can you retro fit xenon headlights

[2007GTI]

you are wrong.  it is dangerous and is illegal.  without self leveling sensors an over loaded car with xenons can shine the beam straight into someone eyes and cause accidents, this is well documented. this is fact, as the beam is a lot more distracting that standard halogen.  from what I've read on here, xenons can be hard to set up correctly in the first place (when legal), but without the sensor, its an accident waiting to happen.

TT can back me up on this, irrespective of the MOT, Xenon headlights should by EU law have a self leveling sensor and headlamp washers.

As I said in my original post, if you were to search the forum, there are well documented facts about Xenons, not just hearsay.  check your facts before you go saying "errrr...no".

I dont doubt that most MOT stations will pass a car with retro fitted Xenons, but the car will still be illegal and if you had an accident and the insurance assessor spotted illegal retro fitted Xenons, it would invalidate your insurance.  granted it would have to be a very eagle eyed bloke, but then thats their job.

search the forum, its very expensive to do it properly. without fitting self leveling sensors to the rear axle, its illegal and dangerous.

Errr..... no,

levelling sensors and washers being required for MOT is an urban myth ... it's not dangerous and is not illegal.

Xenon headlight units command a high price, even second hand, you will be able to buy looms to convert your halogen to xenon here http://www.kufatec.de/shop/ , you will also need vcds to set up properly. I'd budget for £400 to convert, on the premise that you have vcds already

Regards,

Gareth

[Jkctr]

levelling sensors and washers being required for MOT is an urban myth ... it's not dangerous and is not illegal.

Fail!

An MOT is nothing to do with being legal, its merely a check sheet for how roadworthy the car is.

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.

Full page here
http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/roadsafety/drs/hidheadlamps

[2007GTI]

thanks Jules! 

[Saint Steve]

yeah do a proper search before you slag people off, tw@t

search the forum

yeah i did that .....couldnt find any thing on the mk5 thanks for your help or lack of it

 

[Saint Steve]

"thanks for your help or lack of it", is slagging people off. I was bothered to answer, and said should do a PROPER SEARCH, if you cant be bothered, it makes you the TW@T. Why call me a waster, wheres that going to get you, just throwing random insults about the place, when you know nothing about me? you are definitely a TW@T, if you cant take any advice, you just slag people off.
You are an even bigger TW@T if you think you can slap HIDs on a MK5 golf for cheap and be legal.

yeah do a proper search before you slag people off, tw@t

hmmmm dont recall slagin you off.......ok so its been asked before...shoot me...did a search couldnt find any thing.yes im new but if you cant be bothered to answer then DONT.....this is a forum for help chat and like minded owners...get a grip waster...TW@T thats right back at ya

Perhaps its best that you didnt answer 2007GTI.
I guess thats put off a potential new visitor to the site.

Perhaps ease up as the guy is new.
This place is ment to be helpful, and not throwing sarcy comments on his 1st post

and just for the record try entering this in the forum search box and see how much comes up.....


xenon headlights mk5


Answer.... Zero!!

[Rhyso]

try xenons on their own 

I guess its this section's equivalent of the MK'4's 'what DV can I fit?' 

[garethmk1]

you are wrong.  it is dangerous and is illegal.  without self leveling sensors an over loaded car with xenons can shine the beam straight into someone eyes and cause accidents, this is well documented. this is fact, as the beam is a lot more distracting that standard halogen.  from what I've read on here, xenons can be hard to set up correctly in the first place (when legal), but without the sensor, its an accident waiting to happen.

TT can back me up on this, irrespective of the MOT, Xenon headlights should by EU law have a self leveling sensor and headlamp washers.

As I said in my original post, if you were to search the forum, there are well documented facts about Xenons, not just hearsay.  check your facts before you go saying "errrr...no".

I dont doubt that most MOT stations will pass a car with retro fitted Xenons, but the car will still be illegal and if you had an accident and the insurance assessor spotted illegal retro fitted Xenons, it would invalidate your insurance.  granted it would have to be a very eagle eyed bloke, but then thats their job.

search the forum, its very expensive to do it properly. without fitting self leveling sensors to the rear axle, its illegal and dangerous.

Errr..... no,

levelling sensors and washers being required for MOT is an urban myth ... it's not dangerous and is not illegal.

Xenon headlight units command a high price, even second hand, you will be able to buy looms to convert your halogen to xenon here http://www.kufatec.de/shop/ , you will also need vcds to set up properly. I'd budget for £400 to convert, on the premise that you have vcds already

Regards,

Gareth

Er no ... still wrong, I think you'd that I am right - you are saying that it is illegal - IT IS NOT - go and check the Construction and Use act,  dangerous is an opinion - no more dangerous that a fully loaded modern vehicle with modern halogen lights.  "Accident waiting to happen" = conjecture.  I think you will find that MOT standard = legal.  If you set up the headlights correctly using vcds once retrofitted they are fully legal - headlight alignment be via a halogen or xenon unit, if incorrect will fail an MOT. 

Did you read this paragraph ?

"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."

So, did you not see these phrases of "reasonable" / "should" ? Meaning - NOTHING SET IN STONE so THEREFORE - NOT ILLEGAL !!!!

[2007GTI]

My understanding of the original post is about fitting Xenon's, which I presume to mean OEM Xenons, not crappy aftermarket ones.  So by quoting "aftermarket" doesnt stand, as the member sounds like he wants to fit OEM parts on the car, likely without self leveling sensors (obviously very expensive), so this would be illegal, can YOU not read....

"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."

 

[Jkctr]

you are wrong.  it is dangerous and is illegal.  without self leveling sensors an over loaded car with xenons can shine the beam straight into someone eyes and cause accidents, this is well documented. this is fact, as the beam is a lot more distracting that standard halogen.  from what I've read on here, xenons can be hard to set up correctly in the first place (when legal), but without the sensor, its an accident waiting to happen.

TT can back me up on this, irrespective of the MOT, Xenon headlights should by EU law have a self leveling sensor and headlamp washers.

As I said in my original post, if you were to search the forum, there are well documented facts about Xenons, not just hearsay.  check your facts before you go saying "errrr...no".

I dont doubt that most MOT stations will pass a car with retro fitted Xenons, but the car will still be illegal and if you had an accident and the insurance assessor spotted illegal retro fitted Xenons, it would invalidate your insurance.  granted it would have to be a very eagle eyed bloke, but then thats their job.

search the forum, its very expensive to do it properly. without fitting self leveling sensors to the rear axle, its illegal and dangerous.

Errr..... no,

levelling sensors and washers being required for MOT is an urban myth ... it's not dangerous and is not illegal.

Xenon headlight units command a high price, even second hand, you will be able to buy looms to convert your halogen to xenon here http://www.kufatec.de/shop/ , you will also need vcds to set up properly. I'd budget for £400 to convert, on the premise that you have vcds already

Regards,

Gareth

Er no ... still wrong, I think you'd that I am right - you are saying that it is illegal - IT IS NOT - go and check the Construction and Use act,  dangerous is an opinion - no more dangerous that a fully loaded modern vehicle with modern halogen lights.  "Accident waiting to happen" = conjecture.  I think you will find that MOT standard = legal.  If you set up the headlights correctly using vcds once retrofitted they are fully legal - headlight alignment be via a halogen or xenon unit, if incorrect will fail an MOT. 

Did you read this paragraph ?

"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."

So, did you not see these phrases of "reasonable" / "should" ? Meaning - NOTHING SET IN STONE so THEREFORE - NOT ILLEGAL !!!!

Im guessing you have HIDs from your lame response. Your ignorance is hilarious fun to read though 

The MOT tests for certain parts of the car and makes they meet the minimum legal requirement, for the lights they merely test there condition, operation, security and aim. Not whether they have headlight washers or self leveling adjusters that meet the legal requirement of xenons as there is no need, it would go beyond the minimum they need to do.
 

http://direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring/OwningAVehicle/Mot/DG_4022109

The MOT certificate

The MOT certificate confirms that at the time of the test, without dismantling it, the vehicle met the minimum acceptable environmental and road safety standards required by law. It doesn’t mean that the vehicle is roadworthy for the length of time the certificate is valid.

I know for a fact after researching and speaking to motortrade persons, mot testers (had mine on friday) and police who i know that it is illegal to have xenons/hids without the necessary parts.

So, as i said, you

FAIL
as everyone on here will agree 

[2007GTI]

my sentiments exactly.