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HID Installation

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Paulie102003

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Location
Hampshire
Car
Honda Accord
Hello everyone, long term lurker, first time poster so bear with me.

I am considering putting in HID's into my 2006 Accord CDTi Sport and have been browsing this forum, and others, and whilst I have seen numerous posts about the physical installation of them, there appears to be slight contradictions about whether it is legal or not to install them. Is it legal to install HID's, am I likely to be pulled by the rozzers for doing so and will I pass MOT tests?

As the family car, I just want better lights for safety and therefore I do not want any of the lights with a coloured tinge, happy for it just to be white, which from my understanding is the 5k ones (please correct me if I am wrong).

Sorry if this has been answered already, I have read the HID posts and could not find it.

Oh, finally, some pics of my little beauty along with my custom made puddle lights which I made from SMD's after my latest detail.





Before:


After:


Oh yes, also my custom mood lighting I put in the car as well, also made out of SMD's. This is linked up to the dome light circuitry and reacts in the same way the dome light does (which is also now SMD's) So, footwell lighting lights when car is unlocked, door opened, and dims when car is locked, engine started etc.

 
My two penneth: If the car wasn't fitted with them at the factory and the (HIDs aren't type approved) then they are not road legal -in spite of what those who have them fitted have convinced themselves.

I don't recall anyone on here actually having being told remove them, so are getting away with it -and probably will continue to until there is a very specific change in legislation to make the rules crystal clear.

I'd say the Accord (with projectors, washers and fairly weak standard lights) when fitted with neutral coloured HIDs is one of the better candidates on the road for this mod. Just keep your old bits and pieces in case you're forced to swap them back ;)
 
My car just passed its mot with hids no probes at all.
 
Thank you for the replies - was reading up earlier about a bit of a loophole as such where a requirement for washers with HID is present and cars have been failing their MOT's for not having washers fitted to it. Appears that VOSA have used some common sense in England, Scotland and Wales and taken this line - "A car with HID lights MAY also have headlight washers and self levelling which must be checked and in working order if fitted". In Ireland, its different apparently, they will fail you for having HID and no washers even if your car was never made for headlight washers and fitted with HID as standard - “A car with HID lights MUST have headlight washers and self levelling...”

Sod it, gonna give it a shot - only 30 odd notes - nothing to lose
 
Ok, decided to get the facts straight from the horses mouth as such and contacted VOSA and DFT in relation to this and kinda answer my own question I guess. Hopefully this will help some others out if they are wondering the same as I am:

As you all know, VOSA are the ones who set the standards for MOT's and were really very helpful indeed - she sounded pretty sexy too I must say. Anyway - called VOSA up (0300 123 9000) and spoke to the MOT Testing Standards Dept who checked their book and said the same as above post "A car with HID lights MAY also have headlight washers and self levelling which must be checked and in working order if fitted", pretty much to the word. She carried on and the requirements are basically this:

If your car comes standard out of the manufacturer with HID installed since 2010, then headlight washers must be installed and the car itself either has the ability to self level either itself or the headlight unit, or the headlight unit itself must have the ability to self level (Be that through automatic self levelling or through manual adjustment within the car ****pit itself) Pre 2010 cars MUST have projector style headlights and there is NO requirement for these to have headlight washers or self levelling system. It is NOT an MOT failure installing HID's as long as these requirements are met. If a car has HID's, headlight washers and self levelling, then these must all be checked and in working condition. If you have HID's, however do not have either washers or self levelling, then these cannot be checked (obviously) and it will not be a fail. (Just like how it is with seatbelts in cars - those who do not have them as standard still pass their MOT tests). She said that at worst - they can give you a pass with advisory notice to get headlight washers or self levelling, but even this is really at the extreme level and probably wouldnt happen. (Make sure your tester is in a good mood I guess). She could not advise on the legality of HID's though.

So, to find out the legality of them, I then contacted (DFT) Department for Transport (0300 330 0300 - ivs.enquiries@dft.gsi.gov.uk) - awaiting an email from them confirming what they told me on the phone, however on the phone they gave the normal rubbish about making sure you use the right type of headlights (projector rather than halogen which are completely illegal under all circumstances on a public road), have them adjusted correctly etc. There is, surprisingly, no limit on the brightness that they can be or the colours either as long as it illuminates the road adequately without causing any risk to other road users.

So, in summary, yes, they are legal if you install and adjust them correctly. Providing your testing station are decent, they wont give you any grief and even if they do, VOSA are happy that they are allowed, again providing installed correctly etc.

Ebay - here I come!!
 
Great info mate this will help lots if members
 
Great info mate this will help lots if members
 
HID kit ordered - same one as you use Brett, so I shall install it next week when I am next off work. Thanks for the help
 
Hello again, ok as promised from my above post, I would let you know what the official legal standing is of HID's from the department of transport. They finally emailed me back and I will copy and paste this here. It is a bit long, but does contain all of the information needed. Basically, for us, its legal (***uming our headlamps on 7th and 8th gen accords are all e marked as appropriate which I ***ume they must be being European market and all???)


Admins - I don't know if its worth maybe seperating this post so that it doesn't get lost somewhere amidst all the posts and making it easily viewable for anyone concerned Just a thought.

Dear Mr ***********

Thank you for your email dated 20 June to our IVS enquires inbox. I have been asked to reply.

Please see attached information sheet which answers the questions you raise.


While it is possible that a non-approved HID lamp will give a bean pattern that passes the MOT, it is unlikely that the lamp will meet the lighting regulations unless it has been approved and is marked to show this.

I include the URL for the lighting regulations for ease reference: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1989/1796/schedule/5/made


Our experience is that all non-approved HID conversions lead to significant levels of dazzle to oncoming traffic and we would advise against their use.

Yours sincerely

James Brown

Department for Transport


They included this as an attached file (not sure how, or if, i can attach files to a post)

------------Information Sheet------------
May 2010

Aftermarket HID Headlamps


Statement
This document provides general guidance and advice on the legislative requirements in Great Britain relating to aftermarket HID headlamps. Every effort has been made to ensure that it is factually correct but recipients should check with the producers of this document if they have reason to believe any part is not correct or is now out of date.

General requirements

In the Department for Transport's (DfT) 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 with European type approval regulations. The UK cannot refuse to register a vehicle with a European type approval. These approvals relate 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 aftermarket, a used vehicle cannot obtain type approval because this only applies to new vehicles. However DfT does not think it reasonable simply to ban HID in the aftermarket. Instead the Department makes ****ogies with new vehicles. It seems reasonable to require HID in the aftermarket to meet the same safety standards as those for new vehicles. The same level of safety should apply.


Therefore a HID headlamp unit sold in the aftermarket 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); and
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 in the same way as 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.

Further information
A note on legislation for vehicle lighting is annexed to this information sheet.
If you require any further information regarding the content of this information sheet, please contact the DfT at the address below:

International Vehicle Standards
Department for Transport
Zone 1/33
Great Minster House
33 Horseferry Road
London
SW1P 4DR
Telephone: 020 7944 2091
Fax: 020 7944 2196
Email: ivs.enquiries@dft.gsi.gov.uk

NOTE: The information in this document is a summary of DfT’s understanding of what the law requires. However, ultimately the interpretation of the law is a matter for the courts based on individual facts of any particular case. You are therefore advised to consult the relevant legislation and, if necessary, seek independent advice.
 
Some great info here, especially the one from Vosa.

Regarding dft response it makes sense about it being type approved but if fitting into projector housing then that does meet the correct requirments in terms of lighting. I think dft writings are more regarding fitting hids in refractor? Housings which I agree shoudn't be done.
 
HID's arrived and installed. Read a lot of people either put the ballast inside of the unit (I was concerned about heat dissipation) or drilled holes in the dust cap to run the cables through. After browsing through an Acura site, saw the way one fella did it and preferred to do it his way, especially as now, when you look inside of the engine compartment, you cant see any evidence of the HID installation. So, firstly, the car starts looking a bit sick..



Headlight out and a bit of dremel action later creates a nice hole on the underside of the headunit where the Acura OEM ballast normally goes.





All finished, a quick headlight align, and she now looks like this









Very happy with it. And the ultimate test resulted in a 20 minute drive to a mates house and not a single person flashed at me.
 
Good stuff and a nice write up mate
 
Hi - could you link me to the kit you used please - as theres so many out there it'd be good to buy something that someone else is happy with.
theres
Cheers

Paul
 
I used the same HID kit which brett used in his car after reading it in another post on here. Talk about sharing the love.... :lol:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Xenon-HID-Conversion-KIT-H1-H3-H7-H9-H11-HB3-HB4-9006-/330379335700?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item4cec249814

Make sure you buy some extra bright or LED side light bulbs (type 501's)
 
That's the ones/ i had these in my 7th gen as well and are very good indeed
 
Very professional fit. Nice one!

I was tempted to go down this route, but was a bit worried when it's time to change the lamp. As the bulbs come with a bit of loom, would you not need to take the headlight off to change the bulb?
 
No, there is about a half inch clearance between bottom of head unit and chassis of car. The bong can be put into place easily enough from the inside of the housing and thread the wires around. Well, I shouldn't say easy but it can be done.
 
Thanks - got a kit on order...can you confirm that there are no wires to cut, that its all connectors to push together ( prefer that so I can do a quick change etc if MOT becomes an issue.)

Cheers

Paul
 
Yes mate, no wires to cut, it is all just plug and play as such. Get some rubber gloves if you can so that you dont damage the bulbs when installing them if you accidentally touch them.

Looking forward to seeing some pictures
 
Great thread and some very informative info from VOSA and DFT.

I think the consensus is that if it's fitted correctly and alignment is within target, and as long as it's in a projector lens.. you are ok to use retrofitted HID's.
 
F6HAD said:
Great thread and some very informative info from VOSA and DFT.

I think the consensus is that if it's fitted correctly and alignment is within target, and as long as it's in a projector lens.. you are ok to use retrofitted HID's.
Click to expand...

Totally agree as my car went through its mot with after market hids and no washers or self levelling headlights
 
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