Hi,

 

Have anyone tried these chinese plug & play xenon headlights? I am thinking of replacing my standard halogen out with them:

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Car-Styling-Head-Lamp-for-Skoda-Octavia-Headlights-Octavia-LED-Headlight-Accessories-headlamp/32721466918.html
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/KOWELL-Car-Styling-for-Skoda-Octavia-Headlights-2014-2017-New-Octavia-LED-Headlight-LED-DRL-Bi/32841769095.html?spm=2114.11010108.01008.1.1e50649bzZPkPW
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/AKD-Car-Styling-for-Skoda-Octavia-Headlights-2014-2015-New-Octavia-LED-Headlight-LED-DRL-Bi/32621664151.html?spm=2114.11010108.01008.2.1e50649bzZPkPW
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/AKD-Car-Styling-Head-Lamp-for-Skoda-Octavia-LED-Headlight-2015-2017-New-Octavia-DRL-H7/32853401822.html?spm=2114.11010108.01008.4.1e50649bzZPkPW

 

Edited 3 October, 20187 yr by xdamn

Don't you have to have self levelling with Xenons, without it sure its an automatic MOT fail.

Are they designed for right hand drive??

 

I'm still haunted by a set of Vectra Xenons I brought back in 2004 off 'The Bay' that i fitted and turned out were for Left hand drive car - there was nothing to state what they were for but you'd have assumed a right hand drive.  You could adjust the beam but only to a flat cut off.  Luckily I managed to get a 50% refund on the lights (and keep them), then flogged them on 'The German Bay' and made a nice little profit 

 

I dont want to question the quality, but.....

 

Where does the ballast live and is it universal or specific to that lamp - being a copy it maynot be the same as OEM

4 hours ago, skidpan said:

Don't you have to have self levelling with Xenons, without it sure its an automatic MOT fail.

 

This has never been the case. Where fitted they must work, but there is no requirement (at least from an MOT perspective) to have them fitted:

 

Vehicles equipped with High Intensity Discharge (HID) or LED dipped beam headlamps may be 
fitted with a suspension or headlamp self-levelling system. Where such systems are fitted, they must 
work; however, it is accepted that it may not be possible to readily determine the functioning of self-
levelling systems. In such cases, the benefit of the doubt must be given.

 

There are a number of factory fitted HID systems which do not have suspension levelling or washers fitted, and obtained the correct type approval. 

Edited 3 October, 20187 yr by ahenners

Cool idea and used to be a popular upgrade to the Mk6 Golf but iirc someone had to approach a manufacturer to ask for RHD units and they had to buy 10. Still cool though as fitting the OEM xenons is a lot of work. Just check they are RHD before doing anything and you should be good to go. If they are decent please let us know, we are needing to upgrade the Citigo as it’s too small for us now and my OH is driving my Octy more and is very impressed with it. A non vRS hatch would be an ideal partner for it and these xenons would be a great upgrade if they are decent

2 minutes ago, ahenners said:

 

This has never been the case. Where fitted they must work, but there is no requirement (at least from an MOT perspective) to have them fitted:

 

Vehicles equipped with High Intensity Discharge (HID) or LED dipped beam headlamps may be 
fitted with a suspension or headlamp self-levelling system. Where such systems are fitted, they must 
work; however, it is accepted that it may not be possible to readily determine the functioning of self-
levelling systems. In such cases, the benefit of the doubt must be given.

 

 

 

 

Further complicated by.

 

"Some vehicles may be fitted with High Intensity Discharge (HID) headlamps. It is not permitted to
convert existing halogen headlamp units for use with HID bulbs. If it is clear that such a conversion has
been carried out, rather than replacing the entire unit with one designed and approved for use with HID
bulbs, the headlamp should be rejected. "

 

Some on other boards have had failures where the tester has deemed that halogen units have been replaced by aftermarket HID units without the appropriate approvals which is obvious if you do not have washers and still have a manual adjuster switch.

 

Lee

My Dads Alfa 159 has had xenon lights in the units using BMW E46 xenon projectors and it’s went straight through the test year after year until this year it failed. It was an awful job to try and find the old halogen projectors and strip the units down but the tester was adamant. It was such a PITA. A good beam pattern and the OEM look might go some way to helping you, the 25w xenons used on the Rapid (and the new Mustang) don’t need washers or levellers.

Normally switching from Halogen to Xenon requires a lot of changes to the car, you need new wiring, AFS control unit, level sensor, level control ETC. This is a quite big and also expensive operation if you want this made original. BUT in these Chinese headlights, everything is coded directly in it. 

They are for left hand drive, and that is fine since I am from Denmark

If you need right hand drive, you have to let them know before you buy. They can fix that as well.

Will the car pass Denmark's equivalent to the UK's MOT with these fitted?

I don't know ;(

13 hours ago, xdamn said:

Normally switching from Halogen to Xenon requires a lot of changes to the car, you need new wiring, AFS control unit, level sensor, level control ETC. This is a quite big and also expensive operation if you want this made original. BUT in these Chinese headlights, everything is coded directly in it. 

 

So they quite literally are plug and play then?   .... no adapters required, no bulb failure messages and available in RHD?

Yes exactly. Just plug and play. 

Id be interested to see if someone had tried also.  

They look to be standard halogen projectors with drop-in H7 HID kits fitted. All seem to be LHD but at least one can 'convert' to RHD if you message them before hand.

 

They all lack provision for self-levelling/AFS modules so will not be road legal (regardless of MOT test) in the UK when used with xenons. I doubt they are appropriately tested/marked so probably won't be road legal with halogen bulbs either.

 

If you want xenons, do it properly with genuine Skoda headlights and the appropriate modules, sensors, wiring and coding...

if they're not e-marked on the lens with DC, you will likely fail in Denmark, too. I know I would here. 

 

 - Bret

 

 

1 hour ago, langers2k said:

They look to be standard halogen projectors with drop-in H7 HID kits fitted. All seem to be LHD but at least one can 'convert' to RHD if you message them before hand.

 

They all lack provision for self-levelling/AFS modules so will not be road legal (regardless of MOT test) in the UK when used with xenons. I doubt they are appropriately tested/marked so probably won't be road legal with halogen bulbs either.

 

If you want xenons, do it properly with genuine Skoda headlights and the appropriate modules, sensors, wiring and coding...

 

Agree, however easier said than done on the Mk3.  I know whats involved and have access to most parts but its a mamouth task.

 

I retrofitted OEM Xenons in my old Vectra B and it was really straightforward.

Edited 4 October, 20187 yr by ScoutCJB

7 minutes ago, ScoutCJB said:

Agree, however easier said than done on the Mk3.  I know whats involved and have access to most parts but its a mamouth task.

 

It can't be that different to a FL MK2 Octavia, when I retrofitted factory xenons I had to:

- fit front and rear level sensors

- fit AFS master

- run wiring between level sensors and AFS master

- run wiring between AFS master and fusebox/CAN gateway

- fit headlights

- run wiring from headlights to both the AFS master and fusebox

- remove/replace headlight range dial

- coding and headlight aim

On 03/10/2018 at 18:28, logiclee said:

Some on other boards have had failures where the tester has deemed that halogen units have been replaced by aftermarket HID units without the appropriate approvals which is obvious if you do not have washers and still have a manual adjuster switch.

That's grounds for an appeal against the MOT failure as the MOT Guidelines clearly state that the self levelling and/or washers must work IF FITTED but are not required to be fitted to pass the MOT even with powerful HID bulbs - remember that passing the MOT is NOT the same as being compliant with Type Approval.

9 hours ago, langers2k said:

 

It can't be that different to a FL MK2 Octavia, when I retrofitted factory xenons I had to:

- fit front and rear level sensors

- fit AFS master

- run wiring between level sensors and AFS master

- run wiring between AFS master and fusebox/CAN gateway

- fit headlights

- run wiring from headlights to both the AFS master and fusebox

- remove/replace headlight range dial

- coding and headlight aim

 

Im lucky that my BCM and Can Gateway both support Xenons.  Some don't and that means swapping these components out.  It's the AFS modules I'm struggling with.  Can't seem to get the correct ones.  A Golf MK7 module would work but needs re coding and I'm told this can't be done through VCDS.  The rest of it I've got my head round ... apart from the cost 

 

I had read your Xenon retro fit post , having had them on both my Oct 2 Scouts I'm really missing them on my Oct 3.  They just didn't seem to be a common option

Edited 4 October, 20187 yr by ScoutCJB

16 hours ago, ScoutCJB said:

 

I retrofitted OEM Xenons in my old Vectra B and it was really straightforward.

 

Even so, how crappy were those Vectra B xenon's, eh?

I had one too and those projectors were so small that barely any light came out of them.

 ...still better than Vectra B halogens, but bit rubbish

Sounds like more trouble and cost and risk than it's worth.

Buy the best performing legal Halogen bulbs you can get and live with it until you change the car. You are less likely to get issues and less likely to blind oncoming traffic.

2 hours ago, Jaco2k said:

 

Even so, how crappy were those Vectra B xenon's, eh?

I had one too and those projectors were so small that barely any light came out of them.

 ...still better than Vectra B halogens, but bit rubbish

 

They weren't great were they but as you say, damn site better than the halogens.

 

I Remember fitting the headlamp wash but didn't zip tie the pipe to the washer.  A few days after fitting the sodding pipes came off - back off with the bumper 

I have seen similar headlights on the SE L version in the UK but without the LED they could be converted to run HID instead of xenon if the bulb holder size is the same , this would save converting the rest of the system

36 minutes ago, skippy41 said:

I have seen similar headlights on the SE L version in the UK but without the LED they could be converted to run HID instead of xenon if the bulb holder size is the same , this would save converting the rest of the system

 

?

 

There are 3 OEM headlamp options on a pre-facelift MK3 Octavia. One is a halogen reflector unit, which would have a terrible beam pattern for a HID conversion. The other 2 are D3S Bi-Xenon with AFS. The only difference between the 2 Xenon units are whether it has the LED DRL or a halogen one, the dipped and main beam are Xenon.

 

I'm not sure what you mean by "converting to run HID instead of Xenon" - HID = High Intensity Discharge and is what a Xenon Bulb is. It's the same thing.

Edited 5 October, 20187 yr by ahenners