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[greebo]

hi everyone. hope you all had a good chrimbo & safe new year. can anyone tell me? what is so special about these xeon headlights that ive heard about??  :-/

[rustym95]

what night breakers?

[joshwyatt]

Xenon headlights use Xenon gas through with an electric current is passed, the gas emits a white/bluey light. Some people refer to them as HID's. However, no manufacturer in the uk I know of refers to them as that, only xenon..thus I call them Xenon's. Some cheap ebay bulbs say they are xenon, which they are not. Simply xenon effect. In reality they're useless.
I couldn't be without Xenon now, so much clearer and better than standard headlights. Also doesn't fatigue the eyes I find. After driving a Xenon equipped vehicle at night, I don't find my eyes tired. Can sometimes find this on halogen equipped vehicles.

[greebo]

makes me sound like a plonker. specialy th mileage i clock up per week. but, yeh. ive heard people saying they've had them fitted. wot are they?

[greebo]

so i take it you would recomend fitting them then? most of my driving is early morming or after dark. thanks for the advice.

[tunnie]

they are much better than standard halogen lights, i fitted nightbreakers (halogen type) in my CD, and they work well.

Xenons came fitted on CDX/MV6 & Elite Omegas, and have headlight washers, and levelling system, to be done right these need to be fitted.

Nightbreaker Halogen bulbs come very close to Xenon output

[pedroMV6]

they are much better than standard halogen lights, i fitted nightbreakers (halogen type) in my CD, and they work well.

Xenons came fitted on CDX/MV6 & Elite Omegas, and have headlight washers, and levelling system, to be done right these need to be fitted.

Nightbreaker Halogen bulbs come very close to Xenon output

I fitted Nightbreakers and think they're no better than cheapo bulbs from a car boot sale:(

Wouldn't be without my HID's though!

[greebo]

i'll look into pricing them up next weekend. hitler has me at work tomorrow. so thanks again for your help.

[TheBoy]

Xeon is an Intel server chip

Xenon is a gas. Some bulbs have Xenon gas in instead of Halogen, but still a standard bulb. Xenon will be whiter.


HIDs (High Intensity Discharge) use a different method to produce light. In the old days, Xenon lights and HIDs used to be on and the same, but with many normal bulbs being Xenon gas, and these also being referred to as Xenon lights, confusion reigns.


Xenon filled normal bulbs do not have the same advantages of HID lights.


According to DfT, to legally retrofit HID lights to a non HID car you need to:

Have HID approved lenses
Have an automatic levelling system
Have an automatic headlamp cleaning system



Note, this makes all HID upgrade kits you see on eGay illegal for road use in the UK (and across most of Europe)


Hope that answers everything

[joshwyatt]

As tunnie says, there's fair bit to change if you want proper Xenon's. New headlights, ballast pack, new interior light switch, levelling sensors on the n/s front and rear suspension, and headlight washers on the bumper. I'm sure it is doable, but would be a challenge I imagine.
I think you might be better doing what tunnie has done, fitting nightbreaker halogen bulbs.

[pedroMV6]

Xeon is an Intel server chip

Xenon is a gas. Some bulbs have Xenon gas in instead of Halogen, but still a standard bulb. Xenon will be whiter.


HIDs (High Intensity Discharge) use a different method to produce light. In the old days, Xenon lights and HIDs used to be on and the same, but with many normal bulbs being Xenon gas, and these also being referred to as Xenon lights, confusion reigns.


Xenon filled normal bulbs do not have the same advantages of HID lights.


According to DfT, to legally retrofit HID lights to a non HID car you need to:

Have HID approved lenses
Have an automatic levelling system
Have an automatic headlamp cleaning system



Note, this makes all HID upgrade kits you see on eGay illegal for road use in the UK (and across most of Europe)


Hope that answers everything

BUT - as my MOT tester says when he does my Carlton (retro fitted HIDs with no washers yet) - "The light beam pattern is fine, so I have to pass that."
He's passed it for four years straight now, next one due in Feb. If the law has changed since last Feb, then he might insist I fit washers.

[joshwyatt]

Xeon is an Intel server chip

Xenon is a gas. Some bulbs have Xenon gas in instead of Halogen, but still a standard bulb. Xenon will be whiter.


HIDs (High Intensity Discharge) use a different method to produce light. In the old days, Xenon lights and HIDs used to be on and the same, but with many normal bulbs being Xenon gas, and these also being referred to as Xenon lights, confusion reigns.


Xenon filled normal bulbs do not have the same advantages of HID lights.


According to DfT, to legally retrofit HID lights to a non HID car you need to:

Have HID approved lenses
Have an automatic levelling system
Have an automatic headlamp cleaning system



Note, this makes all HID upgrade kits you see on eGay illegal for road use in the UK (and across most of Europe)


Hope that answers everything

That's the problem I find, where confusion arises.
I call them Xenon's not HID's. All manufacturers I deal with normally, VX, Land Rover, Merc, Daimler/Jaguar all refer to vehicles having Xenon headlights.
I wouls say HID's are only aftermarket, I've yet to see a manufacturer call lights HID's. There may be some, but all I know call them Xenon's.
Then you get the xenon halogen bulbs you mentioned. Which aren't xenon really at all. They're just playing to the stupid side of people, they think oooh I can have xenon headlights for a fraction of the cost of an oe system, when they're nothing alike.

[TheBoy]

Xeon is an Intel server chip

Xenon is a gas. Some bulbs have Xenon gas in instead of Halogen, but still a standard bulb. Xenon will be whiter.


HIDs (High Intensity Discharge) use a different method to produce light. In the old days, Xenon lights and HIDs used to be on and the same, but with many normal bulbs being Xenon gas, and these also being referred to as Xenon lights, confusion reigns.


Xenon filled normal bulbs do not have the same advantages of HID lights.


According to DfT, to legally retrofit HID lights to a non HID car you need to:

Have HID approved lenses
Have an automatic levelling system
Have an automatic headlamp cleaning system



Note, this makes all HID upgrade kits you see on eGay illegal for road use in the UK (and across most of Europe)


Hope that answers everything

BUT - as my MOT tester says when he does my Carlton (retro fitted HIDs with no washers yet) - "The light beam pattern is fine, so I have to pass that."
He's passed it for four years straight now, next one due in Feb. If the law has changed since last Feb, then he might insist I fit washers.

Note - it is not an MOT item.

An MOT does not make a car legal

DfT clearly states the requirements for HIDs 

[TheBoy]

Badly adjusted HIDs, dirty HIDs, ones with bad lenses, and ones that don't automatically lower if boot is full is annoying and dangerous to other road users.  Similar to those people who purposely adjust one of their headlights to be high and striaght - we all regularly come across these antisocial idiots.

[tunnie]

they are much better than standard halogen lights, i fitted nightbreakers (halogen type) in my CD, and they work well.

Xenons came fitted on CDX/MV6 & Elite Omegas, and have headlight washers, and levelling system, to be done right these need to be fitted.

Nightbreaker Halogen bulbs come very close to Xenon output

I fitted Nightbreakers and think they're no better than cheapo bulbs from a car boot sale:(

Wouldn't be without my HID's though!

Said many a time, the night breakers for halogen and Hids get different reports, Nightbreakers in halogen bulb/lens work well