2012 MK3 focus 1.6 petrol hatchback 

Purchased some LED bulbs for my reflector headlights which were terrible!

I'm now on the look out for some genuine ford xenon headlights

Does anyone know if they will be plug and play?

Will I need to code them or modify the headlight wiring plug?

Definitely not plug and play.

The OEM HID headlights have different wiring from the halogen headlights. To make them work you either have to change the wiring on the vehicle side or change the internal wiring of the HID headlights.

Another point of concern is the height adjustment. The HID headlights have automatic height adjustment that is controlled by the HCM (Headlight Control Module) based on sensors on the front and rear axle. The height adjustment actuators inside the HID headlights are not compatible with the manual (electric) height adjustment system of the halogen headlights. Since the height control motors are an integral part of the headlight assembly it is not possible to swap them out.

The only Focus MK3 HID headlights that are plug and play are the USA HID headlights with manual height adjustment. However these are not suitable for RHD vehicles and also do not have the required European approval.


In my opinion it is not worth the effort and money to convert the car to the OEM HID lights. The OEM Focus MK3 HID headlights are not that good anyway and most of them suffer from corroded (dull) mirrors inside the projectors which seriously affects the light output. 

10 minutes ago, JW1982 said:

Definitely not plug and play.

The OEM HID headlights have different wiring from the halogen headlights. To make them work you either have to change the wiring on the vehicle side or change the internal wiring of the HID headlights.

Another point of concern is the height adjustment. The HID headlights have automatic height adjustment that is controlled by the HCM (Headlight Control Module) based on sensors on the front and rear axle. The height adjustment actuators inside the HID headlights are not compatible with the manual (electric) height adjustment system of the halogen headlights. Since the height control motors are an integral part of the headlight assembly it is not possible to swap them out.

The only Focus MK3 HID headlights that are plug and play are the USA HID headlights with manual height adjustment. However these are not suitable for RHD vehicles and also do not have the required European approval.


In my opinion it is not worth the effort and money to convert the car to the OEM HID lights. The OEM Focus MK3 HID headlights are not that good anyway and most of them suffer from corroded (dull) mirrors inside the projectors which seriously affects the light output. 

I had xenon's retrofitted on my MK1 focus which also had auto adjustment however I could manually adjust them.

Can the MK3 xenon headlights not be manually adjusted?

Do you know which wiring I'll need to modify to get them to work?

These are the actual headlights I'm looking to purchase, I've been told they are in excellent condition 

 

Headlight pinout:

Halogen:
Pin 1 = Manual levelling positive.
Pin 2 = Not used.
Pin 3 = Manual levelling control (analog signal).
Pin 4 = Not used.
Pin 5 = High Beam positive.
Pin 6 = Not used
Pin 7 = Main ground.
Pin 8 = Indicator positive.
Pin 9 = Not used
Pin 10 = Dipped beam positive.
Pin 11 =  Manual levelling ground.
Pin 12 = Position light positive.
Pin 13 = Not used.
Pin 14 = Not used.

HID:
Halogen:
Pin 1 = Not used.
Pin 2 = Daytime Running Lights positive.
Pin 3 = Not used.
Pin 4 = Not used.
Pin 5 = High Beam positive (both shutter actuator + high beam bulb).
Pin 6 = Static bend positive.
Pin 7 = Main ground.
Pin 8 = Indicator positive.
Pin 9 = Dipped beam ground.
Pin 10 = Dipped beam positive.
Pin 11 =  Automatic levelling ground.
Pin 12 = Position light positive.
Pin 13 = Automatic levelling positive.
Pin 14 = Automatic levelling communication (LINbus signal).


On the HID lights the HID ballast has its own ground. This is because connecting the HID ballast ground to the main ground will cause interference.

As stated the halogen headlights use an analog height control signal while the HID headlights use a digital LINbus signal. This is not compatible so the electric manual height adjustment will no longer work unless you retrofit the complete automatic height adjustment system. The beam height can be manually adjusted using the adjustment screws at the back of the headlight units but this will fail the MOT (or its equivalent) in most European countries.


The headlights can be in excellent condition but since the MK3 was taken out of production in 2014 most of these lights are over 10 Years old right now. There is a 90% chance that the lights suffer from reduced light output as a result of corroded / dull mirrors inside the projectors. This is a well known problem with these headlights.

Aa I already mentioned these HID headlights are not considered to be very good. Even when they were new many people (including myself) were actually disappointed by the light output of these HID lights. 

25 minutes ago, JW1982 said:

Headlight pinout:

Halogen:
Pin 1 = Manual levelling positive.
Pin 2 = Not used.
Pin 3 = Manual levelling control (analog signal).
Pin 4 = Not used.
Pin 5 = High Beam positive.
Pin 6 = Not used
Pin 7 = Main ground.
Pin 8 = Indicator positive.
Pin 9 = Not used
Pin 10 = Dipped beam positive.
Pin 11 =  Manual levelling ground.
Pin 12 = Position light positive.
Pin 13 = Not used.
Pin 14 = Not used.

HID:
Halogen:
Pin 1 = Not used.
Pin 2 = Daytime Running Lights positive.
Pin 3 = Not used.
Pin 4 = Not used.
Pin 5 = High Beam positive (both shutter actuator + high beam bulb).
Pin 6 = Static bend positive.
Pin 7 = Main ground.
Pin 8 = Indicator positive.
Pin 9 = Dipped beam ground.
Pin 10 = Dipped beam positive.
Pin 11 =  Automatic levelling ground.
Pin 12 = Position light positive.
Pin 13 = Automatic levelling positive.
Pin 14 = Automatic levelling communication (LINbus signal).


On the HID lights the HID ballast has its own ground. This is because connecting the HID ballast ground to the main ground will cause interference.

As stated the halogen headlights use an analog height control signal while the HID headlights use a digital LINbus signal. This is not compatible so the electric manual height adjustment will no longer work unless you retrofit the complete automatic height adjustment system. The beam height can be manually adjusted using the adjustment screws at the back of the headlight units but this will fail the MOT (or its equivalent) in most European countries.


The headlights can be in excellent condition but since the MK3 was taken out of production in 2014 most of these lights are over 10 Years old right now. There is a 90% chance that the lights suffer from reduced light output as a result of corroded / dull mirrors inside the projectors. This is a well known problem with these headlights.

Aa I already mentioned these HID headlights are not considered to be very good. Even when they were new many people (including myself) were actually disappointed by the light output of these HID lights. 

Thank you for the detailed response, given that the light output was poor when new I won't bother!

I was considering purchasing a hid kit instead, problem is I have reflector headlights not projectors 😞