# MK5 Aftermarket Headlights



## feelinjunky (Aug 12, 2009)

Has anyone tried these headlights? Would you guys recommend? They seem to be an excellent value and look great. JDM projectors for around $160. I will be putting in HIDs.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/06-0...ptZMotorsQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories


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## feelinjunky (Aug 12, 2009)

Any opinions? Scroll down on link for better pictures.


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## dennisgli (May 17, 2003)

These?










1) They aren't HID headlights.

2) They look pretty cheesy to me!


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## feelinjunky (Aug 12, 2009)

They're projectors. It'll work nicely with HIDs. Thanks!


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## PA-TDI (Feb 10, 2009)

Wow, what a cluster. Just because they have projectors, it doesn't mean that they handle HID's.


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## feelinjunky (Aug 12, 2009)

Every car I've replaced halogens with HID projectors looks really nice. Significant improvement in visibility. They should work nicely with HIDs. They're JDM projectors. So another no?


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## PA-TDI (Feb 10, 2009)

Even if they were able to handle the HIDs the wires hanging out the backside would be a mess and could possibly rot and cause more problems.


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## dennisgli (May 17, 2003)

feelinjunky said:


> They're JDM projectors. So another no?


So you mean that they come stock on VWs sold in Japan? I kinda doubt that.

And they're still halogen headlights and not HIDs.


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## feelinjunky (Aug 12, 2009)

PA-TDI said:


> Even if they were able to handle the HIDs the wires hanging out the backside would be a mess and could possibly rot and cause more problems.


So I'll organize them LoL. No big deal. Zip ties, shrink tubing etc. are easy solutions. Wires don't rot; they can corrode, but even that's rare.

Whether they're halogen or HID projectors is irrelevant. I'm asking how they look to you guys or if anyone has tried them. Clearly, this is the wrong crowd. Prove me wrong.

HID or halogen enclosure, you can't see the difference in beam pattern. They both have a plate that cleanly cuts off the light. "HID" projectors have a movable plate for high beams. That's it. The light will look fine.


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## PA-TDI (Feb 10, 2009)

feelinjunky said:


> So I'll organize them LoL. No big deal. Zip ties, shrink tubing etc. are easy solutions. Wires don't rot; they can corrode, but even that's rare.
> 
> Whether they're halogen or HID projectors is irrelevant. I'm asking how they look to you guys or if anyone has tried them. Clearly, this is the wrong crowd. Prove me wrong.
> 
> HID or halogen enclosure, you can't see the difference in beam pattern. They both have a plate that cleanly cuts off the light. "HID" projectors have a movable plate for high beams. That's it. The light will look fine.


They look ugly. Is that what you wanted to hear? "HID" projectors do not have a moveable plate for high beam. You clearly do not know enough about lighting. If you put a HID bulb into a halogen projector it will burn the projector bowl over time and the light output will greatly decrease. When dealing with HID projectors you have 2 choices, xenon and bi-xenon, Xenon is the equivalent of a halogen projector but it can handle HID bulbs. Bi-xenon projectors are the ones that have both hi and lo beam built in, they also can handle HID bulbs.


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## JETTAWOLFS98 (Aug 13, 2002)

PA-TDI said:


> They look ugly. Is that what you wanted to hear? "HID" projectors do not have a moveable plate for high beam. You clearly do not know enough about lighting. If you put a HID bulb into a halogen projector it will burn the projector bowl over time and the light output will greatly decrease. When dealing with HID projectors you have 2 choices, xenon and bi-xenon, Xenon is the equivalent of a halogen projector but it can handle HID bulbs. Bi-xenon projectors are the ones that have both hi and lo beam built in, they also can handle HID bulbs.


Even the HELLA projectors? TMTuning have the option to install a HID Kit in the lights and they said it wont burn the projector bowl? 

Are they lying about it ?

I'm planning to get the Hella Projectors with the 3500k hid kit, they build the set when you buy the projectors and the HID kit.

But know you make me think twice, I dont want my lights to go bad after some time.


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## phd-12v (Jun 13, 2001)

if they removed the light bar and 2 leds above the main lights, and got rid of the halo's, then they would look ok. Just my opinion though.


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## feelinjunky (Aug 12, 2009)

JETTAWOLFS98 said:


> Even the HELLA projectors? TMTuning have the option to install a HID Kit in the lights and they said it wont burn the projector bowl?
> 
> Are they lying about it ?
> 
> ...


I don't think they're lying about it. I've replaced halogens with hids on multiple cars. All my friends replaced their projector halogen bulbs for 55watt hids from DDM tuning. Best decision ever. They've been running them for 2 years and nothing has burned out. They still out-shine damn near all car headlights and don't blind drivers, because they're projectors with a nice cutoff. 

And how can replacing a 55watt bulb with a 55watt bulb cause things to burn out? Yea, you can argue that the heat is more concentrated, but it's still 55watts of heat either way. Especially if you have a metal housing, I can personally guarantee you that 55watts won't melt metal LoL.

fyi, here's my setup now. Just 4 55watt hids fogs and lows (in reflector housing...oh noo. can't wait for someone to jump all over this one). You can see by the tree in the background that the cutoff is decent, but not great. Also the scattering pattern isn't so good, which is why I'm leaning towards projectors. Thanks for your opinions on the design.


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## feelinjunky (Aug 12, 2009)

PA-TDI said:


> "HID" projectors do not have a moveable plate for high beam. You clearly do not know enough about lighting.


I was talking about solely HID projectors, or, ones without separate halogen brights. Notice the dim/brights shield in the illustration, which is just a reflective metal plate. They need that to eliminate warm-up time for brights, in case you didn't know.


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## PA-TDI (Feb 10, 2009)

They are called bi-xenon projectors, they have lo and hi beam in one projector. Some projectors are bi-xenon and some aren't. The shield is not a reflective metal plate either, it's usually dull and sometimes even painted black to make the cutoff sharper.


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## JETTAWOLFS98 (Aug 13, 2002)

Good information !!! I'm check the tmtuning to find out the whole hid kit but i want to update the cecm module in order to have it all close to OEM and the fogs lights too.


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## vancity 1.8t (Jan 12, 2003)

Here's a set of bi-xenon HIDs that I think would look great on your car.

http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthre...f-Jetta-HID-Bi-Xenon-Headlights-Plug-and-Play!

Those live and exposed wires hanging around the back of the lights you posted are kind of scary...


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## kt883 (Nov 23, 2007)

No they are not designed for HID. Yes they will do fine if you dont care about crystal clear cutoffs. Putting HID in halogen projectors is 1000X better than putting them in halogen reflectors. 

IMO they dont look that nice. Why do you want JDM lights on your german car? :screwy: 

Also did you notice the spagghetti wiring in the back? Looks HURTIN'! In my experience these types of lights are made cheaply with poor quality parts and as is with yours, rubber bulb caps which tend to crack over time due to heat and excessive use.


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## feelinjunky (Aug 12, 2009)

Look, the set of bixenons are $600. For $150 this looks like a better bang for the buck. Of course the cutoff won't be crystal clear, but it'll look damn good compared to my HID halogen reflectors now. I wish they made reflector HID housings more often...Right now I have a 4 out of 10. These will make my light pattern look an 8 out of 10, and the $600 housings are 10 out of 10. It's a big improvement for little money. 

The wires look like crap in the picture. I agree. But that is the least of my concerns. It's called shrink tubing, wire ties, 14 awg wire, a little engineering, common sense and an hour of elbow grease. I'm good with electronics so it won't be a problem. I'll make it look nice. 

The rubber caps are what most cars come with these days. Its just to keep the moisture out. Yea, they'll crack, but in 10 years when I'm selling the car. Plus they're like 5 bucks to replace so I'm not worried about that. 

And I thought JDM made good projectors. No?


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## kt883 (Nov 23, 2007)

JDM is not a company. Also ebay sellers may state JDM when its really made in china.its a buzz word. I have had a pair of depo headlights and while they look good at first, they are made cheaply upon close inspection. Flaky imperfect chrome, paint overspray, cheap plastic lens that develop spider cracks. You are most likely gonna buy these lights regardless of what everyone says. You will find that these such lights are not vortex approved and will get no love here. As long as you are happy with them then that's all that matters. I just wanna save you some hastle and cash cuz you will most likely end up ditching them in a year when their quality starts to show.


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## feelinjunky (Aug 12, 2009)

kt883 said:


> JDM is not a company. Also ebay sellers may state JDM when its really made in china.its a buzz word. I have had a pair of depo headlights and while they look good at first, they are made cheaply upon close inspection. Flaky imperfect chrome, paint overspray, cheap plastic lens that develop spider cracks. You are most likely gonna buy these lights regardless of what everyone says. You will find that these such lights are not vortex approved and will get no love here. As long as you are happy with them then that's all that matters. I just wanna save you some hastle and cash cuz you will most likely end up ditching them in a year when their quality starts to show.


 This was the best reply so far. Even with imperfect chrome, spider cracks, and random light seepage, I think these will still be significantly better than my hids in reflector housing. I'll give it a shot. I would love the $600 proper HIDs, but I just can't afford that right now. I'll give these lights 3 years. That'll make me more than happy.


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