RB5 Boyo

I recently bought a set of replacement PIAA driving lights for my RB5 as the originals were rusted to nothing due to leaking in water over the years

So i went to Scooby world and bought this set of lights to drop straight in place of the originals:

Lighting - Impreza 1993-2000 : Subaru Impreza PIAA Driving Lamps

Lights in, great job, fantastic light....two months after fitting i find that both the lights are fecking letting in water ....and the driver side one is fecking half full of water, like a dammed fish tank .

Now these lights were professionally fitted and all was ok, but how can a set of lights costing £250 be leaking so quickly? This is most likely the reason that the originals on all RB5's are in such bad, rusted condition.

Has anyone else bought these lights and are you having the same problems?

Also, in what way would i have a guarantee with these lights, would PIAA or Scoobyworld stand over this??

Cheers for any help

SC008Y_MAD

iTrader: (5)

I have these exact same lights and also I brought mine from SW. Mine are fine *touches wood*, but I brought additionally from PRI Racing the PIAA 1/16ths clear protector film that I stuck on the glass. Now maybe you have hit a stone which has put a tiny pin hole crack in the glass?

You can get the glass replaced at £40 iirc from PIAA.

Depends when you brought them and how long they have been fitted to the car? I would first contact SW and see what they say. They may ask you to send the lamp(s) back to them and they will send them off to PIAA.

When I got mine, the plastic black clip on the bolt broke and I phoned (well my dad did actually) Scoobyworld, who ask if we could post the lamp to them who would then post it of too PIAA. In the mean time I got a complete replacement from PIAA direct...no charge

SC008Y_MAD

iTrader: (5)

This is the protector

Buy PIAA Self adhesive lens protectors (pair) - 80 PRO XT by PRI Racing Ltd. buy online

PIAA 80XT LAMPS

RB5 Boyo

No cracks or anything in the glass mate, in fast I have barely used the lamps much as the covers were on them over the summer months....now the winter is here i started to use them and found this problem

I will try Scoobyworld direct and see what they say about the problem

dunx

iTrader: (3)

Is there a direct route for spray from the front wheels to reach the bulbs ?
I used ordinary H4 water covers off any old scrap car, and mine only leaked once cracked.

HTH

DunxC


P.S. Now gone for Hella FF1000's with HID's in (fitting t'mrw)

RB5 Boyo

Not really mate, the lights are sheltered in the alcove of e bumper so i wouldnt have thought spray from the wheels would have reached them....

John 37

Mine have been on the car for about 2 years and no water problems. 2 broken lenses but that was due to stones so I can't complain there. I've got the protectors fitted now.

John

bk

Hi Kevin, although not original on an rb5 but an optional spotlight i picked up a set of cibie oscar+ spot lamps flat back on ebay for me silver scoob, cheap as chips 2, just have to make brackets for them but no bother with that moisture crack on the piaa's, i put a new pair of lense on the rb5 and as you know its never out literally, guess what lense are starting to go, but i have them to long now to complain and they have seen very little water.

SC008Y_MAD

iTrader: (5)

That is strange then. Perhaps a faulty batch then Please let up know what the out come is.

Wanting to turn night into day are we

My next scoob I will buy these, just hope they come down in price.

tanyatriangles

iTrader: (2)

So how do those FF1000's actually fit?

As for the PIAA's, has anyone actually worked out how the moisture gets in?

Years ago I had some Cibie Super Oscars. A friend who had had them before on a rally car suggested that I ran some Araldite all round where the lens joined the reflector. Then, when that was set, seal the lamp bezel to the lamp back with electrician's tape, (I supose Duct tape would be used now).
I did, and had no problems with water ingress at all.

SC008Y_MAD

iTrader: (5)

I believe the same sort of way to the PIAA, but you need to make a custom bracket. Now if Alcazar was still around......

dunx

iTrader: (3)

Mine's a genuine Subaru kit for the bug-eye Prodrive Edition STI, kindly supplied by Charlie in Scotland, they use classic style brackets, and custom fibreglass covers, retail at £350 a set !

The driving lamps are £200 from Subaru, and HID kit is £60 from Apex Performance in Bradford, on my doorstep !

HTH

DunxC

p.s if I had a decent camera I'd show you some pics..... but the lights are utterly gobsmacking now 210W of HID madness

P.P.S. Scoo8y mad I'm very old and the car is very quick.... so I need to see a bit further than I used to

SC008Y_MAD

iTrader: (5)

lol.

Demon Tweeks sells the Hella 1000FF HID jobbies at £430 for 1, yeah 1

tanyatriangles

iTrader: (2)

Ah.........so, let me get this straight, you've bought the standard FF1000 halogen lights and converted them? And are mounting them with the Subaru/Prodrive brackets?

How did it go? And what conversion kit are you using? I thought the 1000FF were H3 and no-one made an H3 HID?

Postman Pat

Oh dear I was about to buy the PIAAs for my yoke as I had the CB Oscar +s before. They were cheap, went through bulbs (the holder is mickey mouse), not bad light output but fell in bits (they just rusted away).

Have thought about the FF1000s as they are composite body (I think). Anybody sourced the brackets in the USA? Do they fit classics?

I need some light output for the slippy mornings etc when the Scooby gets preference over the 5 series.

Pat

tanyatriangles

iTrader: (2)

I've read on here that it's the brackets fro the 1000FFs that let them down. Single point mounting, leading to vibration, and a complete PITA to set up.
Apparently, you have to remove the whole thing from the car to make an adjustment.........crazy, how can you do that in the dark?

SC008Y_MAD

iTrader: (5)

Tanya, thats the same as the PIAA's. One mounting point. They are a pita, but take your time when setting them up. Its not easy getting them right. Lots of trial and error.

What I did was as Alcazar said to me was cover up the main headlights with cloths and one of the piaa to align the other piaa, then uncover the covered etc... Took me about hour-ish to get them aligned. Luckily I live in the sticks and have plenty of unlit country roads to see how they where lighting the road.

tanyatriangles

iTrader: (2)

Is there any vibration at speed? My Cibie Super Oscars were mounted on a proper under-braced works bracket, two bolt fitting either side, but still their weight led to a sort of strobe effect..........until I used a split Jubilee clip as a brace/adjuster.

SC008Y_MAD

iTrader: (5)

Well, there is and isn't. Depends on the road I am on, if its smooth its fine, but if is bumpy then there is some vibration. But and this is a big but, I have 'tweaked' the suspension some what, which might be helping me.

dunx

iTrader: (3)

No it's genuine Subaru Prodrive Edition kit for the bug-eye STI.

Yes they are 1000FF's but they use a H1 bulb, so easy swap for a common HID kit, mine are vibrating like me the morning after a couple of ciders.....

But I did had to chop one of the mounting points off each side to get my HOOGE FMIC in the front ! A bracing strip will be added next weekend.

Added info !

The HID kit is deeper than a normal bulb, so a clearance hole is need in the centre back of the outer shell, to fit the grommet supplied with the HID kit !

End of added info !

HTH

DunxC

P.S. To stop vibration, a nut & bolt in a suitable place will make it far more secure.

dunx

iTrader: (3)

Halogen Driving Lamp Kit

And just un-plug the HID ballast if you can reach it of course !

HTH

DunxC

£121.80 a pair at Lewis 4x4 Ltd. plus £60 for HID's at Apex Performance Bradford. But sadly no brackets....

RB5 Boyo

Hey mate. Well i have them bought and fitted now so bit late lol....im happy with the light output, in fact very happy, but its bugging me....im gonna contact scoobyworld tomorrow and see what they make of this problem....anyone know if they are on here at all and what name they run under if so?

John 37

That doesn't seal the lights, just the reflector to lens bond.
The tape was to help hold the light together. A heavy landing can cause the lenses to pop out if this isn't done.

John

tanyatriangles

iTrader: (2)

The reflector/lens seal was the Araldite.

The tape sealed the chrome bezel to the metal back. It seemed to work, anyway, no water ever got into mine

dunx

iTrader: (3)

I never managed to loosen mine, even at speed over the Millington yumps (9) in all, or on the road down into Levisham, on the North Yorks Moors.

LOL

DunxC

P.S. put all mine on at work tonight, and planes leaving Leeds/Bradford were swerving to avoid them !

tanyatriangles

iTrader: (2)

Hah! You think THAT'S bad? I had 4 Cibies with 100W bulbs and the fabled Cibie Biodes with two H1's in each, ALSO 100W, so a total of 800W light output.

If I put all THOSE on at once, my car went backwards, (recoil, get it?)

Seriously, before anyone says it, I was well aware that using all of them would well-overload the alternator which was 45A, ( a whopper in it's day)so the Cibies were wired so I could have either driving or cornering lights, not both at once. The dips eventually went back to 55w too.

dunx

iTrader: (3)

Mine were four up across the front of an Imp ! With Cibie H4 units and 5-1/4 "inners"....

A grand total of 720 W main !

LOL

DunxC

P.S. bug-eye STI heads plus 1000FF all HID'ed up is far better than all the above.

tanyatriangles

iTrader: (2)

And so it should be. The 1000FF's alone with HID ought to be about the same as SIX super Oscars running 100W each

SC008Y_MAD

iTrader: (5)

Morettes and a good set of bulbs plus aligned correctly plus Hella 1000FF HID...

John 37

That sounds similar to my set up. I too had Biodes with uprated bulbs but kept 55W dip for road use. My spreads are dipping Oscars. One dips left, the other dips right to give a greater spread of cornering light. The middle pair are Super Oscars with 100W bulbs. Fantastic lights. Even more so when you consider the design is over 40 years old.
I ran a high power alternator that would give enough output for them all. A friend who worked for Lucas development dept knew of my setup and persuaded the alternator development dept to wind me a one-off high output coil set. That solved any power problem.
I only had the lenses pop out once but I'd come over an almighty yump in the Mini. Those cars had little enough suspension movement and mine had been stiffened even more. I expected the sump guard to hit the road but not the tow bar!