Can you put HID Xenon bulbs in any Volvo s40/v50 ?

[krispyKreme]

hi everyone im after another volvo s40 or maybe a v50, if it had normal halogen bulbs can i buy xenon bulbs and just plug them in the way you would halogen bulbs ?

i used to use OSRAM NIGHT BREAKER UNLIMITED H7, i know how to change those on an s40 so do xenon bulbs come in h7 size and all i would do is take out the halogens and put the xenon bulbs in and thats it ???

also any idea what they cost ( 2x xenon bulbs to fit an s40/v50 )

thanks very much

Dave

[BJB]

No you can't. H7 are just 12v, where xenon bulbs are d2s fitting and use a ballast, as these don't use a filament and requires an arc at approx 20,000v and 85v to keep it ignited.

[krispyKreme]

thanks, just found a video on changing xenon bulbs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNa5oUsZzAQ

well that sucks then ! i need to find an s40 or v50 that has xenon bulbs already fitted

[krispyKreme]

so are there any videos showing how to fit a HID conversion kit onto a volvo s40 ?

i googled and found https://www.hids4u.co.uk/volvo-hid-conversion-kit.html from their dropdown menus i selected volvo, s40, saloon twin headlight hid xenon ( there options arnt well explained so i guess thats what id opt for) then i opted for 2012/2013 model car and that goes to https://www.hids4u.co.uk/hidkits.php?car=34711 he 400% brighter option is £100 but this company fails to provide a link to show a video on how to fit their kit so i worry itll be harder than it sounds


also are these conversion kits even legal ? this Auto Express video seems to say they are illegal https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5n38wDe684

[domhart10]

yes its incredibly easy to do, pretty much plug and play.

These kits are illegal as you need to have headlamp washers and leveling.

I just got mine from amazon for about £35 and lasted couple years so far and still fine.

[hoks]

They are mostly illegal, since you will not have proper leveling electroncis, which adjust automatically height of the beam depending on how much the car is loaded and so on.

Also there are people who have experienced problems with CEM (it burns out) after fitting HID kits.

The stock light output is bad, it has been discussed a lot...
Maybe instead of HID kit you can buy new projector..

Either way, you can get a lot of info by reading this detailed thread: https://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showthread.php?t=263340

[krispyKreme]

thanks well im not fitting a kit then if its illegal, ive suffered myself from crazy bright headlights coming towards me dazzling me so i suspect they were illegal kits

ill simply try to find a car that has xenon lights factory fitted

thanks

[LizardOfBodom]

Originally Posted by krispyKreme

thanks well im not fitting a kit then if its illegal, ive suffered myself from crazy bright headlights coming towards me dazzling me so i suspect they were illegal kits

ill simply try to find a car that has xenon lights factory fitted

thanks

Bear in mind, OEM xenons, especially pre-FL ones, are not that great either. Those also do suffer from flakey reflectors and misting lenses but ofcourse are miles better than halogen ones. FL cars have ABL versions (active bending) and are really desireable & work great, so if you can - look for those.

Whatever you gonna get, you may need to take projectors out and check the condition of reflective coating and clean the lens - almost all of them will be misty/dusty and reduce you light output. If you cant find oem xenon car, dont get discouraged - you can still retrofit projectors onto halogen car (aftermarket h7 projectors) and use Osram NB bulbs on them. You will remain perfectly legal and light output will increase drastically.

[StatusRed]

With HIDs now also being an outdated technology wouldn't it be better to look to go LED if you're going to go down the route of retrofitting anyway?

[LizardOfBodom]

Originally Posted by StatusRed

With HIDs now also being an outdated technology wouldn't it be better to look to go LED if you're going to go down the route of retrofitting anyway?

LEDs will be as legal as HIDs in that case, unfortunately. Also - I am yet to see better output from LEDs than from D2S HID set (in our cars I mean). I know LEDs are "future" etc but only if applied in proper way (matrix technology or multi-lens setup) but IMO will never work better in H7 designed projector than good HID setup.