To those using HID in an H4: watch out!
16 March 2011, 05:07 PM
#1
To those using HID in an H4: watch out!
Mods, I've deliberately put this in here so it gets the most exposure.
A couple of months back, some of you may remember me posting about having had a "pull" from the local Dibble/VOSA for a roadside test, and that one of the things they mentioned was HIDs in cars not suited. (ie: anything NOT having HID as OE). Mine is not so-fitted and they questioned me because of how bright my lights were.
Yesterday, my mate's son got a pull in his Punto. His car was examined and found to have an aftermarket HID kit fitted. It normally uses an H4 bulb.
The police have issued some sort of stop notice and he has to get them removed and have the removal certified as done, and lights certified as being standard by an MoT station, at his expense.
The reasons they cited were: lack of levelling and lack of headlight washers.
Some of us on here have been expecting this. Some thought it might never happen, some stuck their heads in the sand. Now it appears to have started.
He HASN'T been prosecuted, but he WAS told that if stopped again and not having complied with the notice, they WOULD go after him.
Comments?
A couple of months back, some of you may remember me posting about having had a "pull" from the local Dibble/VOSA for a roadside test, and that one of the things they mentioned was HIDs in cars not suited. (ie: anything NOT having HID as OE). Mine is not so-fitted and they questioned me because of how bright my lights were.
Yesterday, my mate's son got a pull in his Punto. His car was examined and found to have an aftermarket HID kit fitted. It normally uses an H4 bulb.
The police have issued some sort of stop notice and he has to get them removed and have the removal certified as done, and lights certified as being standard by an MoT station, at his expense.
The reasons they cited were: lack of levelling and lack of headlight washers.
Some of us on here have been expecting this. Some thought it might never happen, some stuck their heads in the sand. Now it appears to have started.
He HASN'T been prosecuted, but he WAS told that if stopped again and not having complied with the notice, they WOULD go after him.
Comments?
16 March 2011, 05:21 PM
#5
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Not wanting to argue with you but x5's blind me all the time and they are legal?
Just seems another BS reason to tug you and waste time and money!
Do bright lights coming towards you make you crash really, or just annoy you?
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Just seems another BS reason to tug you and waste time and money!
Do bright lights coming towards you make you crash really, or just annoy you?
Ads
16 March 2011, 05:26 PM
#7
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I dont see why the levelling is an issue... older cars or basic poverty spec RA's like mine dont have levelling, manual or otherwise for when there's a load in the back of the car...
So long as the alignment is right as far as the MOT garage is concerned I dont see the issue. Beurecratic bollocks.
So long as the alignment is right as far as the MOT garage is concerned I dont see the issue. Beurecratic bollocks.
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16 March 2011, 05:30 PM
#9
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16 March 2011, 05:38 PM
#10
+1, about time.
Agreed with the X5 thing, infact any HID light pi**es me off.
Maybe they don't make you crash, but for example, I was driving through Birmingham a while ago. I was in an unfamiliar place, it was dark and it was raining
I was travelling along when I came to a humped back bridge. As I reached the top of the bridge so did a car with HID headlights coming the other way. As the car was pointing 'up' the headlight 'cut off' was useless and the lights shone directly into my eyes and were that bright they temporaily blinded me (a bit like the flash on a camera does) I slowed down until I got my sight back, albeit with lots of red dots, and carried on -luckily down a straight road! Had there been a bend or something/someone in the way then it would have been a different story........
I know ordinary headlights would have shone in my eye, but as they're not as bright I doubt they would have affected my sight as much.
Ban the f**kers altogether imo
Maybe they don't make you crash, but for example, I was driving through Birmingham a while ago. I was in an unfamiliar place, it was dark and it was raining
I was travelling along when I came to a humped back bridge. As I reached the top of the bridge so did a car with HID headlights coming the other way. As the car was pointing 'up' the headlight 'cut off' was useless and the lights shone directly into my eyes and were that bright they temporaily blinded me (a bit like the flash on a camera does) I slowed down until I got my sight back, albeit with lots of red dots, and carried on -luckily down a straight road! Had there been a bend or something/someone in the way then it would have been a different story........I know ordinary headlights would have shone in my eye, but as they're not as bright I doubt they would have affected my sight as much.
Ban the f**kers altogether imo
Last edited by BLU; 16 March 2011 at 05:40 PM.
16 March 2011, 05:56 PM
#12
Factory fit, (projector) HID's DO scatter much less than OE halogens, and LOADS less than aftermarket HIDs.
I was driving a fortnight ago in mist/fog, and you could actually SEE the scatter: those cars using projectors were the ones with the least, aftermarket HIDs the worst.
I was driving a fortnight ago in mist/fog, and you could actually SEE the scatter: those cars using projectors were the ones with the least, aftermarket HIDs the worst.
16 March 2011, 06:02 PM
#13
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Factory fit, (projector) HID's DO scatter much less than OE halogens, and LOADS less than aftermarket HIDs.
I was driving a fortnight ago in mist/fog, and you could actually SEE the scatter: those cars using projectors were the ones with the least, aftermarket HIDs the worst.
I was driving a fortnight ago in mist/fog, and you could actually SEE the scatter: those cars using projectors were the ones with the least, aftermarket HIDs the worst.
16 March 2011, 06:11 PM
#14
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Any lights which improve a drivers visibility on the road have to be a good thing IMO! My standard crap lights on my FTO were useless so I fitted HID`s...best thing ever, I was finally able to see the road. To people who get `blinded or dazzled` by cars with decent lights....don`t look at them 
16 March 2011, 06:24 PM
#16
would they say anything about a jdm car, mine has hid's the reflectors are designed for them so no problem with pattern, but as they only have manual levelling and no washers may be classed same as illegal kits, will have to wait and see.
16 March 2011, 06:26 PM
#17
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Any lights which improve a drivers visibility on the road have to be a good thing IMO! My standard crap lights on my FTO were useless so I fitted HID`s...best thing ever, I was finally able to see the road. To people who get `blinded or dazzled` by cars with decent lights....don`t look at them
16 March 2011, 07:11 PM
#18
A lot of it is in the detail.
You CAN look away, but do you always want to, on a narrow road, in the rain etc? And from a distance, where do you look and for how long? Long enough to hit a pedestrian walking on your side?
SOME lights dazzle anyway: what of the cars, (and there aren't just one or two), travelling around with one headlight on the road, and one in the air? THEY dazzle much worse than PROPERLY set HIDs. Have THEY got MoTs? And if so, how?
And this "self-levelling" is a bit daft too. Surely, someone has to set the lights originally so that the levelling device simply keeps them at the original setting?
I was once being followed by an Omega with HIDs. One of them was blinding me, I signalled him in his mirror, then flashed my brakelights, then my rear fogs, and eventually he put on blues and two's and stopped me
Yep: umarked cop car
He started off by asking me if I had a problem with my rear fogs, so I went on the offensive and told him no, with HIS headlights, one was blinding me.
He said that wasn't possible since they were self levelling, at which point I said, "Which pre-supposes that whoever put the ORIGINAL settings in, did it right, yes?".
He had to agree and I left him walking down the road to look into his own lights.........
You CAN look away, but do you always want to, on a narrow road, in the rain etc? And from a distance, where do you look and for how long? Long enough to hit a pedestrian walking on your side?
SOME lights dazzle anyway: what of the cars, (and there aren't just one or two), travelling around with one headlight on the road, and one in the air? THEY dazzle much worse than PROPERLY set HIDs. Have THEY got MoTs? And if so, how?
And this "self-levelling" is a bit daft too. Surely, someone has to set the lights originally so that the levelling device simply keeps them at the original setting?
I was once being followed by an Omega with HIDs. One of them was blinding me, I signalled him in his mirror, then flashed my brakelights, then my rear fogs, and eventually he put on blues and two's and stopped me
Yep: umarked cop car
He started off by asking me if I had a problem with my rear fogs, so I went on the offensive and told him no, with HIS headlights, one was blinding me.
He said that wasn't possible since they were self levelling, at which point I said, "Which pre-supposes that whoever put the ORIGINAL settings in, did it right, yes?".
He had to agree and I left him walking down the road to look into his own lights.........
16 March 2011, 07:20 PM
#19
A good pal of mine had a brand new Range Rover Sport. God knows what lights that had but fukc me they were bright.
He was following me one night and I had wave him past as the lights were just too bright.
He's picking up a new X5 on Monday and I'm guessing the lights will be just as bright on that.
I have fitted 100W bulbs in my car which are brighter than original but not blinding. Would these warrant a pull and telling off do you think ??
He was following me one night and I had wave him past as the lights were just too bright.
He's picking up a new X5 on Monday and I'm guessing the lights will be just as bright on that.
I have fitted 100W bulbs in my car which are brighter than original but not blinding. Would these warrant a pull and telling off do you think ??
16 March 2011, 07:33 PM
#20
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and if the self levelling thing is broke? :/
ive had the same experience in my old CTR down some dark small country roads, got well and truely blinded several times whilst trying my best to avoid all the huge potholls and tiny twisting corners :/
although ive now got OEM hids on my hawkeye and the improvement over old style lights is huge, made the CTR look like it had small candles up front heh
wasnt there the whole thing about non e marked super bright standard bulbs a while back?
not sure if the police bothered with that for a little while then seemed to give up?
ive had the same experience in my old CTR down some dark small country roads, got well and truely blinded several times whilst trying my best to avoid all the huge potholls and tiny twisting corners :/
although ive now got OEM hids on my hawkeye and the improvement over old style lights is huge, made the CTR look like it had small candles up front heh
wasnt there the whole thing about non e marked super bright standard bulbs a while back?
not sure if the police bothered with that for a little while then seemed to give up?
16 March 2011, 07:40 PM
#21
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A lot of it is in the detail.
You CAN look away, but do you always want to, on a narrow road, in the rain etc? And from a distance, where do you look and for how long? Long enough to hit a pedestrian walking on your side?
SOME lights dazzle anyway: what of the cars, (and there aren't just one or two), travelling around with one headlight on the road, and one in the air? THEY dazzle much worse than PROPERLY set HIDs. Have THEY got MoTs? And if so, how?
And this "self-levelling" is a bit daft too. Surely, someone has to set the lights originally so that the levelling device simply keeps them at the original setting?
I was once being followed by an Omega with HIDs. One of them was blinding me, I signalled him in his mirror, then flashed my brakelights, then my rear fogs, and eventually he put on blues and two's and stopped me
Yep: umarked cop car
He started off by asking me if I had a problem with my rear fogs, so I went on the offensive and told him no, with HIS headlights, one was blinding me.
He said that wasn't possible since they were self levelling, at which point I said, "Which pre-supposes that whoever put the ORIGINAL settings in, did it right, yes?".
He had to agree and I left him walking down the road to look into his own lights.........
You CAN look away, but do you always want to, on a narrow road, in the rain etc? And from a distance, where do you look and for how long? Long enough to hit a pedestrian walking on your side?
SOME lights dazzle anyway: what of the cars, (and there aren't just one or two), travelling around with one headlight on the road, and one in the air? THEY dazzle much worse than PROPERLY set HIDs. Have THEY got MoTs? And if so, how?
And this "self-levelling" is a bit daft too. Surely, someone has to set the lights originally so that the levelling device simply keeps them at the original setting?
I was once being followed by an Omega with HIDs. One of them was blinding me, I signalled him in his mirror, then flashed my brakelights, then my rear fogs, and eventually he put on blues and two's and stopped me
Yep: umarked cop car
He started off by asking me if I had a problem with my rear fogs, so I went on the offensive and told him no, with HIS headlights, one was blinding me.
He said that wasn't possible since they were self levelling, at which point I said, "Which pre-supposes that whoever put the ORIGINAL settings in, did it right, yes?".
He had to agree and I left him walking down the road to look into his own lights.........
16 March 2011, 08:32 PM
#23
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Any lights which improve a drivers visibility on the road have to be a good thing IMO! My standard crap lights on my FTO were useless so I fitted HID`s...best thing ever, I was finally able to see the road. To people who get `blinded or dazzled` by cars with decent lights....don`t look at them
Explain how you are expected to not look at them when they're driving towards you in an oncoming direction?
16 March 2011, 08:39 PM
#24
Also, on some cars HID kits don't work very well at all and shouldn't be fitted, on others they work just fine. Imprezas are one of the cars they work fine on.
Not sure why the thread title is exclusively for "H4 HIDs" and not all HID fitments (other than the OP having a thing about H4 kits?!).
Last edited by Aztec Performance Ltd; 16 March 2011 at 08:40 PM.
16 March 2011, 08:56 PM
#25
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Agree totally. Beaurocratic crap. Have all the knifers and muggers been removed off the streets of the uk and the police are targetting motorists with aftermarket hid kits? How pathetic and oh so British in attitude.
16 March 2011, 09:30 PM
#27
A good pal of mine had a brand new Range Rover Sport. God knows what lights that had but fukc me they were bright.
He was following me one night and I had wave him past as the lights were just too bright.
He's picking up a new X5 on Monday and I'm guessing the lights will be just as bright on that.
I have fitted 100W bulbs in my car which are brighter than original but not blinding. Would these warrant a pull and telling off do you think ??
He was following me one night and I had wave him past as the lights were just too bright.
He's picking up a new X5 on Monday and I'm guessing the lights will be just as bright on that.
I have fitted 100W bulbs in my car which are brighter than original but not blinding. Would these warrant a pull and telling off do you think ??
If not make sure your plugs and wires aren't getting brittle from the extra load and starting to break up.
The Aztec HID H4 kit transformed my Classic Impreza lights. I not have candles for headlights anymore
16 March 2011, 10:09 PM
#29
Agreed
Also, on some cars HID kits don't work very well at all and shouldn't be fitted, on others they work just fine. Imprezas are one of the cars they work fine on.
Not sure why the thread title is exclusively for "H4 HIDs" and not all HID fitments (other than the OP having a thing about H4 kits?!).
Also, on some cars HID kits don't work very well at all and shouldn't be fitted, on others they work just fine. Imprezas are one of the cars they work fine on.
Not sure why the thread title is exclusively for "H4 HIDs" and not all HID fitments (other than the OP having a thing about H4 kits?!).
Firstly HID's in H4 format DO NOT work well, whether on Imprezas or other vehicles. Despite your pleas, the Impreza lights REMAIN one of the WORST for aftermarket HID's in H4 format since the lights are CRAP and even YOUR wonder kits can't solve that problem
And the post was about H4 HID's since that's what the officers THOUGHT I had and is what my mate's son HAS.
Only one of us has an ulterior motive here, mate, only one of us SELLS HID's, I just report the news;(
16 March 2011, 10:11 PM
#30
I dont see why the levelling is an issue... older cars or basic poverty spec RA's like mine dont have levelling, manual or otherwise for when there's a load in the back of the car...
So long as the alignment is right as far as the MOT garage is concerned I dont see the issue. Beurecratic bollocks.
So long as the alignment is right as far as the MOT garage is concerned I dont see the issue. Beurecratic bollocks.
I don't know about others, but MY experience of the number of cars on the road with misaligned headlights, HID, Halogen or otherwise, says they aren't