Hid kit. Are they any good?

[andygo]

http://www.thehidshop.co.uk/index.asp

Was looking to upgrade the lights on my ed30. Are these HID kits any good or has anyone got experience of tweaking lights?

[Ree]

I have read that now you need to have washers and levelers installed to pass MOT.

[ktlstar]

Just make sure you got them in projector headlamps.

Putting them in reflector lamps, the light will just get scattered and blind on coming traffic!

[john87]

aftermarket HID kits will currently pass an MOT as long as:

It is an 'R' rated bulb (i.e. H7R) if used in a reflector housing, like the golf standard headlights, and correctly adjusted to correct beam levels

They are of a suitable colour temperature, similar to OEM 4300k (5000k or 6000k at a push may pass, at discretion of MOT tester)

This may change shortly if the rules concerning auto-levelling and lamp washers come into place

[Moz]

Taken from MOT Regs:

"Lighting

Products on the lens or light source that obviously reduce the light's intensity or change its colour will become a reason for failure – applies to front/rear position lamps, registration plate lamps, stop lamps, rear fog and direction indicators,

Headlight requirements are updated to take account of the particular characteristics of High Intensity Discharge (HID) lamps.

HID headlights can cause dazzle if they are dirty or aimed too high so car manufacturers must fit headlamp cleaning and levelling systems. A car will fail if a mandatory headlamp cleaning or levelling system is missing, doesn't work or is obviously defective.

Vehicles fitted with aftermarket HID systems must also be fitted with properly working washer and levelling systems.

If a headlamp bulb is not seated correctly the resulting beam pattern will be indistinct and this will result in a test fail."


Simply installing R rated bulbs into reflector housing, and HID bulbs into Projector housing is not enough, auto levelling and headlamp washers also required!

[Matto]

From VOSA:

Vehicles equipped with High Intensity Discharge (HID) or LED dipped beam headlamps may be fitted with headlamp washers and a suspension or headlamp self levelling system. Where such systems are fitted, they must work; however, it is accepted that it may not be possible to readily determine the functioning of self levelling systems. In such cases, the benefit of the doubt must be given. Headlamp washers may work in conjunction with the windscreen washers (when the dipped beam headlamps are switched on) or by a separate switch.

It doesn't say they must be fitted.

Info was pulled from here http://www.transportoffice.gov.uk/crt/doitonline/bl/mottestingmanualsandguides/mottestingmanualsandguides.htm

[GrayMK5GTI]

Taken from MOT Regs:

"Lighting

Products on the lens or light source that obviously reduce the light's intensity or change its colour will become a reason for failure – applies to front/rear position lamps, registration plate lamps, stop lamps, rear fog and direction indicators,

Headlight requirements are updated to take account of the particular characteristics of High Intensity Discharge (HID) lamps.

HID headlights can cause dazzle if they are dirty or aimed too high so car manufacturers must fit headlamp cleaning and levelling systems. A car will fail if a mandatory headlamp cleaning or levelling system is missing, doesn't work or is obviously defective.

Vehicles fitted with aftermarket HID systems must also be fitted with properly working washer and levelling systems.

If a headlamp bulb is not seated correctly the resulting beam pattern will be indistinct and this will result in a test fail."


Simply installing R rated bulbs into reflector housing, and HID bulbs into Projector housing is not enough, auto levelling and headlamp washers also required!

This looks like last years regs?