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Headlights
bill132hotrod - 31/10/13 at 08:24 PM

Hi guys
as you know I have been doing a few mods on my car.
Well I got another I am looking into.
What are your thoughts on headlights I am concidering changing them or upgrading them to xenon HID. I currently have the 4" Dominator lamps, although they look nice in the dark they are absolutely useless.
Do I fit xenon to the Dominator or go back to 7" bowls with uprated lamps???????????

Ben_Copeland - 31/10/13 at 08:31 PM

Fit some HIDs! Ignore the possible mot failure. I'm not bothered, fitting some in mine

prawnabie - 31/10/13 at 08:36 PM

Personally I would stay away from HID - there is nothing worst than some idiot behind you with aftermarket HID lights fitted to a car where they are not supposed to be. The amount of light just overpowers the reflector. The lack of self cleaning and adjustment is a grey area (or a fail I'm not sure) at MOT time too.

I would try some Xenon replacement H4 bulbs first and see how you go from there.

TimEllershaw - 1/11/13 at 10:04 AM

I sort of agree with prawnabie, I'm finding it increasingly hard to cope with peoples' HID headlights - my eyes just can't handle the brightness and I struggle to adjust to the darkness again once I've passed them.


However, driving with the old glow-worm 7" H4 headlights on my kit was an "interesting" experience, and I wuld have welcomed an extra couple of candles in them at times.



There is a thread running over on WSCC about fitting HID to dominators :
http://forum.wscc.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic/104816-xenon-hd-lights/

Many of them have fitted things like these :
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/330379346373?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

loggyboy - 1/11/13 at 10:22 AM

quote:
Originally posted by Ben_Copeland
Fit some HIDs! Ignore the possible mot failure. I'm not bothered, fitting some in mine


Fortunately its not an MOT failure anymore, as there is wording now in the updated manual that specfic states that the washer jets and self leveling devices, only need to work IF fitted. Im guess there must be some cars that were type approved early in the use of HIDs that must not have had them, so the leeway needs to be given for genuine cars that were type approved with HIDs but no levelers and/or washers.

Still against construction and use, but so are most modifications done IVA!

snowy2 - 1/11/13 at 11:17 AM

Those mot regs do say that however c+u regs do not allow retro fitting of HID lights. They are therefore illegal. Also fitting hid bulbs to non compatible lamps will give the wrong beam pattern...
Some police forces are fining drivers with retro fitted hid bulbs.

loggyboy - 1/11/13 at 11:28 AM

quote:
Originally posted by snowy2
Those mot regs do say that however c+u regs do not allow retro fitting of HID lights.


Where?

ed1801 - 1/11/13 at 12:01 PM

I fitted some of the 'photon' projector lamps with HIDs to my old Fazer 600 - the lights on that were absolutely pathetic. The photons gave a razor sharp flat beam pattern with the HID lamps and were seriously bright.

One issue I had was because the beam pattern was so sharp, I had people pull out in front of me at junctions where I had gone over a bump and the beam pattern had lifted. I think they thought I flashed them out. I moved the bulb slightly by fitting a spacer and that defocussed the pattern a tiny bit. This might not be an issue now as HIDs are more common.

Downside is they are quite expensive - I only needed one dip and one full beam on the bike.

snowy2 - 4/11/13 at 05:27 PM

http://www.motuk.co.uk/manual_170.htm
There.......

snowy2 - 4/11/13 at 05:34 PM

http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/bulbs/Hid/conversions/conversions.html
This should address the other issues...
Somewhere I have a VOSA link which says that retro fit is not legal at present I will look for it.

snowy2 - 4/11/13 at 05:43 PM

A quick search brought this up.....
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=1177907

loggyboy - 7/11/13 at 04:01 PM

quote:
Originally posted by snowy2
http://www.motuk.co.uk/manual_170.htm
There.......


The words 'construction and use' dont appear anywhere in that link.
There is no mention of any failure point specfically relating to HID other than
2. A headlamp levelling or cleaning device inoperative or otherwise obviously defective. -
AND
where HID or LED dipped beam headlamps are fitted, switch on the headlamps and check the operation of any headlamp levelling and cleaning devices fitted.
AND
Vehicles equipped with High Intensity Discharge (HID) or LED dipped beam headlamps may be fitted with headlamp washers and a suspension or headlamp self levelling system.

Where such systems are fitted, they must work; however, it is accepted that it may not be possible to readily determine the functioning of self levelling systems. In such cases, the benefit of the doubt must be given.



Whilst im not arguing that aftermarket kits are TECHNICALLY illegal, (without installign them to OE spec), you WONT fail the MoT with them.

As discussed here before on numberplate issues, C&U, MoT and IVA requirements do not always meet hand in hand - and the only time that each is relevant is when the car is being inspected with those specic idividual requirements being used.

[Edited on 7-11-13 by loggyboy]

snowy2 - 7/11/13 at 09:02 PM

since your quoting ....i never said they would fail the MOT, what i said was they were likely illegal as a retro fit.
i also said that C+U regs most likely do not allow them, (its only as a consequence of being in the EU that they are currently allowed in the UK. )
also some of the other links given show why fitting them isn't a good idea anyway.
I believe in keeping my car legal and abiding where possible with the rules, i dont agree with just flouting them. especially when some of our boys in blue are keen to fine those who ignore them......i am betting you removed the cat on your car 10 minutes after its IVA.

loggyboy - 7/11/13 at 09:39 PM

quote:
Originally posted by snowy2
since your quoting ....i never said they would fail the MOT, what i said was they were likely illegal as a retro fit.
i also said that C+U regs most likely do not allow them, (its only as a consequence of being in the EU that they are currently allowed in the UK. )
also some of the other links given show why fitting them isn't a good idea anyway.
I believe in keeping my car legal and abiding where possible with the rules, i dont agree with just flouting them. especially when some of our boys in blue are keen to fine those who ignore them......i am betting you removed the cat on your car 10 minutes after its IVA.


Apologies, I read your post wrong, I thought u said that the mot regs quoted the c&u regs.

Jamwat - 8/11/13 at 12:49 PM

I'd like to see some installation pics where you guys have put in after market HID's in dominators.

snowy2 - 10/11/13 at 07:44 PM

quote:
Apologies, I read your post wrong, I thought u said that the mot regs quoted the c&u regs.


accepted.
sorry if i came over a bit strong, but i posted on a particularity bad day for me....all sorts of things were going wrong.

snowy2 - 11/11/13 at 07:50 AM

On the question of fitting HID's to dominators.......my car has twin dominators snd even with all 4 dips at 100w halogen the light is very poor...on main beam they are awesome. Hid's wont help.