Changes i can make to mk7

[Nico.]

I aint got the biggest budget in the world.... so far changed the bulbs to Xenon, Got scuff plates, alloy pedal covers, changed all the interior lights from creamy white to ice white and the footwell lights are red 12 led clusters i used for that... anyone got any little ideas i could make???? much appreciated :D

[Jonny87]

Maybe start by taking those illegal bulbs out and stop blinding people at night. Then maybe fit some legal ones... just an idea...

<_<

[bigjock]

Maybe start by taking those illegal bulbs out and stop blinding people at night. Then maybe fit some legal ones... just an idea...

what lights are you suggesting are illegal?

[Jonny87]

what lights are you suggesting are illegal?

Hi there bigjock. I'm not suggesting anything :) Xenons/HID's, call them what you will, are 100% Illegal unless:

a. They are in headlights specifically designed around them and on cars designed to take them

-or-

b. You follow the rigmarole defined by the Ministry of Transport on this link: http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/roadsafety/drs/hidheadlamps

With the nights rapidly drawing in more and more of my driving is done at night, im sick of these stupid bulbs blinding me and they are rapidly becoming my driving pet hate No. 1.

[bigjock]

Hi there bigjock. I'm not suggesting anything :) Xenons/HID's, call them what you will, are 100% Illegal unless:

a. They are in headlights specifically designed around them and on cars designed to take them

-or-

b. You follow the rigmarole defined by the Ministry of Transport on this link: http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/roadsafety/drs/hidheadlamps

With the nights rapidly drawing in more and more of my driving is done at night, im sick of these stupid bulbs blinding me and they are rapidly becoming my driving pet hate No. 1.

So if/when my cars headlights where to fail and i had to replace them then what do i replace them with? whats wrong with using a better performing bulb over the clearly poor ones fitted when the car was built? if the replacement bulbs say they conform to eu regulations/standards then is that ok? also how is this enforceable? are the rozzers going to confiscate the headlight bulbs for investigation? i completely agree that there are allot of real heaps out there with ridiculous lighting but surely a new car with upgraded xenon effect bulbs should be ok?

[greenymk7]

nope any car that hasnt got headlights designed for them is not allowed them.

as its an MOT fail i THINK they can give you a notice to go back to the station once u have changed them back.

you are able to change the bulbs to better ones but not HID's or genuin xenons

[bigjock]

But surely if you just stuck in proper hid or xenon bulbs they wouldnt work anyways? i fitted philips bluevision (xenon effect) bulbs to get rid of the horrid yellow glow i take it these are ok?

[Jonny87]

So if/when my cars headlights where to fail and i had to replace them then what do i replace them with? whats wrong with using a better performing bulb over the clearly poor ones fitted when the car was built? if the replacement bulbs say they conform to eu regulations/standards then is that ok? also how is this enforceable? are the rozzers going to confiscate the headlight bulbs for investigation? i completely agree that there are allot of real heaps out there with ridiculous lighting but surely a new car with upgraded xenon effect bulbs should be ok?

whoa there bigjock, hold your horses and I will try and answer your questions... :)

So if/when my cars headlights where to fail and i had to replace them then what do i replace them with?

A: Check the manual that comes with the car it will tell you in there

whats wrong with using a better performing bulb over the clearly poor ones fitted when the car was built?

A: Once again, bodging xenon bulbs into halogen headlights is illegal (see my previous post). Also there is nothing wrong with the bulbs fitted when the car was built they are absolutely fine. All of the bulbs in my car are still going strong after 18,000 miles, and the projector headlamps on the Fiesta really are quite excellent already.

if the replacement bulbs say they conform to eu regulations/standards then is that ok?

A: No. The Ministry of Transport quite clearly states: "In the Department'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 customer wants to convert his vehicle to Xenon HID he must purchase completely new Xenon HID headlamps. The reason for this is that the existing lens and reflector are designed around a Halogen filament bulb, working to very precise tolerances. If one places a HID "burner" (bulb) in the headlamp, the beam pattern will not be correct, there will be glare in some places and not enough light in other places within the beam pattern."

also how is this enforceable?

A: Police, Highways agency traffic officers, VOSA etc etc. All they need say is that your HID's are causing a danger to other road users and i'm sure theres a whole load of legislation that they can pull you up on in regard to that...

are the rozzers going to confiscate the headlight bulbs for investigation?

A: They probably wont do that no, but they will more likely give you a producer that may well be followed up by a summons...

i completely agree that there are allot of real heaps out there with ridiculous lighting but surely a new car with upgraded xenon effect bulbs should be ok?

A: Xenon "effect" bulbs are apparantly legal here is a site for example: http://www.powerbulbs.com/product_detail.asp?prod=25 I would imagine the main reason for this is that xenon "effect" buls are in fact halogens just like normal car bulbs

Hope that helps you!! :)

[bigjock]

thanks for all this, funnily enough i got my new bulbs from powerbulbs. i think the phrases xenon and xenon effect are very easily confused thus making some believe they have xenon bulbs when they are merely halogens with xenon gas in them. I'm happy wth my bulbs and never doubted there legality. i am very conscious that they do not cause an adverse effect/dazzle other drivers and have tested them to ensure they don't. overall tho i believe they are more effective than the original bulbs and would recommend them.

[Jonny87]

thanks for all this, funnily enough i got my new bulbs from powerbulbs. i think the phrases xenon and xenon effect are very easily confused thus making some believe they have xenon bulbs when they are merely halogens with xenon gas in them. I'm happy wth my bulbs and never doubted there legality. i am very conscious that they do not cause an adverse effect/dazzle other drivers and have tested them to ensure they don't. overall tho i believe they are more effective than the original bulbs and would recommend them.

Good on ya bigjock!

Thats a good point to remember though. HID's are Xenons and Xenons are HID's, they are both the same thing. However Xenon "effect" are just halogens. A bit misleading really as halogens are nowhere near as "effective" as Xenons (sort it out trading standards lol)

That site also has these: http://www.powerbulbs.com/product_detail.asp?prod=81 apparantly 80% more powerful! Now I might just be tempted by that. Dont forget though that real Xenons are more than 300% more powerful

Its good that you check your light leveling to be sure you are not dazzling other drivers, I do this too and I think that all drivers should. I have even moved mine from dip setting '0' to dip setting '1.5' just to be extra sure im not blinding anyone, even when i'm driving uphill, even more important with these projectors that we have that seem to focus the light

[bigjock]

off subject slightly again and apologies for taking over this thread with this but it amazes me the number of cars you see going about with one headlight or only sidelights as soon as the dark nights start to set in. i drive to nightshift some 14miles thru city to get to work, one night recently i counted the number of cars i passed with faulty lights and was amazed to have seen 16! thats over 1 per mile! this did not include the number driving with bright blue or colored lights or those driving with fogs on in perfect conditions! &#33;Removed&#33; annoys the hell out of me, i feel like firing a missile at them.

[greenymk7]

the most annoying thing i find is people driving at night with their side lights on and the fog lights

ITS NOT FOGGY!!!!!!!!!!

[Nightowl]

the most annoying thing i find is people driving at night with their side lights on and the fog lights

ITS NOT FOGGY!!!!!!!!!!

And it's illegal. The police around here in Portsmouth often stop cars with their foglights on when it's simply raining heavy or just not foggy/misty. My mum's other half was pulled the beginning of this year for having his fogs on in what was good daylight - and he's 71 !!! They gave him a ticking-off & sent him on his way.

[Jonny87]

off subject slightly again and apologies for taking over this thread with this but it amazes me the number of cars you see going about with one headlight or only sidelights as soon as the dark nights start to set in. i drive to nightshift some 14miles thru city to get to work, one night recently i counted the number of cars i passed with faulty lights and was amazed to have seen 16! thats over 1 per mile! this did not include the number driving with bright blue or colored lights or those driving with fogs on in perfect conditions! &#33;Removed&#33; annoys the hell out of me, i feel like firing a missile at them.

Totally agree. Strangely i dont mind the yellow headlights as the light is quite soft. If someone is driving towards me with fogs on I flash them now and I keep flashing if they dont turn them off. If someone is driving towards me with incorrecly alligned HID's/Xenons then I just switch my main beam on, simple as! and if they are behind me and I'm getting it through all three mirrors I will wait till they pass then give it some main beam. If they dont care about blinding me I will give them the same attitude right back at them so they know what its like. They just dont realise or care how dangerous their Xenon headlights are, and one day those lights will cause a death-crash mark my words...

And don't forget people you only get one set of retinas, once they're fooked you'll be blind. End of.

[InstructorPiggy]

Yeah, nout wrong with more expensive, whiter light, but it shouldnt b tinted blue, the heavy tints will fail MOT.

For the HID you also would need automatic dips and headlight washers to make it legal.

AHHHH, i so find it annoying with the fogs too, rediculous, you cant see more than 5 feet anyway with them!

Cops here fine 30quid for it.

However as dumbass as it is for someone to drive round with them on looking liek a prat thinking they are amazing (bearing in mind they included on most basic cars now) I disagree with the law that puts rear fogs and front fogs under the same umberrella.

Rear fogs are almost indistinguishable from brake lights from a distance, and not so sometimes, they can be in pairs and are the same wattage as brake lights, so they dazzle when left on and get confused with brake lights.

However I had a copper explain to me that the front fog lights are dazzling to people, more so than just dip lights....

But heres the thing, fog lights are still on 55w, same as dip, and if you look at the lights against a wall, or proper light gauage, the fog lights are lower than the dips...

HEEELLLOOOO, thats what they designed to do, shine light along the road surface, under the fog, lower than your dip lights....so how the hell can they be dazzling when the dip lights are shining at a higher point?!?!?

Your still a twirrup tho if you drive with them on and think your cool!

Piggy :)

[InstructorPiggy]

sorry that was off subject realy...anyway,

try changing the grills to a nice mesh, there is another post on here about that, and if you scower the net, nice mesh is available quite cheap compared to Halfrauds etc :)

Get the ford gel badges??

Nice set of Ford mats?

Piggy :)

[Nico.]

there perfectly road legal thanks my bulbs i got ice white not any of these daft colours

[FMC]

What a pointless waste of a thread

FWIW my Focus ST2 has xenons which were standard equipment fitted in the factory, and i often get flashed by people, day and night who decide that my lights are too bright for them

My advice to anyone who doesn't like xenons, or xenon-effect bulbs - GET YOUR EYES TESTED.

[titanium_s_spec]

i agree totally with the coments on the idiots who drive round with fog lights on all the time and often give them the same treatment as mentioned in other posts.Also on these brighter bulbs i should think most of the chavs that have them don't even no what they are doing to other road users and atleast won't even care any how.Another anoying thing i find is the use of the horn to say goodbye or hello to people you have just visited.the hours of 7am and 11pm spring to mind .and as for pavement parkers don't get me started.............

[titanium_s_spec]

What a pointless waste of a thread

FWIW my Focus ST2 has xenons which were standard equipment fitted in the factory, and i often get flashed by people, day and night who decide that my lights are too bright for them

My advice to anyone who doesn't like xenons, or xenon-effect bulbs - GET YOUR EYES TESTED.

i do every 6 mnths but it still dose't stop my eyes from being hurt by the glare of poorly adjusted headlights and bulbs.

[greenymk7]

xenons that are fitted as standard are perfectly fine.

HID's that are fitted after market to cars that shouldnt have them are annoying, the lense wasnt designed for it SO DONT DO IT

[Dave-2912]

My Focus ST also has the Xenons as standard (like FMC) and I too get flashed ALL THE TIME!!! My lights are correctly aligned and auto leveling, but some people just seem to have an issue with Xenons. I get quite annoyed at people flashing me, but I would never flash back at them as fullbeam from the Xenons are retina-burningly bright.

To Jonny87:

By flashing people who's headlights you deem to be too bright or misaligned, you are equally as likely to cause a crash by blinding the 'offending' driver or possibly another driver behind them. I agree that sometimes it is annoying, but please don't add to the problem...

[InstructorPiggy]

To Jonny87:

By flashing people who's headlights you deem to be too bright or misaligned, you are equally as likely to cause a crash by blinding the 'offending' driver or possibly another driver behind them. I agree that sometimes it is annoying, but please don't add to the problem...

amen

[Wongy]

whoa there bigjock, hold your horses and I will try and answer your questions... :)

So if/when my cars headlights where to fail and i had to replace them then what do i replace them with?

A: Check the manual that comes with the car it will tell you in there

whats wrong with using a better performing bulb over the clearly poor ones fitted when the car was built?

A: Once again, bodging xenon bulbs into halogen headlights is illegal (see my previous post). Also there is nothing wrong with the bulbs fitted when the car was built they are absolutely fine. All of the bulbs in my car are still going strong after 18,000 miles, and the projector headlamps on the Fiesta really are quite excellent already.

if the replacement bulbs say they conform to eu regulations/standards then is that ok?

A: No. The Ministry of Transport quite clearly states: "In the Department'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 customer wants to convert his vehicle to Xenon HID he must purchase completely new Xenon HID headlamps. The reason for this is that the existing lens and reflector are designed around a Halogen filament bulb, working to very precise tolerances. If one places a HID "burner" (bulb) in the headlamp, the beam pattern will not be correct, there will be glare in some places and not enough light in other places within the beam pattern."

also how is this enforceable?

A: Police, Highways agency traffic officers, VOSA etc etc. All they need say is that your HID's are causing a danger to other road users and i'm sure theres a whole load of legislation that they can pull you up on in regard to that...

are the rozzers going to confiscate the headlight bulbs for investigation?

A: They probably wont do that no, but they will more likely give you a producer that may well be followed up by a summons...

i completely agree that there are allot of real heaps out there with ridiculous lighting but surely a new car with upgraded xenon effect bulbs should be ok?

A: Xenon "effect" bulbs are apparantly legal here is a site for example: http://www.powerbulbs.com/product_detail.asp?prod=25 I would imagine the main reason for this is that xenon "effect" buls are in fact halogens just like normal car bulbs

Hope that helps you!! :)

LOL you really dont like HIDS/XENON upgrades do you? i might just come round drive behind with my HIDS and put my fogs aswel :P

[InstructorPiggy]

you got HIDs fitted then wongy?!?