Hids...Making it easy

[gruf]

i have read this thread HID install (picture heavy!) and now i want bright lights too. (very tidy install)
i have put face lift headlights in but since i read in a thread that Audi lights were dull i cant stop looking at other cars and thinking my lights are rubbish.
I'm confused, do i need a kit for each beam, dipped, main, high beam.
do i need a kit for self leveling to work.
do i need a kit for headlight washers as i don't have them in my face lift bumper.
could someone point me in the right direction and give a me clue on what needs to be fitted and where to get the the kits from.
Ive seen a few kits on google and have no idea what kit to get, such as how bright there aloud to be or if you can get a kit for all three beams..Dipped, main, high beam.
do i need a self leveling kit.
Any help at all would be grateful
Thanks

 

[audinary]

You'll want to run just one set, on dipped beam, as that's what you use the most.

If you try to run HID on your full beam they'll pop pretty quickly if you start using your flasher with any regularity. Usually, a car with xenons either has a halogen for full beam or flashing, or, if a car is sold as having bi-xenons, it will use a flap mechanism to "flash" the headlights.

And the Self-levelling kit/headlamp washers question. It depends how legal you want the car to be. Chances are you'll get away with it, if the number of Saxos and 206s I see with HIDS is anything to go by.

Good luck mate.

 

[Nige P]

If you have the facelift lights with halogens then they are about as bright as my old 1973 mini! All you need is the H7 kit for the dipped beam, the main beam is fine albeit slightly yellow in comparrison. They are easy to install, just have to remove the light units, drill a hole and plug it all together, as per threads.

Washers & leveling is required on new cars, but I believe the law is a little grey for retrofit. These are needed to cover for the muppets who are happy to drive around with thier lights shining in the sky, but if you ensure they are aligned properly and kept clean you don't have anything to worry about.

As for where to buy, you have loads of choice on fleabay but you may be better off paying a little more and buying from someone like hids4u.co.uk for the support & warranty as some of the cheapo kits are, well cheap.

 

[aragorn]

The law is perfectly clear. HID's are required to be fitted with a self levelling system and are required to be fitted with a high pressure washing system.

These parts can be retrofitted if you want to be legal, or you can just ignore them and cross your fingers like most people seem to do.

The law also says HID's must be fitted to lamp units that are type approved for their use, which is basically impossible with a retrofit, as the units are only type approved for H7 halogens, but thats going to be much harder to notice, so i wouldnt worry about that quite so much.

Barring possibly failing an MOT or possibly getting a tug by a VOSA inspector, the main issue i can see with a retrofit like this, is that IF you happened to be involved in a serious accident with the car, and the lights could be braught into it by the police in any way, you could be looking at serious charges for fitting components to the car that are illegal, and that could have contributed to the accident. I'm not saying it will happen, but i'm not prepared to take that chance.

I dont personally see anything wrong with the output of the stock lamps. As long as they're aligned correctly and the bulbs are getting full power, they're fine.

If i was to fit HID's then i'd be using an OE Audi setup, and using the correct levelling system and washer jets. I just dont think the improvement is sufficient to justify that expense!

 

[gruf]

i have found out it cost about £200 for the washers from audi,
then i have to fit em, for that you get the 2 washers units connectors, hoses and the extra pump for the washer bottle.
you can buy the self leveling from audi but thats about £500 for the sensors and the brain then you have to fit them.
anyone now of a company i can buy it all from.
Thanks

 

[gruf]

aragorn,
i make you right, thats why i wanted to do the proper setup, seeing its going to cost the price of a new car to have it done legally then i wont bother.
i didn't know it was going to cost so much.
Thanks

 

[aragorn]

Kufatek does a levelling retrofit kit for around 250 Euros:

http://www.kufatec.de/shop/product_...ling-Headlights---Retrofit-Audi-A4-B5-8D.html

The washer system would probably be cheaper if you managed to find a breaker and removed it from that, but it needs the bumper too, so you;d need to fit a suitable bumper for it (probably from the same breaker)

Still going to be expensive to do properly though, which is probably why most folk just fit them as is.

 

[audinary]

This is why so many people throw £60 at eBay and then say "My Saxo has Xenons". It doesn't, it has HID Bulbs in a car never designed for it.

They join the long list of things I wish more people would be pulled over for, along with illegal plates, using the phone, not indicating at junctions, undertake manouvers, cutting in line etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc....

 

[Matt82]

on noes

the headlamp washes on my S4 do not work, the hose is kinked. i hope i dont go to hell for it

The law is perfectly clear. HID's are required to be fitted with a self levelling system and are required to be fitted with a high pressure washing system.

These parts can be retrofitted if you want to be legal, or you can just ignore them and cross your fingers like most people seem to do.

The law also says HID's must be fitted to lamp units that are type approved for their use, which is basically impossible with a retrofit, as the units are only type approved for H7 halogens, but thats going to be much harder to notice, so i wouldnt worry about that quite so much.

Barring possibly failing an MOT or possibly getting a tug by a VOSA inspector, the main issue i can see with a retrofit like this, is that IF you happened to be involved in a serious accident with the car, and the lights could be braught into it by the police in any way, you could be looking at serious charges for fitting components to the car that are illegal, and that could have contributed to the accident. I'm not saying it will happen, but i'm not prepared to take that chance.

I dont personally see anything wrong with the output of the stock lamps. As long as they're aligned correctly and the bulbs are getting full power, they're fine.

If i was to fit HID's then i'd be using an OE Audi setup, and using the correct levelling system and washer jets. I just dont think the improvement is sufficient to justify that expense!

 

[aragorn]

Its up to you to decide to follow the law or not. I'm just stating the facts.

 

[gruf]

Don't worry, thanks all,
i have bought osram knightrider bulbs and adjusted the headlights and they seem alot brighter.
This will do

 

[gruf]

They join the long list of things I wish more people would be pulled over for, along with illegal plates, using the phone, not indicating at junctions, undertake manouvers, cutting in line etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc....[/QUOTE]

i hate ****** who sit in the outside lane with no other cars on the road.
i hate ****** that join the motorway and pull straight out to the outside lane and dont overtake anything and do 60 mph on clear run.

 

[aragorn]

Aye your not wrong there.

If if they're doing 80 or 90 theres no need to sit in the outside lane overtaking fresh air. Either use the road properly or use the bus!

 

[jcb]

having my MOT done tomorrow so I will let you know if he fails on HID or not.
he is nice to me so I hope he doesn't!