I'm part ricer.

Recently replaced my Mk2F (named Dora)'s headlights with Osram Cool Blue Intense and the sidelights with Philips BlueVision. Then I decided the BlueVision wasn't enough, and replaced them with actual blue LEDs. It works because Dora has dim-dips, so whenever the engine's on/car is running, the Osrams make sure the blue LEDs aren't that attention-grabbing.

But the downside to dim-dips is the Osrams only have the HID-look on the dipped/main beam - on dim-dips they still have that yellowy look.

I figure my only other option is blue Philips ColorVision, but I'm worried that a) they'll look equally yellowy/crap with dim-dips, and b) I lose the xenon-look I have with my current 4300k's.

Anyone have experience with ColorVision, particularly on dim-dips? Is it worth converting to?

So you want them to be blue? And are we talking sidelights or dipped beam?

Personally, I would steer way clear of any coloured bulbs because the output is pants, but I guess if your after a coloured light then go for it. Bear in mind that the blue tint doesn't make the light blue, it just adds a bluefish tint to the yellows warm white colour of the light to make it a little "whiter" but will never come out as "blue" light. Personally if I was to go for a coloured effect I would use an all weather / plasma coated ones, as they give off a rainbowish light which actually show up the road markings and signs a lot more then normal bulbs. You can get them with a blue or yellow tint too, but again out put is crap.

I've taken some pics for comparison as to what I currently have now - they aren't fantastic quality, but you can sort-of see what I'm getting at. In the pics, both headlight bulbs are Osram Cool Blue Intense. The right sidelight is a Philips BlueVision, the left sidelight is a blue LED.

Sidelights/Parking Lights:

Dim-dips:

Dipped/low beam:

Full/high beam:

As you can see, even with the BlueVision/right there's still that yellowness to the sidelights/dim dips (pics 1 and 2). With the LED I get basically a pure white all round, with just a hint of blue when the headlights are on, giving them that pseudo-HID look.

Closeup of OSRAM+Blue LED on dim-dips:

And now comes the plot twist: I've decided to upgrade from blue to purple. I've gotten a pair of purple sidelights on order which will replace the LEDs, so my options for headlights are now:

1: Keep the OSRAMs. They're not as bright as I'd like, but I still get a pure white & hint of purple, and I can live with that.

2: Get an illegal aftermarket HID kit. Not exactly cheap/easy, and if I get pulled over I'm screwed, but it's the best-looking option.

3: Get purple Philips ColorVision, which seems tempting. Reasonably priced and 60% more light, and they have a nice purple* look in the lens (not the light itself), as seen here:

* Ok, maybe more pink than purple, but I think I can get away with it

But the problem with ColorVision is they're 3340k and my OSRAMs are 4300k, so I lose the HID look. I also have no idea how they'll look on dim-dips (as in pic 2) and no one else on the internet has shared any info about dim-dips. For all I know, I could end up with some awful purple and yellow combination. And being an unemployed college student, buying the ColorVision just to test it out is a pretty big risk when it comes to finances

Edited 30 October, 201411 yr by Vio

you can disable the dim dip if you wish - just disconect the wires on a tube looking thing up near the fusebox

in all honesty you arent fooling anyone that you have some luxo high end car with xenons they just look like blue ebay bulbs that all the boy racers have

why not purchase or make an uprated loom with relays and some nightbreaker bulbs - you will get a massive improvement in output but they will be white , after all seeing where you can go is more important than having blue lights

the uprated looms really are money well spent , one of the best affordable mods to any vw of that era

Edited 30 October, 201411 yr by steveo3002

a cop thats having a bad day will give you grief over that blue light too , not worth inviting them to sniff around your car looking for other "issues" imo

Ah but with the dim-dips the blue is barely noticeable, so the police are none the wiser when the engine's running They have gotten me for the washer lights though

I don't mind not having blue as long as it's not yellow, and at 4200k she's almost at pure white and better looking than pretty much every non-Xenon car on the road. But I'll look into the loom as well - in which case, are nightbreakers better than cool blue intense? Or could I get the loom AND the ColorVision - no yellow, blue look, white light and increased brightness (aka having the cake, eating it, and then ordering ice cream as well).

And would the loom affect the sidelights? Because if I can switch back to the BlueVision sidelights without the yellowness they have in pics 1/2, I'll be road legal and happy with that

Edited 30 October, 201411 yr by Vio

the loom can be used with any bulbs you wish to use , I've found the nightbreakers to give extra output and a nice white light , what they do is restore full battery voltage to the bulbs rather than the 10-11volts that usualy gets through the old tired wires

no it does effect the sidelights at all , just dip and main beam it also you need to disable the dim dip

Edited 30 October, 201411 yr by steveo3002

Bugger. Ok, I'll go with a loom and see how the Cool Blue Intense look, and then decide from there whether it's good enough or if I need nightbreakers/colorvision. Cheers

Now to find out how the hell a loom works

You are best off buying the loom rather than making one if you're not confident with wiring, they are cheap. Its simply a relayed loom that connects to your battery, original bulb connectors and your light bulbs.

The power from the original loom triggers the relay which takes power straight from the battery to the light bulb, cutting out drainage when it goes through the dash, switches etc.