HID Can Bus Ballasts question ..

[Golf-Sam]

Hi guys ..

Im going to run projectors with HID's on the Bora .. saw on ebay some sellers stating that their kits are NOT can bus error free ...

any of the MK4 boys with HID's have any input at all ??

do we need Can Bus Ballasts ? or is everyone running the normal ones ?

Thanks ,

Sam

[MK4Golf]

I am just running the normal slimline ballasts dude :) No problems at all.

[Golf-Sam]

sick that's what i wanted to know ! :banana:

[JustCruisn]

I don't think MK4 have CAN bus. It was a MK5+ thing. Weird since the tech has been around since the 1980s.

[Wighty654]

Im running with normal ballasts and they work fine, only thing I will suggest with HID is to wire them so that dip beam stays on when you turn high beam on, otherwise I've found you tend to be plunged into darkness for a couple of seconds :P

[Wighty654]

and also just a heads up with ebay, although your probably aware already, most of the projectors are LHD. Also be careful with those that say they are adjustable because some just cut your light down. If you want a link to a good ebay seller let me know :)

[Golf-Sam]

Haha Thanks guys .. but in Retrofitting my own headlights .. should look nice ! will have an awesome beam .. i'll keep you guys posted !

[Manaz]

Haha Thanks guys .. but in Retrofitting my own headlights .. should look nice ! will have an awesome beam .. i'll keep you guys posted !

Please don't do this.

PLEASE.

You will *not* have an awesome beam - in fact, you'll have a ****-house beam that just dazzles people around you because your stock headlights (or even the after-market projectors you're talking about) are not designed with the arc of an HID bulb in mind when focusing light out the front of the car (the arc of an HID bulb generally runs perpendicular to the filament in a stock bulb, and even without this difference, the light output pattern is quite different).

And if you buy LHD specific (as most after-market projectors are) headlights, it just gets worse, because they'll have a "kick" in the beam pattern that projects light right into the face of oncoming traffic.

And any claims you make about longer projection or better night vision is totally voided if you choose the wrong colour temperature - which most people who think retrofitting HIDs to reflectors tend to do.

And then there are the issues around the requirement for headlight auto-levellers and washers that you need to meet for your car to even be considered road-worthy.

This is one of those things that is actually illegal for many very good reasons.

How do I know all this? Lots and lots of research because I considered doing it properly myself. About the only way we can do that is to import OEM RHD HIDs from another market - and that basically means the UK (they were a factory option there) and that generally means $800+ before shipping.

Oh, and yes JustCruisn was right - no CANBUS in the Mk4, VW first introduced it into the Mk5.

[Wighty654]

I finally found RHD HID from america (properly adjustable). the kick of light is in the left side of the beam etc etc. Ive been driving to and from work in the dark over the last few weeks and havent been flashed or aything yet. Ive also ended up behind cops or going the opposite way to them several times, they didnt bat an eyelid. Im aware they are illegal which is why ive kept my standards in case i need a roady :)

[Golf-Sam]

I had that done to my MK3 .. it was adjustable from inside the car with the propper cutoff for RHD .. never EVER did i get flashed by oncoming traffic .. infact people got glare from my factory halogens and used to flash me all the time .. i used 6000K HID's and it was amazing .. my high beam competed with other people's driving lights on country roads .. it's not my first time doing it .. and it will be done properly ..

i will post pictures of the cutoff that i will have .. i understand the legal issue of having HIDs .. but i used to get pulled over by cops quite often and it all looked OEM to them on my Golf ..

Sam

[MK4Golf]

I may be a noob but whats retrofitting?

[Wighty654]

As long as you keep the lens clean and adjusted properly I think HID would be less blinding because its a more directed light.

[Wighty654]

I may be a noob but whats retrofitting?

Retrofitting is when you modify a part rather than replace. For example in this thread instead of buying a new headlight unit with HID units installed, whereas Golf-Sam is using his original units and installing his own HID setup.

[MK4Golf]

Awesome thanks :) Just buy new brother!

[Golf-Sam]

Awesome thanks :) Just buy new brother!

the quality of the projectors that you get through ebay is horrid .. been there done that .. i do it my own way .. trust me ;)

[JustCruisn]

Unless you get the OEM stuff from the UK it will be a terrible failure.
I have seen so many cars with after market HIDs and I would not say that any of them had a decent focus. They are all glary and jittery crap. I hate them so much that when I see that all too familiar flickering in my rear view mirror, some times close to a KM back, I pull over to let the prick pass.

[Wighty654]

Yeah most of the stuff on eBay is terrible. I got mine from a tuning store in the US that i found via another product on ebay. They put together a set and then put up a specific sale for me (RHD and 3 x HID in each unit). I've tested them driving behind mates and swapping cars and they are fine, dont glare at all. Couldnt be any happier since my standards were yellowed almost to the point of not being able to see.

[Golf-Sam]

it can be setup right if you go with a decent brand projectors .. like BMW ones or Acura ones .. you'd be surprised how good it can be .. i never got flashed when i had my golf setup .. not a single complaint form anyone .. have a little faith would ya ! :google:

[tonymy01]

I had the Jaycar H4 ones in my WRX (non projector housing, just the standard headlight assembly), and was never flashed either. The H4 ones from Jaycar have an appropriate shield that goes into the headlight housing that produces a very good cut-off, I could see the light pattern had the left up slight kick too, not right side up, so they pass there also. I agree, a non shielded variety HID into a normal headlight housing would be terrible, but the H4 ones from Jaycar were pretty good. However in saying that, I didn't sell the car with them installed due to their dubious legality.

[Golf-Sam]

i finished my retrofit successfully .. will pot pics tomorrow ..