thought some of you may find this interesting/useful...

Department for Transport - Aftermarket HID (Xenon) headlamps

So, to fit aftermarket HIDs you just need the lens' from a xenon equipped fabia? There's some stuff in there about levelling but I believe you could use the inside "- to 3" knob to get it right.

can we have calling cards with that on to stick under ch@v windscreen wipers?

Thats old news. Despite posting that link numerous times all it gets is "Well it passed an MOT" or "Well I have projectors" and so on ad nauseum.

Proper Xenons are fantastic and worth every penny, even some cheaper AM kits fitted properly and adjusted properly are equally effective and if done properly will not cuase issues. However, legislation like that is put in place because there is always some chimp who will cause an accident coming out of Mcdonalds car park after putting them in his £500 skip on wheels thinking it's going to earn him an extra 2 lovebites to show his mates on monday morning in the factory canteen. (These chimps will be the same people who ruin most things for others because they have grown up with no common sense).

I really miss the Xenons from my VRS, so much so I would consider a kit. However, even though I know I am more than capable of fitting it effectively I also I am unlucky enough to get pink slipped

You fit the kit, you takes your chances. They are offically illegal if not fitted in a suitable headlamp along with self levelling and washers, this is a fact, so don't try an argue with it, that's the law. On the face of it though it's up to the individual if they want to run the risk, I think the skill with it will be in working out how big the risk is

"For the after market, a used vehicle cannot obtain type approval because it is only applicable for new vehicles. However we feel that saying "HID is banned in the after market" would not be reasonable. Instead we should make analogies with new vehicles. It would be reasonable to require HID in the after market to meet the same safety standards as on new vehicles. The same level of safety should apply."

...we should make analogies...it would be reasonable...

All sounds reasurringly defintive and air tight to me

"For the after market, a used vehicle cannot obtain type approval because it is only applicable for new vehicles. However we feel that saying "HID is banned in the after market" would not be reasonable. Instead we should make analogies with new vehicles. It would be reasonable to require HID in the after market to meet the same safety standards as on new vehicles. The same level of safety should apply."

...we should make analogies...it would be reasonable...

All sounds reasurringly defintive and air tight to me

true....... it all sounds like waffle

"For the after market, a used vehicle cannot obtain type approval because it is only applicable for new vehicles. However we feel that saying "HID is banned in the after market" would not be reasonable. Instead we should make analogies with new vehicles. It would be reasonable to require HID in the after market to meet the same safety standards as on new vehicles. The same level of safety should apply."

...we should make analogies...it would be reasonable...

All sounds reasurringly defintive and air tight to me

Kind of but not quite....

They should apply their own rules consistently. It's possible to import a RHD car from a foreign market which has HIDs. And there won't be a CE or British Standard mark in sight.

It is apparently possible to obtain Subaru HID headlamps for a classic Impreza. They were only ever produced in small numbers for the JDM. If you imported such a car, would it get an SVA or ESVA? It most likely would and with little fuss. The most lighting oriented mod. you'd have to make would be to figure out where to place the rear foglamp.

J.

I think the problem with most cars that have these kits fitted is that they always go for a stupid light temperature (8000k or sometimes 10000k+) which are just awful to look at and the colour is often just way too blue and hurts your eyes!

At least if you get a 4300 or 5000k kit it just looks like you've got nice bright bulbs fitted!

So, to fit aftermarket HIDs you just need the lens' from a xenon equipped fabia? There's some stuff in there about levelling but I believe you could use the inside "- to 3" knob to get it right.

The lens is no different, its just clear plastic. Its the internals of the light that differ and the way the bulb is mounted and how it projects its light.

Does the fabia MK I with Xenons not use a projector lens then?

I'd have thought if you have a citroen with the intelligent suspension + washers and the correct lamp housings you'd be fine.

The law does say that self levelling suspension is acceptable.

The key sentence in the DOT statement is "The same level of safety should apply." "Should" meaning "it is not compulsory" that it does so, so the statement which trys to claim that you must have self-leveling and headlight washers with aftermarket plasma discharge units actually does the reverse.