RE: Melting headlights?

["Geoff Jenkins" <jenkinsg@pilot.msu.edu>]

The PO of my S4 ran a set of upgraded bulbs, and after a couple
of months I noticed that the LHS one was slowly aiming lower and
lower. After a decent (2 hr) drive one night, it was now aimed
about 4ft ahead of the car. The bulb was generating so much heat
that the plastic where it mounts onto the lens assembly was
pliable.

Solution: heated up the lens mount (i.e. ran the lights a long
time), manually aimed the bulb by pushing the mount, then
removed the bulb and replaced it (after it had all cooled) with
a regular one.

The stock bulb is _noticeably_ (but not massively) worse, but at
least it stays put, which makes the whole thing more effective.

Geoff

> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-quattro@coimbra.ans.net
> [mailto:owner-quattro@coimbra.ans.net]On Behalf Of Phil Payne
> Sent: Thursday, July 09, 1998 10:08 AM
> To: quattro@coimbra.ans.net
> Subject: Melting headlights?
>
>
> In message <v04003a01b1ca92c89522@[10.1.1.5]> Brett
> Dikeman writes:
>
> >> I have not received them yet, but here's my question:  Am I
> >> going to melt my headlamps/wires by running the 100w lamps?
>
> > You will destroy your headlight switch
> assembly(approx $220) and/or start a
> > fire/melt housing(try $150 for a used DOT
> headlight)/blow fuses.
>
> > Your $5 bulbs could cause a good deal of expensive damage.
>
> I reckon it's about 50:50.  We could take bets ...
>