Just wondering if anyone knows where i can get a H.I.D Kit for my Volvo ? I have had bulds only in the past and i dont rate them really.
also has anyone used them on trucks ? if so what are your thoughts on them ■■
cheers in advance
Whats an H.I.D and what are bulds? ive got an FH12 and have no idea what your post is about (sorry for being thick!)
High Intensity Discharge bulbs. The newer/expensive type of headlights. Can be bought as a conversion kit but there are concerns if they are 100% legal behind ‘standard’ lenses.
I got mine from hids4u and I believe theirs work on 12v and 24v but info should be on website. From experience dont bother with £35 Hong Kong eBay jobs they dont last and colour wise 4300k (standard HID) is best for light output I have 6000k in the car bit whiter/mabye bluer and still good light output the 8000k I had before is rather blue and might as well have had candles in brightness wise 
Also them boys sell a specific type for reflector type headlights (as in non-projector) that cuts down the glare you might get with cheaper kits in reflector lenses. And mine passed MOT with them in, and only got a couple of flashes so got em aligned and top job since.
Would be interested in a set of these for a scania if anyone knows where they can be bought.
pete904ni:
I got mine from hids4u and I believe theirs work on 12v and 24v but info should be on website. From experience dont bother with £35 Hong Kong eBay jobs they dont last and colour wise 4300k (standard HID) is best for light output I have 6000k in the car bit whiter/mabye bluer and still good light output the 8000k I had before is rather blue and might as well have had candles in brightness wiseAlso them boys sell a specific type for reflector type headlights (as in non-projector) that cuts down the glare you might get with cheaper kits in reflector lenses. And mine passed MOT with them in, and only got a couple of flashes so got em aligned and top job since.
I take it they’re the cheap ole toot then■■? How much for “proper ones?”
kindle530:
Whats an H.I.D and what are bulds? ive got an FH12 and have no idea what your post is about (sorry for being thick!)
The bluey/white type of lights you get on all the top spec beemers and that
cgi.ebay.co.uk/HID-Xenon-Convers … 4709wt_939
Seem like the best on ebay.
pete904ni:
I got mine from hids4u and I believe theirs work on 12v and 24v but info should be on website. From experience dont bother with £35 Hong Kong eBay jobs they dont last and colour wise 4300k (standard HID) is best for light output I have 6000k in the car bit whiter/mabye bluer and still good light output the 8000k I had before is rather blue and might as well have had candles in brightness wiseAlso them boys sell a specific type for reflector type headlights (as in non-projector) that cuts down the glare you might get with cheaper kits in reflector lenses. And mine passed MOT with them in, and only got a couple of flashes so got em aligned and top job since.
Dont believe the stuff hids4u tell you, they are trying to sell their product nothing else.
I sold HID kits for more than 2 years on eBay and various forums i use, sold in the region of 250 kits. Out of those i only had 2 reported issues, both were found to be faulty ballasts, which were replaced and returned to the manufacturer.
There is no difference in the £35 ebay kits and those sold by hids4u, they are all made in china exactly the same way. They are all mass produces to sell cheaply. If you want some that are not cheap chinese then you’ll be looking at £1000+ similar to what Mercedes/BMW have in their cars. As for them not lasting long, there is nothing to wear out, no filament in the bulb, the light is produced by an electrical arc between 2 electrodes. I paid £90 for the ones i have in my car and that was 5 years ago, long before the flood of cheaper ones came on the market. I was buying them for £19 a set at one point, even Bosche ones were the same price so the name doesnt mean anything,
As for having special ones for non projector lenses, that is not true either. Older cars have H4 bulbs normally which are duel filament, the H4 Hids have a cover which moves when main beam is applied to shine the light in a different part of the lens thats all it is.
There is no right or wrong in the eyes of the law, it is a gray area. Some say that you need washers and self levellers to make them legal, this only applies to those fitted from the factory, it does not apply to aftermarket kits.
The way to see whether you can use them safely is to look at your headlights, if you have a projector lens which i think only the newer FH/FM series do then they are perfect, it is what HID’s were designed for. If you have a clear lens which i think most trucks now do then they should be fine as long as the beam is aligned once they are fitted. Older trucks will have patterned headlight lenses, these are a no no as the lens will scatter the beam even after alighnment and dazzle everyone. Clear lenses are fine as the beam pattern comes from the reflector.
As for K rating, 4300 is the normal halogen output, personally i would go for 6000k which is pure white but no higher, they higher you go the bluer the output and for night driving it is tiring on the eyes.
For the record, i dont know anyone who has failed an MOT after having the kits fitted, as long as you have the beams aligned.
Volvo_Kid:
Just wondering if anyone knows where i can get a H.I.D Kit for my Volvo ? I have had bulds only in the past and i dont rate them really.also has anyone used them on trucks ? if so what are your thoughts on them ■■
cheers in advance
I don’t know how about UK, but I know that this “xenon conversions” are not legal in many European countries. For example you can only have them when your headlights are self-positioning and you have headlight washers, but the legislation regarding it is more complicated.
Joshh:
kindle530:
Whats an H.I.D and what are bulds? ive got an FH12 and have no idea what your post is about (sorry for being thick!)
The bluey/white type of lights you get on all the top spec beemers and that
cgi.ebay.co.uk/HID-Xenon-Convers … 4709wt_939
Seem like the best on ebay.
cheers josh, yeah, they are smart, id like em on my truck/car they do look good.
nickyboy:
pete904ni:
There is no right or wrong in the eyes of the law, it is a gray area. Some say that you need washers and self levellers to make them legal, this only applies to those fitted from the factory, it does not apply to aftermarket kits.The way to see whether you can use them safely is to look at your headlights, if you have a projector lens which i think only the newer FH/FM series do then they are perfect, it is what HID’s were designed for. If you have a clear lens which i think most trucks now do then they should be fine as long as the beam is aligned once they are fitted. Older trucks will have patterned headlight lenses, these are a no no as the lens will scatter the beam even after alighnment and dazzle everyone. Clear lenses are fine as the beam pattern comes from the reflector.
As for K rating, 4300 is the normal halogen output, personally i would go for 6000k which is pure white but no higher, they higher you go the bluer the output and for night driving it is tiring on the eyes.
For the record, i dont know anyone who has failed an MOT after having the kits fitted, as long as you have the beams aligned.
Partly true, however they are NOT legal as a retro fit, my car has gone through 3 MOT’s with them no problem and i have never been flashed by other motorists with them fitted, but this does not make them legal.
4300K is the whitest and brightest you can buy, 6000K has a blue tinge to them and the output is reduced slightly, 8000K are quite blue.
This is the Kelvin colour scale:
This is what they look like in a headlight:
Behind a correctly projector headlight i would have no issues with fitting them, but don’t try to convince yourself or others they are 100% legal, because they are not.
HTH
You can get them from www.van-x.co.uk in Stoke on Trent
Had them fitted in a Sprinter van and a Volvo FH, both used in UK & Europe and passed MoT no prob
nickyboy:
pete904ni:
I got mine from hids4u and I believe theirs work on 12v and 24v but info should be on website. From experience dont bother with £35 Hong Kong eBay jobs they dont last and colour wise 4300k (standard HID) is best for light output I have 6000k in the car bit whiter/mabye bluer and still good light output the 8000k I had before is rather blue and might as well have had candles in brightness wiseAlso them boys sell a specific type for reflector type headlights (as in non-projector) that cuts down the glare you might get with cheaper kits in reflector lenses. And mine passed MOT with them in, and only got a couple of flashes so got em aligned and top job since.
Dont believe the stuff hids4u tell you, they are trying to sell their product nothing else.
I sold HID kits for more than 2 years on eBay and various forums i use, sold in the region of 250 kits. Out of those i only had 2 reported issues, both were found to be faulty ballasts, which were replaced and returned to the manufacturer.
There is no difference in the £35 ebay kits and those sold by hids4u, they are all made in china exactly the same way. They are all mass produces to sell cheaply. If you want some that are not cheap chinese then you’ll be looking at £1000+ similar to what Mercedes/BMW have in their cars. As for them not lasting long, there is nothing to wear out, no filament in the bulb, the light is produced by an electrical arc between 2 electrodes. I paid £90 for the ones i have in my car and that was 5 years ago, long before the flood of cheaper ones came on the market. I was buying them for £19 a set at one point, even Bosche ones were the same price so the name doesnt mean anything,
As for having special ones for non projector lenses, that is not true either. Older cars have H4 bulbs normally which are duel filament, the H4 Hids have a cover which moves when main beam is applied to shine the light in a different part of the lens thats all it is.
There is no right or wrong in the eyes of the law, it is a gray area. Some say that you need washers and self levellers to make them legal, this only applies to those fitted from the factory, it does not apply to aftermarket kits.
The way to see whether you can use them safely is to look at your headlights, if you have a projector lens which i think only the newer FH/FM series do then they are perfect, it is what HID’s were designed for. If you have a clear lens which i think most trucks now do then they should be fine as long as the beam is aligned once they are fitted. Older trucks will have patterned headlight lenses, these are a no no as the lens will scatter the beam even after alighnment and dazzle everyone. Clear lenses are fine as the beam pattern comes from the reflector.
As for K rating, 4300 is the normal halogen output, personally i would go for 6000k which is pure white but no higher, they higher you go the bluer the output and for night driving it is tiring on the eyes.
For the record, i dont know anyone who has failed an MOT after having the kits fitted, as long as you have the beams aligned.
Well all I know is my cheap ebay ballasts corroded around the edges and let water in and started to flicker one side then the other, and the new ballasts are in the same position and are spot on yet.
And there is a different one for use non-projector lenses of any sort. The bulbs have a section of it blacked out to stop the glare from the top of the lens, and it seems to work because when its on the aligner it gives a far cleaner “edge” to the beam pattern than the cheapey job without it; even parking against a wall you can see a cleaner line with the ones I’m using now with the part covered bulb than the the old set (on a MK3 Mondeo). As far as I know hids4u are the only people to sell them (well according to them anyway!)
Here is a pic of the ones I got for reflectors
woops seem to have started a debate here 
sure its all good 
scuba:
Behind a correctly projector headlight i would have no issues with fitting them, but don’t try to convince yourself or others they are 100% legal, because they are not.HTH
As far as I’m aware the ‘grey area’ comes from the fact that their is no specific law against retrofitting them, just the laws that if you manufacture a car new with them they have to be slef-levelling (or have self levelling rear suspension) AND washers.
pete904ni:
As far as I’m aware the ‘grey area’ comes from the fact that their is no specific law against retrofitting them, just the laws that if you manufacture a car new with them they have to be slef-levelling (or have self levelling rear suspension) AND washers.
Correct, there is nothing stopping you from retro fitting a kit if you also do the self levelling and headlight washers.
I’m sure air suspension on the drive would sort out the self levelling? so that just then requires the washers, plus headlights that are approved for xenon’s (not just a halogen light with a kit fitted).
But as i previously said, providing the headlights are projectors (rather than a ‘normal’ reflector headlight) there is little chance of them getting noticed - that is assuming you only put 4300K bulbs in, as anything higher than this just draws more unwanted attention to them.
What is not suitable under any circumstance (as nickyboy quite rightly said) is xenon’s behind a patterned headlight glass.
Well thats the theory anyway, but in practice plod or MOT inspectors havnt bothered me with them (in a car… VOSA might be different with them in a truck )
pete904ni:
Well thats the theory anyway, but in practice plod or MOT inspectors havnt bothered me with them (in a car
Likewise, the 4300K ones i fitted in my car (that has projectors) 3 years ago have not had any unwanted attention from either the police or come MOT time.
pete904ni:
… VOSA might be different with them in a truck
Knowing VOSA … quite possibly?
I am the last one to say ‘DON’T DO IT!’ … but if you intend on doing it then make sure the headlights are the correct type so there is no light scatter or poor beam pattern and keep the bulbs sensible, this way you should be OK.
But if you do get stopped then at least you will know all the fact and not start arguing the to## with the officer, making matters worse.