I've been dealing with lights for quite a while and I can't agree more with
your comments.  Cheap lights just arn't the way to go.  I can get "Sunlight"
and "Autopal" lights for cheap - but I won't carry them.  The bulbs burn out
quickly and the shells are just plain bad!  I was sent a sample of some
Italian H4 7" lights (called Silt no less) and it looked as though the glass
was held onto the reflector with toilet bowl calking... it's amazing how
many people are swayed by a cheap price!

David Marshall

Fast Forward Autobahn Sport Tuning
4356 Quesnel Hixon Road
Quesnel BC Canada  V2J 6Z3
mailto:info@fastforward.ca      http://www.fastforward.ca
Phone: (250) 992 7775           FAX: (250) 992 1160

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-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com]On Behalf
Of Craig Spaeth
Sent: January 28, 2001 6:03 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Re: Cheap H4's

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