Hid conversion
Discussion
SILICONEKID345HP said:
They are illegal !
So is having a piss on the roadside but we all do it, something a bit more constructive would be usefull Daz
Apparently its to do with self levelling and cleaning, I fitted some last year into my mk 3 conversion and my MOT man was not concerned
On a constructive note the main beam dip bean is done via a single lamp that moves thro an electro magnet, not sure if it was the light conversion to Mk3 or the general beam configuration with the dipping lamp but I found the beam not very defined
After inadvertently modifying my front end, I am going back to Mk3 setup but with standard lamps
Have you considered LED? there is a direct replacement for the entire lamp assembly but not cheap at around £220 a side
So is having a piss on the roadside but we all do it, something a bit more constructive would be usefull Daz
Apparently its to do with self levelling and cleaning, I fitted some last year into my mk 3 conversion and my MOT man was not concerned
On a constructive note the main beam dip bean is done via a single lamp that moves thro an electro magnet, not sure if it was the light conversion to Mk3 or the general beam configuration with the dipping lamp but I found the beam not very defined
After inadvertently modifying my front end, I am going back to Mk3 setup but with standard lamps
Have you considered LED? there is a direct replacement for the entire lamp assembly but not cheap at around £220 a side
My car has the faired in lights with HID as done by Central and for three years has had no issues with the MOT.
I wonder whether it's got anything to do with either the age of the car or the fact that it was only made in low quantities, thereby negating the need for headlamp wash and auto levelling?
I wonder whether it's got anything to do with either the age of the car or the fact that it was only made in low quantities, thereby negating the need for headlamp wash and auto levelling?
JimTC said:
My car has the faired in lights with HID as done by Central and for three years has had no issues with the MOT.
I wonder whether it's got anything to do with either the age of the car or the fact that it was only made in low quantities, thereby negating the need for headlamp wash and auto levelling?
Tester discretion I would say I wonder whether it's got anything to do with either the age of the car or the fact that it was only made in low quantities, thereby negating the need for headlamp wash and auto levelling?
although they was told to clamp down on headlamps amongst a few other things inc ex noise 
If you have the tuscan style conversion with 4 new lights then you are legal as you only need to have a working level/wash system if it is fitted, if it's not fitted it doesn't have to be there.
If you just have hid bulbs and ballast system fitted to the standard chimaera headlights you should fail an mot as the beam patten is not correct for hid bulbs.. but most mot places let it slide.
If you just have hid bulbs and ballast system fitted to the standard chimaera headlights you should fail an mot as the beam patten is not correct for hid bulbs.. but most mot places let it slide.
Andav469 said:
I also have the Faired in headlights and HID lights from Central TVR, the car has been through 2 MOT's since without even an advisory.
The light output is fantastic and the beam pattern is a nice cut off on low beam that creates no dazzle
Alright Dave? that's the thing if the beam pattern is correct the tester is happy .......... but I have witnessed some appalling results with younger's and their D.I.Y conversions fail miserably due to the pattern being sThe light output is fantastic and the beam pattern is a nice cut off on low beam that creates no dazzle
te 
There is always confusion over bulb types. HID is high intensity discharge- where you superheat a gas to produce more light- these need a high voltage generator and ballast system alongside the bulbs. The point of the light source is not quite in the same place as a filament bulb, so this is why the beam shape is distorted on a conventional reflector. As for the legality- the MOT testers have been told to tighten up on bad fitments, and you are no longer running a type approved headlight so you are illegal once you fit them, but the MOT does not check for type approval.
You then have LED- these are really only suitable as running lights. The LED headlight bulbs you see on Ebay as simply small circuit boards with lot of LEDS on them, and completely unsuitable for driving lights on both beam shape or light output (too low).
The best bet is to use the new range of high output halogen filament lights like the Osram nightbreakers, these dont distort the beam or break any rules, but you need to make sure you have the full 12-13 volts at the connectors to get the best from them- not 11.5 volts as you have old and crappy wiring.
The Filament "HID" headlights on Ebay are the just filament lights that run a bit hotter so brighter, so HID is the wrong phrase to use, but it sells product to the ill informed.
You then have LED- these are really only suitable as running lights. The LED headlight bulbs you see on Ebay as simply small circuit boards with lot of LEDS on them, and completely unsuitable for driving lights on both beam shape or light output (too low).
The best bet is to use the new range of high output halogen filament lights like the Osram nightbreakers, these dont distort the beam or break any rules, but you need to make sure you have the full 12-13 volts at the connectors to get the best from them- not 11.5 volts as you have old and crappy wiring.
The Filament "HID" headlights on Ebay are the just filament lights that run a bit hotter so brighter, so HID is the wrong phrase to use, but it sells product to the ill informed.
Btz, you're not up to date on the led lights, but I doubt you could buy these on ebay and fit them to a chim... they are bloody cool though 
http://youtu.be/-dvPZ3H1Vm4
http://youtu.be/-dvPZ3H1Vm4
That's probably some way of getting around the outdated type approval rules that did not allow for all LED headlights - you notice its still running Xenon's at the same time. I was getting all excited for a moment there thinking someone had at last developed LED headlight bulb replacements that actually worked. The big plus point would be the reduction in current drawn would make life a whole lot easier for the wiring loom, so voltage drop would not be an issue. The whole problems with LED's is they do produce heat, so the bigger they get, the more problems you have getting the heat away from the light producing junctions, and this limited the size and wattage of a single LED as a bulb.
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