HID kit

[chris1]

just the kit i would get

[chazley]

just orderd my kit, coming from hong kong which is a bit dodgy, hopefully nowt is wrong with the kit lol D:

[MX5star]

Just about all of the kits come from Hong Kong anyway - and Ive had 3 different kits now and all have been fault free - bear in mind though dont fit HID`s with the standard head lamps (MK 1) as the light is too bright and you dazzle other road users so use the crystal type headlights they work quite well and are a great improvement.

Del.

[jimbobsquarepants]

[01mx5]

ask any motorcyclist with a slightly dirty visor how ill adjusted light can ruin your view of the road

You get the same issue in cars, just to a slightly lesser extent
Generally it’s when your door windows & mirrors get a bit dirty (which in this weather is within 30 minutes of setting out) - bright/ill-adjusted lights on a car behind mean you can’t see anything behind you at times.
You can get the same issue on the rear screen - but it tends not to be as big a problem on the mx5 as with some cars

 

On a related note - fog lights are for when it’s foggy - not too look cool…

[alan-mx5]

Hi

I would have to agree with everything said below.  I am not against retrofitting HID, but it must be done to comply with regulations.  I am retrofitting it to one of my other cars just at this moment, BUT I am using the original equipment HID lights from a later car of the same model, so the complete HID headlamp unit is being used, and my car already has headlamp washers and self levelling suspension.

Alan

 Hi Guys

Don’t mean to come over all heavy but…

We really need to look at the good advice Geoff has posted on the legality of these type of lamps.

Back in 2006 the Dept. for Trans issued the statement for good reason, aftermarket HID kits are illegal, they have been known to cause accidents to both the user and other road traffic, using them is frankly irresponsible, they will always pass an MOT regardless of the power of luminescence, the examiner should fail the vehicle if the beam pattern is incorrect or mis aligned as the MOT is a check of condition not design, I am yet to see a single aftermarket kit that meets the construction and use regulations required for these lamps on UK highways. In short they all require:

 

• Full E-Approval on all components as used.

Not the following, ISO 9001: 2000, ISO 14001: 2004, OHSAS 18001: 2001, HSPM QC 080000 these all relate to the standard of production.

The following E-marking could be considered but it would need to be proven that the E marked components were all the same as a type already approved on behalf of the vehicle or lamp manufacturer (Mazda-Hella-Ring) by an EC member state (in this case E13)

E-mark (E13) 10R-02 9538

E markings can be granted for all manner of components for all manner of reasons, it does not prove it suitability, a good example would be using a side repeater as a rear fog lamp the fact that it is E-marked hardly makes it suitable.

 

• The Vehicle must be fitted with either self leveling lamps or self leveling suspension.

This not the type as fitted to the Mk2 with a thumb wheel to align the height when carrying a full luggage compliment, this system must be fully automatic with HID lamps.

Blinding other road users when laden is not just inconvenient it is dangerous, ask any motorcyclist with a slightly dirty visor how ill adjusted light can ruin your view of the road. I am also amazed that nobody has mentioned at least getting the alignment of the lamps checked post modification.

 

• The vehicle must be fitted with a headlamp wash system.

To eliminate stray light being refracted by surface debris and dazzling other road users, self explanatory really.

 

And now for anybody still contemplating this mod:

• Dip beam must remain on whilst main beam is illuminated.

From reading previous posts on here I assume the "single" type kit uses a standard filament on main beam, the comment that dip beam performance is better than main beam suggests the HID dip beam extinguishes when main is used, I assume the dip beam side "twin" kit does a similar thing.

Now here is the thing, what is the one negative characteristic of any HID lamp?

Start up time, we have all seen how the HID lamps glow slowly (in lighting terms) at first to reach optimum luminescence, imagine that whilst doing 60 on a country lane? Just as another pair of headlights come round the bend in front and you need to change from main back to dip? For once it is not the person oncoming who can’t see, you have to wait for the things to warm up, not good.

I am not against modding Fives as most of you know but this one is not a good one, correct alignment and good quality 60/55w bulbs in my Mk1 and Mk2 have always proved adequate.

The Dept have not issued these statements about much else in the world of modification, could it be there is a good reason of two for this one.

Incidentally the HID kits now come from Hong Kong as a UK supplier would risk prosecution.

Jamie

 

 

 

[MX5star]

Fact sheet: Aftermarket HID headlamps

December 2006

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.

 

Surely the issue here is whether the actual lights fitted to your vehicle successfully adhere to current legal requirements for your car to be on the road, ie a current roadworthy certificate (MOT)

My car was fitted with improved E marked new technology headlamp units and HID bulbs there is a shield fitted in the headlamp which directs the light source back to the reflector which in turn stops glare and beam scatter, the light beam only needed a small adjustment to comply with the current requirement for headlamp aim when I had the car MOT`d - the tester was happy with the headlamp set up as it was because my car was issued with a pass.

Since driving my converted MX5 I have never been aware of discomfort to other road users - unlike the 4 RX-8`s that I have owned where on several occasions I have been flashed by oncoming drivers whom I assume are not happy with the intensity of the type approval lights.

I am not saying I don`t agree with the previous DOT regulation statement but it seems to be flawed and and it is open to interpretation.

Road regulations are a neccessity as long as they do what they are designed to do but sometimes they are not neccessarily right, take the regulation governing the fitting of Fog lights (or rain lights as they appear to be) one of the biggest needless distraction to road users ever fitted by the car industry.

 

This was a quote from the BMW owners club make your own mind up!

"I did a lot of research into this when purchasing and fitting HID’s to my
six. There seems to be regulations for manufactor’s of what you have
mentioned above, but none that I could find regarding retro fitting.

 

I contacted the DVLA and they refered me to VOSA. I contacted VOSA and they could not indicate to me any legal issues with headlights so I contacted the police. The police's view was that as long as they did not dazzle oncomming traffic they would be fine and even if they did they would ask that the light be tested at a MOT station and if they passed then they would be happy. So lastly I contacted a local MOT station. They stated that all they are asked to test is the beam level and ensure that the brightness is above a certain level. So I installed the HID lights and had the beams carefully adjusted. The car went straight down to the MOT station and passed.

 

I was very concious of the extra brighness and have tested the lights by having friends parked up and me driving past in the other direction and the lights are fine and don't dazzle.

 

Whilst the theory of self leveling lights work, the reality is that they don't work. They don't make adjustments for speed bumps and crests and it is these that dazzle on coming cars. I am also very aware of HID lights and can spot both OEM and retro fit lights. IMO it is the OEM cars that are the worst culprits for dazzling you. In particular Chelsea Tractors. Just driving down the road every BMW X5, Porsche Cayenne, VW Toureg and Range Rover blind me and none of these cars will have a retro kit fitted"

 

 

 

 

[Geoff_Walton]

Last word from me on this one, bearing in mind I have no interest legally or otherwise other than to keep your sorry arses out of jail

Here’s the link to the Department for Transport website page that talks about HID lamps…they are not legal…repeat ad nauseum…http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/roadsafety/drs/hidheadlamps

Read carefully the paras that begin with

“In practice this means:”—

[chazley]

Fact sheet: Aftermarket HID headlamps

December 2006

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.

 

Surely the issue here is whether the actual lights fitted to your vehicle successfully adhere to current legal requirements for your car to be on the road, ie a current roadworthy certificate (MOT)

My car was fitted with improved E marked new technology headlamp units and HID bulbs there is a shield fitted in the headlamp which directs the light source back to the reflector which in turn stops glare and beam scatter, the light beam only needed a small adjustment to comply with the current requirement for headlamp aim when I had the car MOT`d - the tester was happy with the headlamp set up as it was because my car was issued with a pass.

Since driving my converted MX5 I have never been aware of discomfort to other road users - unlike the 4 RX-8`s that I have owned where on several occasions I have been flashed by oncoming drivers whom I assume are not happy with the intensity of the type approval lights.

I am not saying I don`t agree with the previous DOT regulation statement but it seems to be flawed and and it is open to interpretation.

Road regulations are a neccessity as long as they do what they are designed to do but sometimes they are not neccessarily right, take the regulation governing the fitting of Fog lights (or rain lights as they appear to be) one of the biggest needless distraction to road users ever fitted by the car industry.

 

This was a quote from the BMW owners club make your own mind up!

"I did a lot of research into this when purchasing and fitting HID’s to my
six. There seems to be regulations for manufactor’s of what you have
mentioned above, but none that I could find regarding retro fitting.

 

I contacted the DVLA and they refered me to VOSA. I contacted VOSA and they could not indicate to me any legal issues with headlights so I contacted the police. The police's view was that as long as they did not dazzle oncomming traffic they would be fine and even if they did they would ask that the light be tested at a MOT station and if they passed then they would be happy. So lastly I contacted a local MOT station. They stated that all they are asked to test is the beam level and ensure that the brightness is above a certain level. So I installed the HID lights and had the beams carefully adjusted. The car went straight down to the MOT station and passed.

 

I was very concious of the extra brighness and have tested the lights by having friends parked up and me driving past in the other direction and the lights are fine and don't dazzle.

 

Whilst the theory of self leveling lights work, the reality is that they don't work. They don't make adjustments for speed bumps and crests and it is these that dazzle on coming cars. I am also very aware of HID lights and can spot both OEM and retro fit lights. IMO it is the OEM cars that are the worst culprits for dazzling you. In particular Chelsea Tractors. Just driving down the road every BMW X5, Porsche Cayenne, VW Toureg and Range Rover blind me and none of these cars will have a retro kit fitted"

 

 

 

 

i drive 4 tonne DAF’s in the army a lot of the time my unit’s MT department retrofitted bi xenon headlamps to them, bearing in mind there registerd in 1974 lol, we got pulled by old bill for them dazzleing people and just asked to adjust them down, not so easy on them in mind lol

[Mackers]

 thinking of getting a set of HID’s on my mk2 mx5, but my dip filament goes off wheni put mainbeam on and visa versa, just wondering how you fitted them, because surely one filament wonh’t be working.

[MX5star]

On cars with separate bulbs for dip and main beam you fit a kit for the dipped beam which is the one you use for the main part of driving, you can also fit another kit for main beam but there is a momentary dwell in light level when you switch from dip to mains which is a couple of seconds for the HID bulb to fully energise to it`s full level.

 

Cars that use a twin filament bulb (H4) use one kit (Bi -xenon) in which the bulb switches electronically from dip to mains so you get HID`s on both lights.

Del. 

[welsh_schumacher]

 Aghh that means i have bought the wrong ones, i have a Mk1 and just bought 55w H4 single xenons off ebay! hmm will just have to re-sell them and buy some bi-xenons.

 

[Mackers]

 but if the filament GOES OFF then when ya switch between dip and main beam, thus when ya switch between them YOUR IN DARKNESS, any one fitted these to a mk2 PROPERLY???

[chazley]

get  a H4 Bi-xenon kit, i got one on my car, the light change is more or less instant

Charlie

[Roadster_Robbie]

For info, Mazda6 (GH) uses the same xenon bulb for dip and main beam. This lamp has a shutter that is moved in front of the bulb to shield or uncover it to give dip or main beam. The bulb stays constantly lit.

[Aquanaut]

OK so in a nutshell I am running a 2008 Niseko coupe 2.0ltr.

What seems to be the best conversion kit available, I have seen a H7 kit with ballast, wiring etc on e-bay for about £54.

Any usage issues like bulbs blowing. The existing bulbs in my car have never been changed from new, almost 4 years now.

Any advice, suggestions appreciated.

Thanks