is it possible to get a better bulb in the headlights ,as the standard bulb is s..t. they are the round bulb type and i was wanting to put in the halogen bulbs but they are longer and narrower .

Of course you can fit them...I bought the Philips long life bulbs, and now the light is more white and powerful!Mind you need these with three little splines on the base.

Passion has neither brands nor models!

La passione non ha nè marche nè modelli!

Hi there,

Take a voltmeter accross the bulbs and find out what the voltage is -on mine it read about 8V which is a fraction of what it should be.

This resulted in really dim lights.

I improved things by running a new earth direct from the battery to the each headlight and cleaning the connections where I could, the standard bulkhead based Earth had really deteriorated. This raised the voltage to about 11V which made the lights noticeably brighter. Headlights give off most light between 10.5-12V

I also changed the headlight beam angles - one was too high and shining into the sky.

Don't buy 100W rated bulbs, these draw more current than the usual bulbs and will burn out the wiring over time. Regular bulbs or Xeon ones of the same wattage, plus changes to the wiring and deflector angle should give decent lights.

Regards,

Martin

Fix It Again Tony!

You can get halogen bulb units which fit in standard headlights - Halfords sell them

Steve - who's had the life force sucked out of him by NTL

I got halogens.. they are much better but won't pass the mot. Other drivers also flash you thinking you have full beam on to which i retaliate by actually putting full beam on and blinding them ;p Also beware.. halogens will burn out that primitive light switch on the dash after a few weeks and might even burn out the loom.. i just fitted a new better switch and wires.

Dear Jaff,

If you are blinding other drivers, adjust the headlight beam angle using the small hexagonal bolt to the side of the mirror deflector.

And if the wiring burns out use lower wattage bulbs -see my post above.

Regards,

Martin

Fix It Again Tony!

lol! if you used 100w i think the panda dash would melt away
the bulbs i'm using are (apparently) only 10w more a piece than the standard ones but they killed the switch.. anyway, as i said, problem is solved with new switch and wires.

I have spent £25 on Halfords Xenon headlam bulbs for my Panda Dance. Before I fit them, are they likely to burn/melt anything. I dont want the trouble of rewiring or buying a new switch!

I assume if they are the same wattage as the original lights then the change should not be a problem.?

Thanks
nrb

nrb

I think you'll be amazed at the original specification for the bulbs:
45/40 Watts.

The wiring and switchgear is just good enough for the corresponding current.

Your new bulbs are guaranteed to be more than that.
Probably 60/55 Watts.

wouldn't it be possible to use relays and heavier wiring?

Met Cognac 99 Brava 100 HSX, what do you want? cupholders? open door warning light? grow up!

I use the H4 bulbs without any problem[8)],except the need of an adaptor to fit them in the round seat of the old headlights!BTW I know of some Panda and Uno equipped with rally-bulbs (100W) and neither a fuse blown[:0].


Passion has neither brands nor models!

La passione non ha nè marche nè modelli!
(Quite happy dark met. blue Panda driver!)

i have fitted the bulbs: time will tell if there is a problem or not.

nrb

I would have looked at the bulbs I fitted but she's now in my local scrapyard

ISTR they were the same wattage as the original bulbs, and I did not have to adjust the headlamp aim. That was at least 10 years ago and the switch didn't burn out, but just became loose and difficult to operate properly. The last MOT (June 2001) failed on headlamps because one of them finally blew. After 8 years of use, which ain't bad!

Steve the geriatric Panda and Beagle freak

G781 TUT: White Panda 1000CL - 31-08-1989 to 09-03-2004 (may she rest in pieces )
J154 FMX: Red Panda 750L in good condition - waiting for me to rescue it
--------------------------------------------------
Currently cycling 16 miles a day to work and back

I expect the panda ones are as bad as the Uno ones then? Sometimes I have to check that they are on if I am in a reasonably well lit area (ok, anywhere but in the middle of nowhere!). The main beams are excellent but the dipped are worse than my bike lights!

I considered getting new ones but then thought "Where I drive in the dark, it is well lit, it's not like I am taking a trip on an african safari". Hence following this rationale, I won't buy new ones. I hate the idea of blinding over drivers, it annoys me so it must annoy everyone else.

My first signiture (a lot of thought put into it): If you can't find the switch to switch your fogs off I am sure I can help you! Damn fogs.

Nice one Paul.

It's like a breath of fresh air to think that some people actually care about others!

Steve the geriatric Panda and Beagle freak

G781 TUT: White Panda 1000CL - 31-08-1989 to 09-03-2004 (may she rest in pieces )
J154 FMX: Red Panda 750L in good condition - waiting for me to rescue it
--------------------------------------------------
Currently cycling 16 miles a day to work and back

i thought the same so i just left my normal bulbs in and fitted separate driving lamps in the bumper on a separate switch so when needed they can be switched on off saves burning out switches and wireing and looks great too

i know wot your thinking ITS A PANDA! well i got to words for you BITE ME !!

Cheers Steve, but I can be selfish a lot of the time too. I do try my best though

My first signiture (a lot of thought put into it): If you can't find the switch to switch your fogs off I am sure I can help you! Damn fogs.

@ enzo
What was that adaptor you mentioned. Don't know if my bulbs are H4 but they are a three point contact rather than the round one on the old bulbs. Currently the bulbs aren't very stable in position. Is this what the adaptor is for, and if so where did you get it from?

Also, I'm fairly new to cars and electronis so sorry if this is a stupid question. Where is the earth point that gets corroded? I just tested the current across my the contacts on my bulbs and am getting about 4.5v. I want to try the earth fix before i start messing around with relays.

Cheers
Ben

I think I found the earth point. Is it the thing that looks like a savage comb bolted to the car, tucked away between the washer fluid reservoir and the passenger side head light. I took it off anyway and gave it a bit of clean up, as it was covered in gunk. It hasn't helped though. Still only getting 5v on the bulb. I also tested the voltage at the plug that fits onto the bulb. At that point I was getting 9v. At the battery I'm getting 12v. Any thoughts?

The basic setup with the headlights is quite a chain (bracketed numbers are Haynes diagram keys):

ignition switch (03500)
external lights switch (03054)
steering column dip/main switch (04020)
fuse for each filament on each side of the car.
then to the earth block you've discovered behind the (UK) passenger side headlight.

To get consistant and understandable results, you need to use a single good earth point for your meter, and measure everything with respect to that.
The battery -ve is the best place.

Although you have cleaned the earthing point, it will still be worth measuring the voltage at that point on the individual connectors.
You might be surprised.

If that's not the problem, and the bulb seating isn't an issue either, you may have cooked one of the three switches detailed above, as they (and the wiring) are only just up to the standard 40/45 Watt bulbs.

IMHO, the only way to get the brightness you'd expect, and some life from the switches when using uprated bulbs, is to feed them from pair of relays, which in turn need to be fed from a substantial (and fused) supply.