I can see again!

[geordie <clarke@bc.sympatico.ca>]

I got my headlights wired up nicely and they are brighter and better
than ever.

Taking the advice of any person in the know, I quickly went with the
relay system and heavier wiring. Since I couldn't get inline fuses with
bigger than 12 GA wire, I stuck with that. It was certainly big enough
to handle the lights, since the trip from my battery wasn't too far. I
decided not to use my alternator simply because I am unsure I want to
use it at this time, what with voltage variances...maybe I'll change
that later on.

Two big red wires from the batter connect to two 40 A fuses, one for
high beams the other for low beams and the whole system has been wire so
I can revert to the old sealed beams should I get busted for having H4s,
not likely but who knows.

Has anyone had problems putting relays into relay blocks? My hella
relays fit the spade plugs well, but once I inserted them into the
bottom of the bosch blocks, the relays just wouldn't snap in. I was
forced to do without the relay block, so I am currently finding a way to
weatherproof the wiring.

The BOSCH SBQ-46 units are much better than the old lights.. (duh) And
with the new relay setup, the lights don't dim to a yellow candle like
glow once you release the dimmer switch, that was terrible. What's gross
about the Audi wiring is that at the original headlight wiring harness,
my positive lead was reading 9.9 volts on high beam, and 10.5 volts on
low. We're talking some serious power degradation. My new setup sends
more than enough current to run these lights, which is how it should be.
Now I need to get some zap straps and stow those wires neatly, no
tape...

It's odd, the guys at my local parts suppliers all use these headlights,
and love them. The guy at my local Canadian Tire Auto parts counter
quickly said, oh those are illegal blah blah for road use blah blah.
These lights are not overly bright on low beam and they look bare
stock.  I made sure I aimed them to have a fairly short cutoff without
sacrificing my own vision. Besides, I get blinded by all the new BMW and
Mercedes lighting units, which use the same bulbs, only they got special
DOT approval. It's silly.


Ciao,
--
geordie clarke