HID Kits + Legal or Not?

Same here.
The best you can do is trust that the rozzers have no clue about what is legal in YOUR car and what is not.
You can purchase nifty stickers and tack them to your front bumper (inside) and just in front of the headlights - looks mightily official and legal

Other than that - do not use HIDs with colour temperatures exceeding 5.000K. Anything above looks pretty blue and this can be easily identified as non-OEM. Today most manufacturers have gone back to 4300K which is bright white leaning towards yellow not blue.

If installing the ballasts hide them inside or underneath the bucket - make it appear OEM.

Did I just write that? OMG

Reinhard

The main problem is that the reflector needs to be changed as the beam-pattern is incorrect with a HID bulb. The projector lens helps a lot and there have been many that have changed to HID without changing the reflector on the E38.....but, the beam pattern is usually miles out.......

Zitat von Timm;71730

The main problem is that the reflector needs to be changed as the beam-pattern is incorrect with a HID bulb. The projector lens helps a lot and there have been many that have changed to HID without changing the reflector on the E38.....but, the beam pattern is usually miles out.......

I'd agree with that, the major problem with after market kits that people use is that they then use them in ordinary halogen lamp style reflector housings and the light emitting part of the HID burner is in the wrong position for such reflectors. The E31 has projector lamps and should be able to take HID lighting and still give a correct lighting pattern. My understanding was that for such after market fitting to be "legal" in the UK then the vehicle must have 1) self levelling lighting or the ability to level the headlights and 2) headlamp washing systems as one major problem with HID is light scatter that is much agravated by dirt on the lamp glass.

I fitted HID into standard E31 lamp housings as have many here on the forum with pretty satisfactory results - mind you, I did revert to standard for the MOT since I was on a very limited time budget and didn't want to risk the car failing because of the lights. I am now working on a project to install proper HID projectors into E31 housings and I have bought a pair of complete lights to do this. These chaps in the US seem to be able to supply pretty much everything that you'd need to do this project, including some OEM equipment: http://store.theretrofitsource…t_info.php?products_id=92

Zitat von Got-One-At-Last!;71748

Thanks for the feedback, has anyone have them in when going for an MOT, were there any problems or did they go through OK?

I've had 3 MOTs with my HID kit from 3 different garages and never got a mention. My bulbs are listed as 6000K but they are not blue, like some I see on the roads. They are more an ice white. The reflectors also seem to work correctly as I get the same beam as before only with a different colour temp and intensity of light. This kit was from the now infamous 'Al' fiasco, but I got mine in before the stock dried up.

I did attempt to fit HIDs in my VW T5 van, but with these headlight housings the beam just scattered and gave a Full Beam effect, hence dazzle, at all times. They have beeen removed.

I think the e31 headlight housing is just curiously HID friendly and I have never once had a problem with the bulbs and their beam (one ballast burned out, but a kind member on here supplied me with a replacement!!).

Same as Tony - have been through a number of MOT's without a mention.
I think the nature of the car is such that many assume it would have HID as standard - irrespective of the age.

Excellent beam pattern, excellent road illumination and nobody flashing me to "complain" about dazzling.

Something does not have to be legal to pass the MOT. These have 2 seperate rule books. To pass the MOT an item must be "testable" in the first place so as bulb type is not a "testable item" the MOT cannot be failed just because it uses an HID bulb.
Constructions and use regulations however state that an HID headlamp MUST have automatic levelling and washer system.
SO, the long and short answer is:
Yes it is an MOT pass. (Until it becomes a testable item)
No, its not legal.

8Tech.

This probably means that in a queue of traffic, the cars with one light out will be let past, the cars with lights pointing at the sky will be let past, the cars where the driver obviously has night vision goggles and so doesn't bother to turn on his headlights at all will be let past, but I'll get pulled for non-automatic operation of headlight levelling - but perhaps if I get a second hand sensor from a self levelling suspension and tie it into the motorised headlight levelling already installed........;-)

Why my cynical attitude? Surely it isn't a big problem?

Having silly fonts on number plates, or equally silly spacing of letters on number plates, or carefully positioned screws to "change" symbols on number plates is illegal - but everyone appears to do it and get away with it, for years at a time - yet, when one small part of one letter (normal font, normally spaced, no silly black screws) on my plate had faded due to delaminating I got pulled.

Merry Christmas

Have you noticed an ever increasing number of cars on the roads in the UK with one headlight U/S? I'm averaging one per mile here in the South East...........

Is this something to do with the parlous financial state we're in???????

No, its to do with that most drivers nevr check their own cars and rely on the annual MOT check to find this type of fault. Also, with servicing periods now extending to 20,000m and 2 years plus, the faults are not picked up on servicing like they used to be.

Additionally, some headlamp bulbs are an absolute epic to fit with bumpers needing removal, batteries removed etc.

8Tech.