Just a heads up to anyone who has fitted an aftermarket hid kit....VOSA are having a major clampdown on cars with these kits fitted and unless you have washers and autoadjusters fitted they will be deemed as an MOT fail. VOSA are currently hitting the Medway area but about to roll it out nationally......
HID Kits - Beware !!!
- Thread starter markyzs180
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factory xenons have to be self adjusting and have washer jets as flies n crap on the lenses scatter the beam so causing oncoming drivers to be blinded!
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but at the moment there not an mot failure, as long as the beam pattern is correct and its set at the right hieght then its ok
Just to let you know fitting these aftermarket kits on headlights that are on a lin bus network will fry your wiper control unit.
Carry a set of H7 Halogen bulbs and a torx driver in the boot and swap the Xenon bulbs for Halogens if they will fail you.
I use a local garage for all my MOT's so see exactly what they are doing during the test and normally am able to chat to the testers during or after the test - on items where the Fail can be corrected there and then, can turn that into a PASS.
This is no different to a non-working number plate light or indicator bulb.
Taking your car to a big dealer will probably land you an undisputed fail in a similar situation!
I acknowledge that Fully Legal Xenons require Washers (I have) and auto-level-adjusters (I do not) so I may have to revert back to Halogens or retrofit auto-adjusters.
I use a local garage for all my MOT's so see exactly what they are doing during the test and normally am able to chat to the testers during or after the test - on items where the Fail can be corrected there and then, can turn that into a PASS.
This is no different to a non-working number plate light or indicator bulb.
Taking your car to a big dealer will probably land you an undisputed fail in a similar situation!
I acknowledge that Fully Legal Xenons require Washers (I have) and auto-level-adjusters (I do not) so I may have to revert back to Halogens or retrofit auto-adjusters.
It,s those idiots that fit HIDs to cars with reflector headlights that cause the problems. Had to of them behind me last night on the A406, and the light scatter was so bad. I think these will be the main target of VoSA.
Like Xmay says, its the chavs that are spoiling it for us. My neighbour had a Astra with HIDS fitted to reflector headlamps and the brightness was a killer, look way way obvious but he bought it like that so it wasnt his fault.
I have not seen any special notices or any other info about after market HID lamps as a fail,
the manual and the computer system has just been updated so i cant see it happening anytime soon
where did you find out this info i will have to start snooping about .
Not sure how VOSA would check for a self levelling headlight mechanism, as its connected to rear suspension. Unless they are using a garage with a ramp, i don't think it can be seen. They don't have authority to jack your car up at the side of the road.
It has always been technically illegal to fit Xenon bulbs to a car that was designed to have Halogen bulbs, the law was clarified in 2006 (LINK).
That said, in practical terms: if you have an Audi B6, you will have a proejctor style headlamps, so as long as you check the beam pattern and the car get's MOT'd when it's clean and level, it will pass (incorrect beam pattern is an MOT fail) and you will be unlikely to be stopped.
I've only ever seen the proper little chav-chariots being stopped and I'm sure they did a bit more than just having suspiciously blue headlights.
If the lenses are dirty and you're dazzling oncoming traffic, then there's always a chance you'll get stopped: and then it's jsut a question of how picky they're being, but if they're after Aftermarket HID's without the required extras: no headlight washers will be immediately obvious and when you switch the lights one they pan up and down before finding their level, so the auto-leveling is pretty obvious too.
If there is a national move to clamp down, then technically you are breaking the law by either fitting or using a car where they have been fitted, unless the entire headlight unit has been replaced with one that supports auto-levelling and the car has headlight washers.... maybe jsut get soem colour coded stick on "headlight washers" to complete the look and get yourself past a casual visual inspection
That said, in practical terms: if you have an Audi B6, you will have a proejctor style headlamps, so as long as you check the beam pattern and the car get's MOT'd when it's clean and level, it will pass (incorrect beam pattern is an MOT fail) and you will be unlikely to be stopped.
I've only ever seen the proper little chav-chariots being stopped and I'm sure they did a bit more than just having suspiciously blue headlights.
If the lenses are dirty and you're dazzling oncoming traffic, then there's always a chance you'll get stopped: and then it's jsut a question of how picky they're being, but if they're after Aftermarket HID's without the required extras: no headlight washers will be immediately obvious and when you switch the lights one they pan up and down before finding their level, so the auto-leveling is pretty obvious too.
If there is a national move to clamp down, then technically you are breaking the law by either fitting or using a car where they have been fitted, unless the entire headlight unit has been replaced with one that supports auto-levelling and the car has headlight washers.... maybe jsut get soem colour coded stick on "headlight washers" to complete the look and get yourself past a casual visual inspection
I thought it was.... if not, feel free to quote me.... **SIGH** anythign for fame....
Ouch - technically, they were breaking the law by fitting them (as are you by driving the car).,,
fourcircle
nj
Do I recall someone had their headlight washers removed although they had OEM HID's fitted??
Really all these law breakers!!
Do I recall someone had their headlight washers removed although they had OEM HID's fitted??
Really all these law breakers!!
yep - that's when I read up about it and waved that law in front of the guys who fitted the wrong top bumper (and removed my headlight washers!)... and did they jump
