A6 C6 Xenon & Halogen Headlamps

[RichardShute]

I recently bought an 09 A6 C6 with (I believe) Xenon headlamps and halogen bulbs in the inner pair of positions where I would normally call "main beam"
My understanding is that the outer lamps which have bug-eye lenses are xenons and have internal lensing to do both dipped and main beam functions. It appears the inner halogens are only for what the manual calls "Pass" (ie flash the lights)

Please correct me if any of the above is wrong

Problem:
Dipped beam is superb with a razor sharp cutoff and excellent kerb illumination.
'Main' beam is atrocious with negligible focus, scattered beam and poor general illumination. It's utterly useless for driving on unlit roads (common in my use) - a glow-worm or a candle would be better.

Pass/Flash (the inner halogens) give a fabulous, accurate beam straight down the road to the horizon

Is there a fixable problem with the xenon main beam? I see oncoming cars which are blinding for a mile, mine barely illuminate the front bumper
Can I make the car use the halogens for main beam instead of having to hold the switch/lever in the Flash position while trying to steer?
Thanks
Richard

 

[RichardShute]

and separately, but on the same subject, how do I set the xenon dipped beams to be right side dipping for driving on the continent? I assume it's a coding fiddle, can anyone give me the details?
Thanks
Richard

 

[CupraDine]

The above is correct, that is how the lights function.
The C6 xenons are known to have poor light output, the xenon projectors are not the best, you do have a few options though;

1. What state are the main headlight housings in, if they are badly chipped I recommend getting a headlight restoration kit and trying to smooth them out. This helped a lot with mine.
2. What bulbs are you running, try changing them for higher output ones. I think the ones fitted are D3S, try Philips +150% maybe?
3. Companies like em tuning can rebuild your headlights and fit new projectors (along with other goodies), but this is not cheap.

Points 2 and 3 are bumper of jobs btw.

As far as I know you cannot use the halogens for main beam, I believe this is due to heat management within the housing.
Yes it's a coding fiddle, located in the headlight regulation module -> adaptations See here