Author Topic: Xenons in UK: not very popular?  (Read 21879 times)

Offline feivel

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Xenons in UK: not very popular?
« on: 18 May 2010, 14:18 »
I've been in this forum for a while now and I recognised that quite a lot of your GTIs don't have xenon headlights. Yes it is a pricey option in the UK. I also noticed that xenons is quite rare in general in the UK.
Now I haven't had the choice to take xenons or not because they are standard in Switzerland on every GTI since model year 2006. Actually xenons are standard on most higher priced models from any car manufacturer and if not standardm they are a very popular option, far more popular than leather or sunroof or even sat nav.

I wouldn't buy any car without xenons because I think it's such a great comfort and safety feature. So my question to those without xenons: what do you think about them?
2010 GTI. 4 door, candy white, manual.

Offline VWKev

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Re: Xenons in UK: not very popular?
« Reply #1 on: 18 May 2010, 14:31 »
I know you only asked for replies from people that dont have them.... but I'll leave my 2 pence worth anyway.

I specc'd them and they are by far the best mod I have had on the car. Not only do they do a cracking job, but these badboys are motorised and keep the beam level when going up and down hills and going round corners and they leave this sort of lightning flash when turned on along with a function test to get them balanced. It looks brilliant and definately a billy big bollox moment.

To the people that didnt spec them, they cant afford them, its simple. If they could they would have and no excuse otherwise is gonna change it.


GTI mk6, 3dr Manual (Yes Manual! If I wanted a Taxi I'd hail one, not spend £1500 on one), Candy White, Full Leather, Xenons, ACC, 18", RCD510 + Dynaudio, DAB Radio, Winter Pack, Luxury Pack, Fiscon Bluetooth Plus, Golf R LED's.

"Some say he drives a Shopping car, and that his car dent was actually a beauty spot....all we know is he's called Captain Failboat"

Offline PenguinGTI

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Re: Xenons in UK: not very popular?
« Reply #2 on: 18 May 2010, 14:41 »
I always wanted Xenons on my Mini because they look brilliant. On the GTI there was no option given to me by my dealer to change lights.  :huh:

That having been said I'm not altogether a fan of paying extra money for the Xenons. They wouldn't make my car any more special to me. Expensive yes... more modern perhaps but to special to me... no.

The other thing I might add is that alot of folk got Xenons cause they were the "new thing" but now there are LED's which are all the trend.

Offline matchboy

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Re: Xenons in UK: not very popular?
« Reply #3 on: 18 May 2010, 14:50 »
+1 with kev.  xenons are the nuts, not only do they look the bollocks but they are an excellent safety feature.  a GTI without them just looks wrong.  bit like a GTI with 17" wheels - no, no no.   :wink:
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Previous: Mk 3 Audi TTS, Porsche 981 Cayman S, Mk 7 Golf R, Mk 7 GTI, Mk 6 GTI, Mk 5 GTI and so on....

Offline VWKev

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Re: Xenons in UK: not very popular?
« Reply #4 on: 18 May 2010, 14:54 »
I always wanted Xenons on my Mini because they look brilliant. On the GTI there was no option given to me by my dealer to change lights.  :huh:

That having been said I'm not altogether a fan of paying extra money for the Xenons. They wouldn't make my car any more special to me. Expensive yes... more modern perhaps but to special to me... no.

The other thing I might add is that alot of folk got Xenons cause they were the "new thing" but now there are LED's which are all the trend.


Thats the thing with LED's, ok arguably they are brighter and if not now will be in the future over Xenon's but are they really needed ? Xenon over Hal is like night and day. How much brighter than a Xenon do you need ?


GTI mk6, 3dr Manual (Yes Manual! If I wanted a Taxi I'd hail one, not spend £1500 on one), Candy White, Full Leather, Xenons, ACC, 18", RCD510 + Dynaudio, DAB Radio, Winter Pack, Luxury Pack, Fiscon Bluetooth Plus, Golf R LED's.

"Some say he drives a Shopping car, and that his car dent was actually a beauty spot....all we know is he's called Captain Failboat"

Offline GtiJames

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Re: Xenons in UK: not very popular?
« Reply #5 on: 18 May 2010, 15:43 »
they came as standard on the £13k Lupo Gti bloody years ago... and now VW want to charge £1800 for them on a £28k Golf Gti  :sick:

just eat more carrots  :cool: 

 

Offline mac7

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Re: Xenons in UK: not very popular?
« Reply #6 on: 18 May 2010, 16:05 »
Thats the thing with LED's, ok arguably they are brighter and if not now will be in the future over Xenon's but are they really needed ? Xenon over Hal is like night and day. How much brighter than a Xenon do you need ?

I had a lexus behind me with full-on LED headlamps and my got they were intense. Because so much light is coming from such a small area they were dazzling - far more so even than xenons. No brighter on the road than my xenons as he overtook though.

I think here in the UK many people can't justify £1100 (which is a rip-off) when most of the time our road lighting and conditions mean the standard halogens are adequate. They should really be standard on the GTD/GTI.
Golf R

Offline Exonian

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Re: Xenons in UK: not very popular?
« Reply #7 on: 18 May 2010, 16:41 »
I don't have them. I'd like them.
The thing is that with SEAT you get the same system for about two thirds of the price, maybe less. With VW they charge a considerable sum for them and in the UK we're used to being ripped off by just about everyone and expect poor service from just about everyone, so an awful lot of people aren't prepared to pay through their nose for something that other cars have either as standard or as a much cheaper option.
Plus with the current poor exchange rate a Golf isn't exactly good value for money which ever way you look at it to start with at basic list price.

Added to all the above, many cars in the UK are employer funded or part funded through leases. To keep the lease costs down the spec tends to be fairly basic.

I unfortunately pay for my own car thus it was bought in as basic a spec as I could find and I added all the extras I wanted myself (or am in the process of). This has 2 benefits, one being that it saves me a lot of money and the other being that it's quite good fun doing a bit of bargain hunting.

Then finally there's the point that I hardly use the GTI anyway. If I did a lot of driving the Xenons would have made a lot more financial sense.

Still awake after all that? Well you did ask!!! :)
‘25 8.5R, ‘23 8R, ‘20 8CS, ‘19 135iX, ‘19 TCR, ‘17 Ed40, ‘17 GTD, ‘15 7R, ‘13 GTI PP, ‘11 GTI, ‘09 GTI, ‘98 Ibiza Cupra, ‘05 GTI, ‘06 Polo GTI, ‘04 GT TDI, ‘05 Fabia vRS, ‘02 GTI T, ‘03 Ibiza TDI 130, ‘01 Leon 180, ‘89 mk2 16v, ‘99 Ibiza TDI, ‘96 VR6, ‘98 Ibiza TDI, ‘92 VR6, ‘88 mk2 8v, ‘92 Polo G40, ‘91 mk2 8v, ‘89 mk2 8v, 205 GTI 1.9, ‘83 mk1 GTI, ‘80 Scirocco GTI, plus some others I’ve forgotten 

Offline simonpolly

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Re: Xenons in UK: not very popular?
« Reply #8 on: 18 May 2010, 16:59 »
Xenon’s are undoubtedly better than standard lights, when I specced my car I couldn’t justify paying £1800 extra on lights, I hardly ever use the car at night as it’s a second car. (I paid for my car outright with cash so go figure if I could afford them)  :wink: :grin::
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Offline Hartside

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Re: Xenons in UK: not very popular?
« Reply #9 on: 18 May 2010, 17:45 »
I had them on a Honda Civic I used to have and they are certainly better than std, but are they worth £1800 as an option? - I didn't think so (and I could have afforded them  :grin: )
Carbon Grey 5dr GTI