Is 250 Hid Upgrade?

Mbay · July 28, 2013

I'm wanting to put some hid lights on my new 250. Just to make it look a bit better.

Has anyone done this with the leveling system still working?

I used to have 50w 5k hids on my old 200 and the leveling was fine.

Any advice on a good hid kit. Preferrably 50w?

Mbay · August 6, 2013

Any help?

JamieG4454 · August 7, 2013

Ive got 35w 5k on mine and the cutoff is exactly the same. But i have a cheap kit worth around £40 and ive already gone through 2 ballasts. Would be worth spending money on a more expensive kit.

Also what do you mean by leveling system. Do you mean beam cutoff or Xenon system automatic headlamp leveling system?

ChumpusRex · August 7, 2013

Just remember that HID auto-levelling is a part of the MOT now.

If you have HID bulbs installed, the tester is instructed to check that the alignment correctly adjusts with the ride height (e.g. by bouncing the suspension and checking that the alignment of the headlights stays within the acceptable range).

I don't think the halogen headlamps are equipped with the auto-levelling system. Retrofit HID kits will therefore likely be an automatic MOT fail (depending on how careful your tester is).

You can tell if your auto-levelling system is working, because when you turn the headlights on, the beam will swivel up towards the sky, then down towards the ground, then straight ahead. If you headlights don't do this, then you may struggle getting an MOT with HIDs installed.

normski2 · August 7, 2013

+1 to that, good advice chumpusrex

ChumpusRex · August 7, 2013

Just remember, though that there is still some uncertainty about exactly what needs to be tested with HIDs in the new MOT.

There is a school of thought that says that if the car wasn't fitted with auto-levelling then it can't fail for not having it. This was intended to be for those early gen cars with HIDs which didn't have self-levellers and can't be upgraded. You may find that your MOT tester will pass your car, if the HIDs are a retrofit (on the basis that the car can't be upgraded to have auto-levelling).

Early feedback suggests that some testers are failing car with retrofit kits, and other are passing them and issuing an adivsory. It's not absolutely clear which is correct.

ronsis · August 13, 2013

just read that you also need headlamp washers to pass the mot too ? (retro ? )

ChumpusRex · August 16, 2013

I think if headlamp washers are fitted, they need to work. If retro, you might get away without.

Actually, I was toying with the idea of upgrading my high beams to HIDs as I do a lot of night driving in remote areas. I came across an interesting problem with cheap HID kits.

The IS250 has a lot more electronics on it than older generation cars, like the IS200. It also has a lot less space for add-on ballasts. As a result, it's quite likely that if you find a convenient spot for the ballast, it's likely to be next to some sort of electronic widget.

There was a spate of serious problems reported in the US, because apparently the electronic power steering ECU sits in a little alcove next to a headlight, so attaching a ballast next to the P/S ECU seems a good idea. It turns out that a lot of people starting having mysterious P/S failures on their IS250s shortly after installing HIDs. Most of the time, the ECU would log an error code like "Power steering ECU internal electronic malfunction", or "Power steering ECU unexpected CPU reboot". Several people had their P/S ECUs replaced (as the cars were often brand new), only for the problem to come back a few days later, usually during night driving. In one case, the car actually started steering on its own, turning the steering wheel violently from side to side, with such force, that if it had been your granny driving, it could well have broken her wrists.

In all cases, once the HIDs were removed, the P/S returned to normal function.

The problem appears to have been cheap "China Direct" HID kits that cause severe electrical interference; electronic ballasts, by their nature will produce electrical interference, but decent brands will be shielded according to legal requirements. The ultra-cheap kits often contain no shielding but print fake design certifications on the labels so they look legit. The interference from unshielded ballasts appears to be sufficient to cause malfunction of the car's electronics. This could be very dangerous if placed next to a safety critical system, such as a P/S ECU or VSC ECU.