Ford Focus headlights….

[sprint95m]

A few months ago I bought a mark 2 Ford Focus (Titanium 145 hatchback to be precise)
and a good car it is too.
It reminds me of the (so called classic) Saab 900 but has better performance, fuel economy, cornering
and is stable in cross winds, etc.


The one disappointing thing is the headlight performance, which is adequate only, certainly not as good as the XJ40
twin round headlight set up I had on my Dolomite.

A Google search reveals options for "upgrading" the headlights, so I am wondering if anyone has experience of such please.
Options vary, but I would be prepared to go £300 on complete new units if these are really much better.



thanks,

Ian.

[Toledo Man]

What are the condition of the headlight units? If the clear plastic is cloudy then light output won't be all that great. They can be revived but the results are variable and the "fix" might not last. If you're wanting to upgrade the bulbs you could go for xenon or HID bulbs. One of the easiest improvements is to replace the sidelight bulbs with LED ones. Beware of some of the ebay ones. Some of them are poor quality even from the UK sellers. CrazyLEDs sell decent quality LED bulbs and are well worth the money. Another easy upgrade is to swap your halogen bulbs for Osram Nightbreakers. These are brighter than normal bulbs and are the best compromise between brighness and bulb life.

[soe8m]

More watts. Use an old fashioned relay setup. At the time the units start melting you can try something new. But maybe only brighter sidelights will do the job.

Jeroen

[Bumpa]

Seems to be common on modern cars. The headlamps on my VW Touran are pathetic on both dip and high beam. The Cibie 7" units on my MGB are much, much better, even with standard H4 bulbs.

[SprintMWU773V]

Interestingly my colleague was complaining about the headlights on his VW and he was explaining how the wiring is excessively long and you lose a lot of current as it goes round the vehicle. Somehow he modified it and now they are much better. I have no idea what he did sorry.

I always thought my Focus had very good headlights, even when using very cheap headlight bulbs. It's usually the silvering that goes in them and that makes them dim, or as had been mentioned a cloudy lens. I would give them a through inspection and check the reflectors as best you can and perhaps invest in a pair of new bulbs as sometimes they can go dim.

[soe8m]

I have a good experience with the RING bulbs. These are availbale in many watt combi's. In my temporary daily corolla i use 100/110watt halogen bulbs. It is twice as much light also.

Jeroen

[red&black]

Have you considered fitting some HID lights from something like a Focus ST Ian? If a suitable donor car was found it may also yield the washers and self levelling system which accompany HID lights.

James

[sprint95m]

Have you considered fitting some HID lights from something like a Focus ST Ian? If a suitable donor car was found it may also yield the washers and self levelling system which accompany HID lights.

James

I have James.
Alas I don't know anyone who owns such a car, to be able to try these lights out first.

I am going to try Philips Xtreme Vision bulbs for the main beam in my existing light units.
These are the same wattage but produce more light.

I'll report back in due course.



thanks,

Ian.

[Toledo Man]

I don't know how good the Philips bulbs are but I'd recommend the Osram Nightbreakers. I had them in the Astra and I might fit a pair in the Picasso.

[cliftyhanger]

I have had both, and they are broadly similar in performance. However, on test, the Philips had much better consistency between bulbs and seemed to be made to a better specification, hence my recommendation as a higher quality product.

[Toledo Man]

I once changed the headlight bulbs on an 03 plate Focus and that was an absolute pig of a job due to the lack of room so this is a job you only want to do once and get it right the first time. I think I'll try the Philips bulbs on my Picasso purely on Clive & Ian's recommendations.

[soe8m]

And Philips is Dutch ofcourse. Who doesn't want to be guided in the dark by something Dutch.

Jeroen

[SprintMWU773V]

I once changed the headlight bulbs on an 03 plate Focus and that was an absolute pig of a job due to the lack of room so this is a job you only want to do once and get it right the first time. I think I'll try the Philips bulbs on my Picasso purely on Clive & Ian's recommendations.

Must have been a diesel one. My 1.6 petrol was the easiest car to change I've experienced.

[Carledo]

And Philips is Dutch ofcourse. Who doesn't want to be guided in the dark by something Dutch.

Jeroen

If you don't mind your lights having an orange tint!

Steve

[sprint95m]

I have no idea about a mark one Focus, but on the mark two I have it is easy enough to change the headlamp bulbs,
just one screw to remove and then two clips to release for each headlamp unit. The wiring does not need to be disconnected for access.
Takes about five minutes per side.

The Philips bulbs are noticeable brighter (I fitted one to compare to the existing).
Since fitting the new bulbs, I have yet to drive the car in the dark so have no comment to make on any difference I may detect.

I did find a thread on a Ford forum showing before and after photos (taken with a phone) which gave an impressive improvement, however
I do not know if the headlights are the same as mine (there are a few variants available which is according to model specification).



thanks,
Ian.