I called my dealership for some prices on the headlight protectors, I advised that they will be placed over Xenon lights, a brief pause form the parts dude and he told me that he call me back as he wasn't if it was OK to use these covers on Xenons.

VAG confirmed that you cannot use these covers becuase of the heat Xenons produce, I know we've had this debate before and there are members on here that use these covers on xenon headlights.

Do anyone actually have an official statement from Skoda UK on this matter?

Cheers

Des

If not I think i'll write a letter to Skoda.

Although xenons use less power than halogen, its a point source - perhaps there is too much concentration of heat on a small part of the lense?

I suspect that the no headlamp protectors rule is boll*x anyway. For a start, the Xenon lights themselves have a polycarbonate lens. How another layer of polycarbonate a bit further away, with an air gap in between, slanted upwards so air would naturally force its way through whilst driving, could be a problem I don't know.

Suffice to say, I have a rather nice pair of vRS badged protectors on my Octy and they haven't melted yet.

I further believe that this no-no rule is due to the headlamp washers. IIRC, any car fitted with Xenon lights must by law also have headlamp washers as dirty lenses diffuse the Xenon light very easily, causing dazzling to other drivers. If you stick headlamp protectors on I guess this would interfere with the washer operation.

That said, I'm not taking mine off, we'll see if they melt.

Dan

I upgraded my std Honda Integra Type R lights from normal bulbs to HID Xenons.

They produce LESS heat than std bulbs. They are a much smaller wattage and burn at much lower temperatures.

I had the same concerns when i changed them, but after some research they were found to be fine. My concerns were because the ITR's light cover is made of plastic.

I've never found the xenons to produce excessive amounts of heat on my furby - on the contrary, I think the lense cover at the front is cooler than with traditional halogen bulbs.

I've often thought about puting lense protector covers on and haven't done it, but probably will, regardless of whether the official answer is a yes or a no. I would rather have a huge stone chip / crak / break

I further believe that this no-no rule is due to the headlamp washers. IIRC, any car fitted with Xenon lights must by law also have headlamp washers

Yes that is true - they also have to be self levelling and must shut down permanently if the air bag is triggered.

I guess the a polycarbonate lense protector could cause defraction too as its at an angle to the beam, particularly with the blue part.

What a load of PI55H, standard on the WRC edition

What a load of PI55H, standard on the WRC edition

OOOh do you mean the protectors are standard on the WRC (which come with xenons) ?

YUP - along with the heated seats, which are sooooo nice during the winter

But surely the protectors are an accessory? The dealer fitted them to my 4X4 as part of a so-called protection pack.

They are not standard with the L&K, and my supplying dealer (Gordon Lamb) told me that they shouldn't be fitted. There you go, consistent advice again. (BTW - no criticism of Gordon Lamb intended here!!)

The lenses are polycarbonate, so that chances of them shattering are extremely slim (unless you have a major coming together with something). However, I do worry about stone chips gradually building up and causing the car to fail its MOT. However, most of the components wouldn't need to be replaced. Just the lenses/housing (plus the labour!).

The lenses plus housing - ie halogen twin headlight unit for gas discharge bulb - is listed at

The lenses plus housing - ie halogen twin headlight unit for gas discharge bulb[/i'] - is listed at

Polycarbonate lense better be strong when you look at that cost of the unit :(

What do you think Jet Fighter canopies are made out of?

Granted it's probably not the same grade, but it's strong stuff all the same

I spoke to the bodyshop when my Octy was in for it's air con work, and we got talking about headlamps (I don't know why), and thence polycarbonate lenses.

The guy at the bodyshop mentioned that when they first had a wreck in with polycarbonate lenses, they were astounded at how strong they were. The whole front of the car had been well pushed back, the grille had disappeared into the radiator etc. But there, stuck either side were the two headlamp lenses, undamaged. The units behind them had shattered, but the lenses were still intact.

So they took it as a bit of a challenge...

... and no matter how hard they tried they couldn't break them.

They do scratch and mark slightly from stone chips though, so fingers crossed this doesn't affect the MOT when it comes to need one.

What do you think Jet Fighter canopies are made out of?

Granted it's probably not the same grade' date=' but it's strong stuff all the same [/quote']

AND

The guy at the bodyshop mentioned that when they first had a wreck in with polycarbonate lenses' date=' they were astounded at how strong they were. The whole front of the car had been well pushed back, the grille had disappeared into the radiator etc. But there, stuck either side were the two headlamp lenses, undamaged. The units behind them had shattered, but the lenses were still intact.

So they took it as a bit of a challenge...

... and no matter how hard they tried they couldn't break them.[/quote']

Last time we had a xenon vs halogen light debate, you menaced me with a hammer.

I think I'm ready now

Seriously though, it's good to know they're sturdy bits of plastic. Still, mine have the odd small chip... :(