RE: Headlight upgrade harness - where?

["Sheffield Corey" <SHEF@omdc.gso.uri.edu>]

>I bought the 55/100 headlight upgrade from (name escapes me) the co.
>that has the ad in AutoWeek.
>They include a new wiring harness for Audis (I have a 1990 200q 10V).
>Has anyone installed one of these things?  I see no room to run the
>harness between the two headlights.  As you probably know, the left
>headlight is inside the shroud around the radiator.
>Do I have to cut a hole in the plastic surround?
>Will I melt the wires if I just put the bulbs in as is?
>Any advice would be appreciated.
>						      TIA,
>						      Tom Smull

Hi Tom,

	If you don't install the harness and relays you will probably melt the
connector to the bulb itself on your original Audi harness, as I started to; or
, worse yet, you will melt the headlight switch on the steering column. I was
able to do a nice sanitary installation of the harness by opening up the
positive lug on the new harness and attaching it to the positive aux. battery
terminal by the front lower passenger side(LHD) of the engine. I switch the
hi/low beam from the passenger side original headlight connector; my relays are
stacked to a screw that holds the connector from the OXS to its wire loom
partner(on my '87 5KCSQ this is on the fender by the leading edge of the
airfilter housing) Remove, temporarily, the black plastic shroud in front of
the radiator attach the black ground wire to one of the large phillips head
screws that hlod the expansion tank bracket to mid-fender drivers side(LHD).
Now disconnect the driver side original bulb connector an seal it as to prevent
water and dirt from entering and causing problems later. On mine it was getting
quite "toasted". Now hook-up both of the new connectors to their respective
lamps; take the excess harness wire fold evenly to divide the excess wire
between the two lamps and "tie-wrap"(some call the thingys "zip-strips") the
harnes to the metal piece or hood(bonnet) release cable that runs across the 
top of the grill. "Tie-wrap" the negative lead to the hood release cable where
it exits the black shroud and head under the fender. Reinstall the black
plastic shroud and that should do it. Now, if you want to do a proper job,
install fuse holders up by the relays where they can be reached; I forget what
I'm using...20amp I think, maybe 16; it's rainin' cats and dogs here so I'm not
gonna run out side to check. The fellow(from AW ad) who sold me the bulbs and
harness told me the the headlight out warning on the computer display would
always be on and their was nothing I could do about it, but it has never come
on so I have no idea were he came with that idea. What I did find is that the
crimp-on connectors he'd used were crimped by his 3 year old grandson or his 85
year old wife...I had to re-crimp everything to get it to work right; that's
why I tried using the original Audi harness and nearly melted down the
headlight circuit. DO NOT MAKE THE SAME MISTAKE!!

	I hope this help you and any others debating switching the the "big"
watt bulbs as a cheap alternative to the $$$Eurolamps. This option can't hold a
candle(power) to the Eurolights, but it is an improvement over the dangerous
stock lamps. Your lens still throw the light everywhere, but now there is alot
more light to throw, and it does get somewhat further down the road. People
still seldom flash me when I forget to dim my hi's, but I can see better at
night.

					Happy motoring,

							Shef

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