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E46 HID Kits

2K views 15 replies 7 participants last post by  L16YD L 
#1 ·
Hi
Im think of putting a HID kit in my E46 325i i was just wondering wether anyone Knew what the legal limit in terms of Heat and colour was on them?
Could anyone recommend any Kits ?
 
#3 ·
4500k-6000k are the best, I have 6000k, they're pure white, very slight tinge of blue from a distance perhaps but no more so than factory xenons.

8000k is definitely noticeably blue and not as bright, 10000k is very blue and you'd probably get pulled over at some point.
 
#4 ·
O right thanks is it nessasary to have auto leveling headlightsand if so do you know of any kits you can buy to make them auto leveling as my car does not have xenons in it at the moment?
I have noticed on that they are actually not as bright once you go past
6000k they just become more blue.Can you recommend any kits in particualar because i know some kits can cause warning lights to come on, on the dashboard.

Thanks Dayle
 
#6 ·
As far as I know, thats not correct, they changed the rules recently I beleive, you are now required to have washers and levellers on any car that has HID lights. My Hellas had provision for self levellers.

Here you, it is a legal requirement to have washers and levellers on EVERY set of HID lights you have.

http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/roadsafety/drs/hidheadlamps

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.

The following is the legal rationale:

The Road Vehicle Lighting Regulations 1989 regulate the situation in the UK.
Under these Regulations, HID/Gas Discharge/Xenon headlamps are not mentioned and therefore they are not permitted according to the strict letter of the law.

However new vehicles have HID headlamps. This is because they comply to European type approval Regulations. The UK cannot refuse to register a vehicle with a European type approval. These are to ECE Regulation 98 (for the HID headlamps which are tested on a rig in a laboratory) and ECE Regulation 48 (Lighting Installation on the vehicle).

For the after market, a used vehicle cannot obtain type approval because it is only applicable for new vehicles. However we feel that saying "HID is banned in the after market" would not be reasonable. Instead we should make analogies with new vehicles. It would be reasonable to require HID in the after market to meet the same safety standards as on new vehicles. The same level of safety should apply.

Therefore a HID headlamp unit sold in the after market should:

1. be type approved to ECE Regulation 98 as a component.

2. when fitted to the vehicle should enable ECE Regulation 48 to be complied with (although no government inspection will take place).

3. Comply with RVLR as far as "use" is concerned.

In practice this means:

1. The headlamp unit (outer lens, reflector, bulb) shall be type approved to ECE 98 and be "e-marked" to demonstrate this. That can only be done by the headlamp supplier - Hella, Valeo etc. who must test the headlamp in an independent laboratory.

2. Once fitted to the vehicle it must have headlamp cleaning and self-levelling (which can be for the headlamp or can be in the vehicle suspension - some expensive estate cars have "self-levelling suspension" and that is adequate). Also the dipped beam must stay on with the main beam.

3. The headlamp must be maintained in good working order, kept clean, and aligned/adjusted correctly like any other headlamp.

Under the Road Traffic Act 1988 it is an offence to supply, fit or use vehicle parts which are not legal.

In summary it is not permitted to convert an existing halogen headlamp unit for use with HID bulbs. The entire headlamp unit must be replaced with one designed and approved for use with HID bulbs and it must be installed in accordance with the rules stated above.


ATB,
Tom
 
#8 ·
The road traffic act is different from the MOT. You cannot fail them on a MOT for not having washers or levelling BUT you can be prosecuted under the road traffic act :confused
I could not fail them on an MOT unless they were substantially Blue or incorrectly aimed :thumbsup
 
#11 ·
I have found this on a website

Are these Xenon HID systems road legal?
According to EU legislation HID systems standard factory fitted from the factory require a self levelling system and a lens washer to be fitted. However this is not specified for aftermarket kits. Our kits have passed all safety and emmissions tests and produce the correct light pattern. We know they will pass an MOT (original bulbs can be reinstalled in minutes if required without uninstalling the HID system). We are not aware of any legality issues over the use of aftermarket HID kits when installed correctly and when the colour tempature is 6000k to 8000k but it should be worth noting that car headlights have to produce a white light so the 10000k and 12000k kits may be a bit blue / purple for legal road use.
 
#14 ·
Read it again, it says will pass an MOT, as it has correct beam pattenr, the CE mark means nothing it's a manufacture mark stating they are manufactured to certain tolerances, any kit they fit without levellers or washers is illegal, and they cover that well at the end with "We are not aware of any legality issues over the use of aftermarket HID kits when installed correctly and when the colour tempature is 6000k to 8000k" As they are "not aware", they are trying to negate their responsibility to state for off road use only.....

Tom
 
#12 ·
the way i read that road traffic act info was...dont be fitting hid into reflector headlights as the beam cant be precisely controlled.
simple solution...fit projector lensed headlights (like what i did)

 
#13 ·
Sorry Mark, but they are technically illegal, unless; are they yours in the photo? with the washers? (I asked for some clarification from a lawyer I know), he says that the rules laid down (that I posted earlier are whats followed by the police and more importantly insurance (i.e. if you have an accident and they say it was down to them being blinded, and your lights don't fit the legality laid down by the DOT then your insurance is invalid..... :-( )). Also if it doesn't meet the criteria, your car could be seized by the police (day or night). It is sad, but they are cracking down.

So basically you must fit washers, and levellers otherwise no kit is road legal.

Tom
 
#16 ·
It all depends on how anal your MOT station is. I had my HID's fitted to my Astra Coupe when it went for the MOT and he said it was fine. Police might pull you up if they are too bright but apart from that, i should be fine. I fitted my HID's in last night and i wont be using Xenon beam headlights as they are rare as fook for the Compact.
 
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