Which Hids?

[AndyF]

Ha, i was just having a moan last night Perhaps it was my pmt.

I hope there was no offense, it's just that every thread slightly linked to HID's always seems to come around to the legalities. I can see why, but it's also frustrating as you have to sift through all the bobbins to read the posts relating to the original question.

Get yourself some more andyF, you'll love them! Just find a friendly mot tester or take them out for test.

No offence taken. My wife would kill me if I got another set, she wasn't pleased when I got a set of H7s then sent them back as the beam pattern would fail and MOT when I got it checked so got the H7r only to sell them on for a 1/4 of what I paid for them as I didn't like them!

No It cant be done to good affect without blinding others

I know people that have fitted the R ones and they just bounce light all over the place even if they are set up lower then what they are supposed to be they still blind oncoming traffic

yes your right I dont know if they are set up right but I do know they are 7R's he has in and it is the stray light that blinds you even when I pass him when I'm at work driving a bus sat higher then a normal car driver hight

but its up to you, you probably dont live near me so I dont care!

i had H7r lights in my old MG ZS with reflectors, I tried the normal ones first but as I said above I got them checked and the beam pattern wasn't right. The H7rs were fine in terms of the beam pattern but looked just as dazzling from outside the car. They were set correctly by the MOT place when I got them checked but I couldn't tell the difference between them, both sets looked dazzling so I got rid of them. The spread of light was patchy as well which was another reason I didn't like them. I'd like to see some 4300k lights fitted in projectors from the outside to see how bright they are.

 

[Danny-boy]

No, not at all Stu, I'm very interested in what you have to say.

I was under the impression that H7R properly fitted and aligned would be fine, but it seems like that is not the case.

I'll give it a miss now based on your advice.

 

[stu_m]

I'd like to see some 4300k lights fitted in projectors from the outside to see how bright they are.

not from the outside but in the car a couple of meters from my fence if thats any good?

 

[BahnStormer77]

As mentioned above: 4300K is the best for light and upwards of 5k will be noticably compromised. 6k is a smoother light than halogens, but probably not much brighter.

Projector lenses are not all created the same: some manufacturers use a softer glass on the Halogen projector which can scratch and craze faster and make HID's in those projectors dangerous. I've not checked: I know that the Audi projectors for HIDS and Halogens are different, but I'm not sure if that relates to the glass quality or not.

In terms of which "brand" of headlight I'd recommend: nothing aftermarket.

A car can pass an MOT and still be illegal for something that is not explicitly tested: the MOT guidelines have tightened, but most MOT stations will still pass any projector-mounted HID provided it's calibrated properly, this should probably be the sensible interpretation of the law, but....

The legality is not a grey area area at all: without auto-levelling and washers it is illegal, so even if you pass an MOT, you are still driving a car that is intentionally modified and illegal: if have an accident and the other person claims they were dazzled by your headlights, even if they were at fault in other ways, the insurance company will use this as an opportunity to disown you and after that it just gets messy....

 

[AndyF]

not from the outside but in the car a couple of meters from my fence if thats any good?

Thanks for the picture, the cut off looks pretty sharp. I was wondering how they look from the outside to see if they are dazzling or not. Usually you can spot an after market kit a mile off. I think I will stick to my Osram Night Breaker Plus' for the time being!

 

[stu_m]

They don't dazzle at all that was my worry the cut off is perfect

You can't tell they are after market you would think they are stock

 

[BahnStormer77]

You can't tell they are after market you would think they are stock

Fine for Romford High Street, but if you're in a serious prang, insurers will know to look for washers and auto-levelling if they want a loophole to invalidate your insurance.

 

[Danny-boy]

I thought levelling and washers only had to work IF fitted?

 

[stu_m]

Fine for Romford High Street, but if you're in a serious prang, insurers will know to look for washers and auto-levelling if they want a loophole to invalidate your insurance.

Where's evidence of this been true?

As far as I'm aware they don't have to be fitted

Some of our buses at work have factory fitted hid's with no leveling or washers and pcv laws are pretty strict

 

[bitnics]

Wow this thread is on fire. I personally got a 8000k set. MOT passed fine. Pattern is perfect and they don't blind anyone. I made sure of that. In my old car I had brand new head lamps without lenses with 6000k and I admit it was stupid they were blazing away blinding everything and everyone. Now I fitted the HIDs properly. Keep my headlights low on adjustment too - playing nice. I don't really want to get into the MOT and insurance matters I just want to enjoy HIDs. I was tanking my old non lens car one day and a police man walked out of the shop and told me that apparently it is illegal to have HID in non-lens headlamp and this will change within 2013 and will fail MOT. It's no longer my concern that car. Most of us break the law in some way with our cars but lets just keep it to the side and enjoy before it gets so super strict that will have to ride stock all the way everyday.

 

[BahnStormer77]

I thought levelling and washers only had to work IF fitted?

For an MOT test, yes, the guidelines are very vague: they only say to check for components that are obviously not functioning.

The law is very clear that all HID headlights should have auto-levelling (suspension or headlight units) and washers (jet spray or wipers) - if they don't they are illegal.

In practice, unless they tighten up on the MOT testing properly and provided you're never in an accidedent that your insurance wants to wriggle out of paying up for, you'll probably be fine. The first draft of those MOT test changes (in Sept11) would have failed ALL HID conversions that did not have all the required levelling and washers, but after a lot of objections from the trial MOT test stations, the guidelines were relaxed significantly meaning that when the new MOT guidelines went into play in Jan12, the upgrade kits, although still technically illegal, would not be an automatic fail. Quite perversely, now, if one of my washers is obviously broken, it will fail, but cars that are illegal (no washers / levelling) will pass.

 

[bitnics]

Quite perversely, now, if one of my washers is obviously broken, it will fail, but cars that are illegal (no washers / levelling) will pass.

That is pretty unfair although sadly real. But on the other hand when I go for a MOT I expect the person who will test the car to have the correct and up to date knowledge and if they pass it then we are not at fault here.

 

[BahnStormer77]

Where's evidence of this been true?

As far as I'm aware they don't have to be fitted

Some of our buses at work have factory fitted hid's with no leveling or washers and pcv laws are pretty strict

It's all over the DVLA website and very, very clearly specified in various ammendments to road traffic law: until about 1990 it was fairly vague, but has been explicitly illegal since then.

Not sure about buses, I thought the regs applied to all road vehicles, but it's been a while since a read through that part of the law in details: I know LED's (which most busses in London have) aren't subject to the same laws as HID's, never seen a bus with Xenon HID's.

 

[Kyle.]

Is it worth getting 55w over 35w?

How much are the kits? All I've seen are £55+ any cheaper?

 

[bitnics]

I paid 29.99 on eBay. ; )

 

[stu_m]

It's all over the DVLA website and very, very clearly specified in various ammendments to road traffic law: until about 1990 it was fairly vague, but has been explicitly illegal since then.

Not sure about buses, I thought the regs applied to all road vehicles, but it's been a while since a read through that part of the law in details: I know LED's (which most busses in London have) aren't subject to the same laws as HID's, never seen a bus with Xenon HID's.

Interesting

I will take a look

If you ever see the national express coaches some of them have xenons not sure if the self levelling comes under the suspension on buses but still no washers

 

[Kyle.]

Got a kit, fitted it. But the passenger side doesnt always come on?

Turn them off an then on a few times it works?

 

[sublime]

guys

im thinking of getting this:

55W NEW SMART CANBUS HID KIT SLIM H7 - HIDS DIRECT LTD Store

for my A4 1.8T convertible - 05 plate... does that make it a B6 chassis?


Also, thinking of getting these for number plates

Xtec C5W LED ERROR FREE NUMBER PLATE BULBS AUDI, BMW, MERCEDES, - HIDS DIRECT LTD Store

Would both of these be ok without throwing errors?

thanks

 

[BahnStormer77]

My car just failed an MoT for having "off-white" sidelights: they would have matched 5000k HIDS, so we're a tiny fraction more blue that my factory 4300k HIDS, but they still failed it.

 

[bitnics]

guys

im thinking of getting this:

55W NEW SMART CANBUS HID KIT SLIM H7 - HIDS DIRECT LTD Store

for my A4 1.8T convertible - 05 plate... does that make it a B6 chassis?


Also, thinking of getting these for number plates

Xtec C5W LED ERROR FREE NUMBER PLATE BULBS AUDI, BMW, MERCEDES, - HIDS DIRECT LTD Store

Would both of these be ok without throwing errors?

thanks

They are H7 and have the error free built in. Good choice. I made the mistake of having to buy separate resistors. Have look at my build thread so you can see my 8000k in action. Lots of people prefer 4300k.

Build thread:
http://www.audi-sport.net/vb/project-room/170831-audi-a4-cabriolet-2-4-sport-storyline.html

J