C70 Jewel Headlight Upgrade

2 minute read

I'm sure most P80 V70/S70/C70 owners know about upgrading to the 2004 C70 jewel headlights, but I figured I'd make a post anyway. Check out the video here, or keep reading if you'd rather do that! 

There were a lot of mechanical items to take care of with the Volvo, but that didn't keep me from wanting to upgrade the headlights. The chrome in the left side lamp was flaking off, and at night it looked like I was driving with one headlight. Not only that, I knew the jewel lamps would look so much better. Some cars don't look right with more modern lights, but I think the V70 is just new enough that the jewel lights do it a lot of good.

Sourcing the headlights turned out to be the easy part, I found them from Nord Carolina. - https://nordcarolina.com- No affiliation with him, just a happy customer. I messaged him through Instagram and went through PayPal for the transaction. Shipping was quick, and the guy corresponded great. The corners took me 4 different ebay sellers before I managed to find a set that wasn't broken. I still had to order the driver and passenger from 2 different sellers, but at least I got them! 

Swapping out the lights was easy, though I didn't know the C70 lights used different bulbs than the stock lights, so I had to run out and buy new bulbs. Changing out the bulbs is when I discovered the wiring in the C70 lights was crumbling and pretty much junk. I honestly wasn't too surprised being the lights are almost 20 years old. It was a quick re-wire and I was on my way. 

Overall I'm really happy with the outcome - better light output at night, and better looks during the day.