Hi All...query on headlights.

[Imthedaddy2010]

Recently acquired a 1998/99 CLK 320 and want to replace the front headlight as they have gone really cloudy...I'm aware of all the restoration kits available for lights but I've been offered a set of xenon ones off a slightly later higher speck model and wondered if its easy enough to change them over? They are coming off a clk 55 amg and not sure if wiring etc might be an issue?
Any help or advise would be great.
Cheers guys

 

[WillDeBeest]

Remember with xenons that you'll need washers and self-levellers to pass an MoT. Not trivial, so probably better to replace like with like.

 

[Peter T]

My son has aftermarket HIDs on his SLK.

For the MOT he simply changes back to the original bulbs/wiring. Takes him about half an hour, once a year!

 

[WillDeBeest]

Ah, there's responsible! Anyway, given that the OP's existing lights are already defective, that method would require him to buy new halogen units to keep in the garage and occasionally swap for the illegal xenons.

 

[Dieselman]

My son has aftermarket HIDs on his SLK.

For the MOT he simply changes back to the original bulbs/wiring. Takes him about half an hour, once a year!

Why does he do that if they are legal and don't dazzle?

 

[Peter T]

Why does he do that if they are legal and don't dazzle?

Because it's easier to do that than have some over zealous tester fail it and then have to do it!

 

[Peter T]

Ah, there's responsible! Anyway, given that the OP's existing lights are already defective, that method would require him to buy new halogen units to keep in the garage and occasionally swap for the illegal xenons.

He says that they are cloudy and wants to replace them, not that they are faulty or that the car has failed an MOT!

I took that to mean that he wanted to improve the car and that the existing lights were servicable.

 

[Dieselman]

Because it's easier to do that than have some over zealous tester fail it and then have to do it!

Testers can't be overzealous, either the car passes or fails the test on set criteria.

If you feel the tester is wrong, report them to VOSA.

Do you think the tester is wrong?

 

[grumpyoldgit]

My son has aftermarket HIDs on his SLK.

For the MOT he simply changes back to the original bulbs/wiring. Takes him about half an hour, once a year!

Is he aware that it may void his insurance if they are illegal?

Quote:
Does it matter if it's not legal?
That depends. It's down to the driver whether this is a concern. However, adding an HID kit may void your insurance and any warranty you have on the vehicle. You could also pose a safety risk to the emergency services should you be involved in a road traffic accident (factory fitted systems have safety measures built in to automatically shut the system down in the event of a collision).

HID Kits - New Legislation 2012

 

[Moonie]

Testers can't be overzealous, either the car passes or fails the test on set criteria.

If you feel the tester is wrong, report them to VOSA.

Do you think the tester is wrong?

I had a tester fail a 1999 530d BMW with factory xenons because they were 'too blue'.

 

[Peter T]

Is he aware that it may void his insurance if they are illegal?

Quote:
Does it matter if it's not legal?
That depends. It's down to the driver whether this is a concern. However, adding an HID kit may void your insurance and any warranty you have on the vehicle. You could also pose a safety risk to the emergency services should you be involved in a road traffic accident (factory fitted systems have safety measures built in to automatically shut the system down in the event of a collision).

HID Kits - New Legislation 2012

Why are they talking about the "Procurator Fiscal"?

 

[Peter T]

Testers can't be overzealous, either the car passes or fails the test on set criteria.

If you feel the tester is wrong, report them to VOSA.

Do you think the tester is wrong?

Yeah right! Life's too short.

 

[Dieselman]

Why are they talking about the "Procurator Fiscal"?

The original text must have come from a Scottish site.

 

[Dieselman]

Yeah right! Life's too short.

What does that mean?

Surely, if life is too short and time is precious, why waste time swapping headlamp bulbs over?

Maybe, because he knows they will fail due to causing an incorrect beam pattern and dazzle for oncoming drivers.

 

[Deleted member 37751]

My F-I-L had his W210 headlights refurbed to remove 'clouding' and now they look brand new.

Cost him £35 iirc

 

[calcite dr520]

OP just get yourself a bottle of cutting compound and a rotary buffer and polish the lights yourself will look like new after 10 minutes we do it all the time as were a mot station,hope this helps. simon

 

[Peter T]

What does that mean?

Surely, if life is too short and time is precious, why waste time swapping headlamp bulbs over?

Maybe, because he knows they will fail due to causing an incorrect beam pattern and dazzle for oncoming drivers.

It takes him 20 to 30 minutes to swap between HID/halogen headlights. If the car fails the MOT, he would have to do that anyway plus have the hassle of going back for a re-test.

As for reporting anyone to VOSA, who knows how long that would take? I suspect that a large percentage of MOT age car owners will have a story about their car being failed for something "debatable". I certainly have and I simply fix it and move on.

His HID kit was legally bought some years ago from a reputable source and was legal to fit at that time. The lights don't dazzle and he doesn't get flashed by other motorists. I have driven in front of him at night and they are undetectable from any other HID lights. The car is a small 2 seater with a small boot. It's not going to be loaded up so that the headlights point skyward.

 

[grumpyoldgit]

His HID kit was legally bought some years ago from a reputable source and was legal to fit at that time. The lights don't dazzle and he doesn't get flashed by other motorists.

Quote:
The seller says they are legal
The only way for an HID kit to be road legal is if the whole headlight unit is replaced with one specifically designed for HID or the existing headlight unit is reassessed for compliance and assigned a new 'E' mark. As you can imagine, this is vastly inconvenient and expensive. In short, unless you take steps to do all of this then your vehicle will not be road legal.

The Department's view it is not legal to sell or use after market HID lighting kits, for converting conventional Halogen headlamps to HID Xenon. If a customer wants to convert his vehicle to Xenon HID he must purchase completely new Xenon HID headlamps. The reason for this is that the existing lens and reflector are designed around a Halogen filament bulb, working to very precise tolerances. If one places a HID "burner" (bulb) in the headlamp, the beam pattern will not be correct, there will be glare in some places and not enough light in other places within the beam pattern. - Department for Transport (2006)

 

[horatio]

I just restored the headlights on my 210. I worked through the wet-n-dry grades (from 600 to 1500) then polished up with scratch X. I fitted osram nightbreaker bulbs while I was at it. Like night and day!

They work so well I can't see the point in faffing about with HIDs..