Full Headlight Upgrade

[loggyboy]

I have upgraded several other of my cars in the past with H4 'ultra white' head/mains from eBay, dodgy far-east ones usually, and despite not giving a huge increase in brightness (in some cases less), I was, at the time, pleased with the clearer illumination the whiter light gave, but they did tend to look a little too 'chav blue' for my liking.

My 1st impressions when i bought my IS last month was that the head lights were good, and mains were very good, but i still fancied improving them, specfically the heads, and also to make them whiter. After trawling the 'bay' for a few hours, discounting all foreign sellers, i settled on 'WHITE Xenon bulbs HEADLAMP SET UPGRADE HID' which consisted of a full set of head/main/side lights all for the bargain price of £14.99 + 3.50P&P from autobulbsdirect.

Heres the pics.

Just sides, a real difference in colour, and just the right shade IMO.

Standard Head on right, New one on left

Standard Main on right, New one on left

On the road the difference was noticable, newer ones gave a much clearer, chrisper view, especialy on signs etc.

However after doing this I adjusted the head headlight aim as it seemed low, this also made a big difference.

All in all, for the money, im very happy.

[Monster-Mat]

They look good, and an improvement....

but.....ill be honest with you......

the upgraded bulbs will blow, the higher current tends to shorten there life.

for the best upgrade, go for one of the many HID kits available

[loggyboy]

Only time will tell i guess. even if i have to spend a few quid every year on the odd replacement, still wont justify the extra cost combined with the technical ilegalities of an HID conversion, which i have a feeling vosa will be cracking down on now they are becoming more widely available and popular.

[WylieCoyote]

HID's aren't technically illegal. They're just a very grey area. If VOSA try to clamp down on them then it's a pretty sorry state of affairs when all they're bothered about is people changing their headlights. They could use their time more wisely and perhaps clamp down on cars with no insurance, tax, not road legal and so on and get them off the road. Rant over.

[DJ Wozza]

Nice rant Keith, saved me from doing so. I will try to get time to fit my HID's next week.

[SHAHZ]

You can get HIDs cheaper than the cost off some off these 'white' bulbs these days......have to say there was a massive difference from my xwhites to HID in terms of light output , driving the runaround at night now feels like ive got no lights on

[loggyboy]

DoTs view is that unless the conversion includes all items fitted to gain European type approval which are :

1. The headlamp unit (outer lens, reflector, bulb) shall be type approved to ECE 98 and be "e-marked" to demonstrate this. That can only be done by the headlamp supplier - Hella, Valeo etc. who must test the headlamp in an independent laboratory.

2. Once fitted to the vehicle it must have headlamp cleaning and self-levelling (which can be for the headlamp or can be in the vehicle suspension - some expensive estate cars have "self-levelling suspension" and that is adequate). Also the dipped beam must stay on with the main beam.

3. The headlamp must be maintained in good working order, kept clean, and aligned/adjusted correctly like any other headlamp.

So unless you guys have fitted the self leveling devices and retained the washer jets, they technically ARE illegal.

[Monster-Mat]

ya ya blah blah........

and no one does anything there not supposd to. dont you have a drain pipe for an exhaust on your Nova.....

i dont know anyone who has had any trouble in the UK with aftermarket HID

[WylieCoyote]

ya ya blah blah........

and no one does anything there not supposd to. dont you have a drain pipe for an exhaust on your Nova.....

i dont know anyone who has had any trouble in the UK with aftermarket HID

I don't know to anyone who's ever had a problem either.

[loggyboy]

Just because no one has been done for them doesnt make them less illegal!

Im not saying you cant get away with having them, but to the letter of the law they are simply not legal.

And my novas exhaust is neatly tucked up poking out the bumper over the diffuser. :P

Drain pipe or not, aslong as doesnt protude beyond the bumper an exhaust isnt legal... if ur gonna have dig, use a JCB not a plastic spork ;)

[dazz32]

Well technically i am legal on my car then? if i have my hids fitted when i get them.

1. i can control the level of the beam inside the car

2.i have washer jets on my car.

3.coz my lexus have twin lamps my dipped and main when on are on together.

4. always clean my car( at least 2 times a week) so no probs there,and wipe the lamps if dirty anyway.

5. and if the beams need adjusting the mot station when you have it done will tell you that they need adjusting OR that they are illegal.! trust me i have a friend who owns a garage and is MOT approved and to his knowledge the goverment and police are not going to issue MOT failier`s to the convertion of hids on cars, as long as the beam on the right hand side does not go above a certain height as to dazzle on coming drivers.

just my 2 pence worth!!! shoot me down in flames, but i will stick 2 fingers up to the people that say you cant have HIDS..!!! :D

as long as im safe at night driving.

tell the police to do something about ILLEGAL DRIVERS with no mot,insurance,or tax..

[loggyboy]

Self leveling means just that, they level themselves, not after the driver decides to.

High energy discharge (Xenon) headlights have become ubiquitous in Europe, and are gaining popularity in North America. While these headlight systems are clearly advantageous from the user’s point of view, misaligned headlights create a hazard for oncoming drivers. So much so that most European countries have adopted legislation requiring that automobiles fitted with high energy discharge (HED) headlights have a system that re-aims the headlights to compensate for changes in the tilt of the car relative to the road.

so technically no you wont be legal.

But i 100% agree, there are alot worse offenders out there, and the likely hood is no one who can do anything about it would ever know. However saying they are 'technically legal' isnt correct and very misleading. Technically they are Illegal, but that doesnt mean to say that no one will do it, or that if you do you will get caught.

[Monster-Mat]

do you work for the DOT.

[loggyboy]

Yes and im dobbing you all in. Be scared, very scared.

[Gord]

Yes and im dobbing you all in. Be scared, very scared.

:P

[DJ Wozza]

my Dad can have your Dad so there

roflmao

[dazz32]

My dads bigger than all your dads so :P

I think they should get all the O.A.Ps of the roads that cant drive to save there lives.....they all have more badges than a boy scout..