# HIDS with stock lights....



## andrewusmc0311 (Sep 13, 2007)

I recently bought an EFX HID kit with blue 12000k and thought for sure it would work with stock single headlights, since it is High/Low 9007's. I've been wanting aftermarket projector headlights with angel eyes as well but haven't decided on a pair yet, plus money is always an issue. I know I also need to get a Euro switch so I can seperately control the angel eyes, running lights, fog lights, and high/low beams. My question is that with the kit I ordered am I gonna burn anything up or blind the living $#!& out of people on the road. That and if I do get aftermarket headlights that have seperate high/ low beams will I have to buy additional HID bulbs or scrap the ones I'm getting that are 9007's high/low. Not sure if any of this made sense, but I'm just really getting into HID and understanding compared to factory/stock replacements. Thnx.


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## nater (Apr 10, 2000)

*Re: HIDS with stock lights.... (andrewusmc0311)*


_Quote, originally posted by *andrewusmc0311* »_ My question is that with the kit I ordered am I gonna burn anything up or blind the living $#!& out of people on the road. 

It's ok to be confused....I was confused once a long time ago. I came here to learn a lot of what I know now. http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif
But the SHORT answer to your question is a HUGE and RESOUNDING *YES!*
Especially with your lamps. You will indeed blind other drivers. Stay away.
This is the short answer. But trust me, I've been through it. Your lamps are the WORST candidate for an HID swap. http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


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## andrewusmc0311 (Sep 13, 2007)

*Re: HIDS with stock lights.... (nater)*

...So is it best to try and return the EFX kit and buy say aftermarket headlights with the angel eyes, projector low beam and fog light with seperate high beam and use regular bulbs? Or is it best to use HID bulbs with the projectors? Do the projector lenses provide better lighting with normal bulbs? And is HID even worth it? I see it on so many vehicles these days and their more noticable and seem to have better night vision. That's mainly what I'm after, looks are secondary on this one....


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## germanrox (Mar 30, 2001)

Nater, be honest, with 12000k will he _really_ blind people?


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## germanrox (Mar 30, 2001)

*Re: HIDS with stock lights.... (andrewusmc0311)*


_Quote, originally posted by *andrewusmc0311* »_...So is it best to try and return the EFX kit and buy say aftermarket headlights with the angel eyes, projector low beam and fog light with seperate high beam and use regular bulbs? Or is it best to use HID bulbs with the projectors? Do the projector lenses provide better lighting with normal bulbs? And is HID even worth it? I see it on so many vehicles these days and their more noticable and seem to have better night vision. That's mainly what I'm after, looks are secondary on this one....

Yes, return the EFX kit. 
My theory was always research twice, purchase once. It truly saves $$$ in the long run even if that means paying a little more the first time.








Projectors provide a lower overall light output vs a complex shape reflector (think hella dual round vs mk4 looks), the tradeoff for decreased light output is the projector will focus the light sharper and crisper than a complex shape reflector.


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## dennisgli (May 17, 2003)

*Re: HIDS with stock lights.... (andrewusmc0311)*


_Quote, originally posted by *andrewusmc0311* »_Do the projector lenses provide better lighting with normal bulbs? And is HID even worth it? I see it on so many vehicles these days and their more noticable and seem to have better night vision. That's mainly what I'm after, looks are secondary on this one....

I don't think projectors are necessarily better. And HID headlights for the Jetta at around $1500 are not worth it to me - you still have halogen high beams.
I'm not sure why you think some cars you see are more noticeable and have better night vision? Are you sure you aren't just suffering from HID envy







? There are certainly cars out there with better headlights than stock on the Jetta - that's why people that want the best lighting "retrofit" bi-xenon lights from other cars!
So think again about why you want different headlights - let us know and I'm sure you'll get lots of advice here! But a 10000K 9007 HID "kit" is probably the worst choice you can make unless you never plan on driving your car at night.
For me the big advantage of projectors is that you can make small lights that still perform well. But the Jetta has big headlights just calling for a nice big reflector.


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## andrewusmc0311 (Sep 13, 2007)

*Re: HIDS with stock lights.... (dennisgli)*

Ok, so I haven't received the EFX kit yet but they told me its gonna be a 30% restock fee and no refund on shipping either way.







Ouch... But I ordered something else that's a little better... The main thing I am going for is better and more lighting, while not blinding people excessively, my lights are yellowish and don't seem as concentrated or as bright as I want.















Plus I like the looks of these...and yes I like the look of HID projectors
_Modified by andrewusmc0311 at 7:32 AM 9-15-2007_


_Modified by andrewusmc0311 at 7:33 AM 9-15-2007_


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## nater (Apr 10, 2000)

You're heading in the right direction. The thing that still remains to be seen is how *good* those projectors are. Quality seems to be all over the place on some of these aftermarket projectors. 
Good luck. http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


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## kaputsport (Jun 28, 2002)

*Re: (nater)*

I am enbarking on the same thing right now. I got an "HID" retrofit kit, 6000K hi/low for my 2k1. My headlights seriously suck. I am going to play around with aiming the stockers down some to keep the light from killing the people around me while having the advantages of bright headlights. 
The Projectors will come next. I'll report how things go.


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## kaputsport (Jun 28, 2002)

*Re: (kaputsport)*

Surprisingly, the set up I have is great. My stock lights are fine with these. I noticed they are aimed down right now, and with a little aiming, they will be perfect.
They have a nice cut off on them, and do not fire into other cars like I thought they would. Only thing left is the aiming to make them perfect as they can be.
I got stock projectors comming from a Passat that I am going to retrofit... Then my set up will be "Niiiiice" as Borat would say.


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## oempls (Aug 9, 2004)

*Re: (kaputsport)*

12k HID is freaking crazy! Stick with a 4,300k kit or something around that.


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## kaputsport (Jun 28, 2002)

*Re: (Island20V)*

I got the 6000K kit. It is on the vurge of being annoying. 4300K is probably a good starting point.


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## j0ker1 (Sep 21, 2007)

*Re: (kaputsport)*

just a quick question to somthing i read earlier in the posts... i have FK angel eyes, on my mk4 golf... but you said somthing about a Euro Switch??? jus wanted to kno what it was??? 
Cheers


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## germanrox (Mar 30, 2001)

*Re: (j0ker1)*


_Quote, originally posted by *j0ker1* »_just a quick question to somthing i read earlier in the posts... i have FK angel eyes, on my mk4 golf... but you said somthing about a Euro Switch??? jus wanted to kno what it was??? 
Cheers

I see you live in Europe. You do not need to purchase a euro headlight switch. You have one....bastid


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## j0ker1 (Sep 21, 2007)

*Re: (germanrox)*

ok fair enouf, also was wondering how do you wire up your angel eyes so that if you turn the car on the halo's also turn on BUT the lights dont have to be turned on...? so lyk the euroswitch is turned 2 the off position but the halo's are always on... im sure this topic has been covered... i have tried to search for it in the forum's but if sum1 could post a link or even PM me a step by step kinda guide...
Cheers


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## dennisgli (May 17, 2003)

*Re: HIDS with stock lights.... (j0ker1)*

I don't know how cars are wired in England - do you have Daytime Running Lights that are on when the light switch is in the off position?


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## j0ker1 (Sep 21, 2007)

*Re: HIDS with stock lights.... (dennisgli)*

nah we dont have that... but isnt there another way of jus wiring the FK headlights so that they are constantly on (as in the two halo's??) i been tryna think of a way 2 do it but to no avail







lol


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## dennisgli (May 17, 2003)

*Re: HIDS with stock lights.... (j0ker1)*

If it was a North American car I'd suggest wiring them back to the fog light fuse - not sure if the cars over there are wired the same.


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## VWVguy (Aug 25, 2007)

*Re: HIDS with stock lights.... (dennisgli)*

12000k really IS crazy -- i think your lights will burn out quickly in addition to getting some seriously unwanted attention i had to nearly immediately uninstall the hid kit i got from http://www.neverburnout.com. i believe i had them installed for all of 2 weeks. i can't imagine how you're driving around without ridiculous attention from the cops. i can't imagine how anyone drives around with anything over 8000k without attention.
/end rant


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## kaputsport (Jun 28, 2002)

*Re: HIDS with stock lights.... (VWVguy)*

The color of the bulb does not make them last longer, or burn out quicker.
12000K is really colorful though. So are they purple, or pink in color?


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## SinisterMind (Feb 27, 2004)

*Re: HIDS with stock lights.... (kaputsport)*

12000k is for show only and I do hate them. They are the worst. 6000k or less if you want best light output.


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## hrama803 (Sep 26, 2004)

*Re: HIDS with stock lights.... (andrewusmc0311)*


_Quote, originally posted by *andrewusmc0311* »_Ok, so I haven't received the EFX kit yet but they told me its gonna be a 30% restock fee and no refund on shipping either way.







Ouch... But I ordered something else that's a little better... The main thing I am going for is better and more lighting, while not blinding people excessively, my lights are yellowish and don't seem as concentrated or as bright as I want.















Plus I like the looks of these...and yes I like the look of HID projectors
_Modified by andrewusmc0311 at 7:32 AM 9-15-2007_

_Modified by andrewusmc0311 at 7:33 AM 9-15-2007_

I have the same headlights. Its like 1 week old, and the led for one of the halos is dim, not the whole ring just the one top part, any ideas of waht i can do


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## FliGi7 (May 28, 2007)

It's because the halo's are lit by several led's behind the plastic ring. For the best and brightest halo's you'll want the CCFL ones that Helix produces. The crappy looking half halo's are the main reason I didn't go with FK's light. However, it's not to say you can't change to some brighter LED's if you wanted to help compensate.


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## SpaceGhost711 (Jul 23, 2007)

I was wondering what anyone thought about putting HIDs in the stock foglight location on an MK4. It is a projector style lense. Is this a stupid idea?


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## FliGi7 (May 28, 2007)

Seems to me the projector would have to be too large to fit in the fog projector spot to give enough light output.


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## SpaceGhost711 (Jul 23, 2007)

The thing is that I am interested in running HIDs but haven't found any aftermarket projector headlight housings I like. I like a subtle look. The OEMs are nice but crazy expensive.


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## FliGi7 (May 28, 2007)

People do retrofits on here in the stock housings. It looks very simple and clean. 
http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=3329982
http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=3023900


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## germanrox (Mar 30, 2001)

*Re: (SpaceGhost711)*


_Quote, originally posted by *SpaceGhost711* »_I was wondering what anyone thought about putting HIDs in the stock foglight location on an MK4. It is a projector style lense. Is this a stupid idea?

Yes. The mk4 fog is not designed to handle such light output from a HID bulb. Basically the bulb will output more light than the projector is designed to handle.


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## 5thVW (Apr 21, 2003)

*Re: HIDS with stock lights.... (kaputsport)*

I'd gather at 12K you're going to be nearly at the level of one of those "blacklights" they used during those parties back in the 1970's. You know, the kind that made certain types of pictures painted with flourescent paint "glow" in the dark. Def. for show only...you're virtually off the visible light chart into invisible radiation.....


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