got the mrs a new astra twintop and want to fit a hid kit but dont know much about them what k to buy 6000k 8000k 55w or 35w and do i need leads kit to go to my battery.i dont know a lot about the hid kits.

i was thinkig og getting this kit .

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/H7-6k-Ultra-HID-CONVERSION-KIT-S-FREE-BATTERY-WIRE_W0QQitemZ220209356950QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item220209356950

dont bother

it will fail mot
and the on board computer will throw up light bulb errors

Passing or failin an MOT will depend upon how clued up the tester is.

But no matter what anyone tells you, these kits are not a legal retro fit. And thats from the DfT

linky

Technically they are illegal but as long as you still have a good beam pattern there is a chance it will pass MOT.

H4 versions are not as good as the single beam varieties, and tend to dazzle oncoming drivers.

Common sense is needed before choosing these kits - very good value for money but watch out for dazzle. Fitting is easy peasy (took me less than 30 minutes) but it might confuse any sophisticated bulb failure electrickery.

in my vectra to fit one its front bumper off and head lights out...

I fitted a very similar kit to my Leon. H7 6000k.

6000K is pretty much the legal limit that you won't be pulled over for. 8000k are too blue/purple.

I've passed MOTs without anyone mentioning the lights and know many other people that have fitted the conversion kits, with no MOT problems.

HIDs make a hell of a difference and one of the most worthwhile changes i've made.

Some cars seem to have projector lights, but fitted with halogen bulbs, (some nissans) maybe these are ok to retrofit with these HID kits.

There is a noticeable difference in the amount of stray light between a proper (projector) setup and just these bulbs in traditional reflector headlights. I have experience of both and the HID aftermarket reflector (even though the entire bulb is shrouded from direct vision) "lights up" reflective signs miles away, whereas the projector lights don't. Both cars have the same "cut-off" pattern when played to a distant wall.

For the car fitted with the kit HID, I'm tempted to revert to traditional (but higher wattage) bulbs as the stray light issue may be significant for on-coming drivers.

The best option is to retrofit the projectors from a different model of the same car, though they are then supposed to be assisted by automatic level control and washing systems

can't beat a good set of driving lights

a small fraction of the price of a HID kit and you can switch them off when their too bright. I like having four as you can set the middle two straight ahead and the other two pointiing slightly sideways for going round corners.

TBH I reckon my HID conversions are worth several pairs of driving lights They really do light up the road far better than any other spots I have ever used - and ideal for BEC's with small alternators as they only draw about 60% of the power.

quote:

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Originally posted by RazMan
TBH I reckon my HID conversions are worth several pairs of driving lights They really do light up the road far better than any other spots I have ever used - and ideal for BEC's with small alternators as they only draw about 60% of the power.

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have them in my A4 in the oem projector headlights. scatter is a bit too much on non projectors.

illegal but sure.

I have this kit in my XR2...

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=150186921806&ssPageName=STRK:MEWN:IT&ih=005

TUV and ISO approved kit for H4's. It has a single bulb in each side, with a solenoid that moves it from the main to the dipped position.

I used brand new headlamp units, so the reflectors were spot on, and then took it to a local MOT tester who lined them up properly for me. Although it's not been through a full MOT test yet, his opinion was that he'd have no problem passing it as the beam pattern was excellent. If anything, I think the dip could do with being a little higher, but I'm happy to stick on cautious side.

It's a 6000k kit, and looks perfectly white. No blue halos or other nasty 'giveaway' effects - in fact, it just looks like I've got white bulbs in there if you look at the car, just a bit brighter.

On the road it's absolutely spot on. Dipped beam you don't notice much difference, but on an unlit back road on main beam it's a huge improvement. I'm tempted to say it's one of the best £100's I've spent on the car, but time will tell whether I regret that by getting pulled over all the time! It's not happened yet, and I've also had nobody oncoming flash me as people do if you forget to turn main beams off.

However, the seller I got them from I would hesitate to recommend. Despite saying everything is in stock in the advert, and paying £10 for next day delivery, it still took 5 days for the kit to arrive. In that time, I could have bought exactly the same kit from China and paid £30 (allowing a little for customs charges).

However, as per the fact sheet, they are technically illegal and you could be fined (or worse maybe?) for having them. Probably lot less likely to get noticed on a newish car though - my XR2 is 20 years old so it's pretty obvious to anyone that it shouldn't have HIDs. That's the risk you take I guess! I've gone as far as I can to make sure I don't cause any problems to other road users, and I'm confident that will pay off in terms of police attention!

Final thing, whilst you're at it, get (white!) LED sidelights too. This guy is cheap, and delivery takes about a week

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=280205136769&ssPageName=STRK:MEWN:IT&ih=018

Cheers, Chris

[Edited on 3/10/2008 by ChrisW]