mini
Guest
hi evry one,this may be a silly question but ive just installed xenon hid kit an whilst driving iv been flashed a few times!! is it because they need alinged at a garage?????
mini
Guest
George
Guest
HAHAHA yeah same here! some fuddy duddys and just general annoying idiots just think because they aren't orange candles like 95% of other cars on the road they are "too bright"
TBH after fitting this kit it is definitely worth getting the headlamp aim checked whther your getting flashed or not. Maybe worth taking it to a diff garage to the one that does your MOT's just in case its noted ready for your next MOT
Having HIDs fitted will not cause the car to fail its mot unless they're not properly aligned. I've passed 5 MOTs with a HID kit fitted, all of them at different test stations.
Passing an MOT at a garage doesn't prove that they are not an MOT fail, just means the garage werent aware they were a kit not approved for road use. It doesn't mean the next garage won't fail them, nor does it mean the police won't fine you for illegal headlamp bulbs as they can with any other bulbs that aren't approved for road use.
By asking a garage to check the adjustment due to you fitting a HID kit you are drawing their attention to them being a retrofit kit and they may know that its a fail.
I'm guessing that you didnt point out to any of the 5 garages that you had fitted the kit?
It doesn't matter that they're a retrofit kit. They still can not fail them for that. The Regulations for Road Vehicle Lighting only state that the headlamps must show a white beam and must be properly aligned to illuminate up and to the left. At this point in time, there is nothing in the law that can cause your car to fail its MOT purely by virtue of having an aftermarket HID kit fitted. Anybody who tells you otherwise is misinformed.
The oft quoted statement/email from the Department for Transport holds no legal weight whatsoever. Until its passed as a bill in the House of Lords, its not worth the paper its written on.
All of these kits come with E-marked bulbs and ballasts, this is effectively where your responsibility as a consumer ends. They are being represented as fit for road use. It is not the MOT tester's place to try to prove otherwise. How can the police possibly justify fining you for fitting an aftermarket accessory that is being marketed as being road legal and carrying a recognised approval mark?
The tester actually asked how much I paid for them at my last MOT and asked for the web address of the store I got them from so he could buy a set himself. I specifically asked him and he said that NO tester is allowed to fail a car for retrofitted HIDs so long as they are properly aligned.
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There is a huge thread on it somewhere on here which I will search out at some point, not sure if there was anything which said crystal clear either way. A quick search did find this page which states
I know that previously we have dealt with a car at work which was imported from dubai and was fitted as standard with xenon lights but no headlamp wash or auto height control/self levelling suspension so these had to be retrofitted in order for it to be legal on our roads.
From your statement above I can go and fit 100w dipped beam to my car and if the beams ok its road legal.
Where did you buy your HID kit? the places ive looked have all listed them as being for off road use only but obviously Ive only looked in a few places so can't speak for every seller
Answering a few of my own points above
Markyboyt said:
h-i-d.co.uk said:
Somebody has also quoted this but I cant locate the original sourceMarkyboyt said:
I've yet to see a HID kit that isn't DOT approved and e-marked.
What 99% of people fail to understand is that when Department for Transport make a statement, that statement does NOT automatically become law. There is only one document that states the law for vehicle lighting and that is the Road Vehicle Lighting Regulations 1989, you can find it here:
http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si1989/Uksi_19891796_en_1.htm
It was ammended in 2005, you can find this ammendment here:
http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si2005/20052559.htm
There is nothing in this document prohibiting the use of Xenon HID headlamp bulbs, nothing at all. This is the only document that can be used when presenting evidence in a court of law. It is the only document thats contents govern the standard of the MOT lights test. It is the only document that a police officer can refer to when enforcing vehicle lighting laws.
As I stated before, the quote you made from the Department of Transport carries absolutely no weight when it comes to the MOT test or the law regarding vehicle lighting. HID lighting, whether fitted from the factory, at a VAT registered garage or on Joe Bloggs driveway, will not and can not be the cause of an MOT failure or a motoring conviction as long as the headlamps on the vehicle in question are correctly aligned.
I hope that this will address any concerns that forum members may have over the present legalities of fitting a HID kit to their car.
What 99% of people fail to understand is that when Department for Transport make a statement, that statement does NOT automatically become law. There is only one document that states the law for vehicle lighting and that is the Road Vehicle Lighting Regulations 1989, you can find it here:
http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si1989/Uksi_19891796_en_1.htm
It was ammended in 2005, you can find this ammendment here:
http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si2005/20052559.htm
There is nothing in this document prohibiting the use of Xenon HID headlamp bulbs, nothing at all. This is the only document that can be used when presenting evidence in a court of law. It is the only document thats contents govern the standard of the MOT lights test. It is the only document that a police officer can refer to when enforcing vehicle lighting laws.
As I stated before, the quote you made from the Department of Transport carries absolutely no weight when it comes to the MOT test or the law regarding vehicle lighting. HID lighting, whether fitted from the factory, at a VAT registered garage or on Joe Bloggs driveway, will not and can not be the cause of an MOT failure or a motoring conviction as long as the headlamps on the vehicle in question are correctly aligned.
I hope that this will address any concerns that forum members may have over the present legalities of fitting a HID kit to their car.
Does it for me Cupra Ross - I feel confident to get this popular but confusing mod done now without it affecting my insurance because it's not legal.
Cheers for the advice on this subject from someone like me who was always slightly in the dark (
) when it came to HID!I think I'll go for the 4300k
Thanks again
Does it for me Cupra Ross - I feel confident to get this popular but confusing mod done now without it affecting my insurance because it's not legal.
Cheers for the advice on this subject from someone like me who was always slightly in the dark (
I think I'll go for the 4300k
Thanks again
No worries mate. 4300k is the best compromise for a bright white light (I should be a poet
) and also plenty of lumens put where you need them, on the road ahead.
I just want to add that im not against these kits and that I actually gave a lot of consideration to fitting one but decided against it for now as my lights are ok and I wanted to spend the money on more important upgrades.
I thought they were a grey area that tipped onto illegal more than legal, it appears that the issue hasn't yet actually been covered specifically by anything legally binding so while a grey area still, I would guess that should an issue arise it shouldnt be too difficult to sort out.
As has already been pointed out though headlamp aim check is essential afterwards to help avoid any confusion, but thats also true of regular halogen bulbs.
I thought they were a grey area that tipped onto illegal more than legal, it appears that the issue hasn't yet actually been covered specifically by anything legally binding so while a grey area still, I would guess that should an issue arise it shouldnt be too difficult to sort out.
As has already been pointed out though headlamp aim check is essential afterwards to help avoid any confusion, but thats also true of regular halogen bulbs.
Me too, at the moment I have better things to put £45 towards. A full exhaust system being 1st priority.
Definitely a grey area. The DfTs interpretation of the regulations is that anything not mentioned is specifically forbidden. However, you could also argue that anything not mentioned is specifically permitted and both English and Scottish law tends to favour the consumer on this one. If something is E-marked, its reasonable for the consumer to assume that its ok to fit to their car.
Every time I've fitted HIDs, I've always done an alignment check, either by myself if I knew that the halogens were correctly aligned or at a garage if I had any doubt. This is a 100% requirement IMO.
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