B8 xenon headlights. Ideas/tips required.

[Jaswan]

Hi all.

I recently bought a b8 Avant with xenon headlight. I was a bit excited about these as I have always had a bit of headlight envy with my previous halogen bulbs.

Anyhow. I quickly noticed that one of the lights was more blue than the other so correctly presumed that at least one of the bulbs was not OEM.

I ordered a pair of Osram laser xenarc night breaker D3S bulbs and fitted them on Friday. I was satisfied at the time as it was still daylight and a quick "eyeball" in the front of the garage showed they looked the same colour and "bright"....

Tonight is the first time I have had chance to drive the car in the dark and I am disappointed with how bright they are. Also, if I turn down to side lights and then back to headlights they start really bright, probably where I would expect them to be. They then dim off after what must be a half second or so.

This is where I'd like a bit of input, I have read a couple of things,

A) the ballasts should last the lifetime of the car so shouldn't be at fault... Although low voltage to the build was my initial thought.

B) there is a setting that can be changed with VCDS/VAGCOM to change the brightness (?) Has anyone any experience with this or where to check?

C) removing the headlamps themselves and cleaning out the inside of the lense and reflector. . . This I'm less sure of as, I don't want to break anything or rub off the reflective coating making it even worse... If this was the issue then I guess I wouldn't the the split second "very bright" output after an off/on.

Thanks for taking a look and any help is much appreciated.

Regards

Jase.

[SteveH]

I very much doubt it's the reflectors or power on a B8. I would go for OE bulbs to avoid any issues even though they are probably twice the price. I don't think I've seen any options to adjust brightness on the B8 xenon's. They require a certain amount of power to ignite and then the power should be regulated by the ballast or the bulb itself.

[Jaswan]

I have just contacted Osram to confirm the P/N or markings that should be on the bulbs... I have had a thought that I could be the victim of someone pulling a fast one and returning cheap bulbs in the expensive box.

I did do some research before buying and they are rated as the brightest bulbs hence why I think something must not be 100%.

The stock ones would also be Osram I believe.

This is the bumf off of the website
The most powerful xenon light from OSRAM

XENARC NIGHT BREAKER LASER is the brightest OSRAM xenon light. This powerful lamp with efficient xenon technology ensures a better visibility on the road: up to 200% more brightness compared to the minimum legal standard. More light allows to see further and therefore react sooner. Added to this is the up to 250 meter long beam and up to 20% whiter light, close to laser look (compared to the minimum legal standard). Discover the pure performance of XENARC NIGHT BREAKER LASER - the most powerful xenon light from OSRAM, available in D1S, D2S, D3S and D4S. Please note: XENARC lamp change is recommended to be carried out by a professional and in pairs.

Jase.

[SteveH]

It certainly sounds like they would at least, if not better than the standard items. Mine aren't that bright on the S4, so perhaps your expectations of moving to gas discharge are not to be met on the B8 platform. It certainly could also be a case of purchase and return with cheap Chinese bulbs in the box or your supplier has bought knock off items. Good luck getting it sorted.

[Jaswan]

Cheers Steve, will update if I get to the bottom of it.

Jase.

[Jaswan]

Fixed the issue by returning the Osram bulbs and replacing them with some LED bulbs.

They are now where you would expect them to be with regards to performance.

Regards
Jase.

[LHD_Kid]

So, you ditched the ballasts and rewired? Basically converted from HID to LED?
Which bulbs did you get, what was the cost?

[Jaswan]

So I tested the bulbs last night after it was properly dark and they are very impressive!

They are literally plug and play, they retain the HID ballast.

I found a couple of "reviews" on YouTube so thought I would give them a go.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/D3S-D3R-H...-127635-2958-0

Those are the bulbs, I made a £70 offer.

They are multiple times brighter than the Night breaker Xenons and a nice clean white colour too. No issues with the beam pattern or the cutoff line either.

Regards
Jase.