Aftermarket xenon headlights VS OEM xenon headlights for MKv GTi

why are the OEM headlights for GTI are so expensive? they 413.00 each!
and the after market ones are only around 400 for a pair....... whats so good fr the OEM ones? what are the differences between the oem ones and the aftermarket ones?(like performance wise and quality wise) does anyone know?

:bow: :bow:

aftermarket are cheaply made, oem have things like the auto-level feature (when you turn on your car/headlights the light beam seems to scan up and down)

$400 each seems cheap for lights like that.

Aftermarket is cheap and doesn't last any where near as long. The quality tends to suck pony up the extra cash and go with OEM if you can its worth it in the short and long run.

Are you talking about just the HID bulb or the whole shibang? Cause 400 bucks for the whole light system is evidence for a very poorly made product.

BlaineWasHere said:

$400 each seems cheap for lights like that.

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Yeah, to convert my MkIV GTI to the OEM HIDS is about $1800.

The OP is a cheapskate. :thumbdown: Why would you consider putting junk on your late model car.

OEM stock headlights purchased !

If you have original halogen headlights..

How do you connect OEM Xenon headlight lamps?

Does it use the same power plug as the halogen or what?

BlaineWasHere said:

$400 each seems cheap for lights like that.

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Hate to say it, but I agree with this guy.

To put this into perspective, look at all you're getting: a bi-xenon projector, flash-to-pass lights that can also activate with the high beams, and integrated indicators [signals] and a marker [City] light. Since I'm not sure, does this also include the ballast?

All that for $413 each is actually a really good price. Also, 1stvwparts.com has them for $311.22 each.

The biggest difference between aftermarket housings and stock OEM housings is the projector assembly itself.
Stock housings have bixenon projector housings that are properly designed for HID bulbs. They have the correct parabolic focusing mirror in the projector assembly and the correct cutoff shield to produce an even toned light with minimal glare and diffusion fron the housing.

Aftermarket solutions usually have cheap, halogen projectors that do not have proper cutoff, do not have proper focusing mirrors for HIDs. They are meant for a halogen light to be installed in them. This being said, they do not focus light properly, you get uneven hotspots of light on the ground, and you get tons of diffusion and glare, essentially blinding everybody and you are no better than someone who puts HIDs in the stock halogen reflector housings.

The only way to get proper HID on this car is to buy the OEM HID headlights, or retrofit HID compliant projectors into your car. You COULD make the job easier by buying aftermarket headlight housings, then retroftting a nice projector in those. Imagine a stanley s2000 projector inside an aftermarket headlight housing... you'd have way better headlights than a stock GTI.

The bosch projectors used in the stock GTI headlights is not a very good projector anyways.

Don't all Gti's come with HID's?

drwzer said:

Don't all Gti's come with HID's?

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Yeah Bi-Xenon HIDs.

drwzer said:

Don't all Gti's come with HID's?

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it was optional in the euro-cars.

All US-spec does.

well is there any wheres i could find oem with black backs

not likely.