Brighten your headlamps, for free!

[Petey80]

Excellent. I finally did that job over Christmas as well.

https://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showp...&postcount=486

Has made quite a bit of difference along with the upgraded bulbs and beam adjustment.

To make the job easier, for those that don't have them, proper Torx headed screwdrivers are a must to get to that 3rd screw easier.

[Defender 90]

This doesn't work on the newer face lift models with xenons


I have spent all afternoon rebuilding mine after undoing what I thought was the projector. Ended up with a full strip and rebuild to get the screws back in

[2.4TSE]

I'm intrigued by this thread.

My wife's C30 is over eleven years old and with approaching 150,000 miles under the wheels . The Xenon headlamp reflectors are still shiny like new and the headlamp glass (ok, plastic) is like new too bar the odd small nick from a stone. No translucency and no "sand blasted" effect at all.

The car is garaged every night and is hand washed at least once a week, but whilst this might have helped with the glass, it would have no bearing on the reflectors.

Interesting!

[Bendolfc]

It's the heat that does the reflectors and halogen bulbs run hotter than xenons.

[2.4TSE]

Thanks for that, Bendolfc.

The Focus-based models must have inferior reflectors to other Volvos because I've owned my halogen-equipped, 175,000 miles V70 from new in March 2003 and the reflectors on that are still like new too, as is the headlamp glass (pre-facelift, so real glass this time!). I've been fortunate that it has suffered none of the condensation issues that I have read of, either.

[andy_d]

For those of you debating the replacement / upgrade





04 plate V50 reflectors as removed from mine

I will do a full "build" thread inabits with lots more photos and how to words, but honestly it is Simple
T25 - 3 screws ,, undo take the old unit out, put the new in, 3 screws fit Quality H7 bulb, headlight back into the car, then align them

[LizardOfBodom]

Originally Posted by andy_d

...
T25 - 3 screws ,, undo take the old unit out, put the new in, 3 screws fit Quality H7 bulb, headlight back into the car, then align them

auch... just show how badly/incompatible for design oem projectors were

dont forget about the "wire longbeam shutter" step

[andy_d]

Originally Posted by LizardOfBodom

auch... just show how badly/incompatible for design oem projectors were

dont forget about the "wire longbeam shutter" step

if you mean
"poke the wires into the highbeam plug connector" then i have a cunning plan for those, involving screw terminals a bit of wire stripping and heat shrink
Even adding that in , its,, such a simple easy job
honestly dont know what i was thinking being concerned by doing it.
heck changing brake disks + pads is Complicated compared to this.

[LizardOfBodom]

Originally Posted by andy_d

if you mean
"poke the wires into the highbeam plug connector" then i have a cunning plan for those, involving screw terminals a bit of wire stripping and heat shrink
Even adding that in , its,, such a simple easy job
honestly dont know what i was thinking being concerned by doing it.
heck changing brake disks + pads is Complicated compared to this.

Exactly, told you that! easy peasy!
it just looks complicated until you start (and pass by the "impossible 3rd screw" moment).
Did the same with my 2nd mod (DYI wire connecting for shutter) as I found paying extra 14e for 2 small plug&play wires pointless.

[andy_d]

Parked the car on the drive @ 5:45pm
put the headlights on and marked on the garage doors the beam pattern/alignment and height with blue 3M tape, turned the car off, popped both headlights and went in for a coffee while the light units cooled down.
After brewing a full pot of coffee and sipping a mug , i set to

6:15 pm, done
including 2 test drives down badly lighted roads to make Sure the lights are not set to high

next step, other than the write up with pics for me is Volvo main stealer and fork over £70 to have the BS DRL = OFF so it doesnt fubar the new reflectors


Really is not that much more difficult than changing the high beam bulb in these And easier than changing the sodding stupid Side light bulb (which ,, clownshoes though That would be the ideal place to put it,, prob the same clownshoes that decided PWM was a good idea for drl,,, and let the V50 out the factory with such Sh*** dip candles)