Headlights Hella or OEM Subaru
Hella H4 e-code conversion beam, full stop. Can run whatever H4 bulb you want, including LED retrofits if you want (don’t cheap out, I recommend Morimoto) but I find a good quality halogen bulb like Osram Nightbreaker Lasers are as good as if not better than most LED retrofits without requiring a harness upgrade.
I put a set of euro Hellas on my golf years ago. The US light performance was very good for the time but the euro lights were so much better.
Doesn't have to be OEM, Hella is most likely the manufacturer
Upgrade those headlights to e-codes. Keeps the OEM look and the beam pattern is way nicer and you can see way more on the road. I have hella brand ones and it is quite literally night and day.
Hella’s are a great brand
I scored a set of NOS Hella headlights and sold my crosshairs which I found out were aftermarket. The beam pattern is much better already, I ordered a set of Daniel Stern's H4 bulbs so I'll actually be able to see at night now.
OEM Volkswagen halogen headlights are your best bet -- at least these days. The ones VW actually equipped their Mk5's with from the factory have a VW logo on the shield in front of the low-beam bulb: He indicated there were several manufacturers that made those for VW as an OEM product. I'm most familiar with Hella, one of those brands, which of course is a world-class brand. Hella has also offered headlights on the aftermarket, that are identical to the ones they manufactured for VW, and tend to be somewaht cheaper. The only subtle difference is that those have a crosshatch pattern in the shield instead of the VW logo:
Our '25 Forester had the lights aimed incredibly low. I followed the directions I've used in the past for aiming headlights:
* 25ft away from a wall on a flat surface
* Measure distance from ground to sideview mirrors
* Mark on a wall 1-2" less than that height
* Using a Philips screwdriver, adjust headlights so the beam on the driver side light comes just below that level
However, I did this and the lights were way too high - illuminating oncoming drivers. I had to adjust them lower by about 2-3" at 25'.
Just leased a 2025 Forester. The headlights are wonky for sure! It's just low enough where I can't see as much of the road as I need to to avoid objects at night. I know the headlights are angled lower on the left to not blind folks, I just find it very scary to drive and not be able to see.
this is not normal and happens only on modern made Hella headlights which are garbage. You will also experience extreme fading of the lens in a few years and a circle burned in from the projector shine. I've also heard about the inner black piece fading but can't say for sure because I haven't seen it myself (the other issues - I have) The quality has dropped insanely since the cars production era.
Write your review
Help others - share your experience with this part.