m4tt274

iTrader: (2)

ive got standard sierra lights and as its almost always dark now the headlights being like candles in jam jars are not up to the job.

what can i do?
are ther any decent bulb upgrade's that are legal?

thanks

DangerousBryan

stick an hid kit in it. pretty cheap off ebay these days. it's what i am going to do.
i bet mine are worse than yours.

have to drive round with the front fogs on to see where i am going.lol

studabear

I would start by having the beam patterns checked at an mot station, could be a number off things, incorrectly fitted bulbs, knackered reflector units, and so on

zetec-Sam

iTrader: (2)

If you don't want to shell out for a HID kit, you can get brighter bulbs for about Ł20. Halfords are doing some bogof at the moment. Did a world of difference to my fiesta, and i really didnt expect them too! lol

Elwood

Don't stick a HID kit into standard reflector headlamps, you'll blind everyone on the road and it's illegal.

I think your best bet is to maximise what you have. Clean the lenses, change the bulbs for something modern with slightly better output, check the wiring and make sure the aim is correct.

cfoster

Definitely HID, if you want them even cheaper get them from the states. Got my kit from www.ddmtuning.com, pics before and after:

before:


after:



have HIDs in the foglights now as well!!

LHD220Turbo

iTrader: (4)

do the simple stuff first; replace the earths (always good pratice anyway)

clean lenses etc

then if that fails look at other options

DanW@FastFord

iTrader: (1)

Aftermarket HIDs are only legal if you've got headlight cleaning/self levelling, and the lens, reflector and bulbs are type approved to ECE 98.

I don't know of anyone that's been 'done' for non legal HIDs, so I'm not sure how hot the police are on it. I'd imagine they'll ignore a newer car with HIDs, but would suspect if they see an older car like a Sierra they could well stop you to check them out.

As has been said, some aftermarket bulbs can give a noticeable (and legal) improvement.

Ed1

What ever you do dont get 100 by 80 watt bulbs, i done this and when the bulbs blew it had melted to the back of the unit and i couldnt get the bulbs out

Glenn_

iTrader: (1)

I got a set of phillips bulbs from my wrk which on the packet it says they are 70 per cent brighter than standard bulbs.I have to agree they are alot better than they were.

m4tt274

iTrader: (2)

thanks
the headlights were new last summer so its not the reflectors. but it could be the aim/alignment.
think il go to halfords and get some more modern bulbs. its currently got ford bulbs in it.

Dlatch!

just fitted a set of Hids off ebay (londoncolour is the shops ebay name)
And honestly......... they are fantastic i went for the 4300k bulbs for a white light and not the chav blue
these were fitted to my citroen zx which has piss poor lights before to the point that imo they were dangerous.

about having to have headlight cleaning/self levelling to have HID its all pish that only applies to the projector headlights where you can't access the glass.
HID in normal headlights are perfectly fine as long as your headlights have glass lens not plastic lens.

There is no more light spatter than normal bulbs and my MOT man aggreed and said he would happily pass them come mot time

And for Ł58 what a bargain don't even bother with the other Xenon bulbs claiming 50% more light they all make little difference now the HID kits are so cheap imo we will all end up using them.

pani_k

iTrader: (1)

Philips Diamondvision 5000k bulbs is what I have in mine and it already had uprated headlight bulbs in it from the previous owner. MUCH MUCH brighter than even the new BMW/Merc/Audi standard halogen and projector lense. Alternatively Osram Nightbreakers/GT150 bulbs are good too. Considering sierra has the old style of headlight without a clear lense, the beam would probably scattered big time and as said blind everyone. Decent halogens will make a nice difference.

DanW@FastFord

iTrader: (1)

It's not "pish" it's the law. Your friendly MoT man is not a traffic cop.

http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/roadsafety/drs/hidheadlamps

andyt

iTrader: (1)

not true had mine for 4-5 month now not been flashed once

Dlatch!

that is out dated and inaccurate look at the date the law was made (Regulations 1989 regulate the situation in the UK) at that time no HID lights had the E marking which states they are approved for road use.
Now most HID kits have E marking approval and the law needs updating infact i bet its not really enforced these days unless plod are looking for a reason to nick you (we have all met that copper at some point)

Driven to work all week with mine fitted and not been flashed once but they are correctly aligned and definatley don't dazzle other drivers.

the law needs to catch up to the products available on the market

KSA-Cossie

iTrader: (4)

Got HID's on my saph.

Oranoco

I think there is some confusion on the legality of HID's but my understanding is for HID's to be legally retro fitted they must be fitted to type approved lamps and the car must be fitted with self leveling and headlamp washers. The MOT, I beleive and wait to be corrected, only looks for beam pattern and alignment. And MOT pass does not make the vehicle legal.

My 2 cents worth. And from the cars I've dealt with running HID conversions if the lamps are set up correctly there is no reason to dazzle anybody esle

steves24V's

iTrader: (7)

I have HID's in my 1995 range rover now don't like driving my misses 08 focus in the dark cause i can't see where i'm going, would like to fit HID's to that but its got plastic lenses.

RST

iTrader: (3)

Got HIDs in the Fiesta. Dont think you can go back once you have had them.

B19 JUB

philips extreme vision bulbs.i think they are around the 4300k brightness and have them in escort.such a lovely clear light and doesnt dazzle anyone

zetec-Sam

iTrader: (2)

HID are good if done properly, and not put into chelsea tractors. I hate driving along at night, and some bimbo coming up behind in her x5, HIDs burning my retinas through all 3 mirrors.

burnzy

i rate the halfords ultra bright bulbs there Ł20 for 2 atm and give a much better beam without hid dunno how much better hid's are but for Ł20 you can't go wrong there was a mag feature ages ago and the halfords bulbs came in best, also have the beam pattern checked and if you have dip adjustment turn them up a bit more after being set so it gives a bit more coverage, can always turn them down if dazzling to many people but on quiet roads it really helps, and also on the motorway everyone see's you comming.

DanW@FastFord

iTrader: (1)

Agreed, but the law (as far as I'm aware) has not changed, so it's not innacurate unfortunately.

24vcossiemat

i did this a few years back with an old xr2, made the world of difference. but the battery light kept flashing afterwards everytime i switched the lights on

D7AKE

Can HID's be used in my twin headlamps on my saff?

Elwood

You've misinterpreted the law.

RVLR 1989 was written at a time when HIDs were not in existence and therefore not taken into account. That would make the fitting of HIDs illegal by UK law standards. Due to UN-ECE98 type approval (which overrides the RVLR rules), manufacturers can now fit Xenon headlamp units - that is the whole headlamp, not just the bulbs.

Referring to ECE98, the headlamps unit must be constructed in a certain way (for illustration, imagine a Focus Xenon Headlamp unit with a glass ball projector, correct ballasts, washer system and self levelling sensors etc).

The most noticeable point with ECE98 is that the light output must have a significant beam cut off. This is illustrated by the following photos. The first shows how other road users see aftermarket HIDS, the second showing the poor cut off of aftermarket HIDS, and finally, a manufacturer fully compliant Xenon setup.

zetec-Sam

iTrader: (2)

so if you want to blind every other cunt on the road, buy some cheap ebay HID's

Dlatch!

bmw X5 hids fitted into a lexus from the site you linked pictures Elwood

now that to me looks blinding ??

edited to add it also shows the annoying habit people seem to be in of have front fogs on when its not foggy too

Also re reading the official uk hid law this does not cover hid bulb replacement and is infact just on about the whole headlight assembly as it does not even mention bulb replacement i really can't see that they can do anything. so if in conclusion its pretty obvious this needs looking at again and tested correctly.

Elwood

No no no no

You don't understand. There is no "official uk hid law" - UN-ECE98 and ECE99 is the standard for fitment of gas discharge headlamps (hids/xenons). If a vehicle is going to have gas discharge headlamps fitted, then it must have a ECE98 compliant headlamp unit fitted. This includes the bulb, because that's how type approval is gained!

DanW@FastFord

iTrader: (1)

Some if you guys make me laugh - Just because you don't agree with the wording of the law it doesn't mean you're exempt!!

DangerousBryan

yeah but whats the worst they can do? make you change them back?

DanW@FastFord

iTrader: (1)

Yeah, I'm not saying don't fit them, just pointing out the legal requirements. As it happens I've got a set on my desk at work and I'm debating whether to fit them or not.

Dlatch!

no official law? then wft we argueing about



2007 golf GTI with OEM HIDs




2008 Astra with retrofitted 5000 HIDs


from these pics i found both cars owned by same person the difference from retrofit to OEM looks negligable.

DanW@FastFord

iTrader: (1)

There's no official dedicated HID law but there are laws on car lighting, which HIDs come under.

Rob Virgo

iTrader: (6)

agree dlatch , i can see the dogshit clearly in both pics....lol

rob v

Dlatch!

tried to get a pic of mine but my camera did not like it they all came out crap now its raining

Oranoco

This is also my understanding on the subject

BigErn

take the lights out, clean all terminals and earths on them, unclip the lenses, clean the reflectors and lenses, refit along with new brighter bulbs. Made a decent difference to mine