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Ross63
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Joined: Dec 29, 2011
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Location: Catterick, North Yorkshire

PostPosted: Sun Jan 01, 2012 7:07 pm Reply with quote Back to top

Hi All,

I have a 1995 B4 Coupe 2.0 16v and it has really poor headlamps. They're correctly set and I've put new bulbs in them but they still have the output of a couple of candles. I think its due to the reflectors deteriorating with age.

I think I have a couple of options here but I'd be glad to hear from anybody who has remedied a similar problem.

1. Get second hand headlamps. I'm not keen on this because even the newest of them will be about 17 years old by now and are probably in the same state as mine, if not worse.

2. Have the reflectors re-silvered. Probably the best result but means the car being off the road whilst the reflectors are away being done.

3. Buy an aftermarket pair of projectors from Ebay. Not keen because I wan't the car to remain looking the way Audi intended it to and from prior experience, the light output from these units is poor anyway.


Any other options?

Thanks,

Ross.

_________________
My fleet:
1995 Audi B4 Coupe 2.0 16v
1997 Saab 9000 2.3T Aero, slightly tweaked 310bhp Wink
1997 Nissan Micra 1.0 Passion - The Wife's (Brilliant little car)
2007 Yamaha FZ6-SA 
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IanW_home
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PostPosted: Sun Jan 01, 2012 10:26 pm Reply with quote Back to top

Hi Ross,

My series 3 90 had the same problem. Even new headlights (courtesy of a dozy Honda driver) didn't help much. In the end, I fitted a fused feed straight from the alternator, via 2 x 40A relays, thicker wire, new grounds & a pair of better Philips bulbs. Seemed to do the trick. Then I had to fiddle with something to stop the 'bulb failed' warning.

http://www.20v.org/light.htm carries most of the stuff, bulb references are to US ones, though.

HTH,
IAn.
 
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Ross63
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Joined: Dec 29, 2011
Posts: 32
Location: Catterick, North Yorkshire

PostPosted: Sun Jan 01, 2012 10:45 pm Reply with quote Back to top

Thanks for the comments Ian. I've fitted beefier wiring harnesses to other vehicles before and you're right, it makes a huge difference. The headlamps on my Toyota Surf were only getting about 7 volts at the bulb connectors. They got 14V with an upgraded harness fitted so the difference is amazing.

I did a quick Google search and came up with this: http://www.eautoworks.com/Putco-H4--9003-Heavy-Duty-Headlight-Upgrade-Wiring-Harness-PRD7540.aspx

They deliver to the UK and it's $64 including shipping for an H4 wiring harness and relay kit. I'll get a torch and check the reflectors from the bulb recesses just to make sure its worthwhile ordering these harnesses.

Thanks for jogging my memory.

Ross.

_________________
My fleet:
1995 Audi B4 Coupe 2.0 16v
1997 Saab 9000 2.3T Aero, slightly tweaked 310bhp Wink
1997 Nissan Micra 1.0 Passion - The Wife's (Brilliant little car)
2007 Yamaha FZ6-SA 
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d-a-n
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PostPosted: Sun Jan 01, 2012 10:48 pm Reply with quote Back to top

Its the thin wiring used in a lot of VAG cars of this vintage that makes these car's headlamps dim.
Before you go to extreme measures, are you sure the lamps are aligned properly? Could be a cheap solution - I did this and then fitted Phillips 90% brighter type bulbs which worked a treat. They miles better, but were still a bit more sh1t than what I anticipated!
Ian's solution above seems like a good route if you still aren't satisfied though.

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Ross63
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PostPosted: Sun Jan 01, 2012 11:03 pm Reply with quote Back to top

Hi Dan,

Yep, they're definitely properly aligned. The output is so poor that you don't even get a decent beam pattern. New bulbs helped a little bit but I'm going to stick a multimeter on the plug and see just how much voltage they're getting.= with the engine running. Anything under 11 and they'll be garbage. Each 1 volt drop decreases light output by aboult half.

Thanks,

Ross

_________________
My fleet:
1995 Audi B4 Coupe 2.0 16v
1997 Saab 9000 2.3T Aero, slightly tweaked 310bhp Wink
1997 Nissan Micra 1.0 Passion - The Wife's (Brilliant little car)
2007 Yamaha FZ6-SA 
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merton
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PostPosted: Mon Jan 02, 2012 12:39 am Reply with quote Back to top

i have the same problem with my 1992 80 and wanted to know what voltage i should be getting at the headlights? should it be 12v or nearer 14v, i have checked the voltage a while ago, it was around 12v, checked the reflectors, all ok, headlights realigned and i drive with full beam on all the time to see properly and dont get flashed by oncoming traffic as you would expect to. if it should be 14v then i think the only option is to fit the relays and harness straight from the battery.
 
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Ross63
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Location: Catterick, North Yorkshire

PostPosted: Mon Jan 02, 2012 12:48 am Reply with quote Back to top

Voltage at the bulb connector should be within fractions of a volt of the voltage measured across the battery terminals with the engine running. If it's not, the wiring to the headlamps isn't up to the job. You should get 13-15V from the battery with the engine running.

_________________
My fleet:
1995 Audi B4 Coupe 2.0 16v
1997 Saab 9000 2.3T Aero, slightly tweaked 310bhp Wink
1997 Nissan Micra 1.0 Passion - The Wife's (Brilliant little car)
2007 Yamaha FZ6-SA 
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Ross63
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Location: Catterick, North Yorkshire

PostPosted: Mon Jan 02, 2012 1:22 pm Reply with quote Back to top

Well, as I initially thought, the reflectors are goosed. They look like the dull side of a sheet of tin foil. They should look like mirrors.

I'll send them away to be re-silvered by dual metalling. Will do a before and after comparison for the forum when I get this done.

_________________
My fleet:
1995 Audi B4 Coupe 2.0 16v
1997 Saab 9000 2.3T Aero, slightly tweaked 310bhp Wink
1997 Nissan Micra 1.0 Passion - The Wife's (Brilliant little car)
2007 Yamaha FZ6-SA 
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recurveandy
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PostPosted: Tue Jan 03, 2012 1:38 pm Reply with quote Back to top

Ross

I should imagine reflectors are still available to purchase from the dealer
I bought a pair some time back for my GT, around the £30 mark if I recall

Might be worth a call to them to check, should be cheaper than re-silvering

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1989 NG Q Pick-up (Daily)
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Ross63
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PostPosted: Tue Jan 03, 2012 2:04 pm Reply with quote Back to top

recurveandy wrote:
Ross

I should imagine reflectors are still available to purchase from the dealer
I bought a pair some time back for my GT, around the £30 mark if I recall

Might be worth a call to them to check, should be cheaper than re-silvering


Thanks for the suggestion Andy. I called Teesside Audi and they can order them at £48+VAT per side but Audi UK have none in stock and they are on back order from the factory so may never arrive. I suppose it was worth a try anyway mate.

Thanks,

Ross

_________________
My fleet:
1995 Audi B4 Coupe 2.0 16v
1997 Saab 9000 2.3T Aero, slightly tweaked 310bhp Wink
1997 Nissan Micra 1.0 Passion - The Wife's (Brilliant little car)
2007 Yamaha FZ6-SA 
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Mike_H
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PostPosted: Tue Jan 03, 2012 10:12 pm Reply with quote Back to top

Have you had the reflectors out, or just looked at them through the lens? Would it be worth trying to polish them up, or are they badly corroded?
 
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Ross63
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Location: Catterick, North Yorkshire

PostPosted: Tue Jan 03, 2012 10:28 pm Reply with quote Back to top

Mike_H wrote:
Have you had the reflectors out, or just looked at them through the lens? Would it be worth trying to polish them up, or are they badly corroded?


Mike,

I had the driver's side headlamp out and took it apart today. They are totally dull. You can't polish them up as the silvering just comes straight off if you use any kind of abrasive polish like brasso or autosol. I've done a temporary fix with good quality metal foil and a small amount of adhesive. This isn't ideal but it's much much better than it was.

I need to use the car as I'm away from home on a course for the next month. My Omega is currently for sale so I don't want to take that and my 9000 is not arriving until next week. I'll clean the reflectors up and send them away to be resilvered next month. They'll be like brand new then.

Thanks,

Ross.

_________________
My fleet:
1995 Audi B4 Coupe 2.0 16v
1997 Saab 9000 2.3T Aero, slightly tweaked 310bhp Wink
1997 Nissan Micra 1.0 Passion - The Wife's (Brilliant little car)
2007 Yamaha FZ6-SA 
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Mike_H
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PostPosted: Tue Jan 03, 2012 10:30 pm Reply with quote Back to top

Fair enough... thought it was worth an ask.

The headlights in mine are pretty good. I'd think you'd have a decent chance of finding good 2nd hand ones, especially now you know what to look for!
 
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Ross63
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Location: Catterick, North Yorkshire

PostPosted: Tue Jan 03, 2012 11:09 pm Reply with quote Back to top

I put a request in to parts gateway and none of the breakers they farm it out to had any in stock. I'd also checked Ebay and could find a driver side one but it didn't look any brighter than mine.

Acting on your suggestion, I just sent messages to a load of people on Ebay who are breaking Coupes, 80 V6s and Cabriolets, and I've got some reasonable quotes back.

Thanks for the suggestion, much appreciated.

Ross

_________________
My fleet:
1995 Audi B4 Coupe 2.0 16v
1997 Saab 9000 2.3T Aero, slightly tweaked 310bhp Wink
1997 Nissan Micra 1.0 Passion - The Wife's (Brilliant little car)
2007 Yamaha FZ6-SA 
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Ross63
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Posts: 32
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PostPosted: Wed Jan 04, 2012 12:16 am Reply with quote Back to top

Ordered a pair from a breaker £56 with next day delivery. Smile

_________________
My fleet:
1995 Audi B4 Coupe 2.0 16v
1997 Saab 9000 2.3T Aero, slightly tweaked 310bhp Wink
1997 Nissan Micra 1.0 Passion - The Wife's (Brilliant little car)
2007 Yamaha FZ6-SA 
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A80QAAH
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PostPosted: Thu Jan 05, 2012 11:51 am Reply with quote Back to top

The reflectors had gone on mine when I bought it, one side significantly more than the other. I put brighter bulbs in and found that road signs were much better lit but not much else, it was actually quite dangerous on unlit motorways. I bought a pair of elipsoids brand new back when they were under £200 inc VAT. I have to say the light output is excellent in my opinion, I have never felt the need to upgrade to brighter bulbs or HIDs.

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Ross63
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PostPosted: Thu Jan 05, 2012 5:41 pm Reply with quote Back to top

Here's what my reflectors look like:





Not good. I'm hoping my new ones are better.

_________________
My fleet:
1995 Audi B4 Coupe 2.0 16v
1997 Saab 9000 2.3T Aero, slightly tweaked 310bhp Wink
1997 Nissan Micra 1.0 Passion - The Wife's (Brilliant little car)
2007 Yamaha FZ6-SA 
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gripper
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PostPosted: Thu Jan 05, 2012 7:29 pm Reply with quote Back to top

A80QAAH wrote:
I bought a pair of elipsoids brand new back when they were under £200 inc VAT.


Blimey ! 0% depreciation Shock
They still fetch £200 + for a good set !

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1992 2.8 V6 Coupe Quattro (indigo blue)
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Ross63
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PostPosted: Fri Jan 06, 2012 9:03 pm Reply with quote Back to top

Well, the headlamps arrived.................................... and don't fit! Crying or Very sad

They're from a 1991 car and mine is 1995, I should have researched it more thoroughly. A damn shame as the reflectors were like mirrors, they'd have been super bright. Back to driving by candle light until I can get another set.

_________________
My fleet:
1995 Audi B4 Coupe 2.0 16v
1997 Saab 9000 2.3T Aero, slightly tweaked 310bhp Wink
1997 Nissan Micra 1.0 Passion - The Wife's (Brilliant little car)
2007 Yamaha FZ6-SA 
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A80QAAH
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PostPosted: Sat Jan 07, 2012 5:12 pm Reply with quote Back to top

gripper wrote:
A80QAAH wrote:
I bought a pair of elipsoids brand new back when they were under £200 inc VAT.


Blimey ! 0% depreciation Shock
They still fetch £200 + for a good set !


50% depreciation unfortunately. They were £200 each, they went up to £350 each soon after, they might even be NLA now.

_________________
99 Audi Cabriolet 2.8 V6
92 Audi 80 2.8 V6 Quattro
98 TVR Cerbera 4.5
90 Rover Mini Flame Red, Turbocharged
69 Austin Mini Cooper
71 MGB GT 
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merton
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PostPosted: Sat Jan 07, 2012 6:35 pm Reply with quote Back to top

im sure there must be a few pairs of standard available from ebay from breakers or sellers with headlights, how much where you quoted for the resilvering?
 
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Ross63
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PostPosted: Sat Jan 07, 2012 8:40 pm Reply with quote Back to top

I was quoted £70+VAT+postage for the resilvering. Probably about £100 all-in which will give a better result than anything from the breakers or Elipsoids from an S2.

There were two different models of headlamp on the Coupe. The B3 had Audi badged headlamps with the side light bulb in the headlamp bowl. The B4 had Hella badged headlamps with the side light bulb on the outer edge of the unit. The reflectors on the Audi headlamps seem to stand up much better than the Hella ones, even though both have input from Hella. The reflectors are not interchangeable, I've tried and they don't fit.

Mine is one of the last of the B4 Coupes, If I buy another set of B4 headlamps they're likely to be as poor as mine. I think I'm left with the choice of either getting them resilvered or buying Elipsoids from an S2. The Elipsoids suffer the same in the full beam reflectors as the standard B4 headlamps.

I'm away on a course for the next month so I'll need to wait until February to send my reflectors away for resilvering.

_________________
My fleet:
1995 Audi B4 Coupe 2.0 16v
1997 Saab 9000 2.3T Aero, slightly tweaked 310bhp Wink
1997 Nissan Micra 1.0 Passion - The Wife's (Brilliant little car)
2007 Yamaha FZ6-SA 
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Mikes2
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PostPosted: Sat Jan 07, 2012 8:57 pm Reply with quote Back to top

Having had both versions on different S2s, the ellipsoids are actually worse than the H4 lights for light output.

New lenses for the H4 lights are still available. I'd recommend new ones if you're sorting the reflectors
 
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Ross63
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Location: Catterick, North Yorkshire

PostPosted: Sat Jan 07, 2012 10:20 pm Reply with quote Back to top

Thanks Mike. I don't think you can beat a good reflector and lens set up. Elipsoid projectors don't have enough surface area to put a decent amount of light on the road.

I'll polish the lenses with my machine polisher when I get the reflectors done. The lenses themselves are actually pretty good. I'll speak to the dealer and see how much they want for a pair of lenses. They must have dropped in price a bit now that demand is not very high.

_________________
My fleet:
1995 Audi B4 Coupe 2.0 16v
1997 Saab 9000 2.3T Aero, slightly tweaked 310bhp Wink
1997 Nissan Micra 1.0 Passion - The Wife's (Brilliant little car)
2007 Yamaha FZ6-SA 
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