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Styling HID conversion kits

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Styling HID conversion kits

rolopolo

rolopolo

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Hi guys,
I know all the legal issues etc regarding the fitting of these kits,
But, being a courier and covering 100k miles per year I do a lot of night driving, my 2012 3.0 180 ducato goes through more H7 bulbs than I have meals!
Ok slight exaggeration

Fancied trying a HID kit, opted for a quoted top of range kit from Hids4U, this being an "Anti-Glare" kit which by all accounts do work by blanking the light that causes glare,

My issue is and wondered if anyone has encountered the same or found a supplier of H7R kits that fit, is

All 06 on build ducatos, boxer, relays have that alloy/metal bulb cover inside headlamp, some call it an "umbrella" the kits I have come across, the bulbs are 48mm long and won't fit due to this cover/umbrella being in the way.
Standard H7 halogen bulbs are 44mm long (widest part of base to tip of bulb)

No one seems to be able to supply 44mm Hid bulbs, also most companies in uk are the same company!

Anyone managed to source a kit that fits?

Cheers
Neil
 
rolopolo said:
Fancied trying a HID kit, opted for a quoted top of range kit from Hids4U, this being an "Anti-Glare" kit which by all accounts do work by blanking the light that causes glare,
Click to expand...

But they don't stop the glare unless you're changing the entire headlight unit. No one can overcome the laws of physics and how lights work.

Why not just use long life headlight bulbs or uprated ones like Osram night breaker plus bulbs or Ring Xenon Max.

You've already admitted you're aware what you're doing is illegal, and doing 100k miles a year with a far from legit vehicle, and as a result possibly void insurance policy, is just asking for trouble, and not only for yourself, but anyone you may have an indecent from. I'm surprised with the mileage you're doing you're not fed up yourself with others who have illegal and dangerous HIDs when driving at night....
 
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As all of the above, plus, remember HIDs do not last forever, and when they pop, they are expensive. I knew someone with a Merc E-class with HIDs as standard. He did a lot of night driving and had to replace the bulbs at least once every year. Strangely his latest car has standard headlamps.
 
rolopolo said:
No one seems to be able to supply 44mm Hid bulbs,
Click to expand...

You can get 40mm and 42mm but don't do it you'll blind everyone else on the road. The blanking only block a fraction of the light you sill get 40% or more glare.
http://redchariot.ie/h-type/371-hid-xenon-kit-h1-ulb-type-with-slim-digital-ballasts.html

http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_o...,+short)+(hid,+xenon)+(h7,+h7c)&_sacat=131090


Most Easterly Pandas said:
Why not just use long life headlight bulbs or uprated ones like Osram night breaker plus bulbs or Ring Xenon Max.
Click to expand...

Osram ultra life is 700hour b3 1100hour tc life expectancy and 1500lm same as a standard bulb. Thats more than 4 time the life expectancy of the crappy 'uprated' 'brighter' ones.

http://www.osram.com/appsinfo/pdc/pdf.do?cid=GPS01_1056961&mpid=ZMP_1013618&vid=EU_ALL_eCat&lid=EN

'Uprated' is a bit of a scam they only 'last longer' then their predecessor **** heaps.

Osram night breaker is 150hour b3 and 250 tc life expectancy and they don't even state the lumens of the h7 one but the socketed version is only 1350 lumens which is less than a standard bulb according to their own data. here if you don't believe So it just the colour temperature is different.

portland_bill said:
As all of the above, plus, remember HIDs do not last forever, and when they pop, they are expensive.
Click to expand...

+1 and the cheap ones are lightly to blow the ballast as well as the bulb.
 
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With ref to insurance, if you pop in a brighter say osram H7 or anything other than a bog standard H7 then technically you are modifying. As it's not standard fitment so let your insurance co know!? Just like all tge other kev'd up Corsas & puntos with their tinted windows & lamps, loud exhausts, k&n induction kits, big stretched tyres on big alloys
In regards to other road users with their glaring hid kits, personally I'm more bothered about other I leaflet road users like the un insured, the foreigners driving with lhd beams, un monitored driving hours, immigrants who live over here with their imported cars not mot's at all or insured in the uk! Trucks with million watt light bars that burn ones retinas when they flash their fellow truckers after overtaking, oh and middle lane hoggers!

I run with 20+ vans each night 4 have anti glare kits fitted and they work, 1 has "full" glare kit fitted and yes it's bright but bearable,
The reason I'm looking at this route is more down to a: cost of replacement H7 bulbs! B: 30 min job removing headlight to fit bulbs each time (especially cold wet nights) and c: safety, the standard lamps beam pattern nearly reaches 30ft in front of van so a little more light would be helpful, so you can keep your osram night breakers :)

Ps of the 5 vans with hid kits fitted, 3 passed mot no problem, the other 2 are too new,

Anyhow as I said I know the legalities etc and not really bothered what some folk say, as it stands my van is fully "legit" only mod to standard is the dab stereo and yes the insurance know about that,

Cheers mooderator for bulb info, the hid lengths are from widest part of metal base to tip of return wire that we have been looking at, and also aware of the cheaper gear, the kits supplied so far have been top end price wise with 2yr warranty, same as my colleagues, they haven't had a blown bulb yet in over 12 months

Have found a supplier yesterday, look forward to dazzling you all soon (joke) smile,
 
rolopolo said:
With ref to insurance, if you pop in a brighter say osram H7 or anything other than a bog standard H7 then technically you are modifying. As it's not standard fitment so let your insurance co know!? Just like all tge other kev'd up Corsas & puntos with their tinted windows & lamps, loud exhausts, k&n induction kits, big stretched tyres on big alloys
In regards to other road users with their glaring hid kits, personally I'm more bothered about other I leaflet road users like the un insured, the foreigners driving with lhd beams, un monitored driving hours, immigrants who live over here with their imported cars not mot's at all or insured in the uk! Trucks with million watt light bars that burn ones retinas when they flash their fellow truckers after overtaking, oh and middle lane hoggers!

I run with 20+ vans each night 4 have anti glare kits fitted and they work, 1 has "full" glare kit fitted and yes it's bright but bearable,
The reason I'm looking at this route is more down to a: cost of replacement H7 bulbs! B: 30 min job removing headlight to fit bulbs each time (especially cold wet nights) and c: safety, the standard lamps beam pattern nearly reaches 30ft in front of van so a little more light would be helpful, so you can keep your osram night breakers :)

Ps of the 5 vans with hid kits fitted, 3 passed mot no problem, the other 2 are too new,

Anyhow as I said I know the legalities etc and not really bothered what some folk say, as it stands my van is fully "legit" only mod to standard is the dab stereo and yes the insurance know about that,

Cheers mooderator for bulb info, the hid lengths are from widest part of metal base to tip of return wire that we have been looking at, and also aware of the cheaper gear, the kits supplied so far have been top end price wise with 2yr warranty, same as my colleagues, they haven't had a blown bulb yet in over 12 months

Have found a supplier yesterday, look forward to dazzling you all soon (joke) smile,
Click to expand...

Which ballast did you get, I was tempted to get some old hella ballasts from the vw breakers. The other issue is that all the short ones I've seen have he plastic bases that melt.
 
It's a kit that's still on way so can't say on the ballast, although it's a 2yr warranty and defo metal based bulbs, will let you know how it goes once here and dry! Enough to have a go fitting and testing
 
Hi Rolopolo, can you let me know when you get your HID conversion kit. I am thinking of getting my new 2014 180 converted as I do a lot of night driving. Can you let me know supplier and how much.

Regards
 
Hi, just waiting for a dry spell and day off to fit it, will report once done,

Cheers
 
Sorry no, the big white bus is still sat in fiat garage awaiting repair (new flux capacitor reqd!)
Hopefully soon,
Just need A: the van & B: dry weather :)
 
Final update on the HID kit,

After plenty of time and effort, turns out the 40mm length hid bulbs are the only one that fits, not the 45mm,
Re ordered the 40's last week, and they sent 45 again!
Now they say the 40's are not available for reflector lamps only projectors,
So it's all going back,
Moral of story, but a van that don't leak water through scuttle wrecking electrics under bonnet and buy one that offers HID or new led style lamps as option

#igiveup
 
What's wrong with fitting cree led light bulbs if you need a brighter light.
 
Not tried if they do H7's, I do know fiats are odd when it comes to LED's and canbus errors, ie side running lights and front sidelights have had them fitted then after a few months getting errors, yet number plate bulbs in led, can't find any that don't throw up canbus error, tbh, didn't even get to try the hids turned on to see if they do or don't,
Have you tried?
 
Hi All,

Newbie here, but just wanted to make a comment about factor fit xenon and the life of bulbs.

Had a BMW530D which is still in use by my Brother, with over 200,000 miles and the bulbs are still going strong.

Wife has a BMW 6 series and the bi-xenons are still going strong a few years into ownership.

I have a Land Rover with close to 140,000 miles and bi-xenons, the bulbs still fine.

Never heard of factory fit xenons going wrong to be honest. But I am sure there are some out there.

Best regards

Chris
 
I fully agree, though also retrofit ones live long. My Sorento has them 5 years now. The only sign of wear is a slight color change: one is greenish, the other has a purple hue that I never noticed before.
 
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