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 ?

[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.

[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 !

[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.

[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 ?

[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.

[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

[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.

[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.

[Nigel Worc's]

I spoke to the chap who mot's my car today, his advice was don't worry about it, he takes yet another direction ....... HID headlamps are an option on my car, it has projector headlights, headlight wash, and self leveling that can be adjusted down from inside the cabin.

Add to that my kit has CE approval.... he says job done, he wouldn't even give the type of lamp in the headlamp unit a second glance.

I will have the beams tested once the kit is fitted.

Apart from that, I'll let you know if Elroy Blue finds me .......

[Nigel Worc's]

14-7 said:

Nigel Worc's said:

I spoke to the chap who mot's my car today, his advice was don't worry about it, he takes yet another direction ....... HID headlamps are an option on my car, it has projector headlights, headlight wash, and self leveling that can be adjusted down from inside the cabin.

Add to that my kit has CE approval.... he says job done, he wouldn't even give the type of lamp in the headlamp unit a second glance.

I will have the beams tested once the kit is fitted.

Apart from that, I'll let you know if Elroy Blue finds me .......

Yet the HID option will contain different lamp units to your normal ones so will not have a self-levelling system. I don't know why people are struggling. Much like the sounding my horn thread where demicks rained supreme.

You've lost me 14-7.

All I'm doing is changing the lamps (read bulbs), the rest of the car will stay the same (I don't like typing "bulb" for a lamp, we were given pressups for saying bulb in training, apparently bulbs grow lamps glow)

So ....... I will have HID lamps in my projector style , self leveling with internal control, with wash headlights.

[Nigel Worc's]

14-7 said:

Self-levelling systems do not have internal controls for you to alter hence why they are called self-levelling.

Other dissagree with you, but anyway ...... it's having them !

[Nigel Worc's]

ThunderSpook said:

Although it's fairly irrelevant anyway as is this entire thread as you had already decided you were having them whether they were illegal or not. Am I right?

Not initially, but by the time we'd reached that point I'd bought them.

Nobody can agree if they are legal or not, that isn't just on here, but amongst my mates too.

I'll let you know if they make BMW dipped beam work, it has always been an issue, they appear on to anyone else, they even seem to light things up, but there is no pool of light, so to the driver, especially on a damp night, it seems like you're on sidelights.

I'd settle for simple non projector halogen reflecters, but when I looked for those in 5 inch, they were dearer (and again probably not type approved for the car), than a hid kit.

[Nigel Worc's]

More light output, pure and simple, but I've no wish to have coloured lights, and no wish to dazzle anyone, and, I'd much rather be legal than not.

If my BMW headlights were as good as the smart for two jobbies my wife and daughter have, I'd be delighted.

[Nigel Worc's]

My kit has CE markings chaps.

I've not fitted it yet, as I haven't found the correct mounting bits, the one's I have are too big.

The kit I have has H7 fitments ..... my poxy car doesn't, it has something called 500/600 fittings, same lamps, different base !

My mot tester has also told me (in line with one of the previous posts), that my car has the same headlights as those fitted with HID's from the factory.

My mot tester assures me I will not have to remove them for the mot, he'll pass it no problem.

I just hope they are worth the effort when I get them on lol.