sy308

I had great difficulty finding an A6 with XENON lighting. My second choice for the new car was to upgrade standard lighting. I obtained Wagner H1 100w bulbs and replaced the Phillips 55w DOT model. The resultant light is very satisfactory and is almost equivalent to the road illumination of my BMW 528 with Xenon lighting. Thinking I was on to something, I found OPTILUX lighting at Susquehanna MotorSports and tried to further "upgrade" the lighting with OPTILUX in both H1 and H7 bulbs. The $24.50/pair Hella OPTILUX were not as white or as bright as the $9 Wagner bulbs. By contrast, the H7 bulbs were really much much better than the stock 55w DOT bulbs. I have asked Susquehanna to return or replace the bulbs with something different or for another application. If anyone has any other thoughts or experience on upgrading the bulbs in this application, please advise.

Audiablo

<p><a href="http://registry.audiworld.com/audi/registry/details.asp?car=5325">

<img src="http://www.cameo.net/stuff/augerspin.gif">
&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbspAudiablo&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbs p
</a>

Piled_Higher_&_Deeper

I'm currently on the fence as to whether to order the Premium Package (PPL) for the Allroad. The major reason to get this option, IMHO, is the xenon lights. How useful are they? Do they help in seeing animals that might be to the sides of the road at night? What are replacement costs (bulbs, ballast, labor) like?

Thanks for your help!

JohnCee

How long have you had the Wagner H1's in? I would imagine that they won't last long since they are 100w bulbs. I believe from reading the other posts in the pasts, that you can only safely put in 55W H1's. Otherwise you run the risk of burning out and melting your headlight housing cases.

Where did you buy the wagners? I've never heard of those, but I'm on the lookout for a better bulb myself and was looking at the Hellas. Was it difficult to change the bulbs?

sy308

In the USA, DOT means "street legal", ie Department of Transportation certification.

sy308

In previous years, Audi had a similar policy as BMW and one could order Xenon separately. Now, it is a very expensive option, since one needs the other items in the premium package also. I, like you, felt it was the major reason to get the package.

In the BMW, the Xenon system simply floods the road with a very white/blue light. The illumination floods the road with more uniform coverage to the sides and forward slightly. I would presume Mercedes, Audi or Lexus would also provide similar lighting characteristics. Perhaps you should consider driving a demonstration car at your dealership in night conditions. Days are getting shorter now.

I would recommend using one of the films to cover the Xenons, should you go that way. Try Stonegard or X-pel. Replacement of the lamps will be several hundred dollars if the lens gets broken by a stone. Those companies have considerable warranty for this type of accident.

Good luck.

sy308

I put the bulbs in last week. They were obtained at a local parts store known in upstate NY as "Forest City". They cost $2 more than the 55w bulbs on the next peg over. Presumably, you could find a local store that could order if the item is not stocked. The part number is: BP1210/H1. Packaging says the bulb is made in Hungary, France or Germany.

Changing bulb was easy enough. After raising the hood, one needs to identify the headlight housing. Start on the drivers side. The passenger needs to be done carefully with removal of the air intake for engine combustion. That material just comes off with a pull. Two wire clips need to be pried off and the oddly shaped cover can be removed. The low beam H1 is on the outside. The H7 is on the inside. Remove the ground wire (brown). Two spring clips hold the H1 bulb and both need to be taken off. One spring holds the H7 and that one needs to be moved laterally to release the bulb. Both go in only one way. Flat tab on the H7 is UP and small nubs on the H1 hold it in the housing. Wires can be removed and easily replaced. Then reassemble with the wire clips. This took me about 5-10 minutes first time.

Fuses are 15 amp for each head light side. A 100 watt bulb is approximately an 8 amp draw. The highbeams are 10 amp fuses.

According to some manufacturers, heating is cooler with some bulb, like Xenon types. I am no expert on this, but have not seen any obvious melting damage to the housing after 30 minutes use. I checked carefully for signs of any disturbance.

One important caveat is that the bulbs get intensely HOT very quickly and regardless of their wattage. For easiest results, I suggest trying this with the lamps in a cold situation after no use and, like all halogens, do not touch the quartz envelope. That WILL certainly shorten the life. I have no idea on the percentage of shorter life with H1 100 watt. At $9 a pop, does it really matter if once or twice in the lifetime of a car, one needs a replacement?

Hope this helps you!

Audiablo

<p><a href="http://registry.audiworld.com/audi/registry/details.asp?car=5325">

<img src="http://www.cameo.net/stuff/augerspin.gif">
&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbspAudiablo&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbs p
</a>