Don’t Get Me Started.

[Paul]

On 05/05/2019 at 07:34, MauriceMynah said:

Don't worry, they'll still find some way of getting a buzz! 

Sorry MM, I very nearly missed that one, top drawer sir. 

[MauriceMynah]

What is an "HID?

[WherryNice]

13 minutes ago, MauriceMynah said:

What is an "HID?

HID stands for High Intensity Discharge, a type of headlight, commonly refered to as "Xenons". Proper ones produce a nice crisp very bright white light but many of the micky mouse retro fit ones are blue in colour and fitting them to normal halogen headlights often results in virtually no beam pattern which consequently dazzles oncoming drivers. These are the ones which are now an MOT failure in their own right.

Trouble now is that LED has taken over for the factory fit stuff and the cheapo retro fits are now becoming popular and are even worse for dazzling people.

 

 

[Paul]

They work a bit like old arc lights, instead of passing the current through a filament inside a halogen filled bulb to produce light through intense heat they pass the current directly through the Xenon gas between tugnsten filaments causing an arc. Metal salts are added to the gas to change the colour of the bulb. You can, if you want get pink or purple HID bulbs.

 

[WherryNice]

11 hours ago, RumPunch said:

Define illegal mod ....

technically my headlights are illegal as I fitted Xenons a few years ago, together with self levelling shocks and headlight washers. All as per regs at the time and the same AS BUILT on some variants of the same car.

Last year they changed the law ( as a response to Chavs mainly ) - so unless MY car had them as standard they can't be fitted. Instead I have to drive with inferior, less safe, illumination

 

From the sounds of it your lights should be fine as they are actual HID units and have all the proper bits n pieces(self levelling/washers etc) - I am an MOT tester and I would not fail them, unless of course they weren't working or mis aligned etc.

The "no retrofit" part of the MOT regs refers to putting HID type bulbs into halogen reflectors.

There's no way an MOT tester can know whether or not a car left the factory with HID headlights or not so if they look like factory ones and the car has all the gubbins that go with them then there is no reason to fail them.

Also some HID's dont even need the washers etc as they fall below a certain lumen output.

 

 

[MauriceMynah]

Thanks for the replies, but I'm still unclear on one aspect of this thread. There has been reference to "Cheapo retrofit"

Is it the retrofit that is illegal, or is it that retrofit is ok if the item is of acceptable quality, and fitted correctly? I am thinking of fitting LED indicator bulbs, brake lights and side lights (if said lamps exist) Headlights might also be something I'd think about depending on the price.

Are LED lamps a straight swap?

[grendel]

I would think replacement stop, side and indicator bulbs would be fine as they are all just consumables, headlights- it would probably be a different matter as you would need reflectors and lenses designed to give the correct pattern with LED bulbs, in a LED bulb the light emitting elements are more spread out than your existing halogen bulbs would be, so as the current lighting relies on a more or less point source from the bulb being focussed and shaped, the more spread out source of an LED bulb would not correctly illuminate the shaped beam as an effective point source would.

[grendel]

most are just a straight swap- for example see here for a few different 'standard bulb types - https://www.classiccarleds.co.uk/collections

[MauriceMynah]

KaptinKev, Why the sad face on my post?

[hazelgirl]

Oh this thread has given me a chuckle and I wasn't going to post as I don't really have much to say other than, I am involved with several car clubs and go to shows and meets on a regular basis. My car currently has legal cosmetic modifications and will maybe having some performance based ones this year. 

Because this is my hobby, I don't mind the sound of a loud engine or exhaust but from my experience of this scene it is mostly the gents in the 40/50 bracket with the expensive pop and bang mods and exhaust systems, they are all legal and fitted by reputable performance car garages, it's not always a young chav with these cars, actual car enthusiasts can be just as bad lol   

[Smoggy]

The chances are you are more likely to be run over by a silent electric car than a boy racer machine as you can hear them coming.

[MauriceMynah]

7 minutes ago, Smoggy said:

The chances are you are more likely to be run over by a silent electric car than a boy racer machine as you can hear them coming.

I agree. I used to think myself safety conscious yet I stepped out in front of an electric car a month or two back purely because I didn't hear it.

[Smoggy]

8 minutes ago, MauriceMynah said:

I agree. I used to think myself safety conscious yet I stepped out in front of an electric car a month or two back purely because I didn't hear it.

Only one thing for it, compulsory spokey-dokeys on all electric cars!

Or someone walking in front shouting "get out of the sodding way", maybe a red flag as well to give the deaf a chance.

[Malanka]

In Switzerland we have leccy bikes that can do 47kph. Which is killing large numbers of oldsters who step out in front of them. So much so the federal government has a poster campaign asking riders not to ride at their maximum speed. 

As most suburban roads have a 50 kph limit, these bikes, Stroma and the like have become a real menace. Running through lights not stopping and so on. There is a great bike culture here with cycle lanes on every road in town but it’s still abused. 

To go into town we use the trams.

 

M 

[oldgregg]

Only one thing for it, compulsory spokey-dokeys on all electric cars!
Or someone walking in front shouting "get out of the sodding way", maybe a red flag as well to give the deaf a chance.

It's coming.... Some already play a fake engine sound through a speaker in the grille.

Sent from the Norfolk Broads Network mobile app

[Ray]

For the hard of hearing I think some sort of noxious smelling gas should also be pumped out. Oh, hang on.....

[BroadAmbition]

For the hard of hearing I think some sort of noxious smelling gas should also be pumped out. Oh, hang on.....

Easy - Just replicate the smell from a power station that generates the charge for them

Griff

[Malanka]

In Japan the most popular one is star treks bridge doors opening. 

Or they could just open the window and yell “get out of the way “ . A funny but serious issue unfortunately.

 

M

[KaptinKev]

On ‎08‎/‎05‎/‎2019 at 07:05, MauriceMynah said:

KaptinKev, Why the sad face on my post?

Sorry, not too sure how that happened and have removed it. I have a new computer that has touch sensitive on the main pad aswell as the left and right key. Can be a pain in the back side sometimes.