[LuuvBug]

Hi!

So for a while now, my passenger side headlight has been shining much dimmer than the other one and blows out quickly. I've taken it back to the dealership and finally they said it was the reflective lining on inside of bulb socket has peeled off. They want to charge me $775. to replace it. That's ridonk. My dad said it was best to just replace the whole headlight assembly.

I then got thinking, how easy/hard is it to just replace my headlights with HID/Projector lights?

With HID's I'd have to replace the assembly anyways and get an HID converter kit, but can I buy Projector assembly's for my 2007 New Beetle bug? I can't find much online. I don't really want to spend much either if I don't have to.

Thanks

 

[jfoj]

I do not know what headlights you have in your car now, can you please confirm.

Do you have halogen projectors at this moment?

Do you have factory HID at this moment? I know some of the later Beetles have factory HID, but I do not know what year they started and if they were optional??

Headlight reflector bowls delaminating is not new. This happens on other brands as well. The best reflectors are the polished metal as they will not break down and delaminate with the heat like the plastic plated bowls.

Your options are likely the following.

1. New from dealer, way too expensive in my opinion. You might be able to get a discount via the parts dept and/or check for online VW dealer parts, they are out there, but still likely the most expensive option.

2. Junkyard or Craigslist parts, cheaper however, you still may have the reflector surface issue with a junk yard headlight.

3. You likely can get aftermarket headlights for far cheaper than the dealer. They usually are not as high quality as OE, however, they do the job. You might be able to swap the projector from the aftermarket headlight back into your original headlight housing and get kind of the best of both worlds??

3. If your headlights are halogen and like my 2003, the headlight lens and parts come apart very easily. You can actually remove the reflector bowl/projector with just a few screws. I have not investigated if you can easily separate the lens from the bowl?? There are likely online companies that can redo the reflective surface on the bowl if you can get it apart, but you will have to be without your headlight while this is being performed and/or put a junkyard or Craigslist assembly in the car.

4. You can perform a HID retro fit with either Morimoto Mini or FXR lens. This is not overly expensive, would be cheaper than a single headlight from the dealer, BUT will take some handywork and fabrication on your part.

The Retrofit Source online: headlight upgrades for all applications

Search also on the web, there was a guy I think on Vortex that had a great write up on coverting his car, he first did the Morimoto Mini, then swapped up to FXR. He did this with new aftermarket housings so he could work on the retrofit while still driving his car.

 

[LuuvBug]

Thank you so much for getting back to me.

I have a 2007 New Beetle 2.7L.
They are currently halogen lights.

I hate to be the "typical girl", but I have no idea what any of that means. I'd love to get projector headlights since it is what I want ... but I have no idea where to find them. And from searching online I couldn't find any for my 2007 beetle.

I don't want to do HID Bulbs as they burn out quicker, I'd rather do a full HID headlight swap. I don't even know where to look for after market stuff. I couldn't get too many answers online.

I like the look of HID lights better. I found this "8000K HID 06-09 Beetle RH/LH Headlights" online, but I don't know if that's what I want? I'm not good at this kind of thing. Luckily, if I buy it, I have someone to install it for me .. but I don't know if that's what I want or what that is. The description doesn't really help me.

 

[jfoj]

First a few things, HID bulbs do not burn out quikly, some last more than 10 years. But you would not want 10 year old HID as the color temp will drop and they will start to yellow a bit and the output also drops as well.

You DO NOT want 8k HID bulbs, DO NOT do it. Do not go above 6k color temp. 5-6k is the highest temp you should even consider.

To clarify all HID will likely be projector lens, I believe your current headlights using halogen bulbs are projectors, as least my 2003 have projector halogen.

Let me see what is available for 2007, I believe there was a change in 2005, so what I have is slightly different than your set up.

Here is the best deal going and Hella is a good manufacturer. They OE a lot of the German car headlights. $121, I would jump all over this. If your headlights are questionable, buy both sides.

HELLA 010082021 Volkswagen New Beetle Passenger Side Headlight Assembly : Amazon.com : Automotive

Then if you really want HID, you might be able to get someone to convert your original and put them back in the car??

 

[LuuvBug]

I don't know if my headlights are projector halogen or not .. I definitely want HID projectors though. I was told that if I do an HID converter kit, that it'll only give me low beams, not high beams? So then my high beams are going to be the original yellow lights.

That link, is amazing ... but sadly, I'm in Canada. Amazon won't ship to Canada - and they're not on Amazon.ca.