Dim Headlights

[owen18]

Hey guys
My VL has very dim headlights, i just replaced the globes with some plus 50 (20 odd bucks a globe) globes but i dont think its made much of a difference. Is there any other common problems that could cause them to be so dim. Or am i just getting carried away with their brightness because im comparing it to my mums new ford focus? How bright are other VL owners headlights? Could it be a fault in the wiring or anything like that?

Thanks

 

[maginoodle]

sounds like you have a bad earth.

 

[commsirac]

You need to establish whether the problem is due the reflector or lens or is electrical.
Are high beams dull as well?
Have the wires been disconnected from the plug when you put the new globes in, reconnecting them with the L and top terminals reversed will create a dull outcome on low beam

If its electrical, a multimeter should allow you to fault find.
Using the DC 20V scale, measure the voltage across the terminals of the globe while it is operating. There are three terminals on the globe, the one on the left side of the car is the earth, cant remember which of the other two is high and low, doesnt matter. Measure the voltage between the earth and either high or low to get a reading. If its less than 11.5V then there is an electrical problem.
It may be a bad earth or problems in the power side of the circuit.
To test if its a bad earth, measure the voltage between the left(earth terminal) and the -ve post of the battery. If this is more than 0.5V then bad earth. If this is ok, then the voltage loss is in the power side, does the VL have a headlight relay? Need to start tracing back along the power wire to find voltage drop.