Focus St Xenons

[Ricleigh]

I want to put xenons on my st, seen some on eBay for £17. Is it just a case of replacing the bulbs or do i need additional parts or wiring??

[Envyus]

If you give me your wheels I'll tell you :P.

No sorry mate Iooking for the same info.

[Bigdaddycain]

£17 sounds a bit cheap! I think even genuine HID bulbs on a car with HID's (or zenons) Are more than 17 quid.

If you are after upgrading from halogen headlights to a HID (high intensity discharge) Some call them zenons, Then there are a few legal issues you need to take into account...

The lights must have an auto cleaning, or washing system, and have an auto levelling feature to be legal in the UK.

I think we've all been privvy to the "boy racers" that have upgraded to HID's (into halogen lamps) and had the sharp blue lights blind us!

The main reason behind oncoming traffic getting that glare is down to the lens design of halogen lamps,... The reflector and lens is designed to scatter light in a specific way from a bulb pushing out X amount of candlepower. when lights are upgraded to HID's (from halogen) The bulbs could be running 5 times as much candlepower, thus why we all get blinded by HID upgrades!

There are ways around blinding others though, lower the headlight beam till oncoming traffic stops flashing you, (at least that way you are less likely to get pulled over by the police)

I believe also that aftermarket HID light kits WILL NOT pass the M.O.T next year, if not fitted as standard equipment.

A HID upgrade kit should consist of two HID bulbs, two ballast boxes, and a "plug and play" loom. (to upgrade the main beams to HID X the kit by a factor of 2).

The Focus St runs a CANBUS system, so a CANBUS friendly kit will be required, and SHORT bulbs if the headlight has a shielded bulb.

I was thinking of buying a 2nd hand set of pukka Focus HID/Zenon headlights, then retro fitting a HID upgrade kit into them (at least that way, at a glance the HID's will appear factory fit) ;)

[Ricleigh]

Cheers for that info. All i was really after was the genuine xenon lights that come standard with the st2 and 3

[pgm2010]

Proper Xenon HID lights also need an automatic self leveling system fitted by law (i.e. if you put a load in the back, the beam must lower itself automatically)!

[Bigdaddycain]

Cheers for that info. All i was really after was the genuine xenon lights that come standard with the st2 and 3

Yup, i'm with you mate... To do an ABSOLUTE factory job, you'd have to retro fit all the factory gear... self levelling motors, auto headlight washers... the lot! Plus new headlights, and all the other gubbing to make the headlights work (ballast boxes etc etc) Then probably have to get an expert to wire that little lot in, (unless of course there is a piggy back take off on the original loom)...

YOu MAY get away with a second hand set of Ford Zenon headlights, THEN retro fitting an after market HID Kit in to those (that's what i plan to do with mine) But you'll be leaving it in the lap of the MOT gods as to whether they'll notice the lack of self levellers or headlight washers... You pays your money and all that...

[Matthew Blackledge]

There are loads of items on eBay claiming to be HID or Xenon kit but it just isn't the case. In my opinion a decent set of blue tinted brand named bulbs will often give the same look (as they appear white when illuminated) and cost a load less without running the risk of melting the headlamp lenses. I think its a fashion thing at the moment but is there that much benefit to warrant spending loads of time and effort on what essentially is a light?

[gforce]

Did any of you guys make any progress on this?

I have the adaptive projectors in my 55 plate, and as much as I like them I'd like to upgrade to xenons. Herein lies my dilemma, do I fit an aftermarket HID Kit into my projectors, or do I swap the whole units out for genuine Ford xenons?

I can get a pair of black xenons for cheap, but the owner has cut a few wires in them to install a HID Kit. He had the 7-pin loom in his lower spec so couldn't fit them directly, but reckons if I re-join the wires they could be plug and play in my Titanium as it should have the 10-pin loom. He eventually removed the HID Kit and reverted back to standard lights and the xenons are just taking up space as he's since sold the car.

I'll get a look at the plugs tonight or tomorrow, but any advice or help on the wiring and potential pitfalls of retro-fitting OEM xenons would be much appreciated. The lights are dead cheap if they work and are an easy install, but on the flip-side if they've been butchered then they'll be a waste of money as I couldn't sell them on. They do come complete with original ballasts and bulbs also.

Hoping someone has a bit of advice/experience on this, can't seem to find anything through Google!

Cheers in advance!

PS I'm aware of the legalities, MOT requirements etc...if I could get them fitted and aligned properly so as they weren't blinding other road users I'd just swap them out for MOT. This is another reason I'd be reluctant to install the HID kit in my current projectors.

[Focus_IRE]

There are loads of items on ebay claiming to be HID or Xenon kit but it just isn't the case. In my opinion a decent set of blue tinted brand named bulbs will often give the same look (as they appear white when illuminated) and cost a load less without running the risk of melting the headlamp lenses. I think its a fashion thing at the moment but is there that much benefit to warrant spending loads of time and effort on what essentially is a light?

I agree wih you Matthew and just to outline "decent", there are numerous blue tinted bulbs on the internet for sale. Anyone whi wishes to buy them just be careful the first thing to do when you fit them. Turn them on when dark (may be obvious but get a better result) get a white sheet of paper and put up close to the lights, if a blue hint comes up on the sheet you have bought a cheap set and they are actuale illegal, but if it shows white on the page then it is legal and a good set :)

Also if you are only getting them to look good get the bulbs but if you actuale require them and appreciate them while driving at night then get the full HID Kit :)

[gforce]

Right, I went ahead and picked up the lights yesterday, genuine Ford xenons with a full set of bulbs including a HID Kit currently fitted and the original bulbs and ballasts also supplied. If I can get them working properly then they'll be a bargain, if I can't then hopefully I should be able to get my money back in parts.

It was late by the time I got home so didn't get a chance to test the lights and the HID Kit fitted to them. I had a quick look last night at the internals and can see where the kit has been tapped into the original wiring. I'd like to restore the lights back to original spec, which looks like it should be easy enough, but will test the HID Kit first to see if it's working.

This is all based on the hope that they will be plug and play in terms of plugs and looms being compatible between my car and these lights! Has anyone else done a retro-fit of OEM xenons then and does anyone have any advice for me on what to expect?

Just on the point above about bulbs, I had a few pretty cheap ones in the Mondeo and they were always fine. Gave a nice crisp white light, lit up plenty of the road and weren't blinding to other drivers, all for under a tenner on eBay. I transferred them to the projectors in the Focus though and they were awful, couldn't see 10ft in front of me! Then tried these expensive Halfords ones, ultra billiance or somethin, after reading a few good forum reviews on colour and performance in Mk4 Mondeo projectors. They were ~£25, each, but were on a BOGOF offer so I thought I'd give them a go. They weren't worth it! One blew after about 6months so removed both and went back to standard. Have thought about trying MTEC ones after reading a few recommendations. Also seen some on eBay sayin they're 55W but have an output of 100W. What the side effects are of this, I don't know, but thought they might be ideal for projectors.

Hopefully I'll get my xenons up and running though instead!

[gforce]

Right, bit of an update on the Mk2 pre-facelift xenons I picked up the other week...

As I said, the lights had a HID Kit installed but came with original bulbs and ballasts so I thought I'd try getting those up and running first. I removed the HID Kit and re-connected all the wires...was a bit tricky on one of them but think the wiring's all sorted now. However in one of the lights I could hear something rattling around so after a bit of a shake out fell a little piece of metal. I removed the projector for a better look but as it was all new to me I was none the wiser. So I dismantled the other light for a comparison and it seems the metal strip is some sort of shutter for the bi-xenon...would this be right?

So I put it back together and was ready for the moment of truth with the new lights. I plugged 'em in last night and to my pleasant surprise both fired up! :D

However, when I tested the full beam it seemed the xenons flashed as well but only returned to dip on one side when I knocked full beam off. Can anybody give me any insight into the bi-xenon/flash function on these?

I noticed an extra little plug on the lights so perhaps if I set the beam to dipped and disconnect this plug the shutter won't be activated? Also, if there are any intermittent problems would this be most likely a cause of the cut and re-joined wiring or more likely to be somethin like a dodgy ballast on the way out?

Sorry about the essay and all the questions, but any help is much appreciated!

[Haz93]

Hi mate,

Yeah the Bi Xenon Projectors seem very temperamental to me, too fragile for what they are.

Is the projector that doesn't return to dipped the one you had to dismantle?? or the one you haven't touched?? just so I can try and understand a bit better

Or if you would rather not mess anymore ( up to you, personally I would try and fix the Bi Xenon)

Yeah the little connection inside the headlight unit activates the shutter and can be removed to stop your problem, just insert some H1 bulbs (from your old unit) into the reflector style high beam which is the same as the non bi xenon unit high beam (If you get what I mean) then the high beams will work as normal, so basically your getting standard xenon dipped and halogen highs.

[gforce]

Cheers for the reply mate. There are already standard H1 bulbs in there for the full beam, so that wouldn't be a problem, but I'm like yourself in the sense that I'd rather try and fix the shutter for the bi xenon!

The one that I had to repair is working fine, it's the other one which is not returning to dip, even though I took the projector out of that unit too so I could get a picture of how to repair the broken one...if you get me! So not sure if the fault would be mechanical, related to the tampered wiring, or a dodgy ballast or bulb.

Hope to get a proper look at them some night this weekend, so will try a few different combos of swapping bulbs and ballasts around, disconnecting plugs etc to try help pinpoint the problem.

[Haz93]

The problem won't be to do with the ballasts or bulbs, they have no control over the actuall projector, they just provide the light. It will be to do with either, the wiring to the shutter motor maybe faulty or loose, or the shutter is sticking and may need tightening/loosening or even lubricating. From the sound of it, if the shutter goes up but not down then it is sticking as the motor is functioning okay. The ones I have for the mk2.5 have very loose shutter mechanisms and stick very easily just by using a finger to move them.

Hope that helps mate :)

[gforce]

It does indeed mate, cheers! So basically if both bulbs are lighting fine and not flickering the bulbs and ballasts are fine? Strong possibility that the wiring could be playing up as it was cut by the previous owner. I'll make sure all re-connections are as good as I can get them, but what you're saying about the shutter mechanism itself sounds like it could be right. I'll take a look at that also...if needed, a bit of lube never hurts!

Will keep you posted anyway, no doubt will be back at the next hurdle!

On a slightly different note, I noticed the lights move up and down when I turn them on...is this an auto-levelling function?

[Haz93]

Hahaha okay mate :)

Yeah it's the auto leveling function!! That's a big suprise mate as only the st and rs are ment to be fitted with that as standard. Good news though as this is meant to be a requirement by law

Making me want to spend the 100 quid now to get my bulbs and ballast :P