Has anyone managed to improve dipped beam?
 

We have an 07 C30 but I'm aware from web searches that other models have poor dipped beams too.

Has anyone come up with a solution to this? Ours is due for a service soon so I might ask the garage to look at it but any suggestions are welcome.

All the best

Yes, there's a big thread on it on here.

Take the projects apart and give the lens a clean from the inside, also take a look at the quality of the reflective coating inside, it's not uncommon for them to flake/peal off making them less reflective.

Failing all that, you can buy some projectors from retro-fit (IIRC) that's a direct fit into our cars, about £120 for the pair and they'll be like new again.

EDIT : https://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showthread.php?t=239639

2nd EDIT: Guide here: https://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showp...&postcount=486

having done the "strip clean and polish" , it helps but not That much if im honest
replacing the whole headlights with newer ones, stripping cleaning and polishing those helped a bit more

taking Out the reflector assemblies and replacing them With brand new ones from RetroFit Labs = Huge huge improvement, for the time to change them over , (not That much longer than changing the bulbs !) and how easy it is (As easy as changing the bulbs) its The best mix of cost/time/effort V improvements

Many thanks both. I'll look into replacing the reflector assemblies. That makes far more sense to me as it just didn't sit right reading many other threads on other forums that basically said dipped beam on older Volvos were just rubbish because I don't see that Volvo would do that. So I'll see how I get on. Hopefully we'll be able to swap the car soon and if we can get better dipped beam, it means we can stay with Volvo which I really want to do.

if your concern is about possible future car and not current one, then even better - just narrow the search to cars with factory bixenons. Assuming you are after P1 platform (C30, S40 or V50) up to 2012, then if you get FL model (2008+) with bixenon ABL (active bending lights) you will be far from complaining. But any of those cars with halogen lamps will suffer from "candlelight" issue, more or less. It was just bad design by Volvo as projectors are hampering the light output from halogens too much. And if you add flaky reflector or misty lens issue to that... well... thatsa where all those bad reviews are coming from.

If you are after different platform like V70 or newer series like V60, that problem may not exist anymore (reflector headlamps).

Hello.

After reading messages here about cleaning the dipped beams on a V50, I've done that now. The reflectors looked ok still. I'll see if there's an improvement when it's next dark. The dipped beams have been unusually dull.

Did the clean up job on my 2007 C30 at the weekend and replaced the standard halogen H7 bulbs with Osram Nightbreakers whilst I was at it.

Whilst the flaking of the silver paint was minimal, the projector lenses were really quite filthy inside.

Anyway, with the lenses clean and the new bulbs there was a big improvement over what they were like before. Okay, I'm sure a full Xenon upgrade would still be in a different league, but this is about as good as you can expect with standard halogens.

Took me no longer than 25 minutes to clean up and fit the new bulbs so well worth it and dead easy.

J:)