NEW HEADLIGHT DOESN'T LOOK RIGHT !

[ADC74]

Evening all,

Finally got my car back on friday after some tard decided to drive into the front end & ****** off without leaving his details, with new front bumper & headlight fitted. After closer inspection I've noticed that the new light doesn't look the same when you look at the car face on.

Thinking it was the bulb today I removed both lamps, changed the bulbs around just to see if this made any difference & even with the old bulb in it remained the same

The old headlight, although not HID, looks kind of opaque & very bright/white whereas the new headlight looks a totally different colour & not as bright.

Did they do different types of light for different cars on the B6 platform ?
Have they fitted the wrong unit because the numbers aren't the same on both lights ?

Apart from looking proper *****, it's getting right on my nerves after only a few days
Ideas anyone :thumbsup:

 

[hades-]

might be cos the other is old take a pic and post it

 

[ADC74]

Bez, why would the older unit be brighter ?

 

[hades-]

sorry i misread
i thought u ment the new unit was brighter
ok then is it a oem part

 

[quattrojames]

I'd definitely make sure it's an oem part.

 

[hades-]

from what your saying it seems it may be a pattern part
headlight

 

[paul20v]

Is it brighter when being put against a wall for comparison or is it just visual ?
the projectors get opaque with age the new one is probably black to look at as its a clearer lens being new
this is what i have found in the past with many different projectors including my own
also when i replaced both mine i found the beam cut off to be a lot more crisp due to it not being diffused by the opaque or dirt i presume of the older projectors
put them against a wall and look .

 

[ADC74]

It is an OEM unit.

When pointing at the garage there is no difference in the actual output, it's only when looking face on at the car you see the difference. How long roughly will it take to become opaque, are we talking months or years ?

 

[CMD]

Maybe a stupid question but is the headlight Brand new ?

 

[ADC74]

Yes, brand new OEM part.

 

[Q5 TRS]

It is an OEM unit.

When pointing at the garage there is no difference in the actual output, it's only when looking face on at the car you see the difference. How long roughly will it take to become opaque, are we talking months or years ?

i replaced both from audi dealer on mine a few months back and noticed a visual difference ie nice crisp clean looking lens with no stone chips, completely clear plastic lens. my old ones had no noticible difference in actual light output but you can tell old from new. plus you have to remember that if you have an old one and new one on the car, they will not age the same so your new one will always look different. that kind of stuff irritates me something silly. i currently have one old and one new rear light on my avant, all thats different is it looks like a slightly smoky clear part for indicators and reverse lights. actual look when in use is negligible. sorry just being honest.

 

[paul20v]

i replaced both from audi dealer on mine a few months back and noticed a visual difference ie nice crisp clean looking lens with no stone chips, completely clear plastic lens.

Thats exactly why i changed both of mine at the same time ,
they will take years and years to go opaque also as already said they will never be the same, as the other will get older too .

 

[ADC74]

Years you say

 

[BahnStormer77]

compare the visual output: sometimes a headlight will look "brighter" due to scratches / condensation on the inside of the headlight - the light gets refracted off the inside of a dirtier / older lense: a new, clean lense will have brighter visual output, but not look as bright when you look at the front of the car.

 

[ADC74]

Does anyone know the going rate for a NEW O/S/F HEADLIGHT ?

 

[Mike B]

There is a product designed to polish plastic lenses which my son bought to improve the screen on a s/h satnav and we have used on other lenses most recently a 19 yr old MR2 which gave great results almost like new again indicators even the glass headlights looked better.I will experiment on the audi headlight covers now. Its imported from the USA by Meguiar's PO box 6943 Daventry NN11 1WW.Cost £7.99

 

[ADC74]

Thanks for that Mike :thumbsup:

Please post up your results. Spoke to a mechanic friend today who said that when changing optical headlights it is 'recommended' that they get changed in pairs, might be worth trying to blag the insurance company, you never know

 

[Mike B]

It is good at clearing cloudiness and minor scratches if you make an effort.My covers arent too bad but it must niggle if you dont have a matching pair.I would be surprised if insurers would pay for both

 

[ADC74]

Well, after putting up with this for over 5 mths I decided to bite the bullet & buy a second hand unit to match the used look of the existing one. Totally happy now with the new uniform look with the addition of new bulbs all around & some chrome indicators

Upon removal of the unit which was fitted new after my prang I've noticed that it is infact a 'Xenon' unit which would explain why it looked so different when compared to the existing Halogen unit......don't you just love body repair shops

Anyway, got this almost new XENON unit in the classified section if anyone is interested.