A couple of quickies

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mememe

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There is a cable going to my tax disc........what is it please?

Also, how do I know if my car has HID? It has the 'white/blue' light on dip but has the incandescent light on main beam. Just want to make sure I have the right bulbs in there.

Thanks
 
The tax disc will be one of those things that double up as an aerial. Quick way to see if you have xenon (HID) lights, from the drivers seat is to look at the switch and see if you have a roller switch to adjust the headlight height. If you have one, then they aren't xenon lights. Also on the front bumper you'll have headlamp washers if you have xenon.
Someone may have put a bulb in that gives you brighter light than a normal halogen, such as these

MTEC 12v 55w Cosmos White Xenon bulbs - Xenon HID Headlight Upgrade Kits from HIDs DIRECT Ltd
 
LOl an AERIAL, I'd never have guessed.
Ok I've been and checked, it has the little adjuster you talked about so I don't have Xenons.

What power bulbs would you recomend (in the type you mentioned in the link) for a very good illumination on main beam? Also, is it really ok to have these bulbs rattled thru the post?

Thanks Gary
 
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id say fit HIDs most have on here and the light is so much better. whats the AERIAL for by the tax disc then gary3306
 
This sort of thing.Tax Disc Aerial Antenna

Can't think why you would have one on your car though as there would have already been an aerial. They are usually used by people fitting radios who don't want to drill holes in wings/roofs etc to accomodate a proper aerial. They're crap btw.
 
oh right kinda like the ones they used to sell that run at the top of the windscreen back in the days
 
The very same. I think they're available for phone kits now. Thats maybe the reason it has one on, maybe someone has fitted a phone kit in the past.
 
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Ah, I have a hands free microphone fitted but couldn't find anything else, so maybe thats it! However, I can't find a radio aerial either!!
 
simon.m said:
id say fit HIDs most have on here and the light is so much better. whats the AERIAL for by the tax disc then gary3306
Click to expand...

I would but I'm not sure I can afford to do the job properly. Do you know what the expense might be? I'm guessing too much for me as yet.
 
HID kits are from £40 upwards.

In an Avant the FM aerial is in the rear side windows, I'm not sure on the Saloon.

Sent from my BlackBerry 9700 using Tapatalk
 
quattrojames said:
HID kits are from £40 upwards.

In an Avant the FM aerial is in the rear side windows, I'm not sure on the Saloon.

Sent from my BlackBerry 9700 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

Yes I see it, thanks.

BTW, thanks for input on this forum. I have learnt a lot from your posts already.
 
quattrojames said:
HID kits are from £40 upwards.

In an Avant the FM aerial is in the rear side windows, I'm not sure on the Saloon.

Sent from my BlackBerry 9700 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

What does a HID kit do for you for £40???? Surely it costs much more than that, you need a new bumper and light clusters and ballasts and all sorts.
 
gary3306 said:
No you don't. You're thinking of the proper OEM conversion. The HID kits you get for £40 upwards are just the bulbs and ballasts. Have a look at HIDS direct website.

Specialists in HID conversion kits, HID Xenon Conversions kits & Xenon Bulbs - Xenon HID Headlight Upgrade Kits from HIDs DIRECT Ltd
Click to expand...

So with these sorts of kits you simply get a working set of xenon bulbs but without the correct headlights(and therefore the auto levelling facility). Do they have to have the wash facility? I was reading somewhere that xenon lights do. Not sure why this might be tho.
 
To sit 100% within the law Xenon headlights need headlight washers and self levelling rear supension. From Jan 1 2012 a new MoT proposal could potentially render HID's an MoT failure.

If you buy an HID kit it will plug into your existing headlight connector, and is in effect a bulb replacement, but also comes with the ballast etc, all you need for working headlights. Whether you want to fit self levelling suspension and washers to be totally legal is a matter for you. (VERY few do!)
 
ECE regulation 48 states that xenon lights must have washers as a dirty lens will cause glare to oncoming roadusers due to the 'scattering' of the beam pattern.

Auto levelling is also required for the same reason.

Don't use HID kits if you have reflector lights, you'll take peoples retinas out lol.

These kits aren't what you would call 100%legal because of the lack of the two systems above on standard halogen cars. It will soon be an MOT failure to have HID kits fitted

Edit: Beaten to it :sm4:
 
quattrojames said:
To sit 100% within the law Xenon headlights need headlight washers and self levelling rear supension. From Jan 1 2012 a new MoT proposal could potentially render HID's an MoT failure.

If you buy an HID kit it will plug into your existing headlight connector, and is in effect a bulb replacement, but also comes with the ballast etc, all you need for working headlights. Whether you want to fit self levelling suspension and washers to be totally legal is a matter for you. (VERY few do!)
Click to expand...

I see ok thanks. Are the HIDs THAT much better than these bulbs which Gary suggested earlier. I take it that they are much better because it sounds like Gary swapped to them himself.
 
When I had reflector lights, I had the bulbs in that I linked to above, and still have a set of those for main beam. My dipped beam are now a set of HIDs as I now have projector lights, and the beam pattern will behave itself with projectors.

In answer to your question, 'Are HIDS that much better.....' Ohh yes, LOTS better!!
 
gary3306 said:
When I had reflector lights, I had the bulbs in that I linked to above, and still have a set of those for main beam. My dipped beam are now a set of HIDs as I now have projector lights, and the beam pattern will behave itself with projectors.

In answer to your question, 'Are HIDS that much better.....' Ohh yes, LOTS better!!
Click to expand...

Oh I'm learning so much. Cheers guys. I will read up on projector lights. So are your dips better than your main beams:wacko:
 
i could not go back to standerd lights now ever HIDs all the way so much better my diped look better and much clearer than my full beam and nearly never us my fullbeam any more thats how good HIDs are in my opin any way.
 
mememe said:
Oh I'm learning so much. Cheers guys. I will read up on projector lights. So are your dips better than your main beams:wacko:
Click to expand...

The dips aren't 'better' than the main beams, just different. A whiter light if you like, and with afurther beam throw. The projector lights 'tame' the beam due to their opaque nature, whereas the main beam is an unshielded/undiffused bulb, so its intense light. Dunno if that makes any sense but if you get a set of HIDS, do one side then switch your lights on and stand back and compare, you'll be amazed at the difference
 
audi upgrades
Thought i'd chip in . . . . . . . Fitted HID's about 8 months ago and the difference was quite staggering. If you have the projector lights (correct me if i'm wrong but i believe all b6's do) then the HID on dipped will, assuming you've fitted the headlight back in near enough staright n level, form a perfect line against a wall or similar as you'd expect to see from OEM xenons. I also could never go back to standard dipped.
As far as main beam goes though i must say, i had a set of the MTEC "xenon gas filled bulbs" (which i would question!) as main beam and found them quite useless. I turned my lights off, then flashed my mainbeam, and i'm afraid to say they were appalling and went straight back to my standard colour bulbs which are quite acceptable really.
The problem with these bulbs i think is that the bulbs glass is quite blue and therefore dims the projected light. I assume the blue is to help give the white/blue xenon look light which i would say it does but just not bright . . . . . . at all!

Looking at the above this may be a little too late but see how you get on. Maybe a i fitted them wrong . . . . . . . . :-s

All the best but HID's are the way to go in my opinion and not too much of a ball ache to swop out when your MOT's up! ;-)
 
Now, I'm not the brightest spark in the fire at the best of times but, sometimes I surprise myself at just how stupid I can be!
In my defense tho, I have only just bought my car and haven't driven it at night yet(not for any particular reason).

Having said that, I was thinking about the things I have learnt from you guys here and thought that some of it sounded familiar. So I nipped out to the car at 04:15(yes thats in the middle of the night!) to check what was already fitted. Guess what.......the car already has the HID conversion fitted :keule:I have xenon dips with incandescent sides and mains, with the projector units (projector style only for the dips, the mains are reflector type). As recommended by Gary earier, I have these on order for the mains and I will order some LED side lights as recommended by James(I think, in another lights thread).


Oh well, it hasn't been a waste of time for me because I now know MUCH more about my car than I did earlier. Thanks you guys for all your help and I look forward to 'picking your brains' in the near future.

In the morning, I think I'll find where my ballasts are....just so I know.
 
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I was just about to suggest that u may already have an hid conversion. Generally the radio reception is affected on some hid kits. Hence why the Previous owner may have bypassed the standard aerial.
 
S3 GAZ said:
I was just about to suggest that u may already have an hid conversion. Generally the radio reception is affected on some hid kits. Hence why the Previous owner may have bypassed the standard aerial.
Click to expand...

I'm not sure they did, the reception is not so good. Is there a stock answer to this? Note the reception is not so good even when the lights are off.
 
your airal booster/amplifier fuse may have gone or the booster/amplifier its self
 
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