Am about to order from my dealer (as per my other thread) but am waivering over the Xenon headlight option, I do like the look of them but I dont understand much about them having not had the pleasure of owning a new car for a long while so want to get my order right as this is a big spend for me.

Am I right in thinking these are lights that move when you turn, shine with a bright whit/blue tint, what are bi-xenon, are these bulbs expensive ans does it justify £600, I would be putting them on a FL Octavia 1.6TDi Hatch.

Has anyone had any problems with them?

Any advice appreciated

Thanks

Xenon doesnt always mean that they are adaptive, ie they turn left/right when cornering - you need to clarify that with your dealer.

Bi-Xenon means that both dipped and main beam are Xenon. Simple Xenon lights (from a couple of years ago mainly) only have the dipped beam as Xenon, main beam is a normal halogen bulb.

Bulbs are more expensive but you get what you pay for. After changing to an Octy from an A8 the xenon lights are one of the main things I miss, I couldnt find a seconhand Octy with them fitted.

I had 3 cars with Xenons and they are worth it IMO if you do lots of miles, especially out in the country. Try getting a demo from your dealer if your unsure about them.

Think carefully though as they are a bugger to retro-fit if you later decide you want them!

Definitely go for them.

Just think about it, if you work the usual 8 to 5 then you'll probably spend a third of your driving time in the dark, and the xenons are fantastic.

I've retrofitted an aftermarket set to my car so I can comment on before and after. Before, the lighting pattern is patchy and overall illumination nothing to get excited about (possibly the post facelift standard lamps are better...?). After, and the light spread is vast and even, and illumination is excellent (and that's an aftermarket set).

I'd say the OE fit system would be outstanding. Don't forget the £600 extra doesn't just pay for the xenon lights, you get headlamp wash and fully automatic headlamp levelling too which are both mandatory, but also worthwhile extras.

Also, don't be fooled by the high dealer prices for replacement xenon bulbs. Firstly they last up to 3 times as long as the standard bulbs, and buy them yourself (not from a dealer) and fitting the bulbs is easy.

They are much better than the std halogens

what are bi-xenon,

Bi-Xenon's basically mean there is a little 'shutter' covering the top of the bulb so you dont blind everyone when on dipped beam, when you put main beam on this shutter lifts up giving you the distance of a normal main beam (but much brighter)

Xenon's take a second or two to fully warm up and produce their maximum light, flashing your lights or turning the lights on then off again within a few seconds will severely shorten their life, for this reason the std halogen main beam bulb is retained and used when the headlights are flashed.

Great and thankyou all for clearing this up for me, taking on board the fact I will be using the vehicle in the evening and maybe the expense of fitting aftermarket it seems like a sensible option.

Cheers

Definitely go for them.

Just think about it, if you work the usual 8 to 5 then you'll probably spend a third of your driving time in the dark, and the xenons are fantastic.

I've retrofitted an aftermarket set to my car so I can comment on before and after. Before, the lighting pattern is patchy and overall illumination nothing to get excited about (possibly the post facelift standard lamps are better...?). After, and the light spread is vast and even, and illumination is excellent (and that's an aftermarket set).

I'd say the OE fit system would be outstanding. Don't forget the £600 extra doesn't just pay for the xenon lights, you get headlamp wash and fully automatic headlamp levelling too which are both mandatory, but also worthwhile extras.

Also, don't be fooled by the high dealer prices for replacement xenon bulbs. Firstly they last up to 3 times as long as the standard bulbs, and buy them yourself (not from a dealer) and fitting the bulbs is easy.

did you fit an aftermarket HID Kit - i.e. ballasts and bulbs only?

I'm just about the fit a set of aftermarket Zenons in the next couple of weeks so will let you knw what I think. I remember driving my bosses BMW5 series estate with adaptive xenons from Brighton to Lowestoft one night and was absolutely amazed at the headlights. Been after them ever since and before buying the octy, came close to fiting a set to the old Punto. Aftermarket kits are much better than they used to be and as the octy has projector type dipped lenses, they are by all accounts OK to use. (sits back and waits for hail of abuse from the "don't fit aftermarket xenons because its illegal" brigade

Spec them without question. Spec them at the expense of something else.

I have them on my vRS,I LOVE THEM! pretty much my fav thing on the car,they really do take the strain off night time driving,get them,its well worth it.

Will be the best £600 you ever spend - 100% the best option on the options list. I spent months locating a 2nd hand vRS with Xenon's but I wouldn't have had it any other way.

did you fit an aftermarket HID Kit - i.e. ballasts and bulbs only?

Yes, it was an aftermarket HD kit. Originally fitted to my old Mazda 6 but moved over to my vRS. Works great, no bulb faliure warnings so far.

The Mazda 6 passed the MOT no problem so I guess auto headlamp levelling and headlamp are only mandatory for OE vehicles.

Just to clarify milnei - please see the attached link. Aftermarket Xenon's are NOT LEGAL and should NOT pass an MOT unless you have headlamp cleaning AND self-levelling functionality.

Aftermarket HID (Xenon) headlamps

Simple answer, Xenons should not be an option on a car above £15K IMHO.

Unlike nicer wheels, leather seats, climate, bodykits, Sat Nav's and so on... Xenons are a bit like ABS and ESP systems, they don't make the car feel nicer, they are a great safety feature !

I think its safe to say, once you got used to a car with xenons, then going back will feel like your driving with just your sidelights on.

My last three cars (hot hatches) had xenons, and I was lucky enough to find a second hand octavia with them...

Aftermarket xenons HID kits will pass an MOT perfectly fine as the MOT only tests the headlight aim, as long as this is fine they cannot & will not fail you. The illegality of these kits come into play if the car is being scrutinised, eg your involved in an accident with another driver claiming they were blinded by your headlights & the insurance company takes a look.

You'd be surprised what actually can be wrong with a car for an MOT to be given, for instance you dont actually need reversing lights to pass an MOT! Another great example has cropped up just today, a friend has his car in for an MOT which its passed, but its got a hole in the sump & leaks oil in a steady stream, there's no reason on the test sheet though to fail a car for this!!

Best option you'll ever spec - and in high demand on a used car

You might want to clarify whether you will actually get bi-xenons or not. On my pre-fl Octy vRs (with factory xenons) they are xenons on lo beam only, and halogen on hi beam. I find lo beam is great, but hi beam is pretty ordinary by comparison (and that is with higher output halogen bulbs).

The only issue I had was with the aim - they were too high initially (dazzled everyone else around), and it took 3 goes for the dealer to get the aim right.

I'd definitely opt for the xenons everytime. I have a long commute to work on all sorts of roads, early in the morn and into early evening - they really are great for night driving. The light spread is much better than standard bulbs. I've got an octy vrs tdi pd but i think the headlights on it are the 'D.E. Optic' type and not xenon. These have an almost identical beam pattern/light spread to xenons - i had xenons on my clio 172 a few years ago.

Just as a matter aside, does anyone know if you can upgrade DE Optics to xenon bulbs?

Is it just a case of a straight swap of bulbs or is new circuitry required? The DE Optics seem to be very similar to xenons apart from the colour of light emitted.

Any advice would be appreciated cheers.

The octy 2 doesnt have Bi-xenons. It's a mistake some sites have.