XC70: Electrical XC70 Dipped Beam Performance - Downright Dangerous

[Tannaton]

For some reason lots of new Volvos used to have headlights adjusted very low, it should be checked and set at the PDI. My dad had this on his 2013 xc70 when new and myself on my 2016 xc60. Both had abl xenon’s, both much better (very good in fact) after. Adjusting up to the limit allowed for mot.

[monkeh]

I hate to say, I went back to fitting HID to my halogen housing.
I know it's going to cause a lot of REEEEEEEE! But recently bought a h7R kit, which was specifically designed to be used in halogen housings.

I'd set up my halogens - osram night breakers. They were too low and were pretty much all on the pi**. Set them up correctly using my dad's p2 v70 as a guide. Discovering the left/right needed severe adjustment on both lights.

I'd managed a month in a winter commute and a trip to Cardigan on pitch black A roads to realise that these halogen headlights may as well be compared to a 35w tungsten motorbike globe undervolted. I'd compare these to the p1 v70 headlights with their inherent dying chrome.

It goes so far against the grain of me as a retrofitter to fit hid, but for a reflector version these hid units are pretty spot on, without spurious glare or stray beams. The fact that they are set up correct makes a world of difference.
The halogen housings are epoxy sealed so baking them open to fit projectors are a no go.
Previous vehicles like my 940, 300c, v90, v70 were all easily split and the 300c in particular, suffered with bad lights. No one knew they were upgraded when I'd retrofitted them.

Of course - if I do get a tug for having non compliant headlights, my nightbreakers reside in the boot and can be swapped back, along with an apology to the officer, and at mot time of course.

H7r - they're worth looking and reading into.
I'd also like to apologise for triggering anyone who is going to berate me for doing a bad.

[Tatsfield]

Leaving aside the niceties of the particular regulation, since the HID kit you bought has been designed to fit into Halogen housings and assuming that it actually works in those housings without blinding oncoming drivers, your "bad" doesn't seem quite so bad.