We ordered a 500C 18 months ago with xenon headlights after one failed car in January, our car is finally here, but without xenon. Fist say they cannot be retro fitted. Any thoughts?

I would agree with FIAT. You're looking at changing the headlamp assemblies to xenon ones with headlamp washers and levelling motors, adding another washer bottle, a levelling sensor to the back axle, wiring, connecting it all up, programming it all to work and probably much more.

Just for interest I saw the following a while back;

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/331244594062?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

I'm not suggesting they're a good idea - I really don't know - that's why I never followed it up, sounds too easy. I'm also a little suss about the "500C models only". Why would that be? Aren't all 500 halogen headlights the same - apart from American ones of course? Ours have levelling motors controlled from the menu buttons (when the headlights are on) but I thought that too was standard.

Putting HID bulbs in standard halogen headlamp mountings is unbelievably mongish, and illegal on several counts (must self level on the fly (not via a driver control), must have washers, must shut down in the event of a serious impact). Proper HID setups throw a <very> controlled beam relative to standard halogens to minimise blinding of on coming drivers.

zanes said:

Putting HID bulbs in standard halogen headlamp mountings is unbelievably mongish, and illegal on several counts (must self level on the fly (not via a driver control), must have washers, must shut down in the event of a serious impact). Proper HID setups throw a <very> controlled beam relative to standard halogens to minimise blinding of on coming drivers.

Click to expand...

That's what I sort of suspected, without knowing the ins and outs. As I said, sounds too easy. Thank you for the confirmation.

"Mongish"? New one to me...