Sidelight / headlight question

Is there an easy way to not have my headlight bulbs on half power when I only want the sidelight bulbs on?

Sounds like you have dim-dip, you can just pull a wire off the dim-sip resistor (and tape it up or something) but I think (not sure) they're a legal requirement that they work, if your car had it.

I see… Any idea where the resistor is or what I'm looking for lol

On the left of the engine bay, near the scuttle panel.

its about the size of a packet of polos. you can disconnect the wires behind the fusebox too, look for a 2 pin plug with yellow wires, or it might be 2 single pin plugs with yellow and maybe yellow/blue. if you disconnect here that stops the voltage getting to the engine bay which is safer. if these wires short they set your headlight loom on fire! its more a problem on mk2 gofl though, due to the way the wires route over the sharp lip on the chassis leg.

ive not found anywhere in mot manual that states these are a requirement, or any statement that they are required by law. my mk2 gti has passed every mot since 2003 without it hooked up, and these boys do it by the book

I had a vehicle's dim-dip functionality checked out at an MoT (and fail on it) once, but it was a long time ago so might have been updated/deleted now.

the only mention i can find in the current manual is if the car has dimdip you check the side lights with the ignition off so as to disable the dimdip function:
http://www.motuk.co.uk/manual_110.htm

so yeah if yours failed a long time ago then the rules must have changed at some point

That explains things, that's what my previous van failed on at the MoT - the dim/dip worked and showed sidelights, but with the ignition off the dim-dip didn't illuminate, leaving it to the real sidelight bulbs, and one of these was blown.

Just had a quick check of the regulations, dim-dip was a legal requirement introduced on 1 Apr 1987 but was made exempt (so long as sidelights, etc work) on 1 Nov 1989.

this??

thats the one