# Ecode vs MK4 Jetta lights what I think and should I get a new set?



## oldmanTDI (Feb 27, 2002)

Ok, I’ve had a set of Hella Ecode with stock bulbs, I traded them away, now I’m really needing to do something about my poor lights.
I have tried: Silverstar (coated USofA), Highoutput none coated, light coat APC, full voltage relays with HD plugs, 100/80 over watt coated APC (heavy coat), light coated HO blue bulbs from Wal-Mart. The best light so far are the DOT approve HO none coated bulb, the Silverstar and the Wallmart HO blue bulbs are about the same, we are talking about light to see with. But I like the Silverstar color the best. Anyway I calculate my lights can only shine up to 85 feet. Which is far too little for me. Low beam here. 
Now to my Ecode, I feel that the low lights were better and the cut off much better. I really think the Ecode high beams were NOT as good as my DOT high beams either in complete dispersal of light or the maximum I could see straight forward. So I’m saying low beam better, high beam Ecode marginally poorer. 
Should I go back to Ecode and try a bunch of different bulbs and my full power relay, or should I bite the bullet and buy HID OEM. What are your opinions of Hella Ecode low and high beam? And did you guys try different bulbs?


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## NovRus (Oct 29, 2002)

*Re: Ecode vs MK4 Jetta lights what I think and should I get a new set? (oldmanTDI)*

Actually, the e-codes are very ingenious! Obviously they are designed for the more hilly and curvy mountainous roads of Europe. As you know the lows are very dark above the cutoff line. Say you are going down a valley and you get to the base, it is really hard to see the road that you are about to go up, so that is why the brights shine so high and wide. The light strength is weaker but that is for your benefit, you won't be blinding oncoming cars as much. So I say keep those e-codes, they are superior to the original lights IMO. http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif 
see signature below


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## mhackett (Apr 16, 2003)

*Re: Ecode vs MK4 Jetta lights what I think and should I get a new set? (NovRus)*

Uh...well...the dedicated highbeams in my Golf/GTI ecodes seemed to be a narrower pencil beam than the US-spec, and shoot further down the road. I read somewhere ECE allows for more intense highbeams.
The single-reflector/bulb Jetta design is going to result in a compromised highbeam. It's good that you can see a positive aspect to this, though...








Mike


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## oldmanTDI (Feb 27, 2002)

*Re: Ecode vs MK4 Jetta lights what I think and should I get a new set? (mhackett)*

I have low lights on, there are street lights. When I'm on country roads with no street lights I use the high beams and in this case the NA Jetta highs are better. Overall the Ecodes only seem to provide me with a marginal upgrade. As I said I traded them away and now I'm debating on buying a new set or just go to HID, which will cut into my toy budget big time. 
Golf well two bulbs work, most guys with Golfs are OK with their lights stock or Ecode. The oldlady's new Volvo has a twin H7 bulb system and the lights are great, same as her older Volvo. No such system exist for the Jetta outside of OEM HID, where I assume there is some sort of additional highlight bulb. Unlike the Volvo HID which really sucks as the highlight bulb is gone and in its place is a near worthless DRL light.
I'm running just HO noncoated bulbs in my Jetta now, with relays for max voltage. Would relays and the best H4 bulbs pickup the ability of Ecodes to function? I guess not, as the cut-off would still limit the distance on low beams, and the high beams just are not that good? Dunno I did not have my Ecodes long enough to try every combination. So far I've purchased maybe $150 worth of bulbs, wire, switches and relays, I hate to buy new Ecodes, toss in $50.00 more of bulbs and come to the conclusion HID OEM is the only workable solution to what should be a simple light problem. 
Do the HID DE work well in combination with NA Jetta lights? I need to see further down the road, would the low mounted DE do this?



_Modified by oldmanTDI at 3:34 PM 12-3-2003_


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## robin_lantigua (May 10, 2000)

*Re: Ecode vs MK4 Jetta lights what I think and should I get a new set? (oldmanTDI)*

Pics I took when I had both setups… needed to see better so I went HID’s
Well this is what I think…. 

*Stock head lamp with Sylvania silver star*








*Hella e-codes + Vision plus bulbs.*









You should see a lot better with the e-codes.
When property aimed. the flares will illuminate the right part of the road very nicely and at the same time they should give you better down the road vision.
NA head lamps has a lot of unnecessary light illuminating sings on top of an over pass bridge etc. while e-codes keeps the beam focus on what you need to see.


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## mhackett (Apr 16, 2003)

*Re: Ecode vs MK4 Jetta lights what I think and should I get a new set? (oldmanTDI)*

Since the Jetta highbeams are a compromise, it could well be that the NA-spec ones just happen to work better than the ECE-spec versions. Your experience seems to indicate that, and I have no reason to think it would be otherwise. Only point I wanted to make before is that I don't think there is anything in the ECE spec in general that should make highbeams inferior, they just are in this particular single reflector/bulb configuration.
Micro DEs are broad-beamed foglights and mounted low. Neither characteristic is what you want for seeing off into the distance.
I'd guess the only answer would be the Jetta HIDs, though in some other topic a month or two ago someone mentioned those highbeams weren't all that good, either. Not sure why, and the topic died shortly thereafter.
Mike


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## oldmanTDI (Feb 27, 2002)

*Re: Ecode vs MK4 Jetta lights what I think and should I get a new set? (mhackett)*

can some pinpoint driving lights be put into the grill, I'm kind of handy with tools. I have a few aero add in, dunno stock grill with some cut outs or a Kamei grill with some rounds might look OK, not good, but functional and OK.


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## mhackett (Apr 16, 2003)

*Re: Ecode vs MK4 Jetta lights what I think and should I get a new set? (oldmanTDI)*

I'm sure you can go nuts with that type of solution, yes. And it could probably be made to work very well. No additional dashboard switchgear would be required, you could just slave them off the regular highbeams (with relay, of course), since on the Jetta you would not be in violation of the "maximum 4 white beams on the front at a time" law.
Only drawback is you might give your sedan a bit of a boy-racer look. Of course, that could be the look you are going for...
If you come up with a good setup for that, you are going to wish you kept those ecodes too.
Mike


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## ECstyling (May 20, 2003)

*Re: Ecode vs MK4 Jetta lights what I think and should I get a new set? (mhackett)*

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