Volvo RWD 200 Forum

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240 Headlight center of beam problem 200

The one I have now is working but I have no center of beam. All the light is scattered. I cleaned the lens and polished it out, no more yellow and not that scratched looking. Does anyone know if this could be a light bulb problem or could it still be my lens. Or could the reflector be causing this even though it looks good. Drivers side looks the same and puts out a center of beam at approx. 20 feet.

Thanks in advance for your time and expertize.








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240 Headlight center of beam problem 200

As KenC noted, the plastic OE headlights are not great, but if the beam pattern from one seems worse than the other, check that its bulb is properly aligned and seated in its mounting hole.
--
Bob: son's XC70, dtr's '94-940, my 81GL, 83-DL, 89-745(V8) and 98-S90. Also 77-MGB and some old motorcycles.








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240 Headlight center of beam problem 200

Sure enough it was the Halogen bulb. Not that it was misaligned but that it was missing some of the black stuff ( sorry not sure what this is )on the top of the bulb. Badly scratched is the way I would describe it. Put in a new Halogen and I now have a center of beam.








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240 Headlight center of beam problem 200

and DON]T EVER touch the shiney reflector. It'll smudge and lose reflective power.








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You've succinctly described why we hate the OEM headlights ... 200

You have succinctly described why we hate these OEM headlights (i.e., the plastic lens headlights on '85-93 cars). There is no discernible center of the low-beam because the headlights disperse the light uselessly, and any higher than background illumination is concentrated on the pavement (uselessly) a mere 20 feet in front of the car's bumper. If you are foolish enough to try to aim the low-beam higher, then your high-beams do little more than illuminate treetops or 3rd story apartment windows.

It's all the fault of the USA's DOT, which mandated these awful headlight requirements. And you can see why so many of us have switched to euroheadlights, which have useful, well-focused beam patters with sharp low-beam cutoffs.







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