Rewire Your Beetle Headlamps (How-To) - Discussion thread

[Audiomechanic]

This thread is for Discussion on the How-to titled:

How To: Rewire Your Beetle Headlamps<---click on title to go to link.

If you have any questions or information to add...please feel free to do so.

[noR]

Excellent details. Professional methods. Very cool, thanks for sharing this.

[dmbluebeetle]

A very nice presentation, excellent pictures.

[Audiomechanic]

Thanks, y'all.

Since the harnesses are so simple but SOOO over priced, I figured this could help someone save a LOT of money.

The total cost for materials for this project if one were to go out and buy them (assuming one has the tools already like the plyars, soldering iron, mirco screw driver, etc) would likely be around 10-20 bucks for wire, solder, the crimp-on connectors and heat shrink.

[scholzee]

Did this solve your original problem with bulbs burning out prematurely ?

[janitz]

I'm not certain if this was specific to the 1998 model year, however my original headlights have a different wiring harness than the ones shown.

On the 1998 TDI that I have, the low beam has a single connector for the ground and for the hot that attaches to the bulb. The ground is the outside of the connector, hot on the inside, with plastic dividing the two.

On this early model I've had the same problem with bulbs going, not getting good connection. Due to the plastic actually getting hot enough within the housing to melt. It is now melted so much the bulb is fused to the connector.

I don't have the old housing in front of me, but I think that this rewiring job may not be possible with this older style headlight.

Due to the age of the housing (it was quite scratched and faded, even after a good polish), and the uncertainty of rewiring I chose to replace both headlights. The new housing does have the same wiring that you show.