Another Xenons question

[Petemate]

Blimey - that all got a bit heated didn't it? Gonna put my head on the block now. I have a kit from HIDs 4U in my Sportwagon. The car does not have levelling or headlamp washers. (nor does my lad's Evo with xenons from the showroom!)Although the projectors are designed for halogen bulbs not xenon bulbs, there is only miniscule difference on the bodies, which are manufactured for filaments that are 90 degrees different. The beam pattern is EXACTLY as with the halogens. I wipe a sponge over the headlamps before every trip to work and often in between shifts to ensure the lenses are clear and do not scatter any unwanted light. My lad has travelled for a fair few miles in front of me at night and the lights do NOT cause any dazzle. I have never been flashed by oncoming traffic with the headlights on. The car went through the MOT a few weeks ago with no comments from the tester; I was stood by the car while the beam pattern was measured.
I have Osram Nightbreakers in the beams and while they are very good they do not match the brilliance of the xenons.
HTH
Pete

[saab talladega turbo]

 

[Norfolk Jim]

My Xenon's on first 9-5 were from HID's 4U and as you say I never ever got flashed as they were set up correct. I must admit you can often see the chavs in Golfs with badly set ones and 6000k or higher colour which look bad and have loads of glare and no beam pattern but then they never had projector lenses - come to think of it my 9-5 didn't either!

On the MOT side I'm not sure when the new part actually comes in so your car Pete may have got in before this but then your 9-3 is that much newer.

I know what you mean about EVO's. I've also seen Renault Laguna with no washers either

[Audax]

On the MOT side I'm not sure when the new part actually comes in so your car Pete may have got in before this but then your 9-3 is that much newer.

New rules came in from 1st January but you could only advise on them until 1st April. If an MOT tester let them through he made a mistake!

[saab talladega turbo]

Just like mot inspectors are suppose to check steering joints. Suspension joints. Engine mounts. Exhausts. Windscreen wipers and washers all of which I've had and friends have had cars with these non mot pass items on our cars at the time of mot and they all sailed through with not a mention.
So if you wanna rely on mot inspectors to tell you your car is roadworthy and safe. YOUR LIFE IN THIER HANDS. MY MOT GUY IS HOTTER THAN  BURNING COALS. which I can live with knowing I'm driving my family in a safe vehicle.

[Saabman]

[quoteThe law on xenons is they need a cleaning system which most saabs have and levelling][/quote] this is true but regards the levelling side of it this has to be self levelling and not a manual system as fitted from standard! Put 3 16 stone guys in the rear and a boot full of bags and see where your lights point. That's why the factory fit has a self level system 

[Norfolk Jim]

....... that they have a suitable cleaning system and are automatically self leveling..... My car did have one big advantage over yours and that was self leveling suspension so lights were always correct even when laden. Mine went through MOT's with no problem and my local traffic cop was happy.
s..............elf auto leveling (the expensive replacement part on the 9-5),

I agree Saabman as I mentioned earlier

[phoenix]

I have never yet seen a car fitted with aftermarket HIDs that doesn't cause more glare than OEM lamps.

Much of the time, they are fitted to older cars with fresnel surface lenses, and there is a lot of diffraction, which causes glare. Newer cars with shaped reflectors and clear, plain lenses are not as bad but still troublesome.

Why? The shape of the light envelope is different. The HIDs origin of light is bigger than conventional filaments.

The legal point of view: Construction & Use regs say that light assemblies (that is the reflector, lense and lamp) must all be a) ECE type approved individually and b) type approved to work together. The new MOT rules are designed to address what is clearly a problem.

It is a known fact that HIDs do tend to cause more glare. Those who fit them are, in my opinion, showing disregard for other road users. They're perhaps also "blind" to the fact that by generating glare they make the chance of an accident greater. But that apparently doesn't matter because you can see better...

[Audax]

It is a known fact that HIDs do tend to cause more glare. Those who fit them are, in my opinion, showing disregard for other road users. They're perhaps also "blind" to the fact that by generating glare they make the chance of an accident greater. But that apparently doesn't matter because you can see better...

If I was involved in an accident with a car that had aftermarket non-type approved lights I'd certainly point it out to their insurer (and mine and the police too if relevant!).

[saab talladega turbo]

All lights xenon or not cause glare so if it's been mot'd with the xenons on the inspector will check how much glare!! 

[CitTone]

..... I have never been flashed by oncoming traffic with the headlights on.....

I have given up flashing people with faulty/missing/dazzling/maladjusted/inappropriately deployed front lights, as in most cases they don't realise/care that the flashing refers to them. 

Light patterns and outputs, even when both headlamps are operating, seem to vary so widely these days, that I cannot even tell the difference between a correctly-fitted halogen accidentally left on main beam and a badly-designed and adjusted eBay "upgrade" on dip.

In any case, around here I would be flashing at every fifth car, and I don't want to wear my stalk out (if you know what I mean, missus).

[Max Headroom]

In any case, around here I would be flashing at every fifth car, and I don't want to wear my stalk out (if you know what I mean, missus).

Do bananas have stalks?

[CitTone]

Oh well, I guess it makes a change from all those jokes about wood....

...I mean....

[Norfolk Jim]

We'll just have to form a splinter group............love it Trenchfoot

[Mark B]

I believe that the self levelling required with HID headlights is self leveling of the light unit, rather than self levelling of the suspension.  The systems measure the rear suspension position in relation to the body and adjust the lights so the beam is at the correct angle.  The system is supposed to be fast reacting so that the lights don't dazzle as the car goes over bumps etc, but as with all mechanisms I have seen occasions where the frequency of bounce has confused the levelling system and made things worse momentarily. 

One could argue that mid engined cars don't need levelling as when you fill the luggage space the front comes down, and that mid engined cars tend to be stiffly sprung, but there are no exemptions.

Also, automatic levelling doesn't help cars where the lights are higher than other drivers' eyes, e.g. Range Rover etc.