Nathanio

Full Member
May 26, 2005
1,226
1
West Sussex
www.w1pcs.co.uk
I don't know if anyone else has noticed but HIDs are awesome in the fog! They don't seem to reflect back at all like halogens do! Even in this real thick fog we've had i've not resorted to front fogs for illumination like I did before.

Just a shame you can't independently control the fogs...
 

Feel

Veedubya 'velle
Jun 12, 2003
4,918
2
Midlands
And as if by magic, one of them has now packed up :(

Get to see what their customer service is like then...

Customer Service seems fine - "send them back and we'll send you a new set". No arguement at all.
 

davidol

New ghetto whip :)
Aug 17, 2004
1,978
0
Cardiff
Ok, finally fitted the hids on the Leon.

Drivers side -no problem as can be seen ballast fitted next to wash bottle.

DSCF0387.jpg


Passengers side was more of a problem as theres less space - we just wedged the ballast to the side of body panel next to battery as can be seen:-
DSCF0415.jpg


Seems secure so far -its just been a day:)

And this is the effect of HID V's halogen bulb at night (hid on left obviously:)
DSCF0383_halogen_vs_hid.jpg



same shot (daylight)
DSCF0379_hid_vs_halogencopy.jpg


I also fitted the Philips Blue vision sidelight bulbs..first pic is the std sidelight with hid

DSCF0392.jpg

Philips Blue Vision sidelight fitted (have blue tip, though hardly much of an improvement especially compared with the white crisp light of hids, though look slightly less yellow)
DSCF0394.jpg


overall opinion on Philips Blue Vision sidelights (ok as a freebie, but not worth a special purchase)

Fitted the PowerPlus 50% more on the other car unfortunately no pic to compare with std halogen bulb

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a383/connoisseur_h/HIDs/DSCF0416_e.jpg

what a gash fitting job dude, sort it out :) i agree there isnt much room on the leon's, installed a kit on a cupra R the other day, mounted the ballasts on the backside of the front crash bar behind the bumper and had to extend one loom slightly but all braided up and heat shrunk so looks OEM
 

Nathanio

Full Member
May 26, 2005
1,226
1
West Sussex
www.w1pcs.co.uk
So how have you got round the issue of auto-levelling and washers?? Or is that ignored?

It's a grey area so all I do is keep cleaning wipes in the car and make sure the headlights are always clean before a journey. Should do that anyway as otherwise you lose alot of light through dirt. Standard practise for me.

I have not once been flashed by another driver for lights but I had them correctly adjusted to the correct heights etc. As someone pointed out self levellers end up just bouncing the light up and down as they can't react quick enough
 

sonic_vi

Toledo 20vt
not seen this topic lol, just noticed it after ijJust fitted my HID kit, its a bosch unit off fleabay, bout 90 quid delivered but really chuffed

here are lights on and fitted pics - daytime so you dont get full effect. gonna need something for the sidelights like some of those LED numbers that are pure white. fogs on for comparison BTW

image003tl2.jpg

image000yp3.jpg

image004cu3.jpg

image005qb6.jpg
 
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CH1

Full Member
Jul 6, 2004
503
0
what a gash fitting job dude, sort it out :) i agree there isnt much room on the leon's, installed a kit on a cupra R the other day, mounted the ballasts on the backside of the front crash bar behind the bumper and had to extend one loom slightly but all braided up and heat shrunk so looks OEM

Yeah, could be a bit more tidier I suppose will look into it.. did this before going away for 3 weeks will check the car out tomorrow..really missed it! (hopefully all intact)
 

RobM

Back from the dead...
Sep 27, 2006
4,982
3
Southampton
Ok everybody... as promised, here is my guide to fitting HID's. I completed this this morning and including fitting side lights, taking photos and notes and dodging the rain it took me an hour and a half. The longest part was cutting the holes in the back of the light covers, this took longer than every other step (not helped by the battery on my Dremmel dying....)

Please note: This guide is based around the kit I bought from MyDepots.com and therefore you may need to adapt the instructions and use common sense if some parts are different in the kit you purchase.

Ok, so here goes....

Firstly, you need to remove the light covers from the back of the headlights. On the passenger side you need to remove another plastic cover first, by unscrewing two screws as seen below:

HID01.jpg


Then, when you have access to the back of the lights, simply pull aside each of the two silver metal bars, as seen below:

HID02.jpg


Once the covers are off you need to unplug and remove the wiring attached to the back of the bulb and then remove the bulb itself.
Make sure you unclip the wiring before the metal clip, or else things get tricky.
To remove the metal clip, you need to push it in towards the light and to the side at the same time to unclip it, as seen below:

HID03.jpg


Once the bulbs have been removed, you can start to think about the wiring of the HID kit. The pictures below show what plugs into where. As noted above, this is based on the kit I bought and other kits my vary. Refer to your instructions for specific information if you are unsure.
In the first picture, the top two circles are fairly obvious, they only physically fit into one place in one direction. The wiring in the bottom circle plugs into the cars bulb wiring that you removed earlier (see black connection in picture three).
The last picture shows the ballasts and how the wiring from the HID bulbs connect. Again this can only go into one place in one direction, so nice and straight forward.

HID04.jpg


HID05.jpg


The next step is the part that took me the longest - drilling the holes in the light cover you removed earlier.
Firstly, hold the cover up to the back of the headlights so you can see roughly where you should be aiming your hole for.
Secondly, I found it easier to drill a decent sized hole in the back of the cover and then use a Dremmel to enlarge the hole. You could use a file if you wish, or a circular bit on a drill. It's up to you, whatever you feel most comfortable doing.
Please note: Take your time at this stage. You don't want to make the hole too big, as you wont get a good, secure fit with the rubber grommet. So when you get to the stage where you think the hole is nearly big enough, check the fitment and if necessary enlarge the hole. It doesn't have to be a perfect smooth circle, but this does make life easier. The picture below was taken part of the way through cutting the hole, hence it's not perfect yet:

HID06.jpg


Once the hole is finished you can push the wiring through and attach the grommet.
Please note: Don't forget to remove the plastic container the bulb is in before pushing the bulb through for the final time. The picture below was taking when test fitting, so still has the container in place.

HID07.jpg
 

RobM

Back from the dead...
Sep 27, 2006
4,982
3
Southampton
The next stage is to attach the HID wiring to the cars wiring. I couldn't get any good pictures of this (I needed another pair of hands!) but it's fairly straight forward. Firstly, place the bulb in the correct place and re-attach the metal clip we removed earlier. Then attach the two metal clips as seen in the wiring example above to the black plug you removed from the back of the bulb.
The wiring is colour coded and on my Leon I had a brown and a red wire. On the HID kit is a red and a black wire. Attach Red to Red and Brown to Black. It clips in place and holds itself in place securely.

Once this is done you can re-attach the plastic cover to the back of the lights. You can also pull through the excess wiring through the grommet so there isn't a bunch of wiring flapping around inside the light unit. It also gives you more length to position the ballasts where you want them. The picture below shows the grommet in place, the light cover re-attached and the wiring pulled through. Tidy job, if I do say so myself...

HID08.jpg


Next, you need to find a place to mount the ballasts. Everybody has their own idea as to where is the best place, so don't just take my word on this, ask around.
I chose to attach the drivers side as below, using an existing screw:

HID09.jpg


And the passenger side as below, using self-tapping screws to secure them to the car:

HID10.jpg

HID11.jpg


Once this is done and you're happy the ballasts are in a good, solid and secure position, you can attach the wiring as I showed you above and test the lights. Important note: Make sure the wiring to and from the ballasts and bulbs are not going to obstruct or get caught on anything in the engine bay. Also ensure they are kept well away from any sources of extreme heat. Use cable ties to hold wiring out of the way if necessary.

And that's it folks... all done. You should now leave the lights turned on for 10 minutes so they can 'burn in' well. You may notice some flickering when they first turn on... a small amount of this is normal. If they look to be struggling, turn the lights off and check your wiring. If the problem still remains, contact your supplier for information.

I only have a daytime picture, but I will follow this up with night time picture when it's, well, night time! The picture below shows the passenger side HID and also the 4-LED sidelight I fitted at the same time. This gives the same kind of light as the HID kit so doesn't look horrible and yellow next to it!

HID12.jpg
 

RobM

Back from the dead...
Sep 27, 2006
4,982
3
Southampton
I would assume brown to black and red to blue. On my kit the black went to the brown so it should be the same on yours.

Does it not say in the manual? The instructions that came with the HID kit should say which is positive at least?
 

dmmsta

Sold car - bought bike
Feb 10, 2007
787
0
Maidstone - Kent
Please note: This guide is based around the kit I bought from MyDepots.com and therefore you may need to adapt the instructions and use common sense if some parts are different in the kit you purchase.

FYI - mydepots.com (where RobM got his from) also sell on eBay.com, and it's a bit cheaper... http://motors.search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZflashplus

Have just ordered H1 & H7 kits for £125 plus some change...inc P&P.

I'll be out with the car & a print out of your post when they arrive.

Might have a little more fun locating 4x balasts, but we'll get there in the end ;-)

I'll post some pic's when I'm done.

Cheers to RobM for the "How-To" and also for pointing me at MyDepots...

____
Dmm
 

Kermit

Guest
HIDs not legal (Auto Express)

Hi all.

I do love the idea of HID's on my Cupra but came across this small dit in Auto Express (31st Jan-6Feb)... somewhat of a spanner in the works for me:

"As HID conversion kits are not road legal, not only could using them land you a fine, it could invalitade your insurance, too. The reflectors in [the] headlamps have been precisely engineered to focus from a normal filament bulb of specific size and shape, not an HID bulb."

I'm personally not going near them until the whole legal issue to cleared up. They looks the mut's nuts though.
 

RobM

Back from the dead...
Sep 27, 2006
4,982
3
Southampton
Please search through the forum for information on this. It's been discussed and debated to death and all the information is out there. I have personally posted information relating to government legislation and a copy of a letter from the DfT that you might find interesting.
Also, the AutoExpress article is so incredibly flawed it looses all credibility so that shouldn't be taken too seriously IMO.
 

Arnolfini

Muppet
Nov 23, 2006
179
0
The Gates of Hell (Croydon)
A lot of people say that the legality of HID conversions is a 'grey area', I for one don't believe this. RobM is probably going to crucify me for this, but if you read it carefully, the DfT letter that he posted here: http://www.seatcupra.net/forums/showthread.php?t=111655 (see post 19) makes it quite clear that HID kits are only legal if the lights are self-levelling (either through the suspension being self levelling, or the lights themselves being self-levelling) and have headlight washers. You can't legally have one without the other two.

As such HIDs on a Mk1 Leon are not road legal (unless you've got the other bits and pieces) - simple as that.

HOWEVER - if HIDs are properly aligned and maintained correctly, they are perfectly safe for road use. They will not blind other road users (contrary to what Auto Express will have you believe), and they will also make things safer for you, the driver. Furthermore, there will be no issues with MOTs (so long as they are aligned correctly), and the likelihood of getting pulled over for them is miniscule (police don't know which cars come with xenons as standard and which don't).

As such, even though I accept that HIDs are not legal for road use I have nonetheless fitted a set to my car, and have even gone so far as ordering another kit for my main beams! It's a calculated risk at the end of the day. I calculated that the risk of getting in trouble for the lights was very very small, whereas the benefit to me of having the lights was huge - so I got them.

You've just got to weigh the pros and cons up in your own mind.
 
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Nathanio

Full Member
May 26, 2005
1,226
1
West Sussex
www.w1pcs.co.uk
Arnolfini, I do agree with you but someone else on here had a very condictory letter to that from the DfT as well. Its very difficult and is certainly an annoying issue.

I have been blinded more often by idiots with crap angel eye conversions or poor car maintenance.
 

RobM

Back from the dead...
Sep 27, 2006
4,982
3
Southampton
This is why I was hoping this discussion wouldn't crop up again... the fact is it is a grey area, as if you read through that link you posted you can see a clear response to the situation claiming it is not reasonable to ban HID's in the aftermarket but it is reasonable to require certain safety demands to be met by aftermarket intsalls in the same way they have to be met by new vehicles.
And with regards to the self levelling, that DfT letter actually confuses things more, as if you read the actual true letter of the law it doesn't require 'self levelling' it just requires 'levelling' which includes self levelling lights, self levelling suspension and a manual light levelling control inside the car. If you look on page 2 of that link, there is a link to this information taken from the government websites.

It is a grey area. That doesn't mean it's right and perfectly legal, but at the same time the use of HID's has not been made illegal. As already mentioned, a well setup and installed HID light is more safe than a badly setup and installed Halogen system.
 
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