HID to LED?

[ravstar13]

Hi I was wondering with the new MOT rules regarding the HIDs could I just take the whole lot out and replace with Just LEDs or just stick to normal bulbs? any advice on this?

[Brianmoooore]

What new rules?

[ravstar13]

the new rule about car's having non standard hid's fitted and that would result in a fail unless also fitted with headlight washer's and auto levellers.

HID headlights can cause dazzle if they are dirty or aimed too high, so they are generally (if light output exceeds 2000 lumens) fitted in conjunction with headlamp cleaning and levelling systems. Where HID or LED dipped beam headlamps are fitted the tester will switch on the headlamps and check the operation of any headlamp levelling and cleaning devices fitted.

The car will fail if a headlamp levelling or cleaning device is inoperative or otherwise obviously defective.

If a headlamp bulb is not seated correctly the resulting beam pattern will be indistinct and this will result in a test fail.

this is copied from the double A lots, but I was talking to the local MOT guy and he said they will fail unless they have self levelling and washer?

[BenHar]

From: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/s ... hicles.pdf

Vehicles equipped with High Intensity Discharge
(HID) or LED
dipped beam headlamps may be fitted
with headlamp washers and a suspension or
headlamp self levelling system.
Where such systems are fitted, they must work;
however, it is accepted that it may not be possible
to readily determine the functioning of self levelling
systems. In such cases, the benefit of the doubt
must be given.

Note "Where such systems are fitted, they must work".
There is nothing to say that they must be fitted.

Ben

[ravstar13]

Ok that seems to help a little its just the MOT guy said that if it has HIDs it will not pass unless it has them features. Its the way he put across to me, i feel like I should inform him haha.

[Brianmoooore]

So no change then? Just another MOT tester that doesn't know his job.
Wonder what he'd make of the emissions from a M52B28 in a '93 E30 with no cat?

[ravstar13]

well funny thing is as i pulled up he said cos its got no cat he cant test it?! until he read a document in the back haha

[ChrisHC]

It might be worth trying the effect of uprated bulbs before going to the expense anyway. They are said to be up to 130% brighter than standard bulbs.

[Brianmoooore]

That will be 130% brighter than a particularly poor sample of a 'standard' bulb, and the human perception of 'brightness' is far from linear. A 30% increase will be hardly noticeable.
On the cost side of things, a set of China's finest HIDs is probably cheaper than a pair of 'uprated' bulbs of a premium brand.
I've been running Chinese HIDs on all my cars since they first became available at a sensible price, and the only comment I've ever had from a MOT tester was to say how good the beam pattern was (on my E34, IIRC, which has essentially the same headlamps as an E30).

[satan16v]

If you're going through the trouble of swapping out the bulbs just for your MOT just put boggo factory fit bulbs in there, and remove once passed.

I had LED bulbs in my fireblade and they emitted cock all fwd light. Which I'd never know as I very very rarely ride in the dark

It's only for the sake of the test after all

[Brianmoooore]

The "smiley" type dipped beam headlamps fitted to an E30 are ideally suited to H1 type HID burners, and assuming a burner that is within spec., and is fitted properly, will produce a beam pattern that no MOT tester could find fault with. Aim of the pattern is a different matter, and if it is wrong with the HID burners, it will be equally as wrong with an ordinary bulb.
There is absolutely no reason to swap bulbs for a test.