Weak Headlights - Contact Volvo

[fenton_jd]

Just a quick update.

After cleaning the inside glass ball thing, my lights are actually noticably whiter now. very strange they werent as bright yesterday. (I've since removed my HID's, blew a fuse!) So back to the Philips Extreme Plus bulbs.

I know they could be better as I'm still missing some shiney mirror surface.

How can this part not be bought individually, its madness.

[biggs312800]

many thanks guru they still look nice on payday i think im going to change the inside of my s40 to led and get some for the outside front and back

many thanks biggs

[fraserw2007]

Hi, I've just bought my wife, who has driven for 30 years, a 3 year old v50 and she took my son to rugby training in rain at night and came back nearly in tears. She thought she was driving on side lights and unless the windscreen is immaculately clean it is dangerous. I drove the car to check and there is no debate as the lights only light up a few yds in front and appear non-existent with any other light reflection. Slowing down more is not an option as other drivers were becoming increasingly frustrated by my already slow pace. The lights need sorting. Other than that the v50 is a fantastic car - hard to beat - in the daytime - positively dangerous at night in the wet.

[Clan]

I can only suggest try and raise them as lots seem low , AND undo 4 torx screws which hold the reflector and have a good look , sometimes the silver "burns" off the top surface ..

[Mwaite1985]

I undone my headlights over Christmas, why does the lense have to be so thick? I didnt notice a dusty film over the lense and sidelight for that matter - which I did clean.

Would it not improve the headlights if the lense wasn't as thick?

Thanks,

Matt

[iandonnadnjess]

mine too have the dark surround , but im happy with the brightness ,, espesially on full beam !! ive seen threads on how to take the lights apart and clean them , this might help ??

[ravenstone]

I could not agree more,this is my first volvo,i was truly amazed how bad the lights are,i have upgraded bulbs slightly better but still not good,my last car,which was an audi 80 94 model,they were so much better,i too dislike these new HID lights just to "bright" for on coming traffic,but even more shocked to find that newer volvos are just the same as my 98 v70.

Bernie.

[froggyted]

Originally Posted by fenton_jd

The problem is this.
Our cars have Projector style headlamps which focus light to a specific point.

You have to look at is as this. Projector bulbs are like a stage spotlight, the light is focused to a single area. The majority of cars have Halogen reflectors. (this is like shining a torch into a big mirror for maximum light).

If you take your headlamp bulbs out of your S40/V50 and stick them into a Halogen Reflector style car, the light output will seem much greater. Volvo had made the mistake of using projectors with halogen bulbs (imho should be HID only) AND setting everybody's beam height far too low.

The only advantages to our current setup, is the clear cut off point. You can manually set them quite high without blinding people, because you can clearly see where they cut off. Not so easy on Halogen reflectors (light scatter etc).

Very useful information, fenton. So what on earth were Volvo thinking of? Did they use these lights for styling reasons? I would hate to think that this is the case, for a company that prides itself on safety (and most of the time get it right). My main dealer didn't seem to think there was a problem with the beam adjustment, but after reading your advice i will be looking to set the dipped beams a little higher.

[froggyted]

Originally Posted by Clan

This is most likely why your headlamps are so poor , this can happen after only 3 years looks like the silvering cant cope with the heat from a standard bulb on the inside AND outside of the reflector at the top , ( heat rises ) The lower part is perfect so its not radiation damage but hot air rising from the bulb .. .. you cant see this damage from the front of the headlamp ...

It wouldn't be so bad if these were available as a spare for £30 or so as they are very easy to change ....

These pictures are about 3 x full size by the way!

Just out of interest, how much are these units? Within a couple of weeks of getting my 08 reg S40 i replaced the dipped bulbs with Halfords Extreme Brilliance, which claim to be 90% brighter but which do little to improve the situation (which can probably be explained by fenton's explanation of the way the lights are designed on page 6 of this thread). I'm now worried that these extra bright bulbs are actually going to do more harm than good!

[froggyted]

Ok, i've now read through this entire thread and am in total agreement with Harvey, Yubba etc. The dipped beam is poor, yet the main beam is excellent. Overall, like several others on here, i'm really pleased with my 08 S40, which i've only had for two and a half months, but it's spoilt by the poor dipped beam. Some people have suggested that you just drive slower if you can't see ahead. However, when i brought the car back from the Chester dealership, part of my journey was along the M50, which is an unlit motorway. I didn't feel safe driving above 50mph, and ideally would have liked to have driven slower. You just can't drive safely at this speed on a motorway, in fact you are in danger of being pulled over by the police, and the excellent main beam is just not an option since you will be blinding oncoming traffic. I'm now going to raise the beam on mine a little, and if it fails the next MOT and is readjusted by the testing garage (which will most likely be the excellent Chippenham main dealer, MRG), then so be it.