Contents
1. Introduction
2. Beam Pattern Comparison
3. Materials and Construction
4. Final thoughts
Brazilian made Cibié vs. Aftermarket DJ Auto Volvo 240 E-code headlamps
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Introduction
As a result of having a Volvo addiction (a bona fide disease, I've decided), I snapped up a pair of Brazilian-made Cibié European (E-code) headlamps on eBay for my Volvo 240... even though I already had a set of aftermarket DJ Auto brand E-codes... that were still almost brand new... a little decadent, for sure. The "excuse" that I made for myself was that I'd try to do a thorough comparison for the community. The aftermarket headlamps cost $300 including turn signals and nice H4 bulbs from FCP Groton. I paid $250 for the just pair of brand new Cibié headlamps, and then sourced turn signals from a friend and Volvo enthusiast in Australia. I also use a relay kit from Daniel Stern Lighting to power the headlamps directly from the battery.
Beam pattern quality
I took these at one of perhaps three places in Athens, Ohio that wasn't completely covered with bricks ("Bricks", as in the construction material, not other Volvo's...). I was hoping for a wider place, but after 45 minutes of searching, this is as good as it gets. I used the same pair of Flosser 60/55w H4 bulbs in both cases. You'll see that the Cibié low beams have a sharper horizontal cutoff and a crisper, more focused and consistent beam pattern in both high and low beams. The DJ's are a little less focused and uniform, still a lot nicer than the stock North American headlamps.
Please note: It's very hard to photograph headlamps, especially with "point and shoot" style cameras like our digital camera. Camera setting (exposure, aperture, etc.) cannot be controlled for as with my trusty, but mothballed SLR. All you really should get out of these photo's is general beam pattern quality. It's not really easy to compare photo's with each other in terms of brightness and contrast. Also, the "temperature" of the light is much whiter in reality. Both sets of headlamps are an amazing improvement over the stock North American headlamps. Of course, I don't have pictures of the original headlamps.... If anyone has a set of the original 240 headlamps and wants to volunteer some pictures, I'd appreciate it.
Low Beams
DJ Auto Low Beams above
Cibié Low beams below
High Beams
DJ Auto High Beams above
Cibié High beams below
Materials and Construction
DJ Auto
The DJ Auto headlamps are fairly well constructed when you consider their price. The clips holding the lenses on to the housing aren't as heavy gauge as those on the Cibié's. However, after a year on my car they were still holding fast. The DJ Auto headlamps are set-up almost exactly as their European counterparts with mounting points for the trim moldings and a rubber boot to seal the base of the bulb to the lamp housing. The problem that I found with the DJ Auto lamps is that the housings do not conform perfectly to the sheet metal on the car. Consequently there are gaps between the headlamp and car, and many make the mistake of overtightening the nuts on the mounting studs. This in turn puts constant tension on the mounting studs, which then pull out over time as they are held in place by friction only. The solution is to use a strong adhesive (epoxy/JB Weld) to hold the studs in, and then while mounting the headlights, take time to use washers on the studs to fill the gaps between the headlamp and the car's sheet metal. Aside from the mounting studs, I found the headlamps to be otherwise pretty rugged. The bulbs are held in to the reflector by a simple, yet effective, spring clip. The driver's side turn signal was a bit of a loose fit, but wedging a little tape on the mounting "rail" fixed that problem permanently. The aftermarket turn signals were wired (gasp!) backwards, but it was easy enough to switch them around in the connector (30 seconds each). The white wires should plug into the white wires, and the green or blue into their counterpart. The clear portion above should be the "marker/running light" with the amber below as the blinker, or turn signal (thanks, Bram Smits).
Brazilian Cibié
The Brazilian Cibié's arrived brand new and, if you asked me, looked excellent as home decor. The mechanical muse hit me late one evening, and I rushed out to swap them in for the aftermarket headlamps. Expecting a simple swap (three screws per headlamp, turn signals, bulbs, then aiming them), I ran into a couple surprises. The first was that the mounting points for the trim moldings are nonexistent. Which means making your own attachment points for the trim. The second was that in place of the rubber boot on the rear of the headlamp, there is a locking cover on the back of the headlamps with a large hole in it for the wiring. The H4 connectors live inside this locking cover instead of being external to the rubber boot on the aftermarket and typical Cibié assemblies. This problem is a little more difficult to rectify, and I'm still trying to track down a suitably sized grommet big enough to plug the hole, yet with a small opening for the wiring. For now, my less than elegant solution is duct tape... which will have to suffice for now. The bulbs are held in place on the reflector by a rigid looking, yet finicky locking ring which is difficult to get seated with the bulb in place. Though one it's in, it's pretty solid! The headlamps themselves fit perfectly on the car with zero slop.
Cibié top view above, rear view below...
Final Thoughts
If you can get your hands on a set of genuine Cibié E-codes, do it! However, brand new European made Cibié's can be extremely expensive to get. Brazilian made Cibié headlamps are relatively inexpensive and very high quality, however they lack the mounting points for the trim moldings and have an unusual rear cover for the H4 bulbs, which leads me to suspect that these Brazilian lamps were produced for Volvo heavy trucks, which used 240 headlamps. However, these shortcomings aren't serious nor difficult to overcome. The real problem with Brazilian Cibié's may be availability. Cibié Brazil is rumored to have signed a contract with Volvo not to sell these. If you come across a pair, snap 'em up!
The Aftermarket DJ Auto brand headlamps are a very inexpensive and effective upgrade to the stock North American 240 headlamps. With patience and care while mounting them, DJ Auto headlamps can have a long and useful service life. I wouldn't hesitate to use DJ Auto headlamps on a 240. Passengers in my car have been impressed by both of these headlamps.