HID lamps, legalities please

[Nigel Worc's]

Hello all.

I've a 2000 E39 5 series bmw saloon, I'm about to fit a HID kit to the low beam.

I have self levelling projector lamps with wash, so I believe my car should be ok for this retro-fit, and my mechanic mate says it shouldn't be an issue.

I was discussing with him that if I like it, I'll fit a second kit to the high beam, he's unsure if I'm allowed to, he thinks I'm not, but cannot give any specific reason, other than he hopes he's never coming the other way if I do.

Any reason I can think of would normally be governed by wattage, but of couse HID lamps are actually a lower wattage than halogen.

So, do the legal boys know of any reason this isn't allowed ?

[davepoth]

Needs to be "E" marked IIRC, and only OEM fitted stuff is likely to be.

[Nigel Worc's]

davepoth said:

Needs to be "E" marked IIRC, and only OEM fitted stuff is likely to be.

Are the actual lamps (bulbs) E marked ?

I know the "housing" is, I've never looked closely at the actual lamps.

[Petemate]

Very slightly O/T - any car with projectors with an HID kit fitted will hardly warrant a second glance, as the beam projected from it is exactly the same (don't ask me how I know) Also, (again don't ask) when coming up behind me, cars with auto levelling have the tendency to intermittently dazzle me in my mirrors. As the following miscreant vehicle undulates over uneven roads, the 'system' cannot seem to cope and the result is my eyes occasionally get badly dazzled. Yet my car (alright then, mine, with an HID kit in the projector dips) does not dazzle as one of my mates commented the day after I followed him from LHR right up to and onto the M40 late one night that as well as my lights being great, they didn't give him any grief like cars with self-levelled xenons.
However, MOT is another matter after next April - as my car has Canbus and the likelihood of vast expense to retrofit what I don't want, ie the ability to ps off cars that I am following, looks like I will have to do what I think a lot will, remove the kit for the MOT.
Later, ie next year, if this thread or a similar one is still running, I will take two pics at night of our garage doors, one with the original 55W candles, and the other with the HID - the pattern is exactly the same.
I have also, at night, been in front of my lad's Evo, which came from the dealer new with HIDs but no levelling, and this does not dazzle either. Bloody regulations, bah humbug.

[Mr2Mike]

Petemate said:

Very slightly O/T - any car with projectors with an HID kit fitted will hardly warrant a second glance, as the beam projected from it is exactly the same (don't ask me how I know) Also, (again don't ask) when coming up behind me, cars with auto levelling have the tendency to intermittently dazzle me in my mirrors. As the following miscreant vehicle undulates over uneven roads, the 'system' cannot seem to cope and the result is my eyes occasionally get badly dazzled.

Auto leveling systems are not designed to compensate for bumps in the road, they don't work anything like fast enough. They are simply to compensate for extra load in the rear of the car.

[Nigel Worc's]

Mr2Mike said:

Auto leveling systems are not designed to compensate for bumps in the road, they don't work anything like fast enough. They are simply to compensate for extra load in the rear of the car.

I suspect the auto leveling systems are all going to be different.

Mine appears (from my checks at the weekend) to respond to where I've set the level to be by the switch inside.

When you turn the headlamps on, they go up, then down to the level set ...... I think !

[14-7]

Nigel Worc's said:

I suspect the auto leveling systems are all going to be different.

Mine appears (from my checks at the weekend) to respond to where I've set the level to be by the switch inside.

When you turn the headlamps on, they go up, then down to the level set ...... I think !

You don't get to set HID lamps though as the system is self levelling. There is no option for you to do it yourself.

Some cars have levelling systems in them which allow the driver to select the level. These systems invariably do flick up and down when the lights/ignition are turned on. I don't know why but I presume to calibrate.

[Nigel Worc's]

So mines going to be illegal anyway ?

If so, I may as well have them in the high beam as well, if I like them.

[Dr Doofenshmirtz]

HID bulbs, like all gas discharge bulbs do not take kindly to being switched on and off - so are unsuitable for high beam. They also take a few seconds to reach optimum output, so are doubly unsuitable.
Self levelers and washers are an OEM fitment requirement, there are no specific requirements for after market.

[Nigel Worc's]

Dr Doofenshmirtz said:

HID bulbs, like all gas discharge bulbs do not take kindly to being switched on and off - so are unsuitable for high beam. They also take a few seconds to reach optimum output, so are doubly unsuitable.
Self levelers and washers are an OEM fitment requirement, there are no specific requirements for after market.

Thank you kind sir, so I'm going to be legal afterall.

Can you define "do not take kindly to" please ?

[Dr Doofenshmirtz]

Nigel Worc's said:

Can you define "do not take kindly to" please ?

The life of the bulb will be significantly reduced.

[Nigel Worc's]

Many thanks, I guess I'll just have to find some standard type bulbs at hellfrauds that match whatever colour the hid's turn out to be, for the main beam.

You can almost guess they're not going to be white, not many lights seem to be white these days.

[Defcon5]

As said, HIDs are useless for a pure high beam, as they cant flash. OEMs can as they move a shutter inside the housing which allows more light out.

From Jan HIDs will require self levelling and washers as part of the OT it seems

[Nigel Worc's]

That must be what my mate is talking about, he's saying I need self levelling and washers, and, according to him I have, although one chap on here is suggesting my self levelling isn't up to scratch.

I'm going to fit them anyway, if I have to swap back for the MOT (which I doubt as it does have a form of self levelling), it'll only take half an hour.

I hope they're worth the effort lol

[Petemate]

Nigel Worc's said:

If I have to swap back for the MOT (which I doubt as it does have a form of self levelling), it'll only take half an hour.

Mine only take about 15 mins to swap back to standard, at least they did last year.

[Deva Link]

14-7 said:

Nigel Worc's said:

I suspect the auto leveling systems are all going to be different.

Mine appears (from my checks at the weekend) to respond to where I've set the level to be by the switch inside.

When you turn the headlamps on, they go up, then down to the level set ...... I think !

You don't get to set HID lamps though as the system is self levelling. There is no option for you to do it yourself.

Some cars have levelling systems in them which allow the driver to select the level. These systems invariably do flick up and down when the lights/ignition are turned on. I don't know why but I presume to calibrate.

It must be pretty random how it works anyway, the system does a one off check when the car is started (regardless of whether the lights are on or not) so if three lardy people got in the back, that would presumeably mean the lights would point too high.

[Nigel Worc's]

Deva Link said:

It must be pretty random how it works anyway, the system does a one off check when the car is started (regardless of whether the lights are on or not) so if three lardy people got in the back, that would presumeably mean the lights would point too high.

Mine doesn't, it does a one off check when you switch the headlights on, but will then position itself to what I have selected, regardless of what's in the car.

[Deva Link]

Nigel Worc's said:

Mine doesn't, it does a one off check when you switch the headlights on, but will then position itself to what I have selected, regardless of what's in the car.

Well, as someone mentioned earlier, that's because your car didn't have HID lamps from the factory. If it had, then the manual level selection wouldn't be there.

[Nigel Worc's]

Deva Link said:

Well, as someone mentioned earlier, that's because your car didn't have HID lamps from the factory. If it had, then the manual level selection wouldn't be there.

True, but it will have soon, I'm just waiting for the "converter" bits to arrive, the HID kit is H7, mine has H7 lamps, but in a special holder, so you need a "converter" to allow the HID lamps to fit ........

It'll be interesting I hope, it's the forth five series I've had, but may actually be the first that I can tell my dipped beam headlamps are switched on.

[Dr Doofenshmirtz]

Defcon5 said:

From Jan HIDs will require self levelling and washers as part of the MOT it seems

No they won't. Only if these items are fitted, and found to not work will they fail. Again, there are no specific requirements for after market HID kits.