I've just checked on the price of the levelling motors for the xenon lamps and assuming that this part number is correct, they are about £50 each;

1U0 941 295B

I can also get hold of the bare lamps for a slightly better price too

Looks like a project for the new year

it seems odd you're getting different prices to me, I thought all main dealers were the same price?

This subject comes up every week or so in slightly different forms.

In general, it is illegal to fit after-market HIDs - you need the right lens, auto-leveling & headlamp washers and only very-expensive after-markets have them.

IMO using standard lens with HIDs is self-centred, anti-social and dangerous - I'll take you for a ride on the back of my bike in unlit streets at night and you'll soon see why (70 mph and temporarily blinded, anyone?).

Why not fit the best increased-brightness bulbs (Google the Autoexpress lightbulb test)? You'll be legal (I know at least one person fined £60 + producer over this) and won't run the risk of causing an accident through selfish & illegal behaviour.

Ian

*yawn*

Yawn indeed!

If you read the actually read the post we are discussing how to retrofit self levelling oem projetor headlamps and related parts in order to make it road legal.........

The reason we don't want to fit 'uprated' bulbs is they are just not as good, anyone who has had hid/xenon knows this.

To be honest there seem to be far more bike riders out there anyway with retrofit hids than there seem to be cars......

Ian,

Please try to keep up!

Of course 70 mph on a motor bike in the dark down a street isn't anti-social behaviour either is it?

Tom,

I take it that you used those part numbers that you posted to buy your lamps?

According to VAG-Cat, they really are a bare lamp and do not even come with the cover for the back. Is that correct.

Also, the part number for the levelling motor does appear to be correct.

I have another idea regarding the self levelling issue. The light itself does not need to be self levelling IF the car has self levelling suspension. Can we get load levelling rear shocks for our cars?

Tom,

You could try quoting the motor part number to your friendly dealer and see what price they come up with. If they stick with £140 and you would like a pair let me know and I'll get you a pair from mine!

I didn't use those part nos, no, I just knew they existed from looking into this extensively.

I actually got a lucky break on ebay a while ago, I managed to pick up one side for £30 and the other for £50, about a month apart. These were complete units, one of them even had bulbs in!

I then had to replace one of the ballasts which lasted about five minutes (brand new mondeo one off ebay for £85). I also bought a pair of Osram Xenarcs at £40 the pair, and also the kufatec wiring adapters which came to nearly £50 :really:

One of my starters is starting to show signs of dying now so I should replace that at some point.

In total, I've spent about £260 getting these working properly, I also bought a pair of PIAA 4500K LED sidelights that match the OEM colour temp of the Osrams (another £30).

It wasn't a cheap project, but the output is awesome!

edit: sorry, I missed your other questions!

I'm not sure if they come with the back cover, I would have thought they did, as there is a lot of internal wiring, which I was under the impression, it came with.

You are correct about the self levelling issue. However, as these are aftermarket fittings (fitted after the car was originally sold) then they do not need to adhere to the regulations that are imposed when the car was made. I.e. The car doesn't legally need the washers, nor does it need the levelling, sure they're nice, but not a legal necessity. The DFT have stated that in their view it is illegal, but their view is not law, and as such, is not enforcable. What this also means is that in actual fact, the aftermarket HID kits that are available are indeed perfectly legal, providing, of course, they are properly aimed, don't have excessive scatter, and are of the correct colour (basically, they have to adhere to standard road vehicle lighting regulations). There is no current legislation that mentions the use of aftermarket HID conversions/kits, the RVLR just states the above, which aftermarket HID conversions can quite easily comply with.

Until there is a modification to the RVLR or a test case proving they don't match all the criteria (they can do), then they will continue to be legal.

Trolls who will preach on and on about the autoexpress video should take note that the megane has a glass fronted headlamp which is far from ideal for scatter. The effects on the video of "glare" would happen with a halogen or HID bulb. Comparing a car with clear headlamps to a car with glass patterned headlamps as they did in the video, will always yield similar results. The fact that the beam is way off just shows that that particular HID kit was poorly made and didn't have the correct positioning of the arc in the bulb. A badly made halogen will produce exactly the same result. It also needs to be noted that certain halogen headlamps work better with HID kits than others. I've fitted HID kits to halogen headlamps before and have had varying results. My Volvo 850s (with glass patterned headlamps) produced a perfect beam, yet my Seat Arosa (also with glass patterned headlamps) produced a terrible beam that was all over the place.

Here is what the 850s did:

I don't have a photo of the Arosa's beam, but suffice to say, it was just as bad as the megane's

further edit: The 850s also had headlamp washers and self levelling suspension, so all the trolls who still insist they're right can be quiet, safe in the knowledge that even with their made up laws, I was doing it legally :tongue2:

Edited 15 November, 200916 yr by TomGG

You were lucky to find those on eBay!

The only ones I have seen so far have been about £175 each and both were the same side.

Think I need to investigate the price of the rear cover as this should also include the internal wiring. Suspect it could be expensive though.

I have doen the conversion too to our vrs, even made a thread a while back, as I managed to pick up a pair of the Xenon lights for £50.00.

They were brand new from a dealer, so never came with the backs, motors, loom etc.

I then set about buying everything I needed, and I think from memory:-

Motors - around £40.00 each

Back and wiring loom - £15.00 each - as this them helped me make them plug and play.

I then bought a HID kit from ebay, spent a good day wiring them all in, as you need to change the way they switch on, as going from a H4 to H7 with separate high beam, the dipped will switch off when you go onto high beam.

So I think I spent around £150.00-£200.00 for xenon lights, and then sold the original lights for £50.00 to recoup some costs - so if you look hard enough, it can be done.

Oh, and the headlight washers - original from Skoda will set you back just under £100.00, this includes the jets, housing, piping and pump - you just plumb everything into your exisiting 5L washer bottle, and then you will need to wire them up with a relay, and yes, they will wash everytime you wash your window, as normally they would have a 5 squirt break (or something like that), but hey, if you need to wash your window, then chances are your lights will be pitted too - oh and you need to paint the washer covers to match your car.

Thanks Stuart, that saves me phoning the dealers for a price for the lamp backs. I was afraid they would have been far more expensive than that.