i got some of them 6000k in my renault van so much better than halogen bulbs that were in but i dont think id put them in my golf as there not the same light out put stick with the genuine ones or it wont look the same unless yr not that bothered ?

 

I'm probably going to replace both at the same time (hoping its not the ballast etc causing flickering). Do you know if its D2R that you need? (As opposed to D2S)

 

i thort that flickerin was down to the ballast ? i had flicker on me van changed ballasts to digital ones and now no flicker
not sure which one you need sorry dave

 

i thort that flickerin was down to the ballast ? i had flicker on me van changed ballasts to digital ones and now no flicker
not sure which one you need sorry dave

Seems to be mixed opinions on what causes it, but the bulb has turned a slightly different colour too - so thinking it could be that. Out of interest, which ballasts did you go for and from where?

Anyone else know which type of bulbs are required D2S or D2R?

 

From my understanding D2R was/is designed for reflector housings (open face) whilst D2S is for projectors. In this instance you will need the D2S

 

As above stick with the OEMs...The flickering you mention sounds ominously like the igniter..if it was a bulb it wouldnt come on at all me thinks. It CAN possibly be the ballast(£130 ish) if your lucky...
You can find out by swapping them across..
If its the igniter they are built into the headlamp and not serviceable unfortunately.So new headlamp..
I have read somewhere there is a way of splicing in a remote igniter ,but I wouldnt try it..
Get it vagcommed anyway.

 

Firstly the Philips 6000k ones OEM levels of quality - hence the price. But 6000k won't be as Bright as OEM 4300k bulbs. So they'll look better at 6000k, but they defiantly won't be as bright. Something worth considering before you take the plunge of almost £200

The cheaper £35 bulbs are cheap for a reason - they are not upto the same OEM quality of Philips or OSRAM D2S bulbs.
I once bought a pair of 5000k bulbs that cost £40 from ebay. Whacked them in, amazed at how bright they were. A few months later I started noticing they weren't as bright as I first found.

I then took the plunge and bought some proper OSRAM ones, and was amazed at how bright there were.

So lesson learnt, cheap bulbs don't last long (or don't stay powerful for long), and No1 for me is to have performance over 'looks'

 

Firstly the Philips 6000k ones OEM levels of quality - hence the price. But 6000k won't be as Bright as OEM 4300k bulbs. So they'll look better at 6000k, but they defiantly won't be as bright. Something worth considering before you take the plunge of almost £200

The cheaper £35 bulbs are cheap for a reason - they are not upto the same OEM quality of Philips or OSRAM D2S bulbs.
I once bought a pair of 5000k bulbs that cost £40 from ebay. Whacked them in, amazed at how bright they were. A few months later I started noticing they weren't as bright as I first found.

I then took the plunge and bought some proper OSRAM ones, and was amazed at how bright there were.

So lesson learnt, cheap bulbs don't last long (or don't stay powerful for long), and No1 for me is to have performance over 'looks'

Agreed on that - definitely want performance. I think I'll just get the guy to order in 2 bulbs, replace both. If it still flickers (agreed does sound like igniter but might as well try bulbs and at least then they are brand new) then I guess I'll have to order the whole unit off VW?

Thanks all for your input and apologies it is a slight repost

 

Hope its not the igniter Dave..£500+ new headlamp.
I got mine done under warranty..OR I would have looked into a way of fixing without having to fork out
for a complete headlamp..hope your lucky and its a bulb or ballast.

 

Hope its not the igniter Dave..£500+ new headlamp.
I got mine done under warranty..OR I would have looked into a way of fixing without having to fork out
for a complete headlamp..hope your lucky and its a bulb or ballast.

£500 where do they get there prices

 

£500 where do they get there prices

Absolute rip off merchants! I once paid £200+ for that bracket that holds the ballast onto the light when I first bought the car - I've obviously learnt now to avoid at all costs going to VW!

 

Absolute rip off merchants! I once paid £200+ for that bracket that holds the ballast onto the light when I first bought the car - I've obviously learnt now to avoid at all costs going to VW!

Rip off is right mate..but with some OEMs they have you by the short n curlies..you dont have a choice and they slap your ass!!

 

If you are having problems or need new bulbs etc give Nick Cottis a call at Autolamps-Online, he helped in the original development if HID headlamps.
Philips X-treme power, Visionplus , Bluevision offering +80%,50% and 30% xenon effect in H1,H3,H4,H7,9005,9006

They should be able to help you out and maybe able to repair the unit itself rather than fork out for a new oe one.

 

i was looking into changing my headlights for 6k xenons on my Mk5.. is it a big job?

which ones would be best suited for me?
D2R
D2S
or another?

regards
Ant

 

DONT waste your money on the expensive ones.

These are the ones that i fitted in mine (6000k), ive had these in for over a year now and they are absolutely spot on! Still the same colour and excellent quality.

I Paid £16.45 for two with free p&p so the ones below are an even better deal!

VW Golf MK4 MK5 R32 D2S HID Xenon Replacement Bulbs on eBay (end time 02-Nov-10 14:57:06 GMT)

You must have money to burn if your going to pay £90 for one! These are exactly the same and even if one does blow in a couple of years just look how cheap they are to replace!

BIG TOE - they are the D2S ones that you need. Im not to sure how easy they are to fit in the Mk5 but the Mk4 is a peice of cake (5 mins tops).

Ive also bought these for mine as im sick of replacing blown bulbs!!!!!!! They also look the tits and are mega mega bright!!

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=320524901852&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT

 

I have to admit i got some from HIDs direct for 18 odd notes i sent the link to ya dave.
They have been good for about a year and colour not changed, having said that i wont mock until i try so maybe when these go ill get the philips ones

 

DONT waste your money on the expensive ones.

These are the ones that i fitted in mine (6000k), ive had these in for over a year now and they are absolutely spot on! Still the same colour and excellent quality.

I Paid £16.45 for two with free p&p so the ones below are an even better deal!

VW Golf MK4 MK5 R32 D2S HID Xenon Replacement Bulbs on eBay (end time 02-Nov-10 14:57:06 GMT)

You must have money to burn if your going to pay £90 for one! These are exactly the same and even if one does blow in a couple of years just look how cheap they are to replace!

BIG TOE - they are the D2S ones that you need. Im not to sure how easy they are to fit in the Mk5 but the Mk4 is a peice of cake (5 mins tops).

Ive also bought these for mine as im sick of replacing blown bulbs!!!!!!! They also look the tits and are mega mega bright!!

eBay - The UK's Online Marketplace

I have to admit i got some from HIDs direct for 18 odd notes i sent the link to ya dave.
They have been good for about a year and colour not changed, having said that i wont mock until i try so maybe when these go ill get the philips ones

THanks guys - yeah got your PM Dougal after I posted Sold! I'm going to order the 16 quid ones - especially as it might not even be the bulbs that have gone!

 

i was looking into changing my headlights for 6k xenons on my Mk5.. is it a big job?

which ones would be best suited for me?
D2R
D2S
or another?

regards
Ant

Not a big job at all, 10 mins max. OSRAM and Philips are both OEM bulbs so I'd try and use them where possible - at least for £60!

I've got 2 new philips 4300k D2S bulbs on order (should hopefully be here tomorrow). Got them from HIDS4U.co.uk with discount via Quidco.

If i've got time when changing the bulbs I'll try and do a step by step photo guide on getting the bulbs out and back in. Most important thing is to make sure the ignition is off, keys out and lights set to 0. If you've got coming home lights, switch them off in the DIS or at least wait for them to go out.

Twist of the big back cap behind the main light, twist the orange cube in the 'open' direction and remove. You'll feel/see the the back of the bulb. Around this will be another ridged circular outer ring. twist this anti-clockwise and you'll hear a click and the bulb will be loose. try and take the bulb out only holding on to the black bit - do not touch the glass part of the lamp it may be hot and if you're planning on reusing the bulb the finger prints may cause the bulb/lights to fail.

 

I tried the cheap bulbs in my mkv and could get them to fit. Very frustrated after over an hour just put the oem back in (fitted first time) and left it.

Would be interested to here how people get on with the philips/osram units on the mkv.

 

Guys, the cheap ones didnt fit - took them to a garage and he said they were the right ones but badly made and would have to force them in. Therefore I am now ordering SDmac27's ones from HIDS4U Philips D2S bulbs - HID Xenon Replacement for Philips type 85122...

 

Do they not slot into the holder correctly? If so i had this problem and i couldnt get the screw cap over the bulb correctly to secure it in place - forcing it in wouldnt have helped and would have broken the unit.

Simple fixs:
- Get a stanley knife and trim 3 of the small nipples off the front face of the bulbs mount - this will allow the fastening cap to fit.

- If required trim a mm off the edges of the bulbs mount so it fits better in the slot (not the same bulb but heres an example of what i mean)

Hope this helps
EDIT - added pics

 

Don't really want to bodge it together mate. I've just ordered some of the proper Philips D2S 85122 bulbs for £60 for the pair as in the link above! I should have stuck by my normal motto of always spending the money. Will let you know how I get on this time.

 

Just an update on the Philips bulbs, kind of.....turns out the there's a problem with my headlights that the garage wasn't entirely sure about....delightful. Getting dark and still no headlights! The bulbs are identical to the ones taken out of the car and as far as I know VAG cars have either Philips or OSRAM xenon bulbs in them.

 

Just an update on the Philips bulbs, kind of.....turns out the there's a problem with my headlights that the garage wasn't entirely sure about....delightful. Getting dark and still no headlights! The bulbs are identical to the ones taken out of the car and as far as I know VAG cars have either Philips or OSRAM xenon bulbs in them.

Ah mate good luck with that - they not working at all?

The guy at the garage VAGcom'd my car and reset the auto levelling (which had an error), but none of the rest of the light is throwing a fault. So i'm really hoping the new bulb gets rid of the flicker

 

Only the side lights, not even a hint of light from the dipped beams. Full beams work fine though.

Not able to get the car back in to the garage until Thursday which means I get to go in to work progressively later and come home that little bit earlier every day...every cloud has a silver lining! That and the fact the garage didn't immediately suggest I need a whole new headlamp on each side!