HID light upgrade?

[m4tth3wb]

Hi all,

Im looking to buy a used Focus St-line x 2019 model (the newest shape) but I can't find any with xenon lights, guessing none have them. It's a deal breaker for me so I was wondering if there was an easy way to upgrade the bulbs or would it need a full HID Kit?

 

Thank you

[Luke4efc]

You can't just fit xenon lamps to normal wiring if that's what you mean. You need the ballasts to step up the voltage, they don't just fit them for fun lol.

The other problem is the headlight housing itself. Sure you could stick a HID Kit in, but you'll blind every person on the road if you have normal reflector bowls. You need projectors, the self levelling mechanism and the headlight washer jets to pass an MOT.

Basically unless you buy a projector head light unit from another mk3 focus it's impossible to retrofit.

[m4tth3wb]

Ah I thought so, have any st-lines actually got xenon lights? I can't find any at all. It's deal breaker for me as I can't stand those yellow lights 😂

[Luke4efc]

Perhaps it's just the Titanium-X that has them then (and the ST/RS obviously).

However, nowadays you can get decent LED's that can be fitted to standard reflector headlights (they come with the cut off line built into the lamp itself). They're technically not road legal, but unless you set them up wrong or have them pointed up in the air, literally nobody will notice they're in the wrong housing.

It won't be as bright as proper LEDs/xenons in projector headlight, but it'll be a world of difference from halogens.

[TimST2]

If you want to fit HID or LED headlights you need to change the whole unit, not just the bulbs. As of January this year, changing to HID or LED Bulbs is an explicit MOT fail, irrespective of beam pattern etc.

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/mot-inspection-manual-for-private-passenger-and-light-commercial-vehicles/4-lamps-reflectors-and-electrical-equipment#section-4-1-4

"Existing halogen headlamp units on vehicles first used on or after 1 April 1986 must not be converted to be used with high intensity discharge (HID) or light emitting diode (LED) bulbs. If such a conversion has been done, you must fail the headlamp for light source and lamp not compatible."