I have not tried the cheap H4's yet, I have been scared. I guess you have saved me form trying. The high quality ones are $40-$50 each (Bosch, Hella, Cibie). The fact that the cheap H4s are only $7-$10
each has scared me off. By travelling to most of the VW show's and scouring the swap areas I can usually find the good high quality ones for between $1 to $10 each. This is not a fast solution but it has
lead to me having good collection of 7" round halogen headlamps. I have not had anything that took the rectangular ones so I have none of them. The bulbs are the same way, especially in the higher
wattages. I have found that the cheap versions of the 90-130 bulbs in my 60 Crew Cab burn out in a few months. If I stick with the actual Hella bulbs they last for years. The stock wattages of 55-60 don't
seem as critical.
hope this helps,
Craig
the Gorge VW club
gorgevwclub.com