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Old 07-07-2007   #1 (Post Link)
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Upgrading to Xenons/HID

Been thinking about upgrading the lights for a while. Theres loads of cheap kits on ebay (just selling the bulbs). Are they worth it?

See below for an example of what I mean:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ALFA-ROMEO-147...QQcmdZViewItem

I know that the bulbs are a pain in the arrse to change!
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Old 07-07-2007   #2 (Post Link)
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Re: Upgrading to Xenons/HID

Sh*te, don't waste your money on those bulbs. Either go for Philips bluevision or Osram silverstar. If you have a bit more cash a proper HID kit would be in order...but I think it depends on the type of headlights you have.
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Old 07-07-2007   #3 (Post Link)
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Re: Upgrading to Xenons/HID

Those arn't HID, they are just blue tinted Halogen bulbs.
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Old 07-07-2007   #4 (Post Link)
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Re: Upgrading to Xenons/HID

The blue tint actually reduces the amount of light and the distance on the road which the lights can light up. You're also buying some generic no brand bulb which extremely unlikely to provide the performance that you'd get from a top quality higher end bulb. Do you really think that a "full headlight" set for £9.99 is going to be any good?

Go for something like the Philips Xtreme Power or +80s

http://www.powerbulbs.co.uk/

Review
http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/product...eme_power.html

Last edited by Picard : 08-07-2007 at 23:37.
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Old 07-07-2007   #5 (Post Link)
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Re: Upgrading to Xenons/HID

As always thanks for the replies. I was aware they weren't HID's and the quality of the ebay example was questionable to say the least, hence it was just an example.

Already ordered from that website, thanks Picard.
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Old 07-07-2007   #6 (Post Link)
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Re: Upgrading to Xenons/HID

thiose HID UPGRADES off ebay are one of the best bulbs you can buy for your car....as long as you are sure you will never be driving anywhere at night (dusk even is too dark for them). Light ouput = useless (I know i bought them ) REAL HID kits are not cheap (about £80-100) but again i can't 100% recommend them. Light output is amazing but beam pattern can be dodgy just putting them into standard lamps. They are also illegal to fit now afaik.
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Old 08-07-2007   #7 (Post Link)
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Re: Upgrading to Xenons/HID

it always amazes me that 'false advertising' like that continues to be allowed. such bulbs are clearly not xenon, as explained.

FYI, a full HID conversion requires:
*HID/xenon bulb (genuine ones!)
*HID 'ballast' wiring setup: converts 12V to high voltage to run HIDs
*highly recommend to have 'projector' style light housing/lenses
*highly recommend to have self-levelling mechanisms

projectors are the round fish-eye lights that are designed for HID. inside is a 'mask' that blocks off stray light to prevent dazzling oncomers.

if you fit a genuine HID to a non-projector lens, there is a high chance it will be very dazzling, which is hazardous and probably unroadworthy/illegal in your area.

the self-levelling mechanisms are a requirement on cars fitted with HIDs from the factory. this too is installed to prevent dazzling oncomers. it is linked electromechanically to the suspension struts to adjust the angle of the projectors.

overall, it is very expensive to do a full and proper conversion. taking shortcuts is not advised.

if you want upgraded halogens, then the Philips Vision Plus - as already recommended - are very, very good. have used these. if you want a blue-tinted halogen, then Philips Blue Vision are very good too, but not as much light output, as also mentioned.


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Old 08-07-2007   #8 (Post Link)
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Re: Upgrading to Xenons/HID

Here is a very good site which explains why blue bulbs are crap:

http://www.danielsternlighting.com/t...blue/blue.html
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