HID kits

[Bren]

I know this is a pistonheads type thread but anybody had a HID kit fitted?

 

The headlights on our vectra appear to have come from the Bryant and May factory in Liverpool - driving at night means the fog lights are on all the time which must annoy the shit out of people coming towards us.

 

I will be getting an auto electrician to fit the kit once I have found something suitable.

[AMC Rebel]

I find people using their (front) foglights (which happens a lot round here) a lot less annoying than (some) people's HID kits.  My retinas were slowly being melted by the HID kit fitted to an AULDI A4 last night - it was alongside me at traffic lights (coming the other way).  There is also a pillock who has them in the headlights and foglights of his Ago who dazzles me to fuckery the two afternoons a week I see him (can't miss the bastard) coming the other way.

 

I suspect if they are done right (as you're planning) and in projector lights they will be OK though.

 

I will just mention (as I do with boring regularity) that a bigger K number doesn't mean they are brighter, in spite of the fashion.  If you can get a 4300K which is the value fitted in the OEM HIDs on my Discovery and MG, they will be brighter than a 6000K set - so if the aim is seeing better, that's the route to go. 

 

The halogen lights in Sierraman's Dad's old Mondeo are very good - nearly as good as the OEM HIDs in my other chod - the HIDs really show their worth in rainy conditions though - not entirely sure why.

[Stanky]

What about Osram NightBreakers or Phillips Diamond Whites or whatever they are called? replacement, extra-bright bulbs?

 

HID kits are a bit iffy come MOT time I think.

[dave21478]

You need to think about what type of kit to get which can depend a lot on the design of your lenses and bulbs. HID dip, HID main or HID both. The first two only have one HID element per side and uses the old halogen bulb for the other function. If you get HID main beam, its great in the countryside. It uses the halogen dip, so as you drive along its great but when a car comes you dip the lights, HID goes out, halogen main comes on and the sudden reduction in light is like shutting your eyes.

Conversely, HID dip is better for round town etc where you dont use main beam so much.

HID for both functions is more expensive.

Mind you, things have probably improved since I last looked at the kits.

[AMC Rebel]

On my old Jag, Mondeo and current Disco (factory HIDs), the inner main beam lights were still halogen - they were used for flash.  On the Jag and Disco, there are electro-magnetic shutters on the dip so they can flick to main along with the inner main beam only halogens.  I believe you can get these shutter operated ones as aftermaket, but they ain't gonna be cheap.

 

MOT - lots of tales out there of folk getting a pass provided they aligned properly, even though the book appears to suggest that you need auto levelling and washers for HIDs.

 

BTW there were OEM HIDs on Vectras/Signums (options I think) - I wonder how easy it would be to get the full OEM setup (or enough of it so you can see?)

[Bren]

I have been told that some of the top spec bulbs only have a life of 200 hours because of their intensity.

 

I fitted uprated (blue) items with little improvement - the lights are so bad I would say they are dangerous on unlit roads - I am surprised nobody has tried to sue Vauxhall for having something so sub standard.

 

I am led to believe HID is acceptable at MOT time as long as their is a facility to adjust the headlights.

[Stanky]

What condition are the lenses in? Would they reward a polish with something abrasive to clear the lenses and let more light out?

[AMC Rebel]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Vauxhall-Vectra-C-02-05-Xenon-Headlights-Black-/132001248283?hash=item1ebbe3341b:g:3NEAAOSw5cNYJy8i

[Bren]

What condition are the lenses in? Would they reward a polish with something abrasive to clear the lenses and let more light out?

Lenses are fine. The lights are noted for being piss poor from new.

[robinmasters]

Better bulbs and a relay?

 

How does having your fog lights on at night help? Unless you drive everywhere very, very slowly.

[SiC]

Have you checked the height alignment is correct? My experience of Saab 9-3s is that they're almost always aimed too low out of the factory. But still high enough to not fail.

[twosmoke300]

Unless you have voltage problems at the bulb and they are dull then I can't see hid making much difference. It's down to a badly designed / made lens and reflector I expect . Jag x type suffer a similar terrible design

[Captain Furious]

Had a kit in a car years ago, they were great, current daily hack has OEM xenons. I would only fit if you have projector type headlights, but the difference between HIDs and standard is...err, night and day. As long as your headlights are aligned properly there will be no issues with blinding anyone

 

Few myths to dispel however

 

"You need self levelling and washers or you'll fail the MOT/Get arrested and sent to prison"

 

To the strict letter of the law, maybe..it's a very grey area. However I've never heard of anyone failing an MOT for them, just plenty of folks with "friend of a friend" Internet fairytales

 

"Buy a decent kit, the cheap ones don't last"

 

All aftermarket kits are the same cheap Chinese rubbish, some just have different packaging. Buy the cheapest kit possible off eBay and treat them as disposable like any other bulb. They're dirt cheap now anyway

 

"[some other conventional incandescent bulbs] are nearly as good (usually nightbreakers)"

 

No, they really aren't.

[rainagain]

I mentioned this in the LED headlamp thread before but the LED ones I fitted to the Volvo work really well and you don't have any start up time

[scaryoldcortina]

The C&U regs and the MoT Manual specify washers and self-levelling for factory fitted HID lamps. Nothing about aftermarket ones, except advice to assess them on their own merits (wiring safety, beam pattern).

 

Most of the cheap ones fail spectacularly on the beam setter, and a lot of home fitted ones are badly hacked into the loom.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

I hate these. horrible cheap Chinese crap that never works quite right

[Guest Hooli]

Had some H4 kits on bikes, they worked great (except for the headlight bowl being too shallow & breaking the high voltage lead).

 

As said earlier, got for 4,300K as that is the best light, higher numbers head towards purple, look chav & don't work as lights.

[Junkman]

WTF are you all talking about?

Mobile phones?

[dave21478]

WTF are you all talking about?

Mobile phones?

 

Some gentlemen in the orient have invented a replacement for the incandescent light bulb, with varying degrees of success.

[Junkman]

Oh, okay.

Thanks.

[AMC Rebel]

Some gentlemen in the orient have invented a replacement for the incandescent light bulb, with varying degrees of success.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-intensity_discharge_lamp

 

Many modern vehicles use HID bulbs for the main lighting systems, some applications are now moving from HID bulbs to LED and laser technology.^[1] However, this HID technology is not new and was first demonstrated by Francis Hauksbee in 1705.

[AMC Rebel]

I mentioned this in the LED headlamp thread before but the LED ones I fitted to the Volvo work really well and you don't have any start up time

 

They are so powerful they have blurred the horizon E=MC²

[RoadworkUK]

I see a remarkable number of Modified Vauxhall Astras cruising around with one working aftermarket xenon headlamp.

[twosmoke300]

But one still badly aimed enough to blind everyone in a two mile radius inc light aircraft

[Captain Furious]

I never had any issues with blinding people with the aftermarket kit. However when I got my current daily I had people flashing me all the time, which I put down to them being bellends, after they're OEM, it has washers and self levelling headlights so it can't possibly be that..then it failed the MOT on headlight aim and I had to pay them some ridiculous amount to plug a laptop in and 'recalibrate them'

 

Though it seems to have worked because I haven't been flashed since

 

Point is if your headlight aim is correct now then it will be correct with HID's, only time it should be a problem is if you have reflector style lenses (too much beam scatter) or you knock them out of alignment by fitting them with the dexterity of an ape

[Noel Tidybeard]

seeing as thespaceship has factory hid and i've just changed bulbs i thought i'd join in

 

std units in car are 4150k- so i decided to try an upgrade

cheapish set of fleabay are 6000k and when tested on 145 mile trip home on m5 last night i noticed  they are whiter and do seem brighter and put down a bit more light- no nuns or kittens were hurt in this experiment

 

5000/6000k is suposed to be the best colour temp for a pure white light

4100/4300k are a bit more like daylight

8000k+ are "fashionably" blue but a bit shit in the putting light on the subject

3000k are more yellow and alegedly best for fog lights

 

 

correct bulbs is majorly important-

• reflector type lights as standard on civic for example need to be r type eg. D2R
• projector lights like on vectra c need s type bulb so im guessing D2S

both of these bulb types look the same except the R bulbs have a mask printed on them to stop glare, whereas the S type bulb will rely on shielding designed into the light unit itself

 

the bulb come in different shapes and sizes eg D1, D2, D3, D4 & D5 and  S tandard & Reflector options 

 

the biggest PITA for everyone is usually when someone just lobs a set of hids in their corsa* and then dont get them adjusted

 

 

 

 

 

 

*other charvamobiles available locally

[SiC]

I reckon my spaceship Civics HID are original, despite doing 133k miles. Tempted to change them out, as no doubt they've dimmed over the years. How bad did you find the replacement? Is it really a bumper off job?

[Eddie Honda]

Does nobody eat carrots anymore?

[Noel Tidybeard]

I reckon my spaceship Civics HID are original, despite doing 133k miles. Tempted to change them out, as no doubt they've dimmed over the years. How bad did you find the replacement? Is it really a bumper off job?

 

light units is bumper off but bulbs are same as doing halogen but just a teensy weensy bit more fiddly

 

1. rmake sure they've been off for a while to discharge the system
2. pas side remove intake snorkel- un hook rubber peg then pull up
3. unscrew cover same as high beam covers
4. power connector turns 1/8 turn max then pulls off
5. big plastic bulb holder turns 1/8 turn (or less)
6. grab bulb and holder and out they come
7. base of bulb has 2 notches which will only fit one way

space is limited, bulb doesnt clip firmly in holder so it is all loose whilst trying to (dis)assemble- all things considered probably easier to to than a 05 migraine but not as easy as a mundano/fucarse

 

first time out i took battery out as well as snorkel which made it easier to see whats what but next time  it stayed put

 

i changed std bulbs like for like as originals were 9 yo, flickered now and then and against a white garage door they didnt seem quite as bright/same colour as they once were

 

originals in mine were osran xenarc

6000k cheapies are Lunex branded and so far (10 days) seem ok

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/291775072223?_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

[Noel Tidybeard]

.....p.s

 

hid life is said to be 8-10 years(ish)

 

if they are really bolloxed the light output starts going  pinky purple