pimpdaddy Posted March 5, 2006 Report Share Posted March 5, 2006 Hey guys, first post here. Looking at purchasing a MkV GTi soon. (even though it wont arrive soon, 12 months wait in Australia at the moment). One question I have though, what is the light difference between the Xenons and the stock lights like? Is it really worth the extra $$$? Does anyone have any pictures for comparison? for example some head on pictures or pictures of what the driver would see? Appreciate any help. Thanks guys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimmyp Posted March 5, 2006 Report Share Posted March 5, 2006 Welcome pimpdaddy, [ QUOTE ] Is it really worth the extra $$$? [/ QUOTE ] IMO yes it is they are one superb bit of kit, i wouldn't want anything else since having xenon's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petsy Posted March 5, 2006 Report Share Posted March 5, 2006 My take on this is that xenon's will be extremely useful if you do a lot of night driving in the country. If your normal haunts are restricted to the city where there is street lighting then you are unlikely to gain any substantial benefits by having the xenon's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevie_d Posted March 5, 2006 Report Share Posted March 5, 2006 There is a large difference, that's fact. Whether or not they're worth the money (£700 in the UK) is another matter. I personally don't think so, even though they look very cool at night and I do a lot of night driving. If you want a cheap in between option then get something similar to the Osram (?) silverstars (there's a thread lurking somewhere) "xenon" bulbs. These will only cost about £40 (in the UK) and will put out much more light than the normal headlights (the bulbs fit into the H fittments). If I had an extra £700 laying around then I probably would have gone for the xenons tbh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedRobin Posted March 5, 2006 Report Share Posted March 5, 2006 Welcome to TSN pimpdaddy . Here's a pic of my Xenons - I'm very very happy with them (dark country roads): Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mainy Posted March 5, 2006 Report Share Posted March 5, 2006 After having xenons on my previous car it is the ONLY thing that I miss about it. As has been said before, if you do a lot of out of town driving in the dark then they are a worthwhile option Welcome to the forum by the way Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snoopy Posted March 5, 2006 Report Share Posted March 5, 2006 Depends on what you meen difference. First i will say i drive both versions in a mk5 GTI regular. The standard bulb version car has philips vision plus bulbs IIRC NOT the standard ones which are not great. Theres a difference in light output and a big leap imo. In comparison the xenon car has brighter lights far more white more like daylight, but they (after been setup correct to not dazzle people like they are set from the factory) don't extend the range much further forward than the uprated stanadrad lights. They do still seem to put more light out towards the far curb handy for seeing people but not so handy for cars coming the other way, but the distance forward does not seem to be increased by much if any. If money was no object and i had £700+ to throw away or burn i may and i stress may have gone for them if i reordered (its the only option i would hum and har over at the moment) I must say the thing i do miss when driveing the non xenons GTI is the headlamp washers far more than the lights as the lights get dirty very quick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xscreamsuk Posted March 5, 2006 Report Share Posted March 5, 2006 Readi ng about the dazzling effect of Xenons, why are they not simply set up correctly by the dealer as part of the PDI process? Is it something that needs a specific request to get done? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snoopy Posted March 5, 2006 Report Share Posted March 5, 2006 Well it should be really but.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedRobin Posted March 5, 2006 Report Share Posted March 5, 2006 I got my dealer to check my Xenon alignment and he did so and reported that they didn't require re-setting. Strangely, or coincidentally, I don't get flashed so often since that check. Headlight washers is something very important in English winters and so is maximum achievable light both at speed and in dark countryside. More important than leather upholstery imo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikemod Posted March 5, 2006 Report Share Posted March 5, 2006 I have the Osram Silver Stars in the centre main beam. I got them to try to match the Xenons. Unfortunately they still look yellow by comparison The big advantage with the Xenons is they way they light up anything reflective on the road, i.e. road signs, bicycles, joggers, Road service personnel, Emergency services etc., especially when you are in unlit areas, definitely a big safety advantage. If as everyone says you are in well lit urban areas most of the time then probably of no use. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simonl Posted March 5, 2006 Report Share Posted March 5, 2006 The blue side bulbs they do, help to neutralise the yellow (apparently!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevie_d Posted March 5, 2006 Report Share Posted March 5, 2006 [ QUOTE ] The blue side bulbs they do, help to neutralise the yellow (apparently!) [/ QUOTE ] blue side bulbs? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikemod Posted March 5, 2006 Report Share Posted March 5, 2006 My sidelights are in the strip under the Xenon and I replaced them with the Philips Blue vision ones. As you can see they still look yellow I think the other option is the PIAA LED ones but they are £35 a pair and require cutting the loom to add a resistor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gtiveedubber Posted March 6, 2006 Report Share Posted March 6, 2006 I went for the Xenon's even though the dealer was trying to talk me out of it. He mentioned that the Sat-nav would be a better option, even though it costs more. My parents have had Sat-nav in their cars and they hardly use it so i didnt care much for it. I think the safety benifit of Xenon's is a bonus and if i recall correctly, the Xenon's are around $1,700 which is one of the cheaper options. I think its a matter of how much you are willing to spend as this option is just an enhancement rather than an add-on Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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