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[mark.adams]

My headlights are a bit pathetic to the point where i have to have the driving lamps on to compensate.
Can i change them (they're model specific standard) to something a bit brighter and what would you suggest?

[tunnie]

i put philips vision 50+ in my 2.2 CD, worked wonders! really makes the light go further out. Simple bulb swap

[Marks DTM Calib]

Its also worth checking that the continental dippers are not on (check handbook for details)

[markey mark]

get your self some hids bud make a load of difference !!  

[tunnie]

get your self some hids bud make a load of difference !!  

Fitting HID's is NOT a good idea.

You need to fit the headlight washer system, and self leveling system.

Headlight washers are not only a legal requirment they are a must, dirt greatly affects hids, everytime i wash the windscreen at night, i can see the difference in light as the hids are cleaned.

A lot of work is needed to do it right.

[markey mark]

get your self some hids bud make a load of difference !!  

Fitting HID's is NOT a good idea.

You need to fit the headlight washer system, and self leveling system.

Headlight washers are not only a legal requirment they are a must, dirt greatly affects hids, everytime i wash the windscreen at night, i can see the difference in light as the hids are cleaned.

A lot of work is needed to do it right.

 no you dont matey only when they are fitted from the factory !! isnt even part of mot bud !!! piece of p i ss to fit only one wire different !!  

[tunnie]

get your self some hids bud make a load of difference !!  

Fitting HID's is NOT a good idea.

You need to fit the headlight washer system, and self leveling system.

Headlight washers are not only a legal requirment they are a must, dirt greatly affects hids, everytime i wash the windscreen at night, i can see the difference in light as the hids are cleaned.

A lot of work is needed to do it right.

 no you dont matey only when they are fitted from the factory !! isnt even part of mot bud !!! piece of p i ss to fit only one wire different !!  

I think you will find they are part of the MOT if the self leveling system is not fitted.

Its a lot more than one wire.

Its idiots who retro fit HIDs which dazzle other drivers, because if they don't self level the blind other drivers. A LOT of power goes though HIDs too....

You need to fit all the headlight washer system, if you don't they will be worse the halogens

[markey mark]

sorry bud you are wrong if the lights are set up properly you wont dazzle anyone !! and the mot does not cover the leveling system at all not even the washers bud !! its only idiots that dont fit them correctly what cause a problem !! i ahve fitted two sets now and both cars have recently passed mots with flying colurs !!!  
like i say only one wire is different to normal lights  
 and the lights still only use 12 volts bud !!
if you keep your car in good order your lights shoudnt get that mucky anyway !!

[tunnie]

i just don't see the point, HIDs are a completly differnt type of light to normal halogens, if the headlight washer system is not fitted you make things worse.

HID's are greatly affected by dirt, HENCE the legal requirment for a washer system.

Fitting HID's to a car without washers, is just plain stupid and dangerous IMO

[markey mark]

well thats you opion bud dont want to get into a another dispute over hids but have checked the mot and laws and it says nothing about washers or level systems  

[tunnie]

well thats you opion bud dont want to get into a another dispute over hids but have checked the mot and laws and it says nothing about washers or level systems  

Never mind the law, think saftey. My Elite LPG Facelift has HID's, I was driving back at night from Bath, i could see a huge difference, everytime i washed the windsreen the lights got washed too, each time the light increased by about 50%... did not notice over time, but each time i washed the windscreen it was like WOW extra light ..... lord knows what would have happend if there was no washer system.

HID's are more like 'daylight' hence dirt makes them next to useless.

Question you have to ask is this, if its law for all cars with HID's to have washer systems when the leave the factory.... you have to think WHY! They don't put them on there just to look good!

[markey mark]

leave it at that then bud !!  

[Minispud]

get your self some hids bud make a load of difference !!  

Fitting HID's is NOT a good idea.

You need to fit the headlight washer system, and self leveling system.

Headlight washers are not only a legal requirment they are a must, dirt greatly affects hids, everytime i wash the windscreen at night, i can see the difference in light as the hids are cleaned.

A lot of work is needed to do it right.

 no you dont matey only when they are fitted from the factory !! isnt even part of mot bud !!! piece of p i ss to fit only one wire different !!  

I think you will find they are part of the MOT if the self leveling system is not fitted.

Its a lot more than one wire.

Its idiots who retro fit HIDs which dazzle other drivers, because if they don't self level the blind other drivers. A LOT of power goes though HIDs too....

You need to fit all the headlight washer system, if you don't they will be worse the halogens

 Can I have my 2p worth on the subject of HID's and washer systems,
I know of two Kit Car Manufucturers that offer Halogens or HID's headlights and nether have a washer system for the lights.

[TheBoy]

Right then.

It IS a legal requirement for factory fit HIDs to have both a washing system and a fast acting levelling system.  That is black and white, and not open to debate.

Retro-fit HIDs is a very grey area.  It is not part of the MOT, unless the examiner decides to to pick up on it for other reasons.  But then we get in to the realms of just because a car can pass an MOT doesn't make the car legal.  Strictly, some mods will require a VOSA test, and poorly retro fit HIDs may or may not fail this.  I would imagine they would fail as unsafe.

Legalities aside, poorly fitted HIDs are probably going to be worse than standard lights with decent bulbs.  The light given off by HIDs is adversely affected by even small amounts of dirt and grim (hence the legal requirement for washing systems on factory fit) - so unless you are prepared to stop every 10 - 20 miles to clean the headlights, you are going to be worse off.

Additionally, due to the intensity of HIDs, the ability to extremely dazzle oncoming drivers means the legal (when factory fitted) requirement for fast acting headlamp levelling (note self levelling suspension not fast enough) so as not to dazzle too much on uneven roads, as well as heavy rear loads.  Without this levelling system, the only responsible way to use HIDs is to have them set so artificially low (as proper levelling sets them in case of system failure), that they are bloody useless anyway.

[Kevin Wood]

This is very true. There are many aspects of the construction and use regs that aren't necessarily covered by the MOT test. The MOT is designed to check the condition of the critical systems on a car that can reasonably be tested, on the assumption that it was originally compliant, not to fully verify their compliance with the construction and use regs.

However, it is still an offence to use a car that doesn't meet those regs. Unlikely that you'd be caught out, but if it came to the crunch you could find yourself in trouble.

As someone who often drives a vehicle of below average height, I can testify that HIDs are a real PITA if you're sitting below the cutoff line, hence the requirement for automatic adjustment.

Having HIDs on my Omega I also don't think they're that much better than standard lights and I certainly wouldn't mess about retro-fitting them. Yes, the light is quite bright over the area illuminated, but the cutoff is quite low and there is Zero light outside the illuminated area whereas filament bulbs have a softer cutoff with a bit of useful light above the cutoff, though not enough to dazzle.

The times when I need lots of light are generally when I am on main beams, which are filament lamps anyway.

I am also frequently flashed by incoming drivers despite the alignment of my lights being spot on. I think they solve a problem that didn't exist, TBH.

Kevin