940 headlights very dim with age

[Laird Scooby]

Do they have the holes for the other grub screws Bob? I may have a spare one, seem to remember seeing one in the box but they're pretty standard (M3x5 i think) grubscrews so finding a second shouldn't be too difficult.
You'll need the second one to even things up or the beam will be skew-whiff if it's putting the bulb skew-whiff.

The graduated etchings don't really matter to be honest, if you follow that method i emailed to you the set them up then you shouldn't have a problem.

[Laney760]

Originally Posted by Laird Scooby

That's correct Ellie, they will come on dimly with the side lights known as dim-dip.

If you drive up to a wall with the sidelights (or no lights) on and the engine running, your sidelights should be on as day running lights ("Guiding Lights" they call them in Sweden) and the headlights on dim-dip and then use your smartphone video camera, the lights will appear to flicker on and off - we can't see this normally but it's the same principle as the wagon wheels going backwards on a forward traveling stagecoach in an old Western film. It's all down to the frames per second.

Switch the headlights on and they should steady out and get brighter.

They don't come on dimly with the side lights they are on very brightly the whole time, whether the switch is on the left side position, upright or to the right, they are on all the time at the same brightness, the same as mhuk says, full blast all the time but the MOT tester said this is ok?

[Laird Scooby]

Originally Posted by Laney760

They don't come on dimly with the side lights they are on very brightly the whole time, whether the switch is on the left side position, upright or to the right, they are on all the time at the same brightness, the same as mhuk says, full blast all the time but the MOT tester said this is ok?

If you drive at night with the switch in the "0" position on the headlamps Ellie then turn it on to headlights, you should see the difference. They're not full blast but are brighter on dim-dip than the halogens were. At least that's how they should be.

Somewhere i have a dashcam video of them on dim-dip, i'll see if i can find it. If so i'll upload it later.

[bob12]

Originally Posted by Laird Scooby

Do they have the holes for the other grub screws Bob? I may have a spare one, seem to remember seeing one in the box but they're pretty standard (M3x5 i think) grubscrews so finding a second shouldn't be too difficult.
You'll need the second one to even things up or the beam will be skew-whiff if it's putting the bulb skew-whiff.

The graduated etchings don't really matter to be honest, if you follow that method i emailed to you the set them up then you shouldn't have a problem.

No .... only 1 hole with grub-screw in it. Plus 2 spares .... and, the allen key!!

[Laird Scooby]

Originally Posted by bob12

No .... only 1 hole with grub-screw in it. Plus 2 spares .... and, the allen key!!

I think i'd need to pull one of mine out to be 100% sure but fairly certain they have two holes. It's possible they've changed the design at some point, had mine a while now!

[bob12]

That's what I assumed ... a design change for the worst!!

Frankly, I haven't got time to try and fit it/deal with it at the moment and, treating it as a loss leader bought on impulse of the moment!

It's certainly not 'plug and play', and as I said it's nothing like the video on their website!!

I would certainly like to know what those who have subsequently purchased one have to say about the design changes and their experiences of fitting alignment .... !!

Bob

[mhuk]

Originally Posted by Laney760

They don't come on dimly with the side lights they are on very brightly the whole time, whether the switch is on the left side position, upright or to the right, they are on all the time at the same brightness, the same as mhuk says, full blast all the time but the MOT tester said this is ok?

Correct. Full blast.

I contacted the seller on Saturday and got out of office and will reply monday type message. Nothing yet so if I get no reply i'll negative feedback them on Ebay as no contact/support. Not sure I can go around like this.

One guy on the volvo fb group said it's because the day light lights sense no resistance from head lights.

Bit like how LED signal lights flash like mad even with all bulbs fitted,. LED relay sorted that as per my posts. Wonder if that's what I need for the main light relay.

[Laney760]

Originally Posted by mhuk

Correct. Full blast.

I contacted the seller on Saturday and got out of office and will reply monday type message. Nothing yet so if I get no reply i'll negative feedback them on Ebay as no contact/support. Not sure I can go around like this.

One guy on the volvo fb group said it's because the day light lights sense no resistance from head lights.

Bit like how LED signal lights flash like mad even with all bulbs fitted,. LED relay sorted that as per my posts. Wonder if that's what I need for the main light relay.

When I first got the car back with the LEDS in I checked them up against walls and garage doors and they are indeed full on all the time but I took them to the MOT Tester and he said they are fine, that this is how he would expect them to be. I have been running for a few weeks with them like this and I have never been flashed by another driver, they are not a nuisance to other drivers. The MOT tester said they are legal.

[Laird Scooby]

Originally Posted by mhuk

Correct. Full blast.

I contacted the seller on Saturday and got out of office and will reply monday type message. Nothing yet so if I get no reply i'll negative feedback them on Ebay as no contact/support. Not sure I can go around like this.

One guy on the volvo fb group said it's because the day light lights sense no resistance from head lights.

Bit like how LED signal lights flash like mad even with all bulbs fitted,. LED relay sorted that as per my posts. Wonder if that's what I need for the main light relay.

That doesn't sound right at all. I can't find the video i referred to further up so i'll try (life etc permitting!!) to get one tonight that will show the difference between dim-dip and normal dip. They are much brighter on dim-dip than the halogens because they only use half the power so only drop half the voltage across the dim-dip resistor.

Surprised Powerful UK haven't responded though, not my experience with them. Bear in mind ebay is sometimes slow to pass messages on so to be fair, give them a day or two to respond before giving them negative feedback.

[Laney760]

Originally Posted by Laird Scooby

That doesn't sound right at all. I can't find the video i referred to further up so i'll try (life etc permitting!!) to get one tonight that will show the difference between dim-dip and normal dip. They are much brighter on dim-dip than the halogens because they only use half the power so only drop half the voltage across the dim-dip resistor.

Surprised Powerful UK haven't responded though, not my experience with them. Bear in mind ebay is sometimes slow to pass messages on so to be fair, give them a day or two to respond before giving them negative feedback.

Our posts crossed