep, two for low beams and two for high beams.
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ok, another dumb question- i've ordered and received 2 bulbs, do i need total of 4 ? :huh: :rolleyes:!
I'll be honest I had to think that through as well, fortunately i ended up oredering four! as mentioned you need two for the low beams and two for the main beams and then you will probably have gotten the sidelights free.
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http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/products/product_honours_2007/208754/accessory_of_the_year_philips_xtreme_power.html
I put the above bulbs in my car and they are absolutely superb. I've never been sold on xenons, they looks very cool but our cooper s has them and they simply don't throw the light as far as the golf's lights do. Mini xenons (04 onwards) are regarded as brilliant so i feel its a good comparison. The above bulbs are very white but not blue. My understanding with blue halogen bulbs is that they become less effective the more blue they are.
The Golf xenons are generally regarded as brilliant and I can vouch for them. Been in many cars with xenons and ended up comparing them with my mates 08 C-Class.... the golfs were much better imo and my mates. Can always seem to spot mini's with xenons as they seem to be a much smaller bulb/light
But to be fair they are a very expensive option that I wouldnt have considered.. but as they came as standard I wouldnt go back to car without them.
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Just fitted my bluevisions, AlanD is correct, they are not blue - which is strange because philips have the beam colour listed on their website as blue. However they do look great and are so much better than the standard bulbs. Definately happy with my impulse purchase!
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had a mare with the driver's side main beam bulb - the retaining clip came away and it's virtually impossible to put it back. the manual shows the clips bent outwards at the top , which makes sense but mine arent like this . :cry: so i have one bulbless mainbeam till car goes to dealer on tuesday
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Doh :(
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I've never been sold on xenons, they looks very cool but our cooper s has them and they simply don't throw the light as far as the golf's lights do.
Then the Mini lights arn't correctly adjusted. Correctly adjusted HIDs are way better than any filament bulb.
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Hi, Just bought 2 sets of Philips X-treme Power + free Blue vision sides... this forum is a mine of info... keeps costing me money though :smiley: :smiley: :smiley:
Should get them by Friday from Power Bulbs, fit them over the weekend, my knuckles can’t wait :sad:
Good advice as always guys...
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Hi, Just bought 2 sets of Philips X-treme Power + free Blue vision sides... this forum is a mine of info... keeps costing me money though :smiley: :smiley: :smiley:
Should get them by Friday from Power Bulbs, fit them over the weekend, my knuckles can’t wait :sad:
Good advice as always guys...
I put 4 of these in the front of my A4 and very happy.
Has anyone got pic's of there bluevisions???????
I am nearly an Ed30 owner & lamps will need to be sorted.
ta
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Hi guys... a big thankyou to you all! :smiley:
I’ve just fitted 2 sets of Phillips X-treme powerbulbs (Dip & Main) + the Phillips blue vision sidelights. Bought from Powerbulbs... got the 10% club discount + free sidelights & free delivery. Ordered Wed am got them Thursday lunch. Great service.
Your fitting tips saved me no end of time + cursing and skinned knuckles. The GTI handbook is helpful, but the forum tips from you guys turned a difficult job into a pleasurable one.
Spent a happy 1.5 hours in the garage (bitter outside) with a hot mug of char.
Dips were very easy. Main were more tricky... sides were a pain in the arse. The drivers side is more difficult generally due to restricted space (compared to passenger side). Once I’d sorted the passenger side I had a fair idea what to expect on drivers side.
My tip is to use an inspection light, it’s very difficult to see the sidelights, without getting your head right in the engine bay. On the sides I used plyers on one side and managed to pull out with fingers on the other (watch those wires). Also I used a rubber glove on one hand when handling the bulbs... it helped the grip & my hands were starting to go blue! Most importantly take your time as it is fiddly, especially if you’ve got sausages for fingers... like me!
Anyway all sorted now, the lights look ace. A crisp, white light with a blue tinge.
A great mod, big improvement all round.
Thanks to you all... Hotrod :smiley: :smiley: :smiley: :smiley: :smiley:
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Another Powerbulbs happy customer then! :afro:
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hi folks,
ok this may be a stupid question? are the main and dipped bulbs the same wattage? i received 2 sets of bulbs from powerbulbs at 55w?
thanks in advance
steph
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Hi Rugbymad,
Hi & low beam are identical. Did mine last weekend... good upgrade... take your time though, a bit fiddly... cheers Hotrod :smiley:
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Hi
Read alot of messages regarding changing bulbs at front. Want to upgrade bulbs and was wondering if it is phillips blue or extreme whites. which look better and which are brighter?
As well how come it is so hard to fit them? Is it an easier option getting them fitted or will it cost too much?
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Hi
Read alot of messages regarding changing bulbs at front. Want to upgrade bulbs and was wondering if it is phillips blue or extreme whites. which look better and which are brighter?
As well how come it is so hard to fit them? Is it an easier option getting them fitted or will it cost too much?
The Xtreme are the brighter bulbs. The bluevisions are significantly brighter than standard and are supposed to have a blue tint to them (they don't!). They both look good, if u really want the xenon look then the bluevisions are probably closer to this; but there isn't a massive difference.
As for fitting, my GTI was due its first service about 1500miles ago. I just took the bulbs in then and asked them to fit them for me and they did for free! However if you're car is not due to go in, I would just fit them yourself; it's not that difficult, only the sidelights can be tricky and as many have said you will get these eventually.
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Hi
Read alot of messages regarding changing bulbs at front. Want to upgrade bulbs and was wondering if it is phillips blue or extreme whites. which look better and which are brighter?
As well how come it is so hard to fit them? Is it an easier option getting them fitted or will it cost too much?
The Xtreme are the brighter bulbs. The bluevisions are significantly brighter than standard and are supposed to have a blue tint to them (they don't!). They both look good, if u really want the xenon look then the bluevisions are probably closer to this; but there isn't a massive difference.
As for fitting, my GTI was due its first service about 1500miles ago. I just took the bulbs in then and asked them to fit them for me and they did for free! However if you're car is not due to go in, I would just fit them yourself; it's not that difficult, only the sidelights can be tricky and as many have said you will get these eventually.
interesting-my local dealer,the ever gracious vw twickenham, charged me an hours labour after a prob with the retaining clip on main light
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They are really easy to fit. Just get the bulbs the right way up. My drivers side main beam was upside down after I fitted it. Didn't notice for 10 months (yesterday).
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Hi
Read alot of messages regarding changing bulbs at front. Want to upgrade bulbs and was wondering if it is phillips blue or extreme whites. which look better and which are brighter?
As well how come it is so hard to fit them? Is it an easier option getting them fitted or will it cost too much?
I used this free manual posted up by Teutonic_Tamer which you might find useful info when attempting it!
http://vwts.ru/electro/g5/g5_94_eng.pdf
:smiley:
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Thanks for information feel i will definately go for extremes. I have a service due at end of March might phone in advance and ask for price. If too dear i will attempt myself. Thanks for advice. :wink:
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They really arent that hard to do, your a mug (sorry to be so blunt) if you pay someone to replace them.
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Just to be sure, I need to order 2 packs of these (4 bulbs) to replace the standard ones??
http://www.powerbulbs.com/product_detail.asp?prod=81
Any other suggestions on bulbs that are not so expensive??
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Yep those the ones. They're worth the money.
I also bought these: clicky (http://www.powerbulbs.com/product_detail.asp?prod=69) and remember to use the discount and you also get free sidelights.
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They really arent that hard to do, your a mug (sorry to be so blunt) if you pay someone to replace them.
Exactly - it isn't like a Renault Megane! :sick: