Okay. Headlights. P80 98 99 V70 S70 Topic is solved

[Eddystone]

I have a 98 V70 base and a 99 S70 T5. Output from the headlights in BOTH is very poor bordering on dangerous. I have read a number of forum entries and have made sure that I have installed well-liked bulbs. I have also read about the reflective plating deteriorating, and I think that is the main source of my problem. I know that modern cars have much more advanced lighting systems, but I need to find a solution.

1. New headlight assemblies (not used) seem expensive and may not get me what I want.
2. Is there any way of improving the reflective painting with something like mirrored vinyl? I know that sounds crazy.
3. Are there other solutions such as auxiliary driving lights or some sort of HID or other light that will fit inside the stock housing?

There used to be state and federal laws governing the height and brightness of auto headlights, but those seem to have fallen by the wayside and must no longer be enforced. I am constantly being blasted by people with incredibly bright stock headlights and other lights mounted much higher than standard driving lights.

Note: The T5 has stock Volvo driving/fog lights, but they don't add much. In both cars, when he high beams are on lighting is pretty decent. I wonder if this is because the low beams have been on as daytime lights and hence the plating is more deteriorated on the low beams than the high beams.

So, what have other people done to improve the lighting on these old cars? Open to any and all suggestions.

[abscate]

The stock headlights are fine until the reflectors fade. I have one on my 1999 that faded and one that is still stock original and is fine. You either find a good PnP one or buy a new one.

You are right, this is a safety issue and should not wait.

[Eddystone]

I've been thinking that if the plating is bad, no bulb is going to help. How easy is it to tell if the plating is bad in a junkyard situation? I haven't seen a good one side by side with a bad one. It's likely that all of the ones in the PnP are as bad as mine.

[FlyingVolvo]

Please do not put HIDs or LEDs in any stock housings. You have a few options with varying price tags:

Cheapest solution without going to a junkyard (may get questionable lights there too) is probably to get new aftermarket housings. Look for the TYC brand. They're basically just as good as OEM and considerably cheaper. Available on sites like FCP Euro and IPD.

For the best possible light output, you can buy some C70 clear lenses and then do an HID projector retrofit. I can link you to a thread or two with my and other's results of that (it's incredible).

There are also ABM projectors which are full assembly ready-to-go. They are NOT suitable for HID/LEDs, but their light output is a bit better than stock. High price tag, and not worth it in my opinion.

[1998v70xcbill]

After market headlight assembly are cheap, Some come with bulbs and they look and work great. I went for stock looking.
Search the forum there is lots of posts. I paid maybe $60 each.

[WhatAmIDoing]

I'm in a similar boat. TYC seem to make a decent aftermarket replacement that looks like OEM. They are like $90 each on FCP, vs the $250+ for genuine. You could install a light bar on the front bumper (that will really light the way), but using that on the road is most certainty illegal in many places. I thought about tucking one in in that space above the lower air dam to improve the fog lights, but wasn't sure about the negative impact on airflow. You can also pop the lenses off your headlights and clean the inside of the lenses. Touching the reflectors with anything will likely just make them even worse, so I don't think messing with them will help.

If going the Junkyard route, bring a strong flashlight and maybe a jumper pack if you have one. Before you go in, shine the flashlight into your headlight and see how much light gets reflected back off the reflectors (so you know what bad looks like). Once you're in the yard, you can use this technique to judge the quality of the available headlight assemblies. If the lenses look really foggy, pass on those lights. That fog is oxidation from the deteriorating reflectors. You can also wire up the jumper back to the lights and test them that way. They should still look bright in the daylight. If you have trouble telling if they are even on, then they are no better than yours.

Lastly, if there is no law saying you must use daytime running lights, turn that screw by the headlights switch and disable them. I'm convinced all daytime running lights do is accelerate headlight death and annoy other drivers. If you can't see a car in broad daylight, then you have no business driving IMHO.

[Eddystone]

It looks as if I will either hit the PnP (not too many of these cars in my area) or go for aftermarket. Since I have two cars that need this, it will put a dent in my car budget. Tell me more about the C70 headlights. Are the lenses just different or were the stock lights projectors?

Thanks for all the input, people.

Please do not put HIDs or LEDs in any stock housings. You have a few options with varying price tags:

Cheapest solution without going to a junkyard (may get questionable lights there too) is probably to get new aftermarket housings. Look for the TYC brand. They're basically just as good as OEM and considerably cheaper. Available on sites like FCP Euro and IPD.

For the best possible light output, you can buy some C70 clear lenses and then do an HID projector retrofit. I can link you to a thread or two with my and other's results of that (it's incredible).

There are also ABM projectors which are full assembly ready-to-go. They are NOT suitable for HID/LEDs, but their light output is a bit better than stock. High price tag, and not worth it in my opinion.

[Eddystone]

Tell me more about the C70 headlights. Are the lenses just different or were the stock lights projectors?

I see the C70 lenses look more aggressive. Unfortunately, they seem to cost twice as much as the standard S70 replacement lights. TYC for S70 $80. Unspecified brand for C70 $130

[Eddystone]

Ordered TYC stock style headlights for S70. Should improve lighting and not break bank.