General Punto MKII Headlights - Very very Dim

[Nickmitbm]

In my sporting the lights suck too..I always use the fog lights when I'm out of town, or generally on a dark road but they don't make that much of a difference.They just light up the space right in front of you and if for example a dog comes out 50 m away-and that's really close when you're doing 120 km/h, you'll never see it on time.Thought of putting xenons, but they're quite expensive and the cheap fake ones are awful.Also, I'm afraid they'll need more energy to work.Are nightbreakers that good?And can I fit them in without any battery or other modifications?

 

[raton_laveur]

There's been a lot of negative comments on here about the standard lamps so it's a known issue.

Philips Extreme are supposed to be the best, but before you change them, pull both the existing bulbs to see if they are H1 or H7. take them with you when you buy replacements to make sure you get the right ones.

And changing bulbs isn't nearly as easy as the owner's manual says it is. You really don't have much space to get the rear covers off so you can get to the old bulbs. As long as you're doing this, change them all, main beams, sidelights and indicators included. Wear some kind of gloves when handling the new bulbs to keep your skin oil off them while you install them.

 

[DaveMcT]

All dip beams cut off to avoid dazzling other drivers. The snag with really bright dip beams is the contrast between the lighted area and not lighted area makes the dark seem even worse. You could set the lamps high and use the electric adjuster to get a better sweep on dip beam.

The very best lamps I ever had were dipping Cibie Oscars which threw a long tail of light up the kerb from 100/90 bulbs (naughty but not dazzling). I doubt they are made any more and would look silly strapped on a Punto.