I'm new to this forum; please be gentle.

Let me start by apologizing if this has been asked before, but I was unable to locate anything so far.

I'm looking to replace my headlights. The halogen lights are not as bright as I'd like. I'm just not sure what are compatible with my vehicle. Recommended replacements: LED, Xenon, other?????

Thanks in advance!
TLBEST1

 

welcome to the forum... There's a few ways to go here... 1) replacement bulbs. The main concerns will be whether they draw more current than stock (ie you can drop an 80W bulb replacing a 50W and effectively draw 60% more current risking wiring/relays/switches). You can keep close to the stock wattage and go with bulbs with different hues (ie PIAA's bright white) to improve contrast. LEDs are more efficient (lumens per wattage) but the word on the street is they don't last nearly as long and don't diffuse the light the same as halogens. The next option is Xenons. They are available as after market (not sure if HIDs were a factory option on 2007s). The true HID design requires a ballast so beware of bulb only replacements claiming to be Xenons. (a ballast is a power inverter required to spike the voltage to start the lamp and then manages current during its operation). You'd need to wire in the ballast to the circuitry. The next option is to install auxiliary lighting, ie fogs or driving lights. There's a range of products out there which vary by beam shape (fogs go wide and low, driving lights go straight and narrow) as well as color (white vs yellow - yellow is supposed to cut through fog/snow with less reflection). One really cool feature of my 2012 VW CC is that at speeds under 20 or so, when the car makes a sharp turn (say into a driveway), a corner light illuminates to shine into the direction of the turn. Adding fog lights would help if you're looking for improved neighborhood driving where driving lights augment the high beams.

 

Thanks for the very informative reply, mt6127! The bulbs I currently have seem very dim, and I was hoping I wouldn't have to do any sort of wiring to get better visibility. I don't mind getting dirty, but I'm not the best with electrical currents.

Again, I truly appreciate the information and will probably try the PIAA's bright white, Xenons, or the LEDs.

 

There is a known issue with Volvos and the ebay-type generic HID kits. I've read a few threads where the wipers stopped working after a certain amount of time after the install. Somehow Volvo has the headlights and wipers on the same circuit. The way the HIDs draw power causes some type of problem with the wipers. That is about as far as I got because the wife would kill me if I hurt her precious car! She does like that turbo.

 

A less invasive (and cheaper) choice would be to clean and replace the projector lenses.