Has anyone fitted a HID kit to their 8V?

MA3RC

MA3RC

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First things first I'm not looking to start a legality battle here. I was just reading in the 8P forum that after fitting HID Kits a lot of people were experiencing problems with the wiper motors burning out and I'm curious as to whether there are any horror stories on the 8V?
 
How strange. I can't see how the two would be linked? I have an HID kit on my Cougar which works brilliantly, so much so that I've just purchased a second kit for the main beam. They have their own ballasts for power, so I'm confused how they'd affect anything else.
 
Fit better bulbs, I have Osram Nightbreakers in mine.
 
I have got Philips x treme vision and played around with crystal vision. I just don't want to be the first to try HIDs and everything go wrong
 
I'll not be touching mine whilst it's still got a warranty, but after that I think I might look into retrofitting OEM xenons and LED rears.
 
audi upgrades
Yeah I looked at that route but unless you're willing to part with £2,000 minimum it's not going to happen. In hindsight I should've specced the xenon's as standard. £100 for a set of HIDs sounds like a good deal at the moment.
 
MA3RC said:
I have got Philips x treme vision and played around with crystal vision. I just don't want to be the first to try HIDs and everything go wrong
Click to expand...

For what it'll cost I'd be more inclined to take a hit on your current car and trade it in for an S Line.

I regret not getting S Line purely for the xenon's. But would rather trade in than mess around with aftermarket kits.
 
MA3RC said:
Yeah I looked at that route but unless you're willing to part with £2,000 minimum it's not going to happen.
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Today, maybe, but I'll have this car for probably 10 years or longer. 5 years from now a set of xenons from a crashed breaker won't cost anywhere near that.
 
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Yep - aftermarket HID kits burning out rear wiper motors are a well known problem on the 8P.

One of the most recent additions to the forum sponsors, now produce a kit that is safe to use on the 8P.

Maybe start a new post about kits for the 8V in their forum section?

http://www.audi-sport.net/xf/forums/welldonehid.291/



And yes, there are lots of discussions to be had about the legality, wash systems, levelling systems etc. of these aftermarket kits :)
 
Please don't put HID bulbs in reflector housings not designed for them. You'll look like a chav and the light will go everywhere and dazzle everyone.
 
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Vertigo1 said:
Please don't put HID bulbs in reflector housings not designed for them. You'll look like a chav and the light will go everywhere and dazzle everyone.
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Fair point actually, they're only supposed to be fitted to projector lens headlights, which I don't think the A3 halogens are.
 
No the halogens are basic reflectors, not projectors.

To be honest I'm sick and tired of chavs sticking HID bulbs in reflector housings and assuming they'll be fine when, in reality, they throw light everywhere and dazzle everyone. If I had my way the police would be pulling every single person guilty of this and repeatedly slapping them with fixed penalties until they get a clue. It's hideously dangerous.
 
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Relliott6879 said:
Fair point actually, they're only supposed to be fitted to projector lens headlights, which I don't think the A3 halogens are.
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That is not totally right. Projector lens are not a requirement at all.
There are many cars with OEM HID & reflector headlights.
(Honda Civic, Renault Laguna, etc...)
I do agree that projector headlights are recommended, they offer a much better light cut off.

Only requirements are Auto leveling and headlight washers.
And even those are not always needed to use HID legally.
As some may know, the new VW New Beetle & some other have new Xenon lights without auto leveling nor headlight washer.
They use a new type of HID bulbs called D5S.
 
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welldonehid said:
That is not totally right. Projector lens are not a requirement at all.
There are many cars with OEM HID & reflector headlights.
(Honda Civic, Renault Laguna, etc...)
Click to expand...


I stand corrected.
welldonehid said:
As some may know, the new VW New Beetle & some other have new Xenon lights without auto leveling nor headlight washer.
They use a new type of HID bulbs called D5S.
Click to expand...


Are these bulbs likely to become available for aftermarket retrofit applications, or does it not work like that? Genuine question, I have no idea.
 
Relliott6879 said:
Are these bulbs likely to become available for aftermarket retrofit applications, or does it not work like that? Genuine question, I have no idea.
Click to expand...

We have these D5S bulbs in stock already & I have been doing some tests myself.
This new bulbs do not need any external ballast.

12522735814_6388cdc235_z.jpg

www.welldonehid.com/gb/bulbs/77-bulb-d5s-philips.html

As an A3 owner & because lots of people were asking about this bulbs, tried to fit them in the A3 8P Xenon headlights.
The A3 8P Xenon headlights uses D2S bulbs & the Bixenon uses D1S bulbs.
Both have almost the same base as the D5S.

I was able to fit the D5S bulb in the headlight & also able to power them.
But this new bulbs turn out to be much shorter than D2 & D1 bulbs making the light cut off totally different.

At the moment is impossible to use this kind of bulb with headlights that are not D5S.
 
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welldonehid said:
As some may know, the new VW New Beetle & some other have new Xenon lights without auto leveling nor headlight washer.
They use a new type of HID bulbs called D5S.
Click to expand...


This is because (as you know) D5S is below the 2000 lumens threshold, any higher and auto levelling and washers are required.

Also - D5S should be used in housings and optics designed for HID (projector and reflector), and shouldn't really be used in halogen designed housings and reflectors!
 
veeeight said:
This is because (as you know) D5S is below the 2000 lumens threshold, any higher and auto levelling and washers are required.

Also - D5S should be used in housings and optics designed for HID, and shouldn't really be used in halogen designed housings and reflectors!
Click to expand...

What I'm try to say is that all this requirements are not really "requirements for HID".
The information on forums is usually not 100% right.

All this are requirements for any kind of light above 2000 Lumens. (LED, Halogen or HID)
And projector lenses is not a requirement for any kind of light.
Car makers have been selling HID lights with reflector headlights for years.
 
welldonehid said:
Car makers have been selling HID lights with reflector headlights for years.
Click to expand...


The important distinction here is that OE HID with reflector optics, have been designed with the correct focal point for that HID lamp, so correct beam pattern, cut off etc.

People putting HID's into housings and optics that were originally used and designed for incandescent halogen lamps, don't know any better, and are a nuisance on the roads, as now their HID lamp is in totally the wrong focal point & housing/reflector/optics., causing glare and scatter.
 
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MA3RC said:
First things first I'm not looking to start a legality battle here. I was just reading in the 8P forum that after fitting HID Kits a lot of people were experiencing problems with the wiper motors burning out and I'm curious as to whether there are any horror stories on the 8V?
Click to expand...

Don't have to worry to much about that Ma3rc.

As far as we know, for our experience as Audi forum Sponsor in UK, France, Spain & Portugal.
The A3 8V does not have any problem with HID kits.
But if by any chance your wiper motor died using one of our HID kits we can repair your motor without any cost for you.
We have been repairing this motors for a few years already.
Not only on the A3, but also on Golf V & Peugeot 407.

We can offer good quality HID kits with 3 years guarantee for as low £62.
 
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I got my HID's fitted earlier in the week and opted for a anti glare H7R HID bulb from HIDS4U as they had a good xmas deal on. http://www.hids4u.co.uk/H7-55w-Ultimate-Xenon-HID-Conversion-Kit-H7ULT3.html.

As originally stated I don't want to start off a HIDS are bad thread. The reason for me posting this is to share my experiences and thoughts if anyone else is thinking about it.

I opted for a 55w 6000k bulb which gives a very nice & vibrant white light with the slightest of blue tints. Vision is massively improved, the difference is miles apart.The beam pattern is very similar to my old halogens.

I decided to take it to my local garage to get them fitted (I'll be honest I wouldn't know where to begin). Anyway here's some pics:













There are no error lights on the dash and the wipers still work :thumbs up: so I'm very happy. I also took the opportunity to get a dash cam fitted :) E-Prance (where the last pic comes from). But I'll explain that in another thread.
 
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Hell of a lot of light getting scattered about in that last pic! :(
 
Must be the quickest way going to make a car look cheap and nasty, not to mention blinding everyone else on the road as proved by that last pic. Id honestly rather set my car on fire than fit aftermarket hids.

And why does everyone that has them feel the need to come flying up behind us as if they've suddenly got a supercar.. honestly just no!
 
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I know that you didn't want to turn this into a aftermarket HID=bad thread, and I know that you've used an anti-glare H7R lamp etc. - but - at the end of the day, you've put a HID lamp into a reflector not designed for a HID lamp.

One reflector is made for a thin strip of tungsten, and the other an arc tube which is round.

You should either source a HID reflector, or change to projector units.



So, instead of a nice sharp cutoff that could be achieved by a projector:

valeodotcutnofilm.jpg



You've ended up with similar, HID lamp in halogen reflector:

oldcatzcutoff.jpg
 
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Sadly it should be illegal, if it isn't already....................bah humbug.
 
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steeve said:
Sadly it should be illegal, if it isn't already....................bah humbug.
Click to expand...
Technically it is illegal as you are using a car on UK roads that does NOT have EU type approval. Changing the headlights from the types used to gain EU type approval makes the existing type approval invalid.

A cheap and nasty way to get Xenon headlights with no consideration for other road users. Try getting away with this modification in Germany. If you want Xenons fit OEM Xenons.
 
Yep it is illegal and also damned dangerous but the police aren't the slightest bit interested in stopping and prosecuting offenders. They'd rather just sit in vans at the side of the road dishing out fixed penalties to anyone doing 2mph over the limit.
 
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Yes they may be both illegal but speeding is far more of a problem than HID lights so why don't we have post after post banging on about why speed kills?

Guaranteed you all speed. Everyone does.

So take the criticism else where, no hard feelings :). This thread was meant to be informative.
 
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MA3RC said:
Yes they may be both illegal but speeding is far more of a problem than HID lights so why don't we have post after post banging on about why speed kills?

Guaranteed you all speed. Everyone does.

So take the criticism else where, no hard feelings :). This thread was meant to be informative.
Click to expand...

If you'd posted a thread talking about an issue you were having at 100mph on public roads, people would have had a pop at you about speeding.

Instead you posted about fitting HIDs in reflectors which is just stupid and illegal / contrary to MoT rules (?) and people had a pop at you about that.

Pretty simple explanation if you ask me.
 
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MA3RC said:
Yes they may be both illegal but speeding is far more of a problem than HID lights so why don't we have post after post banging on about why speed kills?

Guaranteed you all speed. Everyone does.

So take the criticism else where, no hard feelings :). This thread was meant to be informative.
Click to expand...

Informative - as in how to break the law and be danger to other road users!
Did you buy your car new. If so why on earth did you not include them with the order?
 
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MA3RC said:
Yes they may be both illegal but speeding is far more of a problem than HID lights so why don't we have post after post banging on about why speed kills?
Click to expand...

Yes speeding in general is a far bigger problem but the point is that someone doing a few mph over the limit is usually far safer than someone with HID bulbs dazzling all oncoming traffic at night. The point I'm making is that the police find it far easier to just plonk a camera at the roadside and rake in the fines from the former rather than tackling the latter.

The police aren't interested in genuine road safety, just issuing fines wherever possible to generate revenue and hit targets. If they actually wanted to tackle poor driving, they'd spend some time now and then camped out at busy roundabouts, pulling over the countless muppets who are incapable of keeping to the correct lane, or tackling the dippy old farts who stick to the outside lane of a dual-carriageway because they're turning right in three miles time or just because they're too stupid to know what they're doing, or the countless other examples of poor driving which not only causes accidents directly but incites frustration and rage in other drivers which then has knock-on effects.

No, it's far easier to just sit in a van with your feet up issuing automatic fines to everyone doing 33 in a 30.
 
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Vertigo1 said:
The police aren't interested in genuine road safety, just issuing fines wherever possible to generate revenue and hit targets. If they actually wanted to tackle poor driving, they'd spend some time now and then camped out at busy roundabouts, pulling over the countless muppets who are incapable of keeping to the correct lane, or tackling the dippy old farts who stick to the outside lane of a dual-carriageway because they're turning right in three miles time or just because they're too stupid to know what they're doing, or the countless other examples of poor driving which not only causes accidents directly but incites frustration and rage in other drivers which then has knock-on effects.
Click to expand...

Obviously your experiences may differ but from what I see the police are very interested in genuine road safety but due to a lack of funding and having to meet their various targets they are essentially prevented from carrying out the necessary work.

Implying they'd all prefer to sit with their fit up in a van does a great disservice to the huge number of cops who are in the job for the right reasons.
 
Car looks like it's from Bradford now with them hid's
 
Sorry for the criticism, and although your post was informative I hope others don't copy you. Perhaps the post may act to dissuade others from fitting HID's in the wrong light units.
It's not much of a problem for those sat in the car with illegal lights it's every one they either follow or come towards especially on dark country roads. One thing that happens as you get older is your loss of ability to deal with dazzling lights. I have several friends / family members who no longer drive at night because of this.
So fitting lights with so much scatter is not being considerate to other road users.
There are some great incandescent bulbs out there to improve on the factory fit halogens. www.piaa.co.uk
 
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Hi ma3rc, I have a a3 8v and am a hid fans!!!!! may I know how you fit your hid kit? Did u fit the ballasts behind the lightbulbs? Drill any hole on the light covers behind the headlights? Did u used the original adaptors? It would be great if you could show me some photos.
 
Hi, I didn't fit them myself. I had a garage do the job. But I checked the work out after they'd done them.

They didn't drill anything out. They used cable ties to attach the ballasts to the body work and cut holes through the headlight grommets to feed the cables through.

I'm not able to take any pics though sorry as I've since taken them back out. The one side flickered a bit, they buzzed pretty loudly and my insurance company wouldn't allow them as they're illegal. So I played it safe. Wasn't worth voiding my insurance over a £100 set of lights
 
MA3RC said:
Hi, I didn't fit them myself. I had a garage do the job. But I checked the work out after they'd done them.

They didn't drill anything out. They used cable ties to attach the ballasts to the body work and cut holes through the headlight grommets to feed the cables through.

I'm not able to take any pics though sorry as I've since taken them back out. The one side flickered a bit, they buzzed pretty loudly and my insurance company wouldn't allow them as they're illegal. So I played it safe. Wasn't worth voiding my insurance over a £100 set of lights
Click to expand...

So good result all round then?
For those that want to improve their halogens there are some stonkingly good bulbs out there, many suitable for plastic lenses and plastic reflectors.
Please at least try them first, it could save you money. I can highly recommend PIAA bulbs.
 
Unfortunately any garage that fit the HID kit's are also breaking the law but there seems to be some confusion regarding the change in legislation towards these kits. In the Department of Transport'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 person wants to convert his vehicle to Xenon HID they must purchase completely new Xenon HID headlamps.
The Road Vehicle Lighting Regulations 1989 regulate the situation in the UK and under the Road Traffic Act 1988 it is an offence to supply, fit or use vehicle parts which are not legal.
In summary it is not permitted to convert an existing halogen headlamp unit for use with HID bulbs. The entire headlamp unit must be replaced.
Taken from here http://www.powerbulbs.com/blog/2010/03/are-xenon-hid-kits-legal
 
I'm not the first, however should we be encouraging someone to break the law however small they think that might be?
 
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