Lens & Bulb Upgrades
In stock configuration, the Vanagon headlight circuit routes all of the current travelling from the battery to the headlamps through the headlight switch, high/low beam dimmer switch and the ignition switch. This is a very restrictive design, which leads to less voltage at the headlamp, resulting in less output from your bulbs and ultimately less light on the road in front of you while you are driving at night. It is also the most common reason for the failure of the headlight switch due to overheating.
The easiest way to remedy this design flaw is to add a relay kit to your Vanagon’s lighting system. The relays will remove the electrical load from the headlight switch and will allow the maximum available voltage to reach the headlamps. After installing a properly designed relay setup the headlight switch will only carry the small amount of current necessary to switch the relays on (less than 1A). After the relay is triggered, the current output to the headlamps will be carried directly from the fuse block through the relays and out to the 12GA wires going to the headlamps. This is a much shorter wiring run and avoids several restrictive connections. The result is less heat at the headlight switch and more juice directly to the bulbs.
On 1980-1985 Vanagons, the fuse block uses ¼” disconnects to attach all of the circuits to the output side of the fuses. This means that it is possible to add a set of relays without cutting any factory wires. The relay installation typically takes 30 minutes to an hour and can be accomplished with a few simple hand tools that every van owner should already have.
1986-1991 Vanagons have a much more complex fuse block. There is no simple way to attach the headlight relays without cutting into the factory wiring. Luckily this is easily accomplished by cutting two wires that run from the headlight high/low beam dimmer switch on the steering column to the fuse block and installing the relays using marine quality butt connectors. The install for 86-91 vans takes about 20-30 minutes for the novice installer.
Better Bulbs and Lenses
As headlights age there are several factors that effect the quality and quantity of light coming out of them.
1) The reflective coating on the back of the lens often breaks down over time due to a combination of heat and vibration.
2) The lens surface itself is constantly bombarded by dirt, rocks, bugs and other nastiness that scratches, dings and
otherwise messes up the clarity and focus of the lens.
3) As any filament based bulb ages, the filament evaporates at a very slow rate. This can sometimes be seen as a black
or grey shadow inside old bulbs.
1980-1985 Vanagon:
The stock 7” round sealed beam headlamps on the 1980-1985 Vanagon are 55/60W. This means that the low beam filament is rated at 55 watts and the high beam filament is rated at 60 watts. This is a pretty standard rating for automotive bulbs of this vintage and is still widely used for automotive lighting today.
The simplest and most effective solution to improve the lighting on a round headlight Vanagon is to upgrade to H4 Halogen bulbs and high quality glass headlight lenses. There are a multitude of options for lenses and bulbs available. In general you get what you pay for with lenses. Many people consider Cibie brand lenses to be amongst the best with lenses by Hella being a close second.
My preferred headlight lens is the Cibie 082440 7" e-Code housing. The best deal I have found for these is on amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Cibie-082440-Light-Unit/dp/B008DQV88Q . European e-code lenses are not DOT legal for highway use in some states, so be sure to check with your local authorities before installing them if you think you might have trouble with inspecting your van after installing non-DOT compliant lenses. The best DOT approved lens I have found is the Hella Vision Plus H4 lens. They are also available from Bus Depot and GoWesty as well as other online sources.
The beam pattern of an e-code lens is significantly different than the pattern of a normal DOT lens found here in the US. Many people consider the pattern of e-code lenses to be more useful to the driver and safer and less troubling to oncoming traffic as they have a sharper drop off and concentrate less light toward the left (oncoming traffic in the US) side of the beams focal pattern. There is some speculation that the antiquated DOT headlight guidelines will come under review in the near future, which will make it totally legal to run the e-code lenses in all 50 states.
H4 bulbs are available in a multitude of different wattage and colour temperatures. In general the light output of a halogen bulb will be almost white with a little bit of yellow and red mixed in. Be wary of bulbs that are labeled as “blue” or “xenon” as they actually cause reduced night vision due to increased glare from the blue end of the light spectrum, which tends to scatter and is hard for your eyes to process. Any bulb with a blue (or any other color) filter on the glass can only reduce the amount of light that reaches the road.
For general driving, the stock 55/60W bulbs will function pretty well for most drivers. If you live in a rural setting without streetlights or spend lots of time driving in unsettled areas you might benefit from a higher wattage bulb. I currently run Osram Hyper 85/80W H4 bulbs in my ’85 Westy. If you do most of your driving in densely populated areas, there is also a 65/70W version of the Osram Hyper H4 that is more friendly to city traffic. For a more budget friendly alternative, Hella makes a decent H4 bulb available in 55/100W and 80/100W versions.
Another nice factor with the H4 bulb is that instead of replacing the entire headlamp when it burns out, you only need to replace the bulb. This makes it practical to carry a spare bulb if you will be traveling in out of the way places.
1986-1991 Vanagon:
The stock 1986-1991 Vanagon uses a 4 lens headlight system. The main rectangular lens houses a dual filament (hi & low beam) 9004 style bulb and the smaller square inner lens houses an H3 single filament bulb used for high beam only. When the high beam selector switch is engaged the high beam filament of the main outer lens illuminates along with the inner square high beam lens.
The 9004 bulb is available in several different wattages and colour temperatures. The inner H3 is generally only available in 55W and 100W in the US. Several online suppliers sell a kit that includes 80/100W main (9004) bulbs and 100w (H3) high beams. This combination of high wattage bulbs is dangerously close to overloading the stock headlight wiring in the van. A much better choice is to run 80/100W 9004 bulbs in the main outer lenses and a high efficiency (+50) bulb in the inner high beam lenses. The best high efficiency bulbs I have tested include the Narva RangePower 50, Osram Night Breaker Plus or the Philips Vision Plus. Any of these bulbs will provide significantly more light than standard bulbs without consuming any extra power.
Many drivers comment that the actual amount of light output from the stock rectangular headlight setup is quite adequate, but that the pattern of the light output is so poor that they still can’t see well when driving at night. If the lenses on your van look cloudy or dull, it is important to clean the inner surface of the lens. The cloudy surface will scatter the light coming through the lens and can drastically effect the output. Usually a quick rinse with 99% isopropyl alcohol will do a good job of getting things clean. Dry the lenses thoroughly in the sun before reinstalling the bulbs.
Since the 86-91 Vanagon uses a proprietary headlight setup (not even shared with other VW's of the same time period), there is unfortunately no easy way to upgrade the lenses. There are rectangular H4 headlamps available for the Vanagon from European and Canadian sources, but they tend to be hard to find and quite pricey.
If you find that you still are not happy with the quality of the lighting in your 86-91 Vanagon after adding relays and upgrading the bulbs in the stock rectangular setup, there are other options.
It is fairly easy to swap in a set of the earlier 7” round headlights which will offer far more lighting options. To do this you will need to find headlight buckets and a grill from a donor 80-85 Vanagon along with the proper 3-prong bulb connectors. Email me at thatvwbusguy@comcast.net for further details if you need help with this modification.
Another excellent option is the 4 bulb South African Grill conversion (available from most Vanagon specialty vendors) which uses 7” round bulbs for the main hi/low beams and 5.75” inner driving lights for the high beams. This setup combines the 4 lens light setup of the 86-91 with the improved light output of the 80-85 Vanagon. At nearly $400.00 it is a fairly large out of pocket expense, but it is hard to beat for actual light delivered to the road.
Where to purchase bulbs:
People often ask me if I keep bulbs in stock to sell with my relays. For a while I looked into doing a bulk purchase, but couldn't find pricing any better than what is typically offered on amazon.com. Since amazon typically offers free shipping on orders over $25.00, I recommend them as a good source for Hella bulbs. Remember to grab an extra to keep in the glove box for emergencies.
Links and availability change so often that I can't keep up. A quick google search will find most of these bulbs:
1980-1985 Vanagon
Osram 80/85W H4 - (also available in 65/70W) These bulbs are not always available, but they are a great option when you can get them.
Hella H4 55/100W
Hella H4 80/100W
1986-1991 Vanagon
Hella 9004 80/100W (main outer lens, low and high beam)
Narva H3 (+50) 55W (inner high beam)
Hella H3 55W (standard high beam)
Auxillary Lamps:
Fog lights and driving lights can be fitted to the front of the Vanagon and can provide considerable increases in additional lumen output. They are not meant to be used as a replacement for the main headlights, nor are they generally legal to run in traffic. As with any other lighting upgrade, be sure to purchase from reputable suppliers such as Hella or PIAA to get a solid long lasting unit.
Fog lights have a short, wide beam that does not project outward very far in front of the van. They can also help to light up the side of the road and alert the driver to wildlife that may be waiting to cross the road. They should generally be switched so that they will only come on with the low beams for best results.
Driving lights have a longer, narrow beam that can greatly extend your range of vision. Driving lights should be switched on with the high beams and should never be used in densely populated areas.