Gotta give way to something better. I swear they're more dim than the ones on the old Renault Alliance we used to have in our driveway back in '92.


I've checked the forums here for a while and found several threads on the topic, but I'm so incredibly n00balicious for automotive DIY that I figured I'd make a topic on my own.

Basically: I want to get the headlights on my 2000 S70 to look like as much like the ones on my bro's new Acura TL... Blue, Bright, and Linear at the top

I saw the Eurosport package that includes the whole kit and caboodle, but that near $500 price tag looks crazy. Can I really just get new lenses(which part is that exactly?) and new blulbs(What kind? What's HID stand for?). Is this possible for under 300 bucks or so?

Thanks guys - These forums have been SO helpful! Just got this car over the summer, and I love it more and more every day. Still under 80k miles, too. Oh, and btw - the super diluted soft scrub on the leather trick works WONDERFULLY Thanks VolvoForums!

 

1. The EuroSportTuning package is a rip off. You'll want to go to SharpHID.com and get a great kit for under $100 right now. They are on sale. You want the 35w Apexcone HID kit with 4300K to 5000K bulb temperature. Anything above 5000K is actually putting out less LUMENS (light output) and all you get is a color change. Also the Bulb type you want is H7 for your LOW BEAMS. That's where you want to put your HID's.

*HID'S = High Intesity Discharge
*Bulb Temperature: 4300K-5000K nothing more nothing less. Anything lower and your at Halogen bulb temps... Anything above and your loosing light output and only getting a color change.
*Bulb Type: H7

Place to purchase your full HID kit. It comes with everything you need.
http://www.sharphid.com/

35W kit from SharpHID.com


*The only modification you'll need to do is to drill about a 1" hole in the back of the LOW Beam dust cap (Cap) to pass through the wires to hook up the HID's.

2. To do HID's it is possible to do it for under $300 as I have proved above. To do HID's and headlights lens's depending on what you want in lenses then we are talking a new ballpark.

3. Your lens options are as follows...

- E-code headlights lenses, you can purchase these from places like FCP Groton and EBAY. These just replace your OEM lenses on your car currently.
http://www.fcpgroton.com/category-ex...ing/page_num/1
The lenes are located a few pages over, just click each page number to find the ones you need.
http://www.vivaperformance.com/catal...products_id=32
FCP Groton may still sell the matching turn signals, but I didn't see them.

I realize these look exactly like your OEM headlights lenses. That maybe so, but the beam pattern it create isn't the same. Also there are matching turn signals for these headlight lenses.



- ABM Projector headlights. These are a full headlight assembly. These can be purchased on EBAY, EuroSportTuning (EST). These cost over $300 but are completely worth the money, especially when using HID's.

Chrome
http://www.eurosporttuning.ca/mm5/me...Code=VL-S70-ex

Matching turn signals.


Black
http://www.eurosporttuning.ca/mm5/me...Code=VL-S70-ex

Matching turn signals.


- Jewel headlights. These came stock on C70 models. They have fully clear lenses. No you cannot just slap the clear lenses on your OEM headlight assemblies. The glare would be unbearable to other drivers. Plus the reflectors in the jewels are different then your OEM's. These can be purchased from Viva Performance or the dealership. These are very expensive at over $600 for the set.
http://www.vivaperformance.com/catal...roducts_id=157
http://www.vivaperformance.com/catal...products_id=47

Matching turn signals as well.

 

Holy crap. I love you.

Thanks SO much for the info. Sounds like I'm going to go with your first option: The 35W HID kit. That sale is kickass, already ordered

Would it matter if I kept the original lenses on the car right now? The only reason I would change them is that there is a super tiny little spiderweb-looking crack on the left lens. I'm not against getting new lenses at all, it's just that whatever I don't spend here goes to a new head unit for the stereo

 

You can keep the OEM lenses on, yes. However the OEM headlights are not truly made for HID usage. Thusly you may get an unwanted blinding glare that other drivers may flash you for.

*Now remember like I said above the only lens replacement option you have is the E-codes. The ABM Projectors and Jewel headlights are a full on headlight assembly that replaces your OEM headlight assemblies. The clear lenses you see in each of these assemblies cannot be put on your OEM headlights as the OEM headlights are not made to utilize these lenses.

 

when i had my HID kit in my headlights before i retrofitted projectors it was actually very good.. the kit was not to blinding to oncoming traffic.. i had the kit in for about a month and drove around a lot at night and never once got flashed so they must not have been blinding... and i had someone drive my car towards me and it really was not blinding to me.. but just remember i had 4300k hid which are just a little whiter than halogens but 5x brighter.

 

Hmm ok good stuff to know. Looks like the E-Code lenses are the way to go in this, they're really cheap anyway. I think, since i'll get the bulbs first anyway, I'll see how they look with the OEM lenses.

afstud6900: Good idea. I'll just get in a friend's car on one side of the street and drive down with someone in mine facing me.

 

See what you find blinding and what someone else finds blinding are two different things...