Xenon Headlights

[Jonesyboy]

I've seen a set of replacement bulbs on ebay that are xenon and only 55/60 watt i was just wondering if anyone has put similar bulbs in their nova? I'm not talking about a full HID kit they are just replacement bulbs.

[lilnath88]

i had a set in mine there ok. but iv got a 8000k hid set now and there even better! i paid £34.55 of ebay for a full set. there realy easy to fit and look smart to

[General Lee]

yeah as said i have a 100w set in mine and they are still piss poor! So i would invest that £10 more for the Hid kit you can get the lower k version i think 4000k and they look standard but are much brighter! not got a purple or blue tinge!

[Jack]

HIDs in Nova lamps are a no-no as they scatter the beam something awful.

I had some PIAA xtreme force or xtreme white or something in my old saloon once, they were 60/55W draw but supposedly gave higher output. Costly, but the quality was worth it.

[Jonesyboy]

I just got the cheapo replacement bulbs, i know they won't be anywhere near as good as a proper kit but hopefully better on dipped beam than mine are at the moment, the full beam on them are really good standard.

[Spudly]

Ive got these in my cav...

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_productId_49 1417_langId_-1_categoryId_205263

Buy one get one free so bit of a bonus and they give off a nice bright light with only the tinyest twinge of bluey/white, miles better than the candles that were in there originally and while theyre on BOGOF id reccommend them:thumb:

[steviegsi]

Got those halfords ones last week for the astra and they are brilliant! I would even pay the money for them if they weren't buy 1 get 1 free.

Got a cheap set off eBay before but, although bright, they lasted about 2 days before blowing.

[C612DNM]

Had the Halfrauds ones in Mrs C612DNM's old Zafira. They were noticeably better than standard glowplugs.

Agree with Jacks comments about HID's in Nova's, the same can be said for any light that wasn't designed for them - you might think their wonderful sitting behind the wheel, but people coming the other way soon get pssd off with you, and if they happen to have a blue lantern on their roof, expect a tug, and then all of the crap that goes with it. They ain't legal.

Stolen from the DfT website:


Fact sheet: Aftermarket HID headlamps
December 2006
In the Department's view it is not legal to sell or use after market HID lighting kits, for converting conventional Halogen headlamps to HID Xenon. If a customer wants to convert his vehicle to Xenon HID he must purchase completely new Xenon HID headlamps. The reason for this is that the existing lens and reflector are designed around a Halogen filament bulb, working to very precise tolerances. If one places a HID "burner" (bulb) in the headlamp, the beam pattern will not be correct, there will be glare in some places and not enough light in other places within the beam pattern.

The following is the legal rationale:

The Road Vehicle Lighting Regulations 1989 regulate the situation in the UK.
Under these Regulations, HID/Gas Discharge/Xenon headlamps are not mentioned and therefore they are not permitted according to the strict letter of the law.

However new vehicles have HID headlamps. This is because they comply to European type approval Regulations. The UK cannot refuse to register a vehicle with a European type approval. These are to ECE Regulation 98 (for the HID headlamps which are tested on a rig in a laboratory) and ECE Regulation 48 (Lighting Installation on the vehicle).

For the after market, a used vehicle cannot obtain type approval because it is only applicable for new vehicles. However we feel that saying "HID is banned in the after market" would not be reasonable. Instead we should make analogies with new vehicles. It would be reasonable to require HID in the after market to meet the same safety standards as on new vehicles. The same level of safety should apply.

Therefore a HID headlamp unit sold in the after market should:

1. be type approved to ECE Regulation 98 as a component.

2. when fitted to the vehicle should enable ECE Regulation 48 to be complied with (although no government inspection will take place).

3. Comply with RVLR as far as "use" is concerned.

In practice this means:

1. The headlamp unit (outer lens, reflector, bulb) shall be type approved to ECE 98 and be "e-marked" to demonstrate this. That can only be done by the headlamp supplier - Hella, Valeo etc. who must test the headlamp in an independent laboratory.

2. Once fitted to the vehicle it must have headlamp cleaning and self-levelling (which can be for the headlamp or can be in the vehicle suspension - some expensive estate cars have "self-levelling suspension" and that is adequate). Also the dipped beam must stay on with the main beam.

3. The headlamp must be maintained in good working order, kept clean, and aligned/adjusted correctly like any other headlamp.

Under the Road Traffic Act 1988 it is an offence to supply, fit or use vehicle parts which are not legal.

In summary it is not permitted to convert an existing halogen headlamp unit for use with HID bulbs. The entire headlamp unit must be replaced with one designed and approved for use with HID bulbs and it must be installed in accordance with the rules stated above.

If you require any further information regarding the regulations covered by this fact sheet, please contact the DfT at the address below:

Transport Technology and Standards 6
Department for Transport
Zone 2/04
Great Minster House
76 Marsham Street
London
SW1P 4DR

Telephone: 020 7944 2078
Fax: 020 7944 2196
Email: TTS.enquiries@dft.gsi.gov.uk

[Jack]

They ain't legal.
That blurb also fails to mention that existing UK cars do not HAVE to comply with ECE regulations; in fact the only "legal" requirements for the UK are in the RVLR laws which, as stated, cover headlamps in general and don't specifically state stuff about HIDs. Even that in mind, HIDs can be configured to comply with the regulations and seen as the DfT noddies seem to think that because they don't comply (in most cases) that makes them illegal, then making them comply makes them legal... no? lol

And as for this

the beam pattern will not be correct
I've proven, in both my cars, thats not the case. In fact on the Celica the beam pattern is vastly improved! However, it does seem this is a biot of an exception and in a lot of cars - Novas being one - the beam pattern is horrendous.

EXAMPLE someone on my facebook has fitted som HIDs into a Mk2 Golf last night, cue pics of light all OVER the place. Oh, and they're in LHD lamps too apparently (!!!) Great. Its stuff like that which makes my properly-fitted/setup kit, and HIDs in general, look bad and annoys me just as much as it does everyone else who hates HIDs :mad:

Anyway, I digress. lol

[General Lee]

Did not realise they weren't legal, a friend recomended them the other week said they vastley improve the light output. As my daily work trip takes me down very dark tiny roads i need light and the nova's aren't very good at all may just fit spots behind the grill.