Retro fitting HiD

This site contains affiliate links for which LandyZone may be compensated if you make a purchase.
As far as I’m aware it’s best to replace the headlight , also have to fit headlight washers ,

then needs for the CCF to be changed via diagnostics

if U try and fit the AFS headlights a lot of wiring is required to get the light cornering system to work

I’ve got a D3 with halogens and going to retrofit xenons in mine , will replace the entire headlight and fit the headlight washers

don’t need auto level because it has air suspension

hope that helps
 
tilly2 said:
Be aware that it may not pass an MOT, if it wasnt fitted from factory.
Click to expand...
Additionally to failing the MOT, HID replacements for standard headlights will also blind oncoming drivers, as well as produce very little useful light on the road.
 
Funny u saying about the glare , I hate the ones that have like a blue tint to them, also drives me nuts when they have fog lights on and there’s no fog , @£&#&#*@&*@&#*@@&:mad:
 
gstuart said:
Funny u saying about the glare , I hate the ones that have like a blue tint to them,
Click to expand...

Our family Mazda CX5 has LED headlights, which I think are awesome. I do feel they're a little high when the car is fully loaded though, as quite a few people coming the other way flash their lights.
 
Nodge68 said:
Our family Mazda CX5 has LED headlights, which I think are awesome. I do feel they're a little high when the car is fully loaded though, as quite a few people coming the other way flash their lights.
Click to expand...

have heard the HID giving a better light , been looking into fitting some xenons on mine , not the cornering ones but just the basic xenons , but will replace the entire headlight, have a second hand bumper that has the fog light holes which I’ll be fitting later so an ideal time to also fit the headlight washers to comply with the mot

plus dread to think the cost to replace the newer type headlight
 
Nodge68 said:
Our family Mazda CX5 has LED headlights, which I think are awesome. I do feel they're a little high when the car is fully loaded though, as quite a few people coming the other way flash their lights.
Click to expand...

Do they not self level?
I assume they have high beam assist, ie they dip when cars come the other way?
 
lynall said:
Do they not self level?
I assume they have high beam assist, ie they dip when cars come the other way?
Click to expand...

There's no requirement for LED headlights to self-level, even though they produce just as much light as HID lights. The Mazda CX5 LED lights have a light output approaching 3400 Lumens per side, which is twice that of an H7 bulb. The beam control is very accurate, but it still seams to upset oncoming drivers, when the Mazda is fully loaded, and traversing an undulating road.

Also when turning a right hand bend, the lights swing to the right, which then puts the high spots straight into the eyes of someone coming the other way.

This is brilliant for me as the driver, as I can see perfectly, but not good for someone coming towards me.

The main beams do auto dip, but in my opinion they're too slow, so I dip them myself.
 
Nodge68 said:
There's no requirement for LED headlights to self-level, even though they produce just as much light as HID lights. The Mazda CX5 LED lights have a light output approaching 3400 Lumens per side, which is twice that of an H7 bulb. The beam control is very accurate, but it still seams to upset oncoming drivers, when the Mazda is fully loaded, and traversing an undulating road.

Also when turning a right hand bend, the lights swing to the right, which then puts the high spots straight into the eyes of someone coming the other way.

This is brilliant for me as the driver, as I can see perfectly, but not good for someone coming towards me.

The main beams do auto dip, but in my opinion they're too slow, so I dip them myself.
Click to expand...


Did not know about the self level not required, seems a strange bit of legislation.
 
There must be some sort of issue as it seems there is an aftermarlet device so you can adjust the headlamps?
 
https://greyhead.co.uk/other-things/are-aftermarket-hid-lights-legal-uk

Are aftermarket HID headlights legal in the UK? Will they pass an MOT? What about LED headlights?
Update - January 2018
In January 2018, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency ("DVSA") announced that some changes were being drafted to tighten up the MOT rules on the fitment of aftermarket HID kits.

These changes are still in draft, but the essence seems to be that, if you want to upgrade a car to HID headlights, you must use a headlight unit specifically designed for the fitment of the HID bulb you're upgrading to. So, for example, if you wanted to fit a D2S-type HID lamp, you would need to use a projector or reflector specifically designed for that bulb.

The specific wording, on page 7 of the draft document (which you can read here), is:

Some vehicles may be fitted with High Intensity Discharge (HID) headlamps. It is not permitted to convert existing halogen headlamp units for use with HID bulbs. If it is clear that such a conversion has been carried out, rather than replacing the entire unit with one designed and approved for use with HID bulbs, the headlamp should be rejected.

The difficulty here will be how MOT examiners are expected to determine if the housing is "correct"; will they be looking at beam pattern to determine if there is excessive glare - which will require an element of judgement on their part - or will they have to take a harder line, for example by simply failing the car if it didn't come from the manufacturer with HIDs in the first place.

There is some grey area here. For example, I have a car which came from the factory with optional HID lamps. If my car didn't originally come with HIDs, but I obtained the correct HID headlights from the manufacturer, along with all the self-levelling equipment, headlight washers, etc, and fitted them correctly, then my car's headlights would technically be entirely legal - and I think, based on the wording above, this would be a pass.

Less clear-cut is the conversion I have done on a Nissan car which originally had halogen reflector headlights; in this case, I installed an HID projector into the headlight housing with an OEM-standard set of HID bulbs, ballasts, etc - these headlights produce a good warm-white light - same as OEM HID headlights - and have a good, sharp beam cutoff which doesn't cause glare for other road users. In other words, the parts of the headlight which affect light distribution (the projector) are designed for use with HID lamps.

But, the headlight housing itself was originally designed for a halogen reflector headlight, although this doesn't affect the HID beam pattern.

So, again, the new wording seems to suggest that, as long as the headlight puts out the correct beam pattern, with the right colour light (i.e. not excessively blue), then the car should pass.

The devil in this change will be in the detail of how the tester will be expected to judge whether a headlight is designed for an HID lamp.

You can read the full draft document here - changes are indicated by a black line to the left of changed text, I gather:

The DVSA has also published a page about the changes, which you can find here:

I will update this page as new information becomes available, and you can read my original thoughts on HID headlight conversions below.

Alex - 24th January 2018.
 
tilly2 said:
https://greyhead.co.uk/other-things/are-aftermarket-hid-lights-legal-uk

Are aftermarket HID headlights legal in the UK? Will they pass an MOT? What about LED headlights?
Update - January 2018
In January 2018, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency ("DVSA") announced that some changes were being drafted to tighten up the MOT rules on the fitment of aftermarket HID kits.

These changes are still in draft, but the essence seems to be that, if you want to upgrade a car to HID headlights, you must use a headlight unit specifically designed for the fitment of the HID bulb you're upgrading to. So, for example, if you wanted to fit a D2S-type HID lamp, you would need to use a projector or reflector specifically designed for that bulb.

The specific wording, on page 7 of the draft document (which you can read here), is:

Some vehicles may be fitted with High Intensity Discharge (HID) headlamps. It is not permitted to convert existing halogen headlamp units for use with HID bulbs. If it is clear that such a conversion has been carried out, rather than replacing the entire unit with one designed and approved for use with HID bulbs, the headlamp should be rejected.

The difficulty here will be how MOT examiners are expected to determine if the housing is "correct"; will they be looking at beam pattern to determine if there is excessive glare - which will require an element of judgement on their part - or will they have to take a harder line, for example by simply failing the car if it didn't come from the manufacturer with HIDs in the first place.

There is some grey area here. For example, I have a car which came from the factory with optional HID lamps. If my car didn't originally come with HIDs, but I obtained the correct HID headlights from the manufacturer, along with all the self-levelling equipment, headlight washers, etc, and fitted them correctly, then my car's headlights would technically be entirely legal - and I think, based on the wording above, this would be a pass.

Less clear-cut is the conversion I have done on a Nissan car which originally had halogen reflector headlights; in this case, I installed an HID projector into the headlight housing with an OEM-standard set of HID bulbs, ballasts, etc - these headlights produce a good warm-white light - same as OEM HID headlights - and have a good, sharp beam cutoff which doesn't cause glare for other road users. In other words, the parts of the headlight which affect light distribution (the projector) are designed for use with HID lamps.

But, the headlight housing itself was originally designed for a halogen reflector headlight, although this doesn't affect the HID beam pattern.

So, again, the new wording seems to suggest that, as long as the headlight puts out the correct beam pattern, with the right colour light (i.e. not excessively blue), then the car should pass.

The devil in this change will be in the detail of how the tester will be expected to judge whether a headlight is designed for an HID lamp.

You can read the full draft document here - changes are indicated by a black line to the left of changed text, I gather:

The DVSA has also published a page about the changes, which you can find here:

I will update this page as new information becomes available, and you can read my original thoughts on HID headlight conversions below.

Alex - 24th January 2018.
Click to expand...

some great info there, thks

another reason when I convert mine to xenon I’ll replace the entire headlight

Plus to think they sell HID upgrade kits for the existing headlights
 
I just stuck 4 150% brighter bulbs in from Craddocks. Works for me... The money I saved I went out for a good few beers with..
 
gstuart said:
some great info there, thks

another reason when I convert mine to xenon I’ll replace the entire headlight

Plus to think they sell HID upgrade kits for the existing headlights
Click to expand...
It appears that u don’t know the Xenon head lamps are actually HID, also they have a self levelling facility, a vehicle with self levelling suspension is not okay.
if you still have Halogen bulbs than change them for bulbs that have Xenon gas inside instead of Halogen gas, these are the bulbs advertised as xxx % brighter.
 
discool said:
It appears that u don’t know the Xenon head lamps are actually HID, also they have a self levelling facility, a vehicle with self levelling suspension is not okay.
if you still have Halogen bulbs than change them for bulbs that have Xenon gas inside instead of Halogen gas, these are the bulbs advertised as xxx % brighter.
Click to expand...

hiya

alas think I’m getting confused , didn't realise the headlights themselves were self levelling, assumed the air suspension would automatically self level the headlights

because the coil sprung D3 has a manual headlight adjustment dial where the air suspension one doesn’t

know with xenons I need to add headlight washers

haven’t heard of those bulbs, did upgrade the halogens to osram night breakers but don’t think there the same ones Ur talking about , will have a further look

know when I first started to look at the different headlights fitted to the D3 it got confusing as there were xenons, bi xenons, then the cornering headlights

appreciate the heads up , thank u
 
Last edited:
gstuart said:
hiya

alas think I’m getting confused , didn't realise the headlights themselves were self levelling, assumed the air suspension would automatically self level the headlights

because the coil sprung D3 has a manual headlight adjustment dial where the air suspension one doesn’t

know with xenons I need to add headlight washers

haven’t heard of those bulbs, did upgrade the halogens to osram night breakers but don’t think there the same ones Ur talking about , will have a further look

know when I first started to look at the different headlights fitted to the D3 it got confusing as there were xenons, bi xenons, then the cornering headlights

appreciate the heads up , thank u
Click to expand...
Hi, I also have Osram night breaker unlimited in the disco something like 150%, like all the other bulbs on sale to give a brighter light the bulb is filled with a small amount of Xenon gas, of course there’s still the old school Halogen gas bulb that used a higher wattage i.e 100watt

U may have seen the HID headlights resetting base line themselves for a couple of seconds after they are first switch on.:cool:
 
discool said:
It appears that u don’t know the Xenon head lamps are actually HID, also they have a self levelling facility, a vehicle with self levelling suspension is not okay.
if you still have Halogen bulbs than change them for bulbs that have Xenon gas inside instead of Halogen gas, these are the bulbs advertised as xxx % brighter.
Click to expand...

hiya

ref the air suspension , had a look on the D3 forum and on the D3 the body levels the xenon headlights not the xenons themselves, via height sensors

was getting confused , lol
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

A
Retro fit power folding mirrors
Replies
3
Views
571
Andybusaking
A
K2tnt
Disco 1 Discovery 1/2 rear door aperture corners?
Replies
2
Views
308
K2tnt
K2tnt
9
Clutch 300 TDI
Replies
10
Views
305
9255 steve
9
M
TD5 Replacement Turbo? - Recommendations would be gratefully received.
Replies
2
Views
249
tilly2
T
J
11j alternator options?
Replies
18
Views
1K
dag019
dag019
Back
Top