Whats involved in converting headlights to xenon/hid?

GlasgowTitan

GlasgowTitan

GlasgowTitan

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Ok one of headlights on mk11 mondeo has gone and was wondering if I should get a new bulb or splash out and get something new. I'd a decent set of xenon or HId's (whats the difference???) and can I just buy the little bulbs and slot them in? (think I have H7 bulbs at the moment). Or do you need to get a whole new headlight unit or what?

Also how much would this be if you can't just put in a different bulb?

cheers
 
HID conversions are pretty simple, bulbs should go right in, then you have to mount and wire in the ballasts. They should only really be used in projector headlight units though, which i'm pretty sure the mk2 Mondeo doesn't have.
 
You can fit an HID conversion kit straight to your existing headlights. They will be bright, but you will probably get nasty jagges edges of light and glare all over the place because the lenses are patterned.

Of you can find some way of replacing the lens with clear polycarb, take projectors from another car (Punto, 200SX, Fiat Coupe, Alfa GTV etc) and adapt them to fit your lights, then fit the HID conversion to these. This will give a MUCH improved beam pattern and shouldn't glare/refract too badly. Shedload of work that!

Then we get into the whole "does it need headlamp washers and auto levelling" debate....

In all honesty the issue of aftermarket HID's is getting more complex by the week, I think the DOT have said they can't "see how they can be legal" but then they haven't said "They are definitely illegal" either.

So if it was MY car, unless I already had projectors (Punto, 200SX, Fiat Coupe, Alfa GTV etc) I wouldn't bother as it will likely be crap. Sod the legal aspect of it all!
 
tj86 said:
Its illegal to retro-fit them unless you have washing system and auto-leveling.
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Hmmm, that's technically debatable as the law actually only applies to new cars. However, the DfT have stated that "It would be reasonable to require HID in the after market to meet the same safety standards as on new vehicles." but it is not tested in law yet, AFAIK.

However, the query comes up if you are involved in an accident, especially at night, and another claimant states that your headlights are aftermarket HIDs and not compliant with current new vehicle safety standards.

You could find yourself being the test case, and if it were found to be illegal, also uninsured.
 
volospian said:
Hmmm, that's technically debatable as the law actually only applies to new cars. However, the DfT have stated that "It would be reasonable to require HID in the after market to meet the same safety standards as on new vehicles." but it is not tested in law yet, AFAIK.

However, the query comes up if you are involved in an accident, especially at night, and another claimant states that your headlights are aftermarket HIDs and not compliant with current new vehicle safety standards.
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Exactly, hence my point above - "it would be reasonable" does not mean "it is the law"

So until any actual concrete legislation comes out, it's a very vague area.
 
[TW]Fox;11003635 said:
No. Your insurer still has obligations under the Road Traffic Act.
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So if I tell them my car is road legal and it's not, I'm still covered by them, even if it causes an accident?
 
volospian said:
So if I tell them my car is road legal and it's not, I'm still covered by them, even if it causes an accident?
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This is my opinion based on my interpretation of the law. I may be wrong, I am not a lawyer or qualified legal professional.

When an insurance company issues a certificate of motor insurance, they have legal obligations under the terms of the Road Traffic Act. One of these is that they must provide cover against third party risks - full stop. No if's, no but's.

This is why you will often find in your policy documentation wording about, say, drink driving where they 'Reserve the right to restrict liability to that required by the Road Traffic Act'.

So, they may not pay out for your car, but they legally must pay the third party. What they can then do, however, is sue you to recover the cost of meeting the third party claim. This is not, however, the same as having no insurance.
 
Dont put them on a non-projector lamp, the light scatter is terrible and is very distracting to other road users, its like having really poorly aligned lamps.
 
[TW]Fox;11004001 said:
This is my opinion based on my interpretation of the law. I may be wrong, I am not a lawyer or qualified legal professional.

When an insurance company issues a certificate of motor insurance, they have legal obligations under the terms of the Road Traffic Act. One of these is that they must provide cover against third party risks - full stop. No if's, no but's.

This is why you will often find in your policy documentation wording about, say, drink driving where they 'Reserve the right to restrict liability to that required by the Road Traffic Act'.

So, they may not pay out for your car, but they legally must pay the third party. What they can then do, however, is sue you to recover the cost of meeting the third party claim. This is not, however, the same as having no insurance.
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Oh, I see what you mean, yeah, fair enough. .

Mind you, and I'm no lawyer either, but I wonder if paying out third party liability is necessarily the same as being up before the beak for driving with no insurance, as far as it affects the driver? Although they may not be liable for the third party costs, they may still be able to be prosecuted for driving without insurance, perhaps?

Also, would it be possible for the insurance company to sue the driver in order to recover their costs? I don't know, and I'm not sure I'd like to find out :D

I find, in my experience of being on both sides of legal arguments, that the law usually sides with whoever can afford the best lawyer :(
 
Of course, if you want Xenon bulbs just buy some and put them in. Xenon and HID are not the same thing, despite what some people will tell you!
 
I fitted some HID's to my MK2 Mondeo a few weeks ago to see what they're like and tbh the light pattern is no different to how it was before so I've kept them in. The lighting is so much brighter, so I'm happy with them.
 
I'm going to copy and paste a post I made today on the PreludeUK forum:

Confused said:
Physically, you can just buy a set of H4 HIDs, swap them in, and go on your merry way.


However, the way a HID bulb is designed, and the way a Halogen bulb is designed is COMPLETELY different, and the actual point-of-origin for the light is different.

When you have a set of headlights designed for Halogen bulbs, the focal point and beam pattern are designed to strict tolerances based on how a halogen bulb works.

filamentarc.jpg


When putting HID bulbs into a headlight designed for a halogen bulb, the output from the HID bulb is not focussed correctly, and the "downfalls" of the reflector headlight technology are exaggerated more.

Lots more details here

Here is a picture of a standard Prelude headlight with a Halogen bulb:

DSC00637%20(Small).JPG


And here is the output from a projector unit:

DSC00636%20(Small).JPG


The standard headlight throws loads of light where it shouldn't go - upwards, this is due to the way the reflector is designed - there's nothing physical in place to direct/prevent light throw - it's the best they could do based on a standard halogen bulb! Adding HIDs to this will make this upwards throw of light even worse - yes it'll illuminate better in front of you compared to a standard halogen bulb - but at the cost of potentially dazzling oncoming drivers due to excessive light being thrown upwards - something the standard headlights are designed to, as much as possible, prevent.

With a projector unit, there is a physical barrier to make the light go where it's supposed to! This is why 99% of cars with HIDs from the factory have projector lights (exceptions that I know of are some Laguna's and some Mini's), as the HID bulbs ARE brighter - it's much much easier to direct the light properly with a projector than a reflector.


Yes - many people do just fit a set of HID bulbs to their cars and happily drive down the road, and go through MOT tests - however it's not recommended, and if they decide to clamp down on it properly, then it'll be a waste of your money.

The best way to improve your headlights is to follow this information, and add in additional relays to the headlight bulbs straight from the battery - cutting out the voltage drop through the standard wiring. This will GREATLY improve your headlights!! And all for the cost of a couple of relays ;) If you then want to add some +50% or +80% bulbs, such as Osram Nightbreakers, then the difference will be even more staggering!!!


Garry
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Buy some Philips Spark Blue, great bulbs. Anything HID on non projector headlights look cheap and chav and will not offer you anything over what you already have with a better bulb :)
 
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