Just because you're poor doesn't mean you have to blind other drivers by using HID's in the wrong headlight housing...

I fail to see your logic.

BTW Jeremy the early B7's came with reflectors, such a stupid idea.

 

i had mine tinted. it looked ok and the output wasn't really affected because they were only lightly smoked. i wouldn't recommend it though

 

wow well thanks hiwords. you are the first to actually comment to my thread with a positive attitude. much appreciated. also do you have any pictures of your old car?... just trying to get an idea. thank you

 

not sure how they'd look with two piece headlights.. probably would look better painting the insides. you should just upgrade to one piece ecodes. depo has black ones

 

no i didn't take any pix back then. it did look a little better but a black housing looked even better so i went that route instead.

 

Not really a fan of the tinted headlights myself (I'm also agreeing with the others about form > function) but I'll try to help you out.

Tinting film would be the best way to go for two reasons:

A: Its made for headlights, it'll look smoother, cleaner and more consistent.
B: It will hinder light output much less.

Trust me, tail lights are red already, that coupled with a semi rough finish (compared to headlights) really helps hide a spray on tint. I tinted my taillights and have done so for others in the area. I like my tails matte, but if i tinted headlights, it'd have to be gloss. From experience, matte is wayyy easier to spray well than gloss! I think you'll find your headlights to look spray painted rather than tinted.

Secondly, the finished product will look strange. You'll have a big square of tinted black shining through dark black. It will really clash with the feel of the car, I think it'd look better on a wheeler or dedicated race car.

Finally, as a broke *** college student, I understand the want to mod more for less, but dont lose sight of your goal. The thing separating people with super clean cars from ricers with cardboard body kits is vision and patience. Just my $0.02, good luck with the car man!

For reference:
Spray tint: (VHT Niteshades)
http://carphotos.cardomain.com/ride_...111_medium.jpg

Film:
http://www.lamin-x.com/Audi-A4-B5-95...ers-p/a002.htm

 

i want those wheels....

 

alright thanks a lot guys. Much appreciated. And yeah aledelic i plan on getting the one piece e codes with the black soon. Just currently don't have the cash for it now. And also thanks kayakman, you just helped me out with the route im gonna take. I scratched the spray idea and im gonna order some of the gun smoke film layovers. Also now with painting the insides.... i know that diy is to stick them in the oven to heat them apart. But do people paint the stock reflector lights black on the inside? or is that just for the halo or angel eye type headlights? also what kind of paint is everyone using for that type of project? thanks in advance

 

Jeremy - Some B7's don't come with the Xenon package, just like the B5's. Although for them, no Xenon means no projectors.



^halogen



^Xenon housings

 

Well again, painting reflectors effectively destroys them. They wont reflect for **** any more. From what I've read, it is a huge pain to open and reseal the housing, let alone painting and all that work. If you plan on upgrading to E-Codes, then save save save. The money you spend on paint or film tint could be used for E-Codes.

Personal opinion: Since the reflector headlights have the cuts in the face to angle the beam and such, I think it looks strange seeing that tinted. Now the smooth face of E-Codes on the other hand look good. The other thing you'll want to google and think about is do you want a tint over a clear housing, a black housing without tint or a tinted black housing? All three are going to look different and will adjust how your car looks as a whole.