Fabia DRL (running lights) Help please

[jonro2009]

I haven't seen them in full daylight yet, only put them in tonight when I got home from work. They seem to be brighter and emit light from the side of the bulb too so it makes use of the reflective housing.

All being well pics to follow tomorrow

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Edited 28 January, 2014 by jonro2009

[jonro2009]

Quick picture. They do seem a lot better than the previous 10w that where in.

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[FabFabFabia]

Jonro - I'm impressed! These look seriously cool...a shame I put those other ones in now.....can I have the Ebay link where you got these please?

[jonro2009]

I'm happy with them. No errors and worked first time. I've used one of the other bills in my reverse lamp. These come in a decent little metal case too!

http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&id=221350507175

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[marky]

They look nice and bright. I bought the last set you tried out and prefer the bulb-like look of them.

Now I wish we could get similar bulbs for the side lights.

At night the DRLs light my driveway up a treat, then I switch on the headlights and everything goes dark again :-D

[jonro2009]

They look nice and bright. I bought the last set you tried out and prefer the bulb-like look of them.

Now I wish we could get similar bulbs for the side lights.

At night the DRLs light my driveway up a treat, then I switch on the headlights and everything goes dark again :-D

. The other bulbs did give off a more defined beam, these seem to give off a brighter all round light and very white. I know what you mean about going dark lol, a problem I fixed with HID

I've got a pair of 7w CREE sidelight bulbs I have still to throw in!

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Edited 29 January, 2014 by jonro2009

[Prykey]

This may be a silly question but if the original bulbs are 10w and you are replacing them with 80w LED's aren't you overloading the electrical system and risking a blown fuse (not too terrible I guess) however the bigger danger would be potential damage to the electrical system such as fried wiring that could cause a fire??

Edited 29 January, 2014 by Prykey

[jonro2009]

This may be a silly question but if the original bulbs are 10w and you are replacing them with 80w LED's aren't you overloading the electrical system and risking a blown fuse (not too terrible I guess) however the bigger danger would be potential damage to the electrical system such as fried wiring that could cause a fire??

No such thing as a silly question, just silly answers!

A few posts ago Confide, who seemed pretty clued up, said he worked with CREE and the advertised 80w bulbs only draw 10w of power at most so I assume they will be fine..........I do have an extinguisher in the boot though just in case!

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[Prykey]

No such thing as a silly question, just silly answers!

A few posts ago Confide, who seemed pretty clued up, said he worked with CREE and the advertised 80w bulbs only draw 10w of power at most so I assume they will be fine..........I do have an extinguisher in the boot though just in case!

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Ah I see, that's answered the question , hope that you never need to use that fire extinguisher. 

[jonro2009]

Always good to be prepared. Plan for the worst and hope for the best!

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[marky]

. The other bulbs did give off a more defined beam, these seem to give off a brighter all round light and very white. I know what you mean about going dark lol, a problem I fixed with HID I've got a pair of 7w CREE sidelight bulbs I have still to throw in! Sent from my GT-N7105 using Tapatalk

Are these like the sidelights you bought? http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/like/360815820563?hlpht=true&ops=true&viphx=1&lpid=95&device=c&adtype=pla&crdt=0&ff3=1&ff11=ICEP3.0.0&ff12=67&ff13=80&ff14=95

 

Is it easy to get the bulbs out of the housing to replace them?

 

Really want to get HIDs but due to the law on retrofitted HIDs I am too scared of being pulled by the police.

So I have a set of Osram Nightbreakers to put in at somepoint.

[Ootohere]

What is the Law on Retro Fitting HID's that stop you fitting them,

 any links to that, or to the Current MOT or near Future MOT stopping them being fitted.

 

http://www.motuk.co.uk/manual_170.htm

[marky]

Have a look here: http://hid.moonfruit.com/#/goverment/4529652030

 

If you want to put HIDs or Xenons on your car then the bulbs, lens etc must all be proper Xenon/HID units.

You also need a cleaning system and levelling system.

It's also suggested that the dipped beam must stay on whilst the main bean is used (Not sure on how true this is).

 

I think it's enough to stop me from doing it.

If I was stopped by the police for having retrofitted Xenons/HIDs could I argue that they were legal??

Possibly but I don't want to take the chance or have the hassle.

[marky]

Having another look at the legality of retrofitted HIDs and I have come across this letter from VOSA:

 

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/205920/13_013.pdf

 

In it it states:

 

 

5) Aftermarket HID kits are readily available for purchase and have been a concern for some time as the majority of these kits do not meet the requirements. In respect of point 5, the Department for Transport (DfT) subsequently published an information sheet on this subject in May 2010, outlining the facts of their sale and use. This can be found by clicking on the following link

http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20120606172804/http://assets.dft.gov.uk/publi cations/dft-information-sheets/aftermarket-hid-headlamps.pdf

6) The test in Great Britain is required to comply with the European Framework Directive on periodic technical inspection. In this regard the annual test is to be amended in April this year to include the satisfactory operation of automatic levelling and washing systems where these are fitted. However, these systems are not mandatory for all vehicles fitted with HID lamps as it is dependant on light output and/or suspension movement. As it is not possible for a tester to determine at the time of test (annual or roadside) whether these components are required, there is no reason for rejection, either in the directive or the amended manual.

7) In respect of lamp colour, HID headlamps are considerably brighter than conventional headlamps and tend to produce a whiter light, although they may appear to have a blue tint. This is perfectly acceptable provided the bulbs are ‘E’ marked, but it is not possible to determine this at annual test, as dismantling is not allowed. It is only where a headlamp is clearly an incorrect colour where it will fail.

8) Satisfactory operation of the dipped and main beam headlamps is also part of the test and includes switching between the two functions. Therefore, if a headlamp does not operate immediately when switched between dipped and main beams, or vice versa, then this would result in a test failure.

 

 

This suggests that you can get away without self-levelling and cleaning. Also you can get away with not have "E" certified bulbs as they can't check them, at least not at an MOT.

Edited 30 January, 2014 by marky

[Ootohere]

Which is why many have perfectly legally retro fitted HID's,  but the important thing is not to Dazzle and annoy other road users,

sensible fitting and adjusting, 

& know the Law, Use & Construction and not just Internet Information.

 

Retro Fitted HIDS, may be  better than rubbish OEM fitted, faulty and wrongly set that really are a PITA.

Plenty of those around, with Washers and Balance weights that are just dross.

 

As to the dead Bright DRL modifications, to me that is a mystery, 

its hardly likely the standard ones do not do the job as intended and can be annoying enough when used in less than Good Daylight and when proper lights should be used.

 

george

[jonro2009]

The last post is correct. The washers and levellers must work IF fitted. I have never been pulled. The dipped stay on with main beam on the DE headlights on the monte

The link to the bulbs is the same as mine but I haven't checked the fit, they look a little wide. I'm waiting until Friday to fit. They are easy to access but can slip into the housing if not done right.

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[jonro2009]

George

Reason I upgraded my DRL was more for the colour of the light. It's a good crisp white.

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[Ootohere]

Looks like they would be pretty blinding if on in anything other than very bright daylight,

but if nobody is flashing you, then the surely are not annoying others.

 

Not really DRL use weather at the moment.

[jonro2009]

To be honest if the light is a bit poor the inside of the car is quite poor for visibility with the black headliner so the sidelights go on to illuminate the dash. I've not been flashed but they have only been in for a couple of days.

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[marky]

George

Reason I upgraded my DRL was more for the colour of the light. It's a good crisp white.

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I upgraded my DRLs to LEDs more for the colour change than any extra brightness.

[marky]

To be honest if the light is a bit poor the inside of the car is quite poor for visibility with the black headliner so the sidelights go on to illuminate the dash. I've not been flashed but they have only been in for a couple of days.

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The dashboard does seem a lot darker than my last car. Sometimes you don't need sidelights on but you have to switch them on in order to see the dash.

Also the lights on the dash take a little while to come on after you turn the sidelights/headlights on. Is that the same on other Fabias?

[jonro2009]

Agreed, I would like the dash illuminated better. The needles are lit up all the time but that's no use if you can't see what it's pointing at

My dash lights after about 1 second from flicking the lights on.

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[Smudgerii]

Can anyone like me to a HID kit that would be an easy home fit, and simple to set up for safe road use?

Cheers

[jonro2009]

This is the kit I have

http://www.car-mod-shop.co.uk/35wcanh7-6k-h7-xenon-hid-conversion-kit-canbus-6000k.html

Very easy to fit and never had a problem.

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[iSamage]

 

Ballasts are E4 marked although all kits are now for "off road use" only

 

This is the only thing that worries me, tomorrow is pay day and I really want to spend a little in preparation for getting the car. Do I just ignore this as it is seemingly legal to use them?