Nobody knew if they would look ok on the car or not. So like I did before, I bought a set to try and give as much info as possible so that you can make your own informed decision. There are 2 choices of headlights to buy....
Chrome:
Or Smoked:
I opted for the smoked headlights. Placed the order and got them a week later. Decided not to go the eBay route and chose Parts4Euro as they state to have a better HID system that won't cause any errors. The headlights look exactly like they do in the photos The only difference is in the back where the HID kit was added (cutting out a hole to feed the wires to the ballast).
I took a close look at the rubber grommet used to cover up the cut out hole for the wires. The grommet was sealed with clear silicone to prevent any moisture to get into the housing and cause condensation issues. Good work there! I later tested this to be accurate as I have not encountered any condensation after going through several touchless car washes (uncluding undercarriage spray) and several heavy rainy days (highway and back roads with standing water). Headlights remain clear and fog free.
Installation is a breeze. The only thing I will note is that the top tabs of the headlights are very tight against the frame of the car. I was a bit worried that they might crack or break, but they remain solid. I would advise taking your time to put it in and not force it in place.
Now for some shots..... first... at night.
The light from the garage was causing the reflection of the parts to show up.
The LED strips for the parking lights look really good by themselves.
The yellow LED strip is the turning signal. It will only light up when the turn signal is on, but still distinctive.
The white LED strip will get washed out when the Xenon light is turned on, but still noticeable.
The high beam halogens are a joke. They provide no additional lighting value to the driver.
Here's a vid showing it in action...
http://FatRings.smugmug.com/gallery/...4_Lct9dHv-A-LB
The beam pattern is no a true Xenon HID pattern. These headlights are originally desined as halogen projector headlights. Therefore the beam pattern does not have a stairstep pattern. Instead, each projector housing will have a horizontal cutoff from the left side to the middle, and then slant up at a 45 degree angle from the center to the right side. Like this.... _/ _/ I did some adjustment so that when on the road, the two merge together to form a single _/ pattern.
The halogen projector lens on mine turned out to be really good. No hot spots or dark areas. It results in bright and even light distribution across the road. It is narrower than OEM projectors, so the sides on the driver's side isn't lit up well. On the other hand, the passenger side was lit well due to the cutoff pattern. Out on the road, highway signs are lit up better than with my OEM set. Haven't been flashed by any oncoming cars either.
Only caveat I will say is that because these were built as halogen headlights and retrofitted to HID, your results with the clarity and light distribution out on the road will vary.
The HID kit that came with the headlights work well. No codes thrown for any bulb out or ballast not firing. The only error code I got was from a lack of communication from the auto level motors. They are either not present in the headlights (which goes against product description), not compatible with our cars (which goes against product description), or are broken. I've sent email to Parts4Euro along with a VAG-COM scan to show the signal error, but have not yet received any reply. For now, I've removed the fuse to stop seeing the error warning in the DIS.
Here are some daytime shots.....
This is with the LED strip and turn signal both on. While the turn signal is visable, the LED strip is weak in daylight.
With headlights on.
Daytime video...
http://FatRings.smugmug.com/gallery/...8_VtmQ88V-A-LB
These to me are well built, but it dearly needs more intensity for both the turn signals and the LED strip. Functional high beams might be nice too when out on isolated country roads, but the light projected from the HIDs are very good for daily use. Last night I drove through a snow shower, and the headlights offered very good visibility of the road.
I'm going to hold onto these and see if I can do some upgrades to the LED strip and the turn signal. I'll do my research and planning over the winter and get it done during the spring. Might also look into "joey modding" the chrome used in the turn signals and maybe some sort of "black chrome" for the high beam reflector.
Not a bad setup. I think the LED strip works well with the car. I would skip these if you have a boser hood as most of the LED strip will be covered.
Let me know if you have any questions or need any more info. Finally, before anyone asks, I'm also keeping my S4 Bi-Xenon headlights too.
Reply With Quote
are you keeping it as it is or you'll change the projector for better cut off?
GONE
Originally Posted by m3ph
Built by RavenMS. Powered by PSI Concepts & GIAC
"Amy" 
was 
and after 
Bookmarks