Volkswagen Fan
so is it now possible to retrofit xenons so they are legal for aus. roads?Originally Posted by Ozram
GTI carbon steel g, leather, mdi, A.C.C., park parallel assist & RVC, dynaudio, sunroof, R-tails, RNS510, 9WZ, LED reg
Volkswagen Fanatic
It is not illegal to fit gas-discharge (xenon) headlamps on a vehicle - retrofitted or otherwise.
However, if the vehicle needs to be roadworthy (i.e. for use on public roads), they must be fitted in conjunction with headlamp washers and an automatic headlamp beam levelling system.
The above regulation applies in Europe, as well as in Australia.
Volkswagen Fanatic
legal IF you fit the whole kit properly (correct adjustments / coding) + complete autolevelling + headlight washer + factory bixenon with 4300k bulbs (not 6000k / 10000k bulbs).
all the bits and pieces have cost me just around $3k plus labour or own diy sweat / cuts / bruises.
i could have gone with retrofitting h7 hid bulbs and blind every single oncoming driver and risk myself of loosing the insurance cover for the worst case scenario.
Last edited by nat225; 18-09-2012 at 05:32 PM.
Volkswagen Fanatic
It is not illegal even if you don't fit the whole kit. It's not a crime to fit xenon headlamps onto a car.
However, it does mean that the vehicle will not be roadworthy, which has other unpleasant ramifications if you get caught driving it on public roads, such as rendering insurance null and void, etc.
Dubber
Hi everyone
My initial plan was to go OEM R20 headlights however after many unanswered emails to various German suppliers and to-ing and fro-ing (with the one or two who did respond) trying to confirm CECM part numbers etc etc, it became very frustrating and after 2 months I gave up on this project. Fortunately a friend of mine recently came back from overseas and was kind enough to bring over a set of R20 Replica HID Headlights which ended up being much cheaper than the +$2k i was going to spend on OEM.
My first impression was 'WOW, i was not expecting this high level of quality'. The finish was good, plastics was good and assembly was flawless. I even tried shaking it to see if there were rattles inside,.. nothing.
I also ordered a set of 5k HID lights with ballasts
What was really great was the headlight housing is prepped up for HID meaning no cutting or splicing of the wires required, just take your HID lights and plug straight into the housing.
Red and black wires direct plug & play
With the HID lights plugged in
It gets sealed up nicely with a rubber grommet. Waterproof so no condensation....
M4RKO has a brilliant write up on how to retofit headlights, the DIY is detailed and with plenty of pics. Follow it step by step and you can't go wrong, thanks mate your a life saver!!!!
The finished product,.. (I only realised when posting up the pics I have the VW headlight protector on, should have removed before taking the photos)
The white light you see under the low beam is an LED which acts as your DRL.
...and the light projection is great, a clean cut-off. Btw you can still use the leveller inside the car to adjust vertically.
Conclusion: For less than half the price of OEM and without the stress of running wires, adapters, VAGCOM coding this is a 2 thumbs UP from me
PS Did i mention there is no need to change coding via VAGCOM...
Volkswagenist
What about auto-levelling and washers?
Retired Dubber
Yep no auto levelling and no washers ====== ILLEGAL all over Australia
2021 Kamiq LE 110 , Moon White, BV cameras F & B
Mamba Ebike to replace Tiguan
Volkswagen Enthusiast
SQUIZT's photos show the washer opening in the bumper no?
Retired Dubber
Probably but he doesnt mention fitting them and I was referring more to the rules than his car
He refers to levelling from inside the car which is not an auto leveller. My Polo has this on the dash but the Passat wiggles its lights when you turn them on to get them at the right level which is the proper and legal way its done.
2021 Kamiq LE 110 , Moon White, BV cameras F & B
Mamba Ebike to replace Tiguan
Volkswagen Enthusiast
Frankly I'm not a big fan of auto levellers. It always seem to cause a lot of glare to other road users. I'd prefer to have them dipped manually at the lowest setting.
I really love the auto swivelling feature on my Tiguan HIDs though
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