Weak Headlights - Contact Volvo

[Gel]

"Volvo have no knowledge bla bla bla"
Take car to the stealers (to no effect)!!

This from aboutautomobile.com is dated 2006, and still no change in 2010!

2005 Volvo V50 Headlight Complaints
Complaint Number: 10170297 Incident Date: October 6, 2006 Date Added to File: October 9, 2006
Description of the Complaint:
2005 volvo v50 has a chronic light problem ie the dim light setting does not provide enough light to drive safely on rural roads in the "dim" setting. Maximum forward visibility in the dim setting is between 48' and 55' this is made more hazardous by the dark line that appears at the 48' to 55' line this effectually blocks vision past this point. My volvo v-50 has spent 44 days at modesto european (volvo dealer) to try to repair this defect after the last two trips I/we were told that this is the best that it can be repaired. If this is the best it can be repaired this car should be taken off the road asap. There is a strong possibility that one could hit a pedestrian, disabled vehicle, deer ,elk ,etc at highway speeds of 55 mph. We have a car that is not safe to drive after dark what is volvo thinking.

[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).

[Clan]

If the car are a bit older / high mileage check those reflectors the silver can be burned off at the top !

[sledgehammer73]

I have the same problem on my S40 2006.The dipped headlights are nowhere near enough to illuminate the road ahead.slowing down to 30 mph makes no difference as there is not enough light-PERIOD. Slowing down doesnt increase the light levels - these headlights are completely deficient of adequate light and in opposition to that the full beam in my opinion are too bright.

[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!

[Guru]

Had that parabola out today btw., wiped off what appeared to be like white smoke on the lenses that made them milky white, took only 10 minutes. for those interested in checking their silver, there are only 3 screws holding that parabola in place so worth the effort mine is fine and in tip top shape but a friend with a similar car found his parabolas to be in the same condition as above in Clan's pics, so it does happen He blames the Nightbreakers but I've had mine on for much longer "in driven distance" and they look brand new. Wonder why they deteriorate like that for some.

As a side note>




Got new LED parking lights fitted, wouldn't go through the back hole so i had to go through the front after heating the sealant with a hair dryer

[biggs312800]

Originally Posted by Guru

Had that parabola out today btw., wiped off what appeared to be like white smoke on the lenses that made them milky white, took only 10 minutes. for those interested in checking their silver, there are only 3 screws holding that parabola in place so worth the effort mine is fine and in tip top shape but a friend with a similar car found his parabolas to be in the same condition as above in Clan's pics, so it does happen He blames the Nightbreakers but I've had mine on for much longer "in driven distance" and they look brand new. Wonder why they deteriorate like that for some.

As a side note>




Got new LED parking lights fitted, wouldn't go through the back hole so i had to go through the front after heating the sealant with a hair dryer

what lenght are the leds you have put in and do they make much difference have you heard any good things about the h7 leds and if there any good
many thanks biggs

[fenton_jd]

Originally Posted by Guru

Had that parabola out today btw., wiped off what appeared to be like white smoke on the lenses that made them milky white, took only 10 minutes. for those interested in checking their silver, there are only 3 screws holding that parabola in place so worth the effort mine is fine and in tip top shape but a friend with a similar car found his parabolas to be in the same condition as above in Clan's pics, so it does happen He blames the Nightbreakers but I've had mine on for much longer "in driven distance" and they look brand new. Wonder why they deteriorate like that for some.

As a side note>




Got new LED parking lights fitted, wouldn't go through the back hole so i had to go through the front after heating the sealant with a hair dryer

I have those exact bulbs :-P much better than "normal" single bulb LED's yet doesnt give that stupid stupid Audi look. I didnt have any issues fitting them normally though???

[fenton_jd]

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!

I checked this out on mine and this was the exact issue....silvering is gone at one side. Still I polished the projector lense and the inside of the headlamp and the output is noticably sharper (particularly on the drivers side). Still not as good as it could be.

Is there not a volvo part number for this assembly? Theres no way I'm forking out for an entire headlamp just for the reflector.

[Guru]

Biggs> No difference in road illumination with those LED parking lights I'm afraid, they're just for looks And no, I haven't heard anything good about H7 LEDS, as far as i know, they're not road legal. There sole purpose is for street tunning boy racers, nothing more.

fenton_jd> Lucky you! mine were too thick to go through the back hole, so i had to get them in there doing this>

This is not my pic though.

As for the assembly, according to VA there is no part number for those silver parabolas. :-(