Did anyone fitted HID Xenon to their Fiesta?

I Have, the kit cost me £150 to supply and fit.

Please note apparently aftermarket HID kits will be an MOT fail from next year, one other piece of advice only use them if you have the Titanium headlights - the ones that are adjustable.

I Have, the kit cost me £150 to supply and fit.

Please note apparently aftermarket HID kits will be an MOT fail from next year, one other piece of advice only use them if you have the Titanium headlights - the ones that are adjustable.

MOT meaning the annual inspection right?

I did order the Titanium, so I should have adjustable ones...

the MOT only kicks in after 3 years so your sound ;), after market xenons have been illegal for god knows how long but as long as you dont get a stupid kit they wont both.... plus its anything but the Style ranges with the adjustable headlights not just the !Removed!

the MOT only kicks in after 3 years so your sound ;), after market xenons have been illegal for god knows how long but as long as you dont get a stupid kit they wont both.... plus its anything but the Style ranges with the adjustable headlights not just the !Removed!

I don't know about MOT because I don't live in the UK. I will check it out...

By the way, is it difficult to switch from HID xenon to standard lights?

I'm fairly sure the UK MOT changes (including aftermarket HID's failing) is part of the UK falling into lines with the EU road regulations. So it's likely the same throughout Europe, but you will have to check you're own country's MOT pass/fail criteria.

They're reasonably easy to change, and most come with good fitting instructions, isn't just a case of changing the bulb though. And you'll also have to completly remove the light housing to do the change. There's a very good guide sticky'd in this forum about changing bulbs :)

I'm fairly sure the UK MOT changes (including aftermarket HID's failing) is part of the UK falling into lines with the EU road regulations. So it's likely the same throughout Europe, but you will have to check you're own country's MOT pass/fail criteria.

They're reasonably easy to change, and most come with good fitting instructions, isn't just a case of changing the bulb though. And you'll also have to completly remove the light housing to do the change. There's a very good guide sticky'd in this forum about changing bulbs :)

What are the guys who have HID xenon doing when doing for the inspection? Are they changing to the standard ones for the inspection?

By the way, why are these lights illegal?

I'm not sure if they'll need to use different equipment for inspections, just been told that from 2012 they'll be checking lights are legal, wiring, airbag warning lights and various other things that will result in an instant fail.

EDIT: read the question "are these lights illegal?" sorry

In the UK Yes & No. The law basically says; car's that are manufactured with HID's, correct lens and all other optics as well as auto-levelling and a light washing system are legal.

To fit them aftermarket will be legal as long as, the entire headlamp unit is bought together (this will have been designed for the particular car and been tested for safety etc) Self levelling (or self levelling suspension) and a light washing system to be present.

To fit an aftermarket HID conversion kit into a halogen headlamp is illegal.

That's just in the UK though...

That said I've seen many people say they've never been stopped by police for having them, or flashed at by other cars because they were causing unsafe glare.

As long as you're careful (Keep below 6,000k, and 35w in dipped beam if possible) you should be okay

as mentioned above, they are only illegal as aftermarket due to the fact the lighting house wasn't designed to fit them or use them, so the light they send out is waaaaay brighter than others, a mate of mine when i was in his car kept getting flashed asif to suggest 'turn your full beam off' when he just had the dipped on

Did anyone fitted HID Xenon to their Fiesta?

Doing it this week, gone for the more expensive kit,

Im guessing you didnt want an answer such as 'they are illegal' 'new regulations'

Simply and plainly put they have always been illegal if not a standard fitment or made with the levelling, washers etc.

But in all honestly people will always have them regardless of the extra features which in all honestly dont work, as everyone has been a victim of the blinding bouncing headlights in thier mirror lighting up thier car like a battle field thanks to the bimmers and mercs.

I would believe nearly every one on here has commited some illegal offence, 35mph in a 30.

I think for not only the drivers safety and childrens and animals safety hids are a much better option than a car with candle like halogens with one blown, Hids are are a matter of common sense, bright visibilty alerting other drivers of your presence also and aslong as thier not pointing to the sky they are fine.

Everyone seems so sore against them its just because they think hids are too bright when in fact they are used to sub standard candle like light.

I would like to ask other members pro hid for some advice

and possibly any hints and tips regarding installation.

Does the fiesta need the canbus version (does it throw up any bulb out warnings etc?)

That said I've seen many people say they've never been stopped by police for having them, or flashed at by other cars because they were causing unsafe glare.

As long as you're careful (Keep below 6,000k, and 35w in dipped beam if possible) you should be okay

What is a good option, below 6,000k?

Doing it this week, gone for the more expensive kit,

Im guessing you didnt want an answer such as 'they are illegal' 'new regulations'

Simply and plainly put they have always been illegal if not a standard fitment or made with the levelling, washers etc.

But in all honestly people will always have them regardless of the extra features which in all honestly dont work, as everyone has been a victim of the blinding bouncing headlights in thier mirror lighting up thier car like a battle field thanks to the bimmers and mercs.

I would believe nearly every one on here has commited some illegal offence, 35mph in a 30.

I think for not only the drivers safety and childrens and animals safety hids are a much better option than a car with candle like halogens with one blown, Hids are are a matter of common sense, bright visibilty alerting other drivers of your presence also and aslong as thier not pointing to the sky they are fine.

Everyone seems so sore against them its just because they think hids are too bright when in fact they are used to sub standard candle like light.

I would like to ask other members pro hid for some advice

and possibly any hints and tips regarding installation.

Does the fiesta need the canbus version (does it throw up any bulb out warnings etc?)

It's funny how all those expensive HID's designed by the likes of BMW and Mercedes blind everyone yet the £150 jobbies fitted on someone's drive, into inappropiate headlights, by untrained greasemonkeys, using a screwdriver and socket set and no calibration system, don't.

It's funny how all those expensive HID's designed by the likes of BMW and Mercedes blind everyone yet the £150 jobbies fitted on someone's drive, into inappropiate headlights, by untrained greasemonkeys, using a screwdriver and socket set and no calibration system, don't.

HIDS are bright whether they are fitted to beemers or fitted as an aftermarket option and i didnt for once state that the aftermaket hid would not be 'blinding' however as mentioned this is simply because of the sub standard halogens which we are used to.

HIDS 'blinding' regardless as they are BRIGHTER! (by around 300%) A simple cure for this is to adjust your mirror (not hard)

All cars will eventually have HIDS as they are superior for safety of others and road user. Regardless of the efforts made (Auto levelling, not all cars have the light washers, everyone has been victim to the bouncing headlights by the mercs/ range rovers etc which

And just for your information i am currently studying a top level engineering course and have worked in a garage, and have also largeley rebuilt my car. DONT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS please about me being some greasmonkey.

And i am making the precaution of getting them aligned.

Ouch. This subject always brings up controversy.

There are loads of previous threads on this and as far as I have researched unless the lens's were designed for HID's the beam pattern is scattered. Anyway it shouldn't matter if its legal or not as you would be very unlikely to find an insurance company that would cover a car with this modification anyway. So in most cases those with it are not insured either.

They are illegal in the UK (and probs most of europe), so what gets me is...the people who know they are illegal and still go ahead and fit them anyway... If/when you have a crash, don't expect your insurance company to pay out. They will leave you without a car and a huge repair bill.

It dont matter if you get them "checked" or not, nor does it matter how good (or bad) you are with cars. End of the day, they are illegal. Untill ford officialy make these's lights for the Fiesta, you will never get around the issues with having them.

If this is so controversial, then no seller should be allowed to sell HID lights.

If this is so controversial, then no seller should be allowed to sell HID lights.

Agreed :)

HIDS are bright whether they are fitted to beemers or fitted as an aftermarket option and i didnt for once state that the aftermaket hid would not be 'blinding' however as mentioned this is simply because of the sub standard halogens which we are used to.

HIDS 'blinding' regardless as they are BRIGHTER! (by around 300%) A simple cure for this is to adjust your mirror (not hard)

All cars will eventually have HIDS as they are superior for safety of others and road user. Regardless of the efforts made (Auto levelling, not all cars have the light washers, everyone has been victim to the bouncing headlights by the mercs/ range rovers etc which

And just for your information i am currently studying a top level engineering course and have worked in a garage, and have also largeley rebuilt my car. DONT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS please about me being some greasmonkey.

And i am making the precaution of getting them aligned.

Adjusting your mirror doesn't work when they are coming towards you, regardless of that why should people have to adjust their mirrors to allow other people to have HID's?

I dispute the fact that HID's are safer too, If they are blinding surely that has a safety problem? I can't think of a situation that would be made safer by my already good enough lights being 3 times as bright but I can think of plenty of ways that oncoming drivers being blinded by my lights would cause safety problems.

Lets face it people want them because they look 'cool', it doesn't have much to do with needing more light.

P.S. talking about your advanced further education doesn't work quite so well when you make so many spelling mistakes.

What is a good option, below 6,000k?

5,000k is a bright cold white, 6,000k is nearly the same white, with a blue tint around the edges.

These are the two more popular colour choices, out of the two, 5,000k is safer. There's been a study into blue light reacting badly with eyes, causing them to let more light in, rather than closing the light out. This means 6,000k and above will make more 'perceived' glare to oncoming traffic (I know this as I own several lasers, one of which is blue)

Or in depth:

"When light hits a photoreceptor, the cell bleaches and becomes useless until it has recovered through a metabolic process called the “visual cycle.” Absorption of blue light, however, has been shown to cause a reversal of the process. The cell becomes unbleached and responsive again to light before it is ready."

Source: Blue Light Research

All cars will eventually have HIDS as they are superior for safety of others and road user.

Not true, HID as a technology has barely developed, even halogen lighting tech is moving faster! But the future lies within LED lighting, they have superior efficiency,flexibility, durability and life span compared to halogen and HID. Within ten years HID's will be outdated, HIDs and their controversy will be a thing of the past!

Source: LED lighting(Please bear in mind this article is over a year old, and LEDs have developed further since then)

If this is so controversial, then no seller should be allowed to sell HID lights.

Unfortunately there are loads of things that are legal to buy but not use. Blue tinted sidelight bulbs, coloured LED's and bulbs (for exterior), Straight through exhaust systems, Decat Pipes, Tinted front windows and windscreens (after market), tinted lights (unless fitted as standard)and many more I am sure.

Unfortunately there are loads of things that are legal to buy but not use. Blue tinted sidelight bulbs, coloured LED's and bulbs (for exterior), Straight through exhaust systems, Decat Pipes, Tinted front windows and windscreens (after market), tinted lights (unless fitted as standard)and many more I am sure.

True...

HID kits knock about cos like anything else, people will buy it even if its illegal if they want it enough, i mean for gods sake halfords sell street glow kits haha

HIDS are bright whether they are fitted to beemers or fitted as an aftermarket option and i didnt for once state that the aftermaket hid would not be 'blinding' however as mentioned this is simply because of the sub standard halogens which we are used to.

But you keep stating that these BMW/mercs/rangies etc keep blinding people. very rarely am I blinded by these cars, I've never been flashed at in mine with them on, so where exactly are you getting these instances from?

HIDS 'blinding' regardless as they are BRIGHTER! (by around 300%) A simple cure for this is to adjust your mirror (not hard)

All cars will eventually have HIDS as they are superior for safety of others and road user. Regardless of the efforts made (Auto levelling, not all cars have the light washers, everyone has been victim to the bouncing headlights by the mercs/ range rovers etc which

But they don't blind you do they, because to do that they would have to be directly into your eyesight, which they aren't if they are at their correct setting, which from what i see on the roads is the vast majority of cases. Somebody who just whips a set in into the wrong headlight lenses without any form of adjustment are the ones that cause the problems.

And just for your information i am currently studying a top level engineering course and have worked in a garage, and have also largeley rebuilt my car. DONT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS please about me being some greasmonkey.

And i am making the precaution of getting them aligned.

Oh, are you fitting everyone's HID's then? because I was talking generally about people who fit them, again, the vast majority won't have any real experience in fitting them or aligning them.

Interesting topic.

I'm looking at this situation from both sides unlike some in here

For those with cars fitted with factory hids:

Can't say I have a problem with 97% of vehicles with them fitted.

But just because they auto level doesn't mean they won't blind drivers.

Auto levelling on the go simply isn't quick enough to cope with lumps and bumps in the road. Hence oncoming drivers at mid range will get 'that bouncing mulitcoloured' effect as they get shorts bursts of the intense light found under the cut off point. Auto levelling is there to ajust for the loading of the car and (with VW at least) will adjust upwards when going down a hill for improved range and downwards when going uphill etc.

The preset set auto levelling point can sometimes be a bit too high on some cars which might explain for some of the people being blinded by them. I know the MK5 golfs with hids were prone to this. It was simple case of taking them to the dealer to have them readjusted.

Headlight washers generally only activate when the light are on and when the windows are given a squirt of screenwash ( every five times in the Golf) This means it is still possible for a car with factory hids to have dirty lenses.

When its raining any water on the lenses may also affect beam pattern a little.

For car with "retrofitted hids"

I have a big big problem with cars that fit hids (antiglare or not) into standard lenses becasue they are often too bright and a stupid colour of blue too. Ive seen them light up a road side to side up to the bedroom windows :o.

I've seen many cars with retrofithid at around 6000k fitted into projector lenses. Half of the time you can only just tell as some standard factory fit hids are quite white to look at. (Mini Cooper S, Renault Clio Sport etc. Glare wise I've never been blinded by these as they simply aren't as bright as 4300k hids. People go on about about projectors still giving a bad light pattern if they aren't designed for hids but if the cut off point still falls below either my front windscreen or my side wing mirrors/back window if find they're not too bad.

I agree with people saying 6000k is a sensible limit.

Now you probably wouldn't believe it but I personally am blinded by more cars with very badly set halogen lights in a non projector housing than anything else. I guess this is due to the fact that the majority of cars having them will increase the chances of coming across one with badly set lights. People seem to forget that halogen lights can still be extremely bright at night if set too high. Surely I can't be the only one?

.

So to round off. My opinion is that HIDs factory or retrofit aren't that bad ( excluding retrohids in standard casing and those above 6000k) Halogen lights are just as bad and just as blinding if not set correctly.

Just my 2 pounds worth.I'll start by saying i dont have AIDS......erm i mean HID's

but i can honestly say that halogen headlights cause me more problems.I have never been

blinded by anyone with HID's retro or factory and i find HID's easier on my eyes than halogen.