Fitting aftermarket headlights to Mk4 R - R32OC

nightSpirit · 27th June 2009, 11:35 PM

Some of you will have seen my post about black headlights for the R in the interior and exterior section. I'd sourced a supplier in Holland who'd assured me these lights (they are xenons) would fit straight onto the Mk4 R...

No...

They're fitment for Mk4 standard, not the R. The problem being that the R has 12 pin plugs and a different pin config than the normal Mk4 which is 10 pin...incorporating an internal fog where the second indicator lens sits on the R.

I won't bore you with how to remove the bumper etc, just start with what I did to get them installed.

The reason I started this install early, stone hits lens, stone wins.

I got the Depo black headlights, without halo's and with a 6k xenon lamp.

After a quick trip to Halfords to buy the bulbs used on the normal Mk4, that was one problem solved.

I then went to my local VW dealer, Martin's in Camberley and ordered 2 10 pin plugs and 10 (2 pins on each wire) 2mm wires. As you'll see in fact you only need 6 pins to power everything as below:

earth for side, ind and xenon
earth for main
positive for xenon
positive for ind
positive for side
positive for main.

I started by tracing the wires to the correct pins on both R32 and Mk4 lights (easy task) and working out which wires were actually needed.

R32 lamp setup

Mk4 innards

And so I pinned up the plugs, making sure that the spare channels I wasn't using were plugged with sealant.

Removing the plug and then wiring up the wires, making sure to wrap off the unused wires and wrap the soldered connections when done

Before

After, drivers side done. I located the remote ignitor under the plastic trim that runs beneath the headlight, it has a handy channel that the unit fits in perfectly.

Passenger side before (which annoyingly has different coloured wires and an extra plug feeding the ignitor)

And after. Now all you have to do is simply bolt them in (after testing them) refit the bumper and grill and then drive to a carpark to take photos of your handywork.