Headlight Hid Kits, Yay Or Nay?

[allye 530 3 Cars]

Did a search and couldn't find and topics about HID kits, only about cleaning earths to get better lights etc...

 

With the rebuild and from advice of a few people I would really like to put a HID kit in and make those bastard beamers and audis feel what its like!

 

Is the general opinion they are a good investment? I appreciate that good working 205 lights are actually rather good for a 20yr old car but theres always room for improvement!

 

Cheers, Ali

[JRL 14 1 Cars]

yeah that winds me up, your sat at traffic lights and up comes an x5, range rover etc sat as close to you bumper they can get and you have to tilt your mirror and try and dodge the reflection in your wing mirrors. It eems like people are just out to blind eachother. Maybe its a west london chelsea tractor thing round my way.

Any way back to Hid kits. I have found on an older car they are a bit brighter but really work best on a modern car.

[Loose Hand Luke 6]

I'm going to get some soon.

You can get H4 types now that have High and Low beam, not just one or the other.

A friend has some in his Honda and they're awesome.

 

I think there's some on Ecosse Peugeot and Demon Tweeks website that are H/L beam H4 for about £90, but I found some for less than that on a few Jap spares sites as my 200sx uses H4 bulbs.

Will try and find them again.

 

 

Ecosse but doesn't say high/low beam:

Ecosse HID

 

D/Tweeks:

Tweeks HID

[Baz 421]

I've been considering some for a 205 as i have some in the Volvo and the difference is night and day!

 

They're only a cheap kit and have been fine now for 3 or so years.

[Pugleyrich 37 1 Cars]

I have some in my ZR and would not advise anyone to have them. Your beam pattern will scatter so you won't actually see much more. You will blind people though so if that is what you are after then they will be a good investment. They also will need swapping back for your mot.

Personally, I don't think they look good in older cars.

My set were used for about a year and didn't ever break. They were only around £30 from eBay and shipped from China. I had 6000K as I wanted less blue, and a better light output

[allye 530 3 Cars]

A friend put them on his A6 (slighter older one) and he too said they made a massive difference and are really worth it. Just wondering if there are ones to avoid, I would hazzard a guess at stay away from £50 sets off ebay!?

 

As with anything, get what you pay for!

 

EDIT: Same time post! I'm not after blinding people at all as i know how irratating it is, surely you can adjust them, maybe your cheap set wern't the best?

 

I'v also read about the MOT thing and a lot of people getting away with it. Down to your MOT man as with anything MOT related I suppose.

Edited November 27, 2010 by allye

[Pugleyrich 37 1 Cars]

I had mine on for an MOT and was told that they shouldn't pass due to how they scatter light. He did adjust them as best he could though and passed them for me, so I agree it is down to who tests it. Still, after having them set up properly they still aren't amazing. They look good, and the light is bright, but just not focused on anything. Nothing to do with the kit I don't think, more to do with the fact that my lights are not projector lamps.

 

With regards the MOT, the proposed VOSA changes may mean that more people will fail:

 

4.1.4 Compliance with requirements:

a - Lamp, emitted colour, position or intensity not in accordance with the requirements

b - Products on lens or light source which obviously reduce light intensity or change emitted colour

c - Light source and lamp not compatible

Edited November 27, 2010 by Pugleyrich

[welshpug 1,666]

the main issue with these is that the older headlamp types simply were not designed for this type of light source, the lens used simply scatters the light everywhere creating a pair of nice glare inducing lamps, rather than having a clearly defined beam and cutoff.

[smithy 1]

I think they work fine in newer cars with clear lens's as the reflector gives the beam pattern.

On a older car with glass lens's the beam pattern is not the best the glass was mot designed give a good pattern with hid bulbs.

 

I had a set of H1 in my 2004 scooby and they worked really well beam pattern on mot was spot on.they were not a cheap eBay kit think they were in region of £200 IIRC in a group buy on scoobynet.

[Henry Yorke 269 3 Cars]

I would like some for my 307 as it has projector style SP range optional lights. These will contain the beam much more and focus it in the right places. I don't think they really suit an H4 application

[Baz 421]

Mine are good tbh, the light output is concentrated & Mot's are fine.

 

I do agree though they may not suit H4 applications.

[Atari Boy 11]

Are they easy to fit, just plug and play?

[Tom Fenton 1,548]

I've been tempted by some of these for my A4 which has projector lens dipped beam. What K rating is as per standard cars, so they will not stand out as being non standard?

[smithy 1]

Are they easy to fit, just plug and play?

 

They were plug and play for my H1 application,the ballasts were connected to HID bulb and were fired by original wiring.

[Henry Yorke 269 3 Cars]

 

I would say 5-6000k is about standard without going blue. More info here http://www.delonixradar.com.au/hid-xenon/colour-chart.php

[welshpug 1,666]

between 4300 and 5000 k is said to be the closest to o.e was what a retailer of these kits told me

 

you will often find that some cars will accept them just fine due to their projector design, as well as that some high end motors have been using them for years in top spec cars, like Omega Elites, very late high spec 406's many BMW's etc.

 

 

not sure what gen/year your A4 is Tom, but the above may apply

Edited November 27, 2010 by welshpug

[Henry Yorke 269 3 Cars]

There was also some talk of early HIDs discolouring and clouding acrylic / plastic on headlights and effectively ruining them. Not sure if it was down to UV being emitted. This may be something that is not a problem anymore.

[CosKev 16]

There are different types of HID bulbs for clear or patterned lenses

 

There are 2 types of HID bulb.

 

D2S for projector type headlights.

 

D2R for reflector type headlights.

 

Some Mercs use the D2R bulbs in reflector type headlights.

 

But pretty sure if your MOT tester is arsey it would fail if it did not have a wash system on the head lights,and also auto-adjusting height

headlights if fitted with HID's

[Tom Fenton 1,548]

My A4 sadly didn't come with Xenon lights, it was a cost option. However there is the place moulded into the headlamp casing for the ballast to locate so it should hopefully be possible to make a tidy job of it.

[Rippthrough 98]

4300-4800K is what you want Tom, 4300K is the brightest.

[SurGie 54]

HID kits are for people that have bad eye sight, should have gone to spec-savers.

[smithy 1]

There was also some talk of early HIDs discolouring and clouding acrylic / plastic on headlights and effectively ruining them. Not sure if it was down to UV being emitted. This may be something that is not a problem anymore.

 

 

That is a common problem on plastic lens once they get older,the uv coating wears off and they get damaged by the sun,as you say early hid's did give off high uv levels although

Decent bulbs now will be ok.

[tdr_1976 41 1 Cars]

Personally, I'd recommend fitting a set of Osram Night Breakers.

 

I use my 205 on Night Road Rallies, the difference they made from std bulbs was noticeable straight away. They have a whiter brighter light.

 

I had 100w Philips bulbs in my Cibie Super Oscars, I swapped them for 55w Night Breakers and they were far better.

 

The best thing is, that they are cheaper than the HID Kits.

[tri_longer 25]

Personally, I'd recommend fitting a set of Osram Night Breakers.

 

i've just ordered a set of these as driving at night at the moment the standard bulbs in this weather just aren't up to the job really.