Hid Conversions., Has anybody done one?

Hi again, just had a look on the website,looks good. which kit did you opt for ? I see there are a few. Could you also tell me what to expect the customs people to wring out of me if i get a set sent to the uk.

Many thanks Colin.P

I went for the 6000K kit - the best equivalent to natural daylight, but it's your choice really. the boy-racers seem to like the bluey/purple lights but 6000K will not fail the MOT.

Do a google search on 'colour temperatures' and it'll give you some idea of the colour types.

Don't worry about customs charges & VAT - PM me for details.

Forgot to say.... you need a H1 kit of course!

This post has been edited by wirdy on January 07, 2007 05:30 pm

Hi All

Just fitted a HID kit to the V6. Off out to try it when it gets a bit darker. I have left all the dip light bits insitu (ie plastic lense, metal bulb end cover) so it has standard UK Citroen XM dipped headlights. Would you believe that until this afternoon I never realised the dipped beams on an XM stayed on when you turned on full beam. The dip light output from halogens is so poor that alongside the headlight I had always assumed that it was just the reflection from the glass lighting up the dip reflector.
I went for a UK supplier (HIDS-DIRECT) with a kit that included a relay harness just in case there were electrical interference problems. These bulbs were 6000k and I am surprised how blue they look compared to the side lights and the full beam. I have a 4300k set for the 2.5 estate so will compare the colour difference.
I have not used the relay harness at present and there does not seem to be any problems. Will let you know how I think they perform.

Regards

XMexc

Hi XMexc,

does this mean you have converted he main beam bulbs and left the dipped as std halogen?

i have recently ordered a set myself but to improve the poor dipped beam. (i rarely get to use the main - to the point that i thought it was a a fault when the dipped beam indicator remained lit on the dash). i guess with the xm its possible to do either as they are separate bulbs.

Hi Gav and All

No it was the dips that I put the HIDs in. The point I was trying to make was that before HID conversion the Dips were Citroen standard fittings and had not had any of the other fixes for poor dip made to them. The dip bulb metal end cap and the plastic lense were present and left insitu.
I have now been out and had a trip round our local dark lanes and I am well impressed with the HIDs they are dramatically better than the old ones. I found the dipped lights good enough to drive with even where there was no oncomming traffic and I normally would have used full beam. There is a noticeable colour difference on the road, the halogen full beam is yellowish and dip is very white. The cut off of the dip beam remains clear when viewed with the car facing the garage door so I do not think there will be a MOT problem. No one flashed me while driving round.
I will fit the 4300k set to the other car in the next day or so.

Regards

XMexc

thats excellent. good to hear it makes a noticable difference. i must admit i'm curious to see just how defined the cut off will be having read so much about the original design of the computer generated lens pattern.

Hi XMexc

I missed all this information, I was away for a few days. I still havn't got round to getting mine, I was waiting to see some feedback from the 'new' suppliers, and now all the cheap ones have dissapeared!

I would be interested to hear if there is any noticable difference between the 6000k and 4500k when you have fitted them. Anyway, thanks for all the info everyone.

Peter.N.

Hi PeterN

Will bring one down so you can see it working if you like. Should have them both done before the end of the week. I think ebay may be delisting a lot of the cheap foreign ones that crop up. The price with postage seems to have staballised around the £120 mark for the cheaper ones. I suspect that it will drop again over the next 6 months to nearer £80. A little while ago we were looking at £300 for a set so I decided that getting the 2 sets I needed now for £200 was very reasonable.
Thank you for the ebay details and I am sorry if your few days away led to you missing out.

Regards

John

Hi All

Just to add that the second HID set is now fitted to the estate. The colour of light from the 4300k set is still white compared to the yellow of the sidelights and full beam but no blue tinge as with the 6000k set. I do not think I would risk any higher k rating than 6000k for road use. I understand that you just change the bulbs to get the different colour rating as the ballasts are common. I have tried the lights facing a wall and the dipped beam cut off is very good so I do not expect MOT problems. This is with all the standard Citroen dip beam lensing in place. The difference when driving is really noticable and neither set has caused any other driver to flash me. Under street lights you can still see the patch of lit road from the dipped headlights and I no longer keep thinking the lights are not on as I used to with the halogen bulbs. In the dark unlit roads the illumination on dip is great. Such a contrast with the previous. As a DOF I used to drive a bit slower in the dark on the minor roads but this has now changed and I find myself driving at the same speeds as I would in daylight.
Overall a great improvement well worth the money. The only thing that concerns me a little is that I have no spares without buying another set.

Regards

XMexc

Hi XMexc

Thanks for all the info, that's just what I needed, someone who has actually tried them, especially in an XM!. What is the difference if any, between the 4300 and 6000k in actual 'seeability' terms?

Peter.N.

Didn't you believe me then?....

Hi Wirdy

Sorry! I have obviously missed your post. I was away for a few days when all this frantic activity was going on and didn't read the mail properly.

XMexc - If you fancy a trip down this way, I would be pleased to see the fruit of your labours.

Peter.N.

It seems HID retro. conversions are illegal as the assembly is not E-certified. Always someone to spoil a good idea - just when I was thinking of buying a kit!
Have a look at this link to Auto Express site:-
http://www.autoexpr ess.co.uk/ videos/featuresv ideos/204742/ xenon_test. html
What a shame as HIDs seem the answer to poor dipped beam performance on XMs
especially as anecdotal evidence from posters who have fitted them report no scatter/glare to other road users. To make matters worse illegality does not depend on failing an actual beam test but rests on lack of certification.
R.

Typical!

Being a tightfisted pensioner I've just ordered an £84 HID H1 6000K kit from Hong Kong (free postage). I was sure it quoted an E certification number.

Derek

Hi Bukko,

I've just viewed the Autoexpress site and I'm not convinced. If you fit the correct type of bulb with the same point light source then the beam should be identical.

The Department of Transport's statement that "These are not acceptable" has no validity in law as there has been no Act of Parliament passed to make them illegal. Agreed that they can fail the M.O.T. test, but only if they have been incorrectly set. Maybe I was asleep but I heard no references to E certification.

The video was full of "coulds" and "mights", pigs might fly if they were born with wings and had a gas turbine up their jackseys. Seems to me like scaremongering.

Derek