shark_bait

Even though it's my first post I've been lurking around these forums for a while now. I've always had my eye on an S5 ever since I drove one during an Audi driving event couple years back. I finally took the plunge in Nov last year and man, has this car been everything I hoped for, and then some! This forum has been a great source of information on potential mods and fixes, which in turn leads to this issue.

I recently switched out my headlights to the euro version, and when my brother came over and drove it around I realized my passenger-side headlight was noticeably dimmer than my driver-side light. Not sure how come i didn't notice it earlier but I confirmed it with my brother and couple of my colleagues. The DRL was also dimmer compared to the other side, which gave it a slight yellowish-tinge look.

I'm wondering if anyone else encountered the same issue with their stock / euro lights? I'm trying to figure out if this is an issue with the headlamp itself, or if it's a VAGCOM code issue.

My mechanic tweaked around with the VAGCOM codes cos I wanted to get rid of the city light warning and a few other misc stuff. Appreciate any clarification on this, I was hoping to pin-point the exact cause of the problem before heading back to my mechanic.

QuattroWerks

Weird - I've had no issues with mine and their color match between the two is perfect. I did have one DRL bulb go out and had to replace one entire headlight to fix it (not fun!)...

cabriolow

i had British e-codes on my B6 A4 - and had that issue - I was told that in England - the passenger side (drivers side to US) is supposed to be brighter.

I just ordered E-Codes for my A5 and i was told they're from Germany. We'll find out whenthey come in.

shark_bait

Cabriolow - that was what my mechanic told me as well when i brought it in today. He said the angle of the headlight on the drivers side (US) is slightly higher compared to that on the passenger side, giving it the impression of being brighter. He said he tested both lights, and the wattage and eletrical outputs for both were identical.

If this is really the case, i'm not sure why Quattrowerks hasn't experienced the same issue. My mechanic was kind enough to offer to align the headlights tomorrow.

I'll take a look at it tonight, and if i'm still bugged by the lopsided look (which i'm pretty sure i will be; after all i didn't go out of my way to purchase and install euro lights just to have my friends come up to me telling me that one light's broken), I'll probably bring it in to get it adjusted.

CEB

You need to determine if it is just the angle that makes it seem brighter or if there actually is a difference.

I had a similar issue with a GTI once and it turned out that the headlamp bulb was installed upside down.

cabriolow

Yeah - It looks like you have the same problem I had (British E-Codes) They are cheaper (since the pound has been hammered by the USD - and the Euro has been pretty stable)

WIth the pound down - were gonna see a lot of British stuff.

It never bugged me - actually - i kinda liked it.