Changing headlamp reflectors 96 Mk2 Chim

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Hi everyone,

My Chim suffers from a fairly common problem so it seems - brown headlights... Not a cool look, or particularly safe if I'm doing some spirited driving down a country lane at night...

I have already done a search on hear, but couldn't find a how-to describing the job from start to finish.

Mines a 96 so I think it's not the sealed unit, so I can just get replacement reflectors.

How do I take the headlight cowling off? Is that from the little hatch in the wheelarch then it's a couple of bolts and I need to cut through some sealant with a feeler gauge (or fine wire)

Many thanks...

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Many thanks for the replies 👍 I've read about the LED/Lupo conversions but I want to keep the car standard and decent bulbs with new reflectors should suffice - my boy racing days have long since passed, so I don't need to light up the sky as I tear around everywhere...

I have read that both Osram nightbreakers and Phillips Xtreme are both good, but the Xtreme last twice as long as the nightbreakers, so they're the ones to go for.

By the way, I've found new reflectors which will fit the Chim (based on what I've read on here) for 30 quid each if anyone's interested....

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Don't know why those random numbers appeared on my post...

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Very helpful, cheers. Noted about the emoji thing too. The Bosch ones I've found impossible to find unfortunately. The ones I got were new VW heritage from the (early) VW T2 bus (and Beatle) - they've only been a very popular auction site very recently and are selling rather quickly...

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Cheers woozy - that was actually my next question :-D . I've been doing a bit of research and apparently as far as Philips Xtreme bulbs go, there's the 'Pro150' bulbs offering up to (as you may have guessed) 150% more light than a standard bulb (and a service life of 450 hours) , or the the GT200 (AKA "the daddy") which gives 200% brighter light than a standard bulb, but at the expense of longevity - good for 250 hours. Gotta be the GT200 I reckon...

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Both the Phillips Xtreme bulbs I mentioned previously (pro150 and gt200) are 60/55w which is why I'm interested in getting them, and why I think they're the best solution - they use clever tech for the increase in brightness rather than an increase in wattage, which can be risky on a 28 year old TVR (or a new one, given that TVR wiring is somewhat questionable sometimes). Given this, I think they're a reasonable substitute for LED bulbs, at least for my needs. Even though the chance of getting into trouble would be slim using LED bulbs, I think the risk/reward thing isn't worth it, but each to their own. Decent reflectors will also help greatly - I'm happy to post the (eBay) link - providing this doesn't break any posting rules etc..

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Yeah ok, but cleverer than just increasing the wattage to get a higher output, which would stress the wiring etc. 250 hours of nighttime driving is going to last me years, so for me it's a reasonable trade off between brighter headlights and messing around changing the bulbs...but different strokes for different folks and all that...

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sonnylad said:

I looked into those reflectors you mentioned and unless you want to change the fixtures for fitment along with a different lamp holder assembly than what is currently fitted.

I supplied replacement reflectors to many owners a fair few years ago and unfortunately there now impossible to obtain at sensible prices. My old supplier in Germany wants about £400 a set as he only has a very limited supply left.
And that's not the end price as I still need to convert fixings and add on shipment.

I'm not exactly sure what you mean by "change the fixtures for fitment along with a different lamp holder" but it sounds a bit scary! I'd read on here it's possible. I only bought them based on that (by digging around on here) - they actually arrived today and I have to say the quality is absolutely fine. I was expecting to have to do some jiggery pokery to get them to fit - are you saying that they can't be made to fit?

I had been looking for the original Bosch ones (part no 1305 314 930) for months and months but gave up - as well as being used on a 70s/80s (IVECO?) truck they were also used on the 964. As rare as...well... If I can't butcher these Heritage VW ones to fit, I'll have to get my ones rechrome...

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It looks like with a bit of ...er... "Persuasion" they'll fit, but I'm just guessing because I haven't even started to take off the originals yet..

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These units are 170mm diameter and 45mm hole in the middle