jai, im gonna paint my windows black, is that ok? 
can't u just upgraded bulbs for the unos? that have a brighter whiter light?
Dunc
can't u just upgraded bulbs for the unos? that have a brighter whiter light?
Dunc
Technical Uno Headlight bulbs
- Thread starter markoibook
- Start date
Currently reading:
Technical Uno Headlight bulbs
jai, im gonna paint my windows black, is that ok?
can't u just upgraded bulbs for the unos? that have a brighter whiter light?
Dunc
easy bit: new bulbs, not much good, as alex demo'd to me, if they only getting 9.5 volts, instead of the full on 12v.
as for the windows, the problem is this, you get stopped, and asked to pull the tint off, and refuse, the officer will quite reasonably tell you, you can't drive off as he would be complicit in your continuing comission of an offence. you say you can't as they are painted.....he pg'9s it, you cant move it full stop till it's trailered away, rectified etc.
as i always point out, i'm never that fussed what you do with your cars gents, but....to be forewarned is to be forearmed, if you do get tugged, and your car checked over, and the offences found, and pointed out, you have deal with it, and crying later, as quite a few do in the LL, doesn't really cut it
lol, i was only messing mate. i wouldnt tint my windows on my unos. really really doesnt suit them!
i know the UTs have the little coil thing for the lights, but my 1.0l doesnt seem to have one?!?!
hmmm...
Dunc
i know the UTs have the little coil thing for the lights, but my 1.0l doesnt seem to have one?!?!
hmmm...
Dunc
It's the dim/ dip resistor, only used for a few years on later mk1's (post 1987 I think) and early mk2's. Fiat dropped it sometime in the 1990's, but I have a feeling they may have been brought back in again more recently?
Interesting points here...
Jai - thanks for the recommendation
As you said, the problem is in the low voltage to the bulbs. When these cars rolled out of the factory, the voltage was sufficient - but now, with old connectors and switches, they're just not up to scratch. Deal to that by fitting relays and you solve the problem at the source... where you go after that is up to the individual (illegal 100W bulbs, HID kits, etc. all unnecessary when you consider the improvement that the relays make.)
Jai - wonder if you've had the headlamps re-aligned yet after I did them 'roughly' :chin: Can makes all the difference to how useful the lights are...
HID kits. These have a number of problems. One is that the light source (usually long and thin) may not be the same shape as the H4 bulb filament. That means the HID light may not be aligned with the focal point of the original reflector (which was designed to suit an H4 bulb) and therefore, a good portion of the light is being thrown away - as dazzle for other drivers, and not helping your vision. There's a reason why auto-levelling is required for HID lights. And, all the OEM HID lights I've seen are used with lens optics (projector lamps) rather than reflector optics. There's a reason for that, too.
Another problem is that the intense blue light that everyone wants (because it looks soooo bright) may not illuminate certain signs, grass verges particularly well. Especially our roadsigns in NZ, which are yellow...
A final problem - dodgy high-voltage electronics. How well is that going to work - cranking the volts up into the thousands - if the source voltage isn't even 12V to start with? Current consumption could be high. I've used similar high-voltage inverters on cold-cathode fluorescent lights under my Uno (probably best not to ask) and they've popped one-by-one. I wouldn't want to be depending on anything like those to see my way at night.
However, if you've shelled out on HIDs and feel they're worth it for the Uno, that's fine Still not legal though! (Why take the chance?)
The second point Dunc raised about painted windows - presumably it's OK to paint the rear side and back windows, as that's basically like a van? In NZ there's only a restriction on front side windows and windscreens - which must allow 35% of the light through.
That is so, so true. :worship: Again, why take the chance? There are so many more exciting things to chance in life...
-Alex
Jai - thanks for the recommendation
As you said, the problem is in the low voltage to the bulbs. When these cars rolled out of the factory, the voltage was sufficient - but now, with old connectors and switches, they're just not up to scratch. Deal to that by fitting relays and you solve the problem at the source... where you go after that is up to the individual (illegal 100W bulbs, HID kits, etc. all unnecessary when you consider the improvement that the relays make.)
Jai - wonder if you've had the headlamps re-aligned yet after I did them 'roughly' :chin: Can makes all the difference to how useful the lights are...
HID kits. These have a number of problems. One is that the light source (usually long and thin) may not be the same shape as the H4 bulb filament. That means the HID light may not be aligned with the focal point of the original reflector (which was designed to suit an H4 bulb) and therefore, a good portion of the light is being thrown away - as dazzle for other drivers, and not helping your vision. There's a reason why auto-levelling is required for HID lights. And, all the OEM HID lights I've seen are used with lens optics (projector lamps) rather than reflector optics. There's a reason for that, too.
Another problem is that the intense blue light that everyone wants (because it looks soooo bright) may not illuminate certain signs, grass verges particularly well. Especially our roadsigns in NZ, which are yellow...
A final problem - dodgy high-voltage electronics. How well is that going to work - cranking the volts up into the thousands - if the source voltage isn't even 12V to start with? Current consumption could be high. I've used similar high-voltage inverters on cold-cathode fluorescent lights under my Uno (probably best not to ask
) and they've popped one-by-one. I wouldn't want to be depending on anything like those to see my way at night.However, if you've shelled out on HIDs and feel they're worth it for the Uno, that's fine
Still not legal though! (Why take the chance?)The second point Dunc raised about painted windows - presumably it's OK to paint the rear side and back windows, as that's basically like a van? In NZ there's only a restriction on front side windows and windscreens - which must allow 35% of the light through.
That is so, so true. :worship: Again, why take the chance? There are so many more exciting things to chance in life...
-Alex
Last edited:
Hi, I have an Fiat uno and have installed 100/90w H4 xenon bulbs. I did not change anything. Must i change the cables or is it fine? I do not want the cables to burn or anything but the light that the bulbs gives are much better than the old ones. Did anyone do the same and did you have any problems?
Did anyone do the same and did you have any problems?