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D2 - Lights Headlights, xenons, foglights. Everything outside the car that glows

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Old 22nd January 2014, 02:00 PM
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Default 100w bulbs

Hi,

I have recently purchased and installed a couple of 100w bulbs in the low beam headlights of my 2001 FL 2.8QS and there has been a noticeable increase in the light output which is welcome as I always felt the low beam to be quite dim compared to other makes of car.

I tried the same thing on my C5 A6 previously with similar results.

I'm curious though why its not been mentioned or discussed here before, is it because most here are running with HID's or is it the fact they arent particuarly legal? How much of a risk am I running on the wiring front with these?
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Old 22nd January 2014, 02:32 PM
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I used 100w bulbs in the high beam slots in one of my old cars, it burnt the connectors out quite badly. Ended up wiring in some ceramic connectors instead.
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Last edited by Conquistador; 22nd January 2014 at 02:39 PM.
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Old 22nd January 2014, 02:56 PM
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I'd question whether they are a genuine 100W output even if it's written on them. I'm sure they'll be well over 55W but at 100W you do run the risk of wiring suffering from the additional heat generated or the relays failing to cope

Lots will be on gas discharge of one form or another - whichever light type you have there's usually more to be gained from replacing the reflector than fitting higher wattage bulbs

I run Philips Xtreme vision bulbs in my c5 a6 and they are better but struggle to get 2 years use out of them before they burn out

Although illegal bulbs are rarely picked up at mot I'd expect to get a fair few drivers flashing you unless they are aimed low!
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Old 22nd January 2014, 03:01 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Adrian E View Post
I'd question whether they are a genuine 100W output even if it's written on them.
A multimeter should enable you to check.
In theory 100W on a 12V (maybe a bit more) supply would be drawing about 8A, so resistance should only be about 1.5ohms.
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Old 22nd January 2014, 03:05 PM
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Conquistador what kind of car was it that you had connectors fail on? Does anybody know if the D2 has ceramic connectors or not for standard low beam bulbs?

I've been fine so far, not had anybody flash at me although I have been careful where they are pointing and generally have them on level I out of 0-I-II-II level adjustment.

Where would I go to find new reflectors? is this a viable upgrade without buy a new headlight unit? Is there such a thing as new head light? or are there only used second hand examples now out there? I ask as I noticed all the clips are broken on one of my headlights as if its been v gently driven/rolled into something.
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Old 22nd January 2014, 03:09 PM
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I have 100w bulbs on high beam, they are a bit better than stock 65W but still pretty cr@p on PF D2 as anyone with PF D2 will tell. Switching from low to high does not make much difference. Have not seen any issues with burnt connectors or wires but being full beam they are rarely on and only for short periods of time.
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Old 22nd January 2014, 04:45 PM
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I know Audi wiring is generally pretty resilient. On Mercs any kind of additional load was likely to cause problems with wiring as merc designed it that way to stop people messing about with it

The older the vehicle the greater the parasitic losses are likely to be

Whether you can replace part rather than all of the unit will depend on whether it has a reflector or projector. The projectors on the a6 are rubbish quality from new so no advantage in replacing them. The reflectors on the bi-xenons can be replaced and is worthwhile. My old Passat benefited massively from new headlight units - the old ones absorbed so much light output the car behind was doing more to light the road ahead, and yet they were still adequate for an mot pass. Was glad I changed them when I did
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