Hid's / Washers

[is200 Newbie]

Just need a bit of info - I have HID's fitted to the car as standard (LE model) and this also has headlight washers, again standard.

I have read on forums here that headlight washers are required if car has HID's - Why is that?

[scudney]

Hi I stand to be corrected on this one,but if i am not wrong it has to do with the new m.o.t rules/regulations.

[matt-c]

As I understand it, for HID's to be legal, the car must have headlight washers and either self-levelling headlights or suspension. Of course, if the beam pattern, glare and scatter are not within limits, then it'll still fail, even with washers and self-levelling

[is200 Newbie]

Ok - thanks - so the washers are just that, to clean the lamps, due to them being HID's and the need for the beam to shine correctly the light needs to be clean.

I dont know why, and dont laugh, but i was thinking that these HID lights needed to be cooled as they do generate a lot of heat. I guess i just wanted to know the difference between the requirement for the washers between cars fitted with them and cars not fitted with them.

[rigga955]

If cooling was an issue, the air flow from driving would solve it much like cooling the radiator ...... washers are there just to clean the lights and non hid cars have those too.

[fil4362]

The issue of hids and washers is now upon us within the mot test. As of yet they are mearly for inspection and not a failable item.

Vosa recently introduced many new items that are now testable but the computer program has not been re written yet and the actual box to tick to fail them isnt yet on the system so hids are still not yet failable.

There is diffrent styles of hids the main problem is that some have no "sheild" within the bulb. They shine light downwards within the headlight which then bounces of the chrome within the headlights causing the light to shine upwards dazzling road users. With the sheild the light is directed correctly and even gives of the required headlight pattern to pass the mot test under that section.