Headlights

[minibull]

Originally Posted by Tannaton

If you look at www.powerbulbs.com they have a lookup tool and you can find upgrade bulbs for your car. They also state clearly whether the options are fully compliant or off-road use only. I’ve used Osram Nightbreaker for years and they are a good improvement but short lived, especially on cars where the headlights are the day running lights. I’m now using PIAA Hyper Arros and I think they are longer lived whilst still a significant upgrade.

I've just replaced my xenons with GT Ultra D1S from Powerbulbs, £40 for a pair, and got Nightbreakers for the main beams. Also went with the PIAA yellow fog light bulbs.

[100K+]

...as i said in an earlier thread, discussions from a "lost" thread on this subject revolved around brighter bulb not lasting as long as std. H7's.
Some owners are accepting of this fact, others are not.
Bottom line Kev......you pays your money etc etc.

Cheers
Bob

[Tatsfield]

I think this may be the thread you mention, or one of several on the subject. https://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showt...ulbs%2C&page=2 Headlight bulbs are a bit of a minefield, legally and operationally. Before opting for a change in the type of lighting system on the after market, some detailed investigations need to be carried out to see what is feasible and what is optimum. What will work for one car may not work or may be illegal for another. I know that on my previous cars the abysmally poor performing headlights were so dangerous that I was prepared to accept some degree of "illegality" to protect myself and my passengers when travelling country roads at night both here in the UK and in France.

[Kev0607]

Originally Posted by apersson850

What about the rules for these lights in the UK?

Here (in Sweden) DRL of some sort is mandatory. Either dipped headlights or special DRL light. No parking lights can substitute.

Also, Xenon lights require active levelling control, as they are so bright.

Failure of an MOT for non-operational DRL's only applies to vehicles that are registered from the 1st March 2018 in the UK. So by the time the first MOT inspection is due, that'll be 2021. If you buy a brand new car here in the UK, the first MOT (inspection) is due when the car is three years old (so no MOT/inspection for three years). As soon as the car is three years old, it needs its first MOT & then the same needs to be done every year going forward.

If your car is 2018 or newer, the DRL's have to be operational (its a failure of the MOT if they aren't, plus all other bulbs have to work).

On my Brother's car for example (Vauxhall Insignia, 2010 plate), he got an advisory saying one of the DRL's wasn't working. However, despite one of the DRL's not working, it wasn't actually an MOT failure because the car is registered before 2018. Although, all the other bulbs like brake lights, indicators etc had to & were working because it passed the MOT. My Brother did replace the DRL bulb that wasn't working because he didn't want one bulb blown & the other not.

However, its an interesting point that from an inspection/MOT perspective here in the UK that DRL's don't actually have to work on cars registered before 2018. **Note, the MOT obviously covers more than bulbs... Suspension, tyre tread, brakes etc are all checked too & have to be within tolerance for an MOT pass.

Originally Posted by 100K+

...as i said in an earlier thread, discussions from a "lost" thread on this subject revolved around brighter bulb not lasting as long as std. H7's.
Some owners are accepting of this fact, others are not.
Bottom line Kev......you pays your money etc etc.

Cheers
Bob

Yep, as with many things! I understand that the brighter bulbs may/probably won't last as long. The cost of extra bulbs every once in a while is to be expected, I think anyway.

[camturbo]

I'm contemplating led h7 in mine need to ask questions first,as people have said it's a minefield. I've found some that are road legal and approved but need to clarify some questions first.

[Kev0607]

Originally Posted by camturbo

I'm contemplating led h7 in mine need to ask questions first,as people have said it's a minefield. I've found some that are road legal and approved but need to clarify some questions first.

My understanding is you have to either have projector lens headlights, or buy special HID bulbs to use in the "ordinary" headlight assembly. Others may be able to explain it a bit more, but I don't think any old bulb can be fitted as you say because they should be road legal.

For those in the know, what do you need to do to fit HID's in a Volvo that has standard halogen headlights? Is it just a case of buying HID bulbs (road legal), fitting them & away you go? Or, is there extra equipment that comes with the bulbs that needs to be fitted to make the HID's operational?

I notice the lights in my Dad's V70 D5 (57 plate, SE Lux model) are far better than my halogens, but his are HID I think (?) & that probably explains why. When you start the car, the beam moves itself, like an auto levelling function of some sort? I'm not too clued up on it to be honest, but I'm sure plenty on here are. Any of those who are "in the know" are more than welcome to chip in, if they wish.

[camturbo]

Well as i said i need to do some research first. The ones ive found are road legal,surely if the bulb is legal and certified it would have been tested in a halogen headlight. Mine are h7, the h stands for halogen. However if you read online it is illegal to use led bulbs on exterior lights ie headlights because they are not approved,though the ones ive found claim they are. If the headlight was designed as a led headlight originally they are legal,however they use different bulbs and the whole assembly would have to be replaced..
I need to research first. If every car maker stuck with halogen,no led or hids there wouldnt be a problem as everyone would be driving slower and on the same playing field, but alas we aint.

[Tatsfield]

HID bulbs need a ballast fitted between the bulb and the power supply to boost the current to absurdly high levels to make the Xenon gas discharge light. The ballasts measure about 10 cm x 5 cm x 2 cm and must be kept dry but not put near electronic circuitry in case electromagnetic charges created by the high voltages damage circuits. Unless the bulbs come with special compensating reflectors they must only be fitted in projector type headlight units. Because a dirty headlight face will deflect the very bright light and cause unacceptable glare for oncoming motorists, the car must be fitted with headlight washers to keep them headlights clean. Lastly, because the beams are so bright, it is feared that even with correctly adjusted headlights, when the front of the car rises, the beams will blind oncoming motorists and so the car must be fitted with automatic headlight levelling systems. Failure to have these three requirements makes the fitting of HID bulbs illegal.

I've been blinded by cars with factory fitted HID lights which must have the levelling system as standard so it doesn't seem to be something that is particularly effective but the law demands it. The special reflector fitted HID units are somewhat5 of a grey area as they are designed to fit in non projector housings. Personally I've never found that spray only headlight washers actually clean the lights very much and nothing short of individual headlight wipers is likely to keep the lights really clean. So the law on retro9 fitted HIDs is probably an ass, but it is the law and there are repercussions for breaking it, primarily voiding of insurance. The sellers of HID retro fit bulbs and LED bulbs cover themselves legally with a small print statement that their product should only be used off road and not on public highways. The police however don't seem to worry if the lights don't blind them and MoT inspector never fail cars with inappropriate HIDs or LEDs if the lights are correctly adjusted for beam pattern.

Easier to fit are LED bulbs which don't have ballasts or very high operating voltages but these usually have a built in fan system to keep them cool and so often will not fit in some headlight housings and the HID rules appear to apply to LEDs as well. Their advantage is that they provide instant light against the HIDs which take time to warm up and throw a beam. This is why it is inadvisable to fit HIDs for both full and dipped beams.

Ooops, I seem to have got carried away and written a lot on these lights. Sorry.

[Kev0607]

Originally Posted by camturbo

Well as i said i need to do some research first. The ones ive found are road legal,surely if the bulb is legal and certified it would have been tested in a halogen headlight. Mine are h7, the h stands for halogen. However if you read online it is illegal to use led bulbs on exterior lights ie headlights because they are not approved,though the ones ive found claim they are. If the headlight was designed as a led headlight originally they are legal,however they use different bulbs and the whole assembly would have to be replaced..
I need to research first. If every car maker stuck with halogen,no led or hids there wouldnt be a problem as everyone would be driving slower and on the same playing field, but alas we aint.

I imagine (not sure though) that the H7 LED bulbs you've found would have been tested in an assembly that's suitable for that particular bulb, so one with a ballast & automatic levelling. On that basis, the H7 LED bulbs would be legal in that type of headlight assembly, but not in a standard halogen headlight assembly.

Tatsfield's post above explains things in more detail. I'll ensure that the next car I buy has xenon's fitted as standard!

The brighter H7 halogen bulbs like Osram's etc sell will do for me.

[Tatsfield]

HIDs have a ballast but LEDs do not but they do have a built in fan unit which is bulky and unlike the ballast on an HID which sits outside the headlamp housing, the LED fan unit, being on the back of the actual bulb, needs a housing with a lot of room which may not have been designed in when the original bulbs would be halogens. The legal killer for all these bright light systems is the legal requirement of self levelling lights which, before HID Xenons were very rare if not non existent.