A4 Headlights

[Andrew_Chang@providian.com]

First, I'm new to the list (about 2 weeks) so I appologize for my amazing
ignorance. This has probably all been covered and is "in the archives."  I
tried looking in the archives, but it really doesn't seem that easy to find
stuff there (I'll put my flame-suit on, maybe it's easy, but I didn't find
it so at all).

Anyway, I've had my US spec A4 (98 2.8qm) for about one week and just drove
it in the dark for the first time. I read the recent thread regarding Euro
Lights and I was wondering...

Is it possible that Audi's new cars have Euro Lights factory installed?!?
Sounds odd from what I gathered from the thread (i.e. illegal), but I don't
know that much about the DOT vs. Euro and if any changes in law have
occured. Actually, just why are Euros, which are much better headlights
(from all the q-listers opinions), not allowed in the US for road driving?
Doesn't make sense if they are the superior product, but when does our
government make sense.

The particulars:
They're Bosch headlights and they definitely have a very sharply defined
"vertical cutoff" (this terminology confused me. does this mean the edge is
a vertical line or that as you move vertically the light ends, meaning it
apears as a *horizontal* dark/light line. I'm assuming the latter) if you
shine them on a wall, and the headlamp unit *does not* have the 3 DOT
adjustment "pimples".

The front of the headlight had a number of codes on it (I'll write down
what they are tomorrow). Don't remember exactly what they said, but I do
remember that it did have some short numbers similar to headlight bulbs
that were refered to in the thread, H1/H7, and appeared as below if looking
at the driver's side headlight.

------------------------------
|       H7            H1     |
|                            |
|                            |
|        H7                  |
-----------------------------

I think the H1 was over the low beam light and the H7s were over the high
beam and integrated fog light. Maybe it's just the Euro bulbs with DOT
reflector unit? Is that a feasible combination?

Another Euro question: I don't have a point of comparison handy. Just what
makes Euro spec, Euro spec? Is the sharp linear cutoff part of the Euro
specific beam pattern or is it just sharper than DOT lamps' pattern? If so,
is it the bulb that creates this or the reflector?


Thanks in advance! (TIA, if the full verbage confuses anyone  =>  )

Andrew Chang
98 A4 2.8qm