Omega Owners Forum
Omega Help Area => Omega General Help => Topic started by: omegadan2.2i on 27 November 2007, 22:27:47
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Is it me or are Omega headlights really poor??? :-?
I drove SWMBO's Y reg Polo the other night and this just highlighted how bad my Omega headlights are - I actually think they are quite dangerous especially when oncoming traffic is coming it is really difficult to make out your side of the road. My previous Carlton headlights were bad, but these seem much worse!! >:(
Any suggestions??
My Omega is 2002 CD Saloon non-Xenons.
Dan
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t-cut the lenses and give a good polish, best you can hope for.
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You're not on your own, tried many things, brighter bulbs etc. Still poor. Be interested to see the replies though :-/
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Mine are also crap!!! Im tryin to adjust them but even that doesnt work!!!! Take off the actual glass/plastic part n polish the inside!!! I think its one thing opel messed up wen building the omega!!! Hope it works :)
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the problem with the headlights is that are plastic :(
i found the best way to restore the headlight is by using a 12,000 grade wet and dry paper which is designed for taking scratches out of glass and perspex
it is hard to find the wet and dry paper
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yep mine was bad also..Joined the dark side and added aftermarket xenons ;D
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Better bulbs and corrrect setup........HID's are an option although its a bit of a grey area
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I have xenons in mine, which seem to be plenty bright enough. The problem I have is that they are set way too low, a complete nightmare when driving on a dual carriageway with no street lights. I've only had my car a couple of weeks and plan to take it somewhere to see if they can be adjusted.
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They can be adjusted manualy.
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They can be adjusted manualy.
I'm sure it isn't that difficult to do, but being mechanically ignorant - how do I do that? How do I ensure that I don't raise them too high and blind everyone?
Thanks for your help.
Rob.
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The method that I use is...
I drive upto a garage door on a flat (not neccasary to be level but, must be constantly flat) drive so the bumper is a few inches from the door. I then use a small piece of tape to mark the position of the bright spots (centre top of the beam pattern) of the light output on the door.
Then reverse the car back a few meters and adjust the beam pattern so the bright spot is 10mm ish below the markings......job done.
Interestingly, I have done this on quite a few cars now and every one has subsequently passed the MOT.
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The method that I use is...
I drive upto a garage door on a flat (not neccasary to be level but, must be constantly flat) drive so the bumper is a few inches from the door. I then use a small piece of tape to mark the position of the bright spots (centre top of the beam pattern) of the light output on the door.
Then reverse the car back a few meters and adjust the beam pattern so the bright spot is 10mm ish below the markings......job done.
Interestingly, I have done this on quite a few cars now and every one has subsequently passed the MOT.
OK. I can cope with doing that - how do I actually adjust the height of the beam, or will that be obvious when I take a look?
thanks.
Rob.
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Lift the bonnet and on the top front edge of the lamp you will see two adjusters which accept a hex type drive......one of these does vertical adjustment and the other horizontal.
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Lift the bonnet and on the top front edge of the lamp you will see two adjusters which accept a hex type drive......one of these does vertical adjustment and the other horizontal.
Excellent. Thanks for your help.
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The method that I use is...
I drive upto a garage door on a flat (not neccasary to be level but, must be constantly flat) drive so the bumper is a few inches from the door. I then use a small piece of tape to mark the position of the bright spots (centre top of the beam pattern) of the light output on the door.
Then reverse the car back a few meters and adjust the beam pattern so the bright spot is 10mm ish below the markings......job done.
Interestingly, I have done this on quite a few cars now and every one has subsequently passed the MOT.
::) :y
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Hang On!?! Dan's car is a facelift '02 so the lights should be pretty decent :-? No sanding/t-cutting should be required.
Dan, if you're not happy i'd suggest to you a xenon kit, I keep meaning to write a guide but time is tight. They fit and absolute treat in the omega, no butchering of wires and the difference is amazing, crucially though, they are quite safe when used with the projector lenses.
Give us a while and i'll sort you out with some info/pics etc. :y
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That would be really helpful if you could do a guide - I am sure many OOF members would appreciate this!! :y
I was having a good look at them last night. The 'spheres' on the dipped beam appear 'cloudy', so was wondering if they are supposed to be that way or do they need cleaning. If so, what is the best way?? :-?
Curiously, beam pattern must be okay as my Omega passed it's MOT on Monday with flying colours!!!!
Dan
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I'm awaiting delivery of a pair of projectors lamps in a hope of making my lights better.... ::)
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Omega headlights are crap. Fact. On my previous CDX I changed the bulbs for some philips 50% brighter ones. This brought them up to average rather than crap. My Elite has xenons and they are also crap. ok they are bright but dont have much throw. You only realise quite how bad they are when you drive a car with good headlights - whenever I drive the wifes golf I am amazed at how good her lights are. As a comparison, TVR headlights are widely recognised as being about as useful as a birthday cake candle but even my TVR headlights seem better than the Omega. You get used to it.
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My omega 2.2 cdx has xenons and i think there pretty good. they are very bright compared to normal lights.
i think they must be the same ones as tehy use in saabs as saad is owned by GM.
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Our facelift CDX has excellent lights, incredible visibility
the MV6 despite new bulbs are no where near as good.
Both Xenons (HIDs) I believe the prefacelift washer jets disturb the light output somewhat.
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That would be really helpful if you could do a guide - I am sure many OOF members would appreciate this!! :y
I was having a good look at them last night. The 'spheres' on the dipped beam appear 'cloudy', so was wondering if they are supposed to be that way or do they need cleaning. If so, what is the best way?? :-?
Dan
I'll get a guide sorted as soon as. Got the pictures, it's just the write up that needs doing. But honestly they are a piece of cake to fit and work the bizz.
Yes, indeed the spheres/globes that make up the lense for the projector unit focus and diffuse the light so they do have a 'cloudy' appearance by their nature. Actually, one of ours has a few spots of moisture or dirt inside (always been like that) but it doesn't seem to affect the light output with HID's.
Don't think standard facelift omega headlamps are that bad though :-? You want to try some vauxhalls of old, like the cavalier or calibra! Now they ARE crap!
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..... My Elite has xenons and they are also crap. ok they are bright but dont have much throw......
I'm surprised you think so, as I thought that the HID lights on my Omega were one its redeeming features.
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My Elite lights kick butt!!!! They can melt the ice on a winters day.
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..... My Elite has xenons and they are also crap. ok they are bright but dont have much throw......
I'm surprised you think so, as I thought that the HID lights on my Omega were one its redeeming features.
They are a redeeming feature when compared to the non HID omega's but still not a patch on the standard headlights on the Golf. I've had 3 Omegas now and got used to the idea that Vauxhall got the YTS trainee to design the lights... I was considering adjusting the headlights to raise them and improve the throw, but I already get flashed by some people as the HIDs are so bright , I think raising the beam will just make that worse.
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As long as the internal adjusters arent snapped...another flaw with the headlights!
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People tend to think that HID lights can be a bit rubbish because they have such a sharp cut-off. They haven't got the fuzzy edge to them like the old-fashioned type.
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:-/i've driven a 97 3.0 elite for the last 4 years and it scares me to drive at night on the 'A' roads round here i have to have front fogs on to see the verge!!!
Was thinking of upgrading to mini-facelift projectors and poss aftermarket HID kit from fleabay - are the projectors worth the money they seem to be about £100-120 pair on ebay.
Is there different versions of projectors? my elite has dash level switch will this still work?
keep up the great work guys i've been browsing for ages but never posted :'(
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I agree with all of you that think the headlights are crap. Mine scare me. I have an '03 facelift with projectors and Osram Nightbreakers that are supposed to be 90% more output than standard and they are very bright, but none of the light seems to make it past about 10 metres in front of the car. i can't see the cats eyes in the middle or the road edge or signs at the left hand side either. I have adjusted them as far as I can and people have stopped flashing me now, but I would love to get these lights fixed if anyone knows how. I mean how hard can it be? my old 97 Volvo had parabolic headlights with the +50% bulbs and were far far better than the projectors on the Omega and they were only about the same size. I thought projectors were supposed to be better!
would like to hear about which HID bulbs have a good light pattern for the MOTs as well and are they worth fitting?
I have been looking at these -
http://www.hids-direct.co.uk/hid-products.html and for the 4300K (most light output) 80 quid seems fair. Anyone got any experience with them?
Paul
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I have finally tried this and it works wonders, my headlights are now very good. Thanks.
The method that I use is...
I drive upto a garage door on a flat (not neccasary to be level but, must be constantly flat) drive so the bumper is a few inches from the door. I then use a small piece of tape to mark the position of the bright spots (centre top of the beam pattern) of the light output on the door.
Then reverse the car back a few meters and adjust the beam pattern so the bright spot is 10mm ish below the markings......job done.
Interestingly, I have done this on quite a few cars now and every one has subsequently passed the MOT.
::) :y
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Mine are just as bad but they also seem to go dim and its as if you have turned the lights off, then all of a sudden they come back a bit brighter but still crap.
we came back from Norwich the other week at about midnight and if it wasn't full a full moon i don't think we would have got home
Andy
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Its not just me that drives around at night with front fog lamps on as well so i can see where i'm going then ;D ;D ;D
Seriously, with just regular headlamps on, when its dingy out, its hard to tell when they're on.... And yes i've cleaned them :o :o
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i upgraded the bulbs in my 2.2 CD to Philips 50+, did make a big difference!
Hids are the way to go, much better. But in my opinion, its dangerous to retro fit, without headlight washer system. Due to the type of light of HID's dirt seriously reduce the light, washing system is essential!
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I had a bit of time on my hands over Xmas so I decided to tackle the dismal headlights. I replaced the earth cables and connectors and wired the new ones straight to the battery -ve, one from each headlight. I used 17 amp cable. Then I fitted a relay, using the old headlight dip beam (off side) wire for the relay coil and fitting new 27 amp cable back to the battery +ve and to both headlights on the switching contacts. My God, the lights actually work now, and although they are still only 'quite good' they are a long, long, long way better than they were. Only one minor niggle to sort out, the lamp failure warning, but I can live with that now I can see where I am going at night. I can now see signs, the road edge, white lines, cats eyes and even with oncoming traffic.
The old connectors on the earth terminals were 'blued' from heat or poor connection causing resistance and therefore heat I presume. All fixed now.
This helped me lots, I hope it helps someone else.
Incidentally I am using the Osram Nightbreaker bulbs and they are very bright (now).
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I had a bit of time on my hands over Xmas so I decided to tackle the dismal headlights. I replaced the earth cables and connectors and wired the new ones straight to the battery -ve, one from each headlight. I used 17 amp cable. Then I fitted a relay, using the old headlight dip beam (off side) wire for the relay coil and fitting new 27 amp cable back to the battery +ve and to both headlights on the switching contacts. My God, the lights actually work now, and although they are still only 'quite good' they are a long, long, long way better than they were. Only one minor niggle to sort out, the lamp failure warning, but I can live with that now I can see where I am going at night. I can now see signs, the road edge, white lines, cats eyes and even with oncoming traffic.
The old connectors on the earth terminals were 'blued' from heat or poor connection causing resistance and therefore heat I presume. All fixed now.
This helped me lots, I hope it helps someone else.
Incidentally I am using the Osram Nightbreaker bulbs and they are very bright (now).
Ah the old relaying the lights trick, this can indeed provide a good improvement depending on how good (or bad) the original wiring is. I have HIDs on both my cars (wouldn't be without them now) but I used this trick to great effect on my old Audi, which had terrible lights. One of the major flaws with that was that the power for the lights actually goes through the switch, no relay. So by the time it's went through all the rather borderline thickness wiring to reach the lights, there had been a voltage drop of a few volts.
Relaying with heavy duty cable means the lights will be getting full battery voltage, which can make a significant difference if there is much of a voltage drop with standard wiring. Easy enough to check with a multimeter. I'd expect the standard Omega setup goes through a relay or two though, but there can still be benefits in adding a direct relay to the battery. Don't forget to add an inline fuse as close to the battery as possible though.
Doing this also allows you to run higher wattage bulbs safely, at least as far as the wiring goes. There's no guarantee the lights themselves will be able to handle the extra heat, if the lenses are plastic I'd seriously doubt it. It's also illegal for road use of course so not really recommended. Stick to good quality road legal bulbs, like the Xenon gas filled type, but avoid blue tinted ones like the plague!