Cheap H4 HID's
01-01-2007 | 04:05 PM
#48
Rennlist Member
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 3,276
Likes: 19
From: Bucks, England
I think I have his email address so when I'm next on my laptop I'll try and remember to dig it out.
I wonder why he got shut down as he had very good feedback, was responsive and very easy to deal with? Someone else I was dealing with just before Chritsmas got shut down and he was telling me that he wasn't even certain why they had shut him down but that it was next to impossible to get them to reconnect before the timeout period had finished.
I have next week off so will be trying to get my lights done - I'll let you know how I get on.
Cheers,
David
I wonder why he got shut down as he had very good feedback, was responsive and very easy to deal with? Someone else I was dealing with just before Chritsmas got shut down and he was telling me that he wasn't even certain why they had shut him down but that it was next to impossible to get them to reconnect before the timeout period had finished.
I have next week off so will be trying to get my lights done - I'll let you know how I get on.
Cheers,
David
01-02-2007 | 06:20 AM
#49
Pro
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 744
Likes: 3
From: Kent, England
Originally Posted by braol
Ebay shut down the Chinese HID site. I wonder if the US headlight suppliers got wind of the non-marked-up price??
01-10-2007 | 11:10 AM
#53
Instructor
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 249
Likes: 0
From: United Kingdom
Haven't fitted my kit yet but here is some interesting regarding the HID fitment in the UK......
"This is an actual response that a member on FiatForum got when he wrote to VOSA who then forwarded it to the Department of Transport to clear up the uncertainty surrounding the fitment of aftermarket HID conversions on a car which did not have it as standard.
Please read if you have already, or are considering the fitment of such kits.
Dear Mr XXXXXX,
Please see attached our fact sheet which outlines the Department's understanding of the regulations relating to HID conversion kits.
Please note that the Department for Transport cannot provide an authoritative interpretation of the law; that is a matter for the courts.
Yours sincerely
Jillian Smith
DfT - Transport Technology and Standards
The fact Sheet; (It came in form of a word document, but I have just copied and pasted here for ease.)
December 2006
Aftermarket HID headlamps
In the Department's view it is not legal to sell or use after market HID lighting kits, for converting conventional Halogen headlamps to HID Xenon. If a customer wants to convert his vehicle to Xenon HID he must purchase completely new Xenon HID headlamps. The reason for this is that the existing lens and reflector are designed around a Halogen filament bulb, working to very precise tolerances. If one places a HID "burner" (bulb) in the headlamp, the beam pattern will not be correct, there will be glare in some places and not enough light in other places within the beam pattern.
The following is the legal rationale:
The Road Vehicle Lighting Regulations 1989 regulate the situation in the UK.
Under these Regulations, HID/Gas Discharge/Xenon headlamps are not mentioned and therefore they are not permitted according to the strict letter of the law.
However new vehicles have HID headlamps. This is because they comply to European type approval Regulations. The UK cannot refuse to register a vehicle with a European type approval. These are to ECE Regulation 98 (for the HID headlamps which are tested on a rig in a laboratory) and ECE Regulation 48 (Lighting Installation on the vehicle).
For the after market, a used vehicle cannot obtain type approval because it is only applicable for new vehicles. However we feel that saying "HID is banned in the after market" would not be reasonable. Instead we should make analogies with new vehicles. It would be reasonable to require HID in the after market to meet the same safety standards as on new vehicles. The same level of safety should apply.
Therefore a HID headlamp unit sold in the after market should:
1. be type approved to ECE Regulation 98 as a component.
2. when fitted to the vehicle should enable ECE Regulation 48 to be complied with (although no government inspection will take place).
3. Comply with RVLR as far as "use" is concerned.
In practice this means:
1. The headlamp unit (outer lens, reflector, bulb) shall be type approved to ECE 98 and be "e-marked" to demonstrate this. That can only be done by the headlamp supplier - Hella, Valeo etc. who must test the headlamp in an independent laboratory.
2. Once fitted to the vehicle it must have headlamp cleaning and self-levelling (which can be for the headlamp or can be in the vehicle suspension - some expensive estate cars have "self-levelling suspension" and that is adequate). Also the dipped beam must stay on with the main beam.
3. The headlamp must be maintained in good working order, kept clean, and aligned/adjusted correctly like any other headlamp.
Under the Road Traffic Act 1988 it is an offence to supply, fit or use vehicle parts which are not legal.
In summary it is not permitted to convert an existing halogen headlamp unit for use with HID bulbs. The entire headlamp unit must be replaced with one designed and approved for use with HID bulbs and it must be installed in accordance with the rules stated above.
If you require any further information regarding the regulations covered by this fact sheet, please contact the DfT at the address below:
Transport Technology and Standards 6
Department for Transport
Zone 2/04
Great Minster House
76 Marsham Street Telephone: 020 7944 2078
London Fax: 020 7944 2196
SW1P 4DR Email: TTS"
food for thought although there are a lot more road "crimes" being committed every day in the UK!!
"This is an actual response that a member on FiatForum got when he wrote to VOSA who then forwarded it to the Department of Transport to clear up the uncertainty surrounding the fitment of aftermarket HID conversions on a car which did not have it as standard.
Please read if you have already, or are considering the fitment of such kits.
Dear Mr XXXXXX,
Please see attached our fact sheet which outlines the Department's understanding of the regulations relating to HID conversion kits.
Please note that the Department for Transport cannot provide an authoritative interpretation of the law; that is a matter for the courts.
Yours sincerely
Jillian Smith
DfT - Transport Technology and Standards
The fact Sheet; (It came in form of a word document, but I have just copied and pasted here for ease.)
December 2006
Aftermarket HID headlamps
In the Department's view it is not legal to sell or use after market HID lighting kits, for converting conventional Halogen headlamps to HID Xenon. If a customer wants to convert his vehicle to Xenon HID he must purchase completely new Xenon HID headlamps. The reason for this is that the existing lens and reflector are designed around a Halogen filament bulb, working to very precise tolerances. If one places a HID "burner" (bulb) in the headlamp, the beam pattern will not be correct, there will be glare in some places and not enough light in other places within the beam pattern.
The following is the legal rationale:
The Road Vehicle Lighting Regulations 1989 regulate the situation in the UK.
Under these Regulations, HID/Gas Discharge/Xenon headlamps are not mentioned and therefore they are not permitted according to the strict letter of the law.
However new vehicles have HID headlamps. This is because they comply to European type approval Regulations. The UK cannot refuse to register a vehicle with a European type approval. These are to ECE Regulation 98 (for the HID headlamps which are tested on a rig in a laboratory) and ECE Regulation 48 (Lighting Installation on the vehicle).
For the after market, a used vehicle cannot obtain type approval because it is only applicable for new vehicles. However we feel that saying "HID is banned in the after market" would not be reasonable. Instead we should make analogies with new vehicles. It would be reasonable to require HID in the after market to meet the same safety standards as on new vehicles. The same level of safety should apply.
Therefore a HID headlamp unit sold in the after market should:
1. be type approved to ECE Regulation 98 as a component.
2. when fitted to the vehicle should enable ECE Regulation 48 to be complied with (although no government inspection will take place).
3. Comply with RVLR as far as "use" is concerned.
In practice this means:
1. The headlamp unit (outer lens, reflector, bulb) shall be type approved to ECE 98 and be "e-marked" to demonstrate this. That can only be done by the headlamp supplier - Hella, Valeo etc. who must test the headlamp in an independent laboratory.
2. Once fitted to the vehicle it must have headlamp cleaning and self-levelling (which can be for the headlamp or can be in the vehicle suspension - some expensive estate cars have "self-levelling suspension" and that is adequate). Also the dipped beam must stay on with the main beam.
3. The headlamp must be maintained in good working order, kept clean, and aligned/adjusted correctly like any other headlamp.
Under the Road Traffic Act 1988 it is an offence to supply, fit or use vehicle parts which are not legal.
In summary it is not permitted to convert an existing halogen headlamp unit for use with HID bulbs. The entire headlamp unit must be replaced with one designed and approved for use with HID bulbs and it must be installed in accordance with the rules stated above.
If you require any further information regarding the regulations covered by this fact sheet, please contact the DfT at the address below:
Transport Technology and Standards 6
Department for Transport
Zone 2/04
Great Minster House
76 Marsham Street Telephone: 020 7944 2078
London Fax: 020 7944 2196
SW1P 4DR Email: TTS"
food for thought although there are a lot more road "crimes" being committed every day in the UK!!
01-10-2007 | 11:48 AM
#54
Rennlist Member
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 3,276
Likes: 19
From: Bucks, England
This is similar to an Auto Express article last week. However, it concluded that the chances of the police pulling up someone because their headlights appeared to be of an HID conversion type were pretty unlikely...
01-10-2007 | 05:33 PM
#55
Rennlist Member
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 528
Likes: 1
From: Lausanne, Switzerland
Hi guys,
The concerns regarding installing HID in a lamp made for use with halogen bulbs seem valid to me.
Apart from road codes and their interpretation, anyone who has met a retrofitted HID kit head-on will confirm that the light does hit you much harder than when coming from a purpose build HID lamp.
I used my car with a dual beam HID kit in Spain last year and was once pulled over by the police.
Apparently, in Spain you cannot install an HID kit unless it is built for your specific car model, and the car must have self-leveling headlamps.
I was not aware of that as my car is on Swiss license plates, and hence is subject to the Swiss technical control. (I even think the Swiss rules require the same, but Im not sure).
Anyway, I managed to convince the Spanish cops that my car has a headlamp levelling system, albeit manually operated. That did the trick, but I think I was lucky...and their admiration of my car probably also helped. Nice people the Spaniards!
At the end of the day, in case of an accident or an insurance claim, one may be up a certain creek without a paddle.
NOW A WORD OF WARNING!!!
After running my car with an HID kit for about 10 months, the system started getting stuck in high beam now and then.
The problem is erratic in the sense that somtimes both headlights get stuck, sometimes its only the right side, sometimes only the left. This indicates that the issue is related to the bulbs rather than the control box.
Needless to say, this is a serious problem and potentially dangerous to on-coming drivers. Especially considering the above-mentioned concerns.
I have spoken to the supplier of the kit about the problem. Unfortunately, the people who sold me the kit (a Rennlist sponsor) are about as stuck as I am.
The Asian manufacturer of the kit no longer supplies replacement bulbs. After several problems with the supplier, the people who sold me the kit have stopped working with them.
As a result, I have an unreliable, potentially dangerous, HID kit, which cost me several hundred dollars and lasted one year and a bit. Maybe I should join you guys and replace my kit with a new version.
Now, there is no doubt. Upgrading to HID makes a huge difference to the performance of a 964s headlights. I love it.
But, I am weary of middlemen sourcing from manufacturers in far away places. Once problems occur the end user has nowhere to go for help. Im in Switzerland, the vendor is somewhere in another European country and the manufacturer is in Asia. Where do I go with my problem???
Just a word of advise.
Take care,
Jens
The concerns regarding installing HID in a lamp made for use with halogen bulbs seem valid to me.
Apart from road codes and their interpretation, anyone who has met a retrofitted HID kit head-on will confirm that the light does hit you much harder than when coming from a purpose build HID lamp.
I used my car with a dual beam HID kit in Spain last year and was once pulled over by the police.
Apparently, in Spain you cannot install an HID kit unless it is built for your specific car model, and the car must have self-leveling headlamps.
I was not aware of that as my car is on Swiss license plates, and hence is subject to the Swiss technical control. (I even think the Swiss rules require the same, but Im not sure).
Anyway, I managed to convince the Spanish cops that my car has a headlamp levelling system, albeit manually operated. That did the trick, but I think I was lucky...and their admiration of my car probably also helped. Nice people the Spaniards!
At the end of the day, in case of an accident or an insurance claim, one may be up a certain creek without a paddle.
NOW A WORD OF WARNING!!!
After running my car with an HID kit for about 10 months, the system started getting stuck in high beam now and then.
The problem is erratic in the sense that somtimes both headlights get stuck, sometimes its only the right side, sometimes only the left. This indicates that the issue is related to the bulbs rather than the control box.
Needless to say, this is a serious problem and potentially dangerous to on-coming drivers. Especially considering the above-mentioned concerns.
I have spoken to the supplier of the kit about the problem. Unfortunately, the people who sold me the kit (a Rennlist sponsor) are about as stuck as I am.
The Asian manufacturer of the kit no longer supplies replacement bulbs. After several problems with the supplier, the people who sold me the kit have stopped working with them.
As a result, I have an unreliable, potentially dangerous, HID kit, which cost me several hundred dollars and lasted one year and a bit. Maybe I should join you guys and replace my kit with a new version.
Now, there is no doubt. Upgrading to HID makes a huge difference to the performance of a 964s headlights. I love it.
But, I am weary of middlemen sourcing from manufacturers in far away places. Once problems occur the end user has nowhere to go for help. Im in Switzerland, the vendor is somewhere in another European country and the manufacturer is in Asia. Where do I go with my problem???
Just a word of advise.
Take care,
Jens
01-14-2007 | 01:35 PM
#56
Instructor
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 188
Likes: 0
From: Salisbury, Wilts, UK
Saw these on evil bay and was wondering how they stacked up with sets previously purchased. The guys got great feedback. 
.
Many thanks Andy
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Xenon-HID-Kit-...QQcmdZViewItem
. Many thanks Andy
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Xenon-HID-Kit-...QQcmdZViewItem
01-15-2007 | 09:48 AM
#58
Rennlist Member
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 3,276
Likes: 19
From: Bucks, England
Our Chinese buddy is back on-line at E-bay; here is one of his live listings if you want to contact him.
Cheers,
David
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/xenon...5710QQtcZphoto
Cheers,
David
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/xenon...5710QQtcZphoto
01-15-2007 | 10:05 AM
#59
Racer
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 273
Likes: 0
From: S.Wales UK
It works out about £80 odd quid!! Sorry if this has been asked but whats the situation with regards to MOTs and the like. Can the beam be adjusted like the normal lights? Reading about the glass dispersing the xenon light differently to a normal bulb would that affect the MOT test?
02-19-2007 | 06:50 PM
#60
Instructor
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 111
Likes: 0
From: Perthshire,Scotland