HID

[dempsey]

Hi I just purchased a 2003 sportivo approx 2 months ago . The previous owner has modified the car for HID lighting ( pretty crappy installation I must say). Now one of the headlights is not working. I have isolated the power supply (ballast at fault ). Just wondering firstly if these lights are legal and secondly if there is a good quality supply that people recommend. The system installed has corrosion all over it and the paint has peeled off . I am seriously considering de modifying the car to original if these lights are not legal. Thanks in advance Pat.

[kolourhero]

They arn't legal.

[the_random_hero]

They arn't legal.

They are if you have self-levelling headlights and there's a mechanism for cleaning the lenses, which your car does not have. A lot of newer-model Euro's and some higher-end Japanese cars are coming out with them stock, and these are generally a well-designed system.

I have HID's in my car, but I've found the increase in night visibility way outweighs the small fine and associated points if I get caught. I've set them up so they are actually less-blinding to other motorists than a lot of other factory systems are (Honda owners, I'm looking at you! :P)

You'll find 90% of the HID kits on the market are made at exactly the same factory to exactly the same standards, it's only the badging that differs. I've installed Mars Yellow/Bluepack lights, along with genuine Bosch kits and they've all been good. I had some slight issues with one of my ballasts dying (Klight branded), but I sent them back to the seller and had them replaced for free.

[nz_RS180_GTI]

Hi I just purchased a 2003 sportivo approx 2 months ago . The previous owner has modified the car for HID lighting ( pretty crappy installation I must say). Now one of the headlights is not working. I have isolated the power supply (ballast at fault ). Just wondering firstly if these lights are legal and secondly if there is a good quality supply that people recommend. The system installed has corrosion all over it and the paint has peeled off . I am seriously considering de modifying the car to original if these lights are not legal. Thanks in advance Pat.

Stock ones are better in the sense of car performance cause it draws less power from the engine, in theory

Correct me if i am wrong

[the_random_hero]

Hi I just purchased a 2003 sportivo approx 2 months ago . The previous owner has modified the car for HID lighting ( pretty crappy installation I must say). Now one of the headlights is not working. I have isolated the power supply (ballast at fault ). Just wondering firstly if these lights are legal and secondly if there is a good quality supply that people recommend. The system installed has corrosion all over it and the paint has peeled off . I am seriously considering de modifying the car to original if these lights are not legal. Thanks in advance Pat.

Stock ones are better in the sense of car performance cause it draws less power from the engine, in theory

Correct me if i am wrong

You are ;) HID's have a higher start-up current, but this quickly drops to being a fair bit less than normal headlights. The slight difference in load on your alternator won't mean squat to engine losses, when comparing normal headlights to HID's.

[Evo7]

Hi I just purchased a 2003 sportivo approx 2 months ago . The previous owner has modified the car for HID lighting ( pretty crappy installation I must say). Now one of the headlights is not working. I have isolated the power supply (ballast at fault ). Just wondering firstly if these lights are legal and secondly if there is a good quality supply that people recommend. The system installed has corrosion all over it and the paint has peeled off . I am seriously considering de modifying the car to original if these lights are not legal. Thanks in advance Pat.

Stock ones are better in the sense of car performance cause it draws less power from the engine, in theory

Correct me if i am wrong

You are ;) HID's have a higher start-up current, but this quickly drops to being a fair bit less than normal headlights. The slight difference in load on your alternator won't mean squat to engine losses, when comparing normal headlights to HID's.

So basically don't start your car with your HID's on

Evo

[DJKOR]

Hi I just purchased a 2003 sportivo approx 2 months ago . The previous owner has modified the car for HID lighting ( pretty crappy installation I must say). Now one of the headlights is not working. I have isolated the power supply (ballast at fault ). Just wondering firstly if these lights are legal and secondly if there is a good quality supply that people recommend. The system installed has corrosion all over it and the paint has peeled off . I am seriously considering de modifying the car to original if these lights are not legal. Thanks in advance Pat.

Stock ones are better in the sense of car performance cause it draws less power from the engine, in theory

Correct me if i am wrong

Well the HID's draw less power than stock halogen bulbs when running (up to 3A for HID vs. up to 5A for halogen) which leads to about 4 amps saved for the pair. Startup current can be up 1.5-2 times for HID though when compared to halogen, but this is only a very very quick period and doesn't mean too much on the wiring of newer cars.

As for the drain on the engine, 4 amps saving is going to mean stuff all. Only case where this plays part is if you have a lot of them in rally car style.

So basically don't start your car with your HID's on

That is actually sound advice. Most cars when starting will kill all accessories due to the massive power draw for that period. This would cause halogen bulbs to dim, but for HID's, a majority of them will turn off as the voltage to them drops below their working range. This will cause them to have to reignite again. One of the common causes for HID bulb wear is many on/off cycles. So having them on before starting your engine just puts un-necessary stress on the bulb. Nothing too major, but it will affect it over time.

[dempsey]

Thanks for the input guys , it would appear that the entire light assys are after market so I am undecided what to do as the standard headlight lamps dont fit.The current installation has 2 lamps on one mount ( the HID lamp and a light blue lamp for high beam ). The two lamps are on the same mount ,so appear inseperable. They are also wired so that the high beam lamp has 12v on both sides of the lamp at all times and when selected to high beam on e 12v is dropped for a ground is this in anyway normal ?. All in all a mess if I want to revert back to normal .

[DJKOR]

The current installation has 2 lamps on one mount ( the HID lamp and a light blue lamp for high beam ). The two lamps are on the same mount ,so appear inseperable.

Sounds like an explanation of a H4 Hi/Low HID combination:

Just swap it for a standard H4 hologen bulb if this is the case.

They are also wired so that the high beam lamp has 12v on both sides of the lamp at all times and when selected to high beam on e 12v is dropped for a ground is this in anyway normal ?. All in all a mess if I want to revert back to normal .

What you are describing is ground switching. It is quite common in the Toyota's. In this case, instead of switching the positive to the load, the switch is on the ground side. Nothing to be too concerned about. Just need to be careful as it's easier to short things out even when they are 'off'.

[dempsey]

That looks like it , thank you very much.One smalll question where do I buy a h4 halogen bulb from ? thanks again sounds very good.

Edited December 9, 2008 by dempsey

[DJKOR]

... where do I buy a h4 halogen bulb from ?

Anywhere that sells auto parts. Supercheap, Repco, Aurobarn for the dedicated stores. You can even find them in the auto section of BigW and the likes. Certainly not hard to find.

[the_random_hero]

If you want something that still looks nice, you can pick up a set of Philips Crystalvisions (avoid the Diamondvisions, poor output), they will still be white but "more" legal than HID's.

[Modena]

I got a HID kit on my Corolla.... works well enough :) I have the halogen projectors though, you have reflectors.

[Kenneth.]

Wow! I love the colour on your cutoff.. damn, all cars should come with projectors as a standard... =(

It's obviously so much better compared to reflectors, in terms of even light spread.

[thegourou20]

I got a HID kit on my Corolla.... works well enough :) I have the halogen projectors though, you have reflectors.

What is the difference between projectors and reflectors? :-/ ( well obviously i can guess the projector is the source of light producing a divergent beam of light in front of you and the reflectors directs an emitting light source in a particular direction...) But i want to know a bit more than that....if there is any?

[DJKOR]

What is the difference between projectors and reflectors? :-/ ( well obviously i can guess the projector is the source of light producing a divergent beam of light in front of you and the reflectors directs an emitting light source in a particular direction...) But i want to know a bit more than that....if there is any?

Reflector headlights spread light unevenly and have a tendency to cause more glare and less brightness where required. Projectors on the other hand are very focused and even. The only disadvantage with the projectors is that it doesn't put much glare outside of it's designed focus which as a result makes it difficult to see objects outside of its beam pattern. Not very friendly on night time mountain drives.

The best way to understand it all though would be to look at the following pages:

Automotive lighting FAQ - Headlamp Reflectors

Automotive lighting FAQ - Projector units

This is just so you can see the difference in the design:

And this is what a projector output looks like:

[Kenneth.]

The light output of a projector is like a solid "block" of light.

[vuongster]

I understand that 05 sportivos come with reflectors rather than projectors but was just wondering if there was any way of putting in the HIDs without blinding every car you go past. I've read that you can just aim the headlight down as to reduce glare but is there any other way? Can you install custom projectors or anything like that? Retrofit ? Has anyone done it before.

[Modena]

I understand that 05 sportivos come with reflectors rather than projectors but was just wondering if there was any way of putting in the HIDs without blinding every car you go past. I've read that you can just aim the headlight down as to reduce glare but is there any other way? Can you install custom projectors or anything like that? Retrofit ? Has anyone done it before.

If you aim the HID too low in reflectors then you will have a blob of light right infront of your car which makes the whole thing useless.

If you really want to retrofit then I suggest you go to www.hidplanet.com. Its mostly US based but some good info there on retrofitting and etc.

Actually according to those guys, my halogen projectors with HID are also crap and illegal. Go look at some of their galleries... impressive.

[thegourou20]

i really like the way you explain things Djkor. It is thorough and there is so much useful information in your explanations that you provide us with. Keep up the good work my friend! ^_^

[tyris]

hey modena what brand and where did you get your HID kit done champ? They look awesome I have 2008 Corolla Hatch and can't seem to find a good kit. Did you have to buy a D4S adaptor to fit the head lights?

[Modena]

hey modena what brand and where did you get your HID kit done champ? They look awesome I have 2008 Corolla Hatch and can't seem to find a good kit. Did you have to buy a D4S adaptor to fit the head lights?

Hey... I got it from gadget master: http://www.storesonlinepro.com/store/2270383/product/1001-5

You need H11 35 w. I got the 6000 K.

Most PNP HID kits are made in some Chinese factories... just read their manuals and you know what I mean, half of the wording makes no sense in English... lol

But anyway contact the guy from the above site, his name is Gerald... offers 1 year warranty and is honest and fair.

The kit was $200 plus postage.

Its a straight fit, no need for adapters.

Also, last weekend in Melbourne it rained heavily... I was on the freeway and thanks to my HID I could see the road and the marking perfectly. Other cars with halogen lights may have as well been driving in the dark.

Edited December 14, 2008 by Modena

[Ascendant Rice]

do halogen projectos use inferior materials to the HID projectors? Cause as modena said apperntly HID in halogen projector is "illegal"

[Modena]

do halogen projectos use inferior materials to the HID projectors? Cause as modena said apperntly HID in halogen projector is "illegal"

They use a different projector altogether. Just because they all have a clear glass ball, does not mean they are the same quality :)

Also you can see the difference between a HID kit and OEM (factory HID)... the kit throws the light with less control even in projectors, whereas HID in a factory set up has much greater light control output.

Yes, aftermarket HID kits in projector without autolevelling are illegal, but then again usually police can't tell the difference.

[poohbear]

do halogen projectos use inferior materials to the HID projectors? Cause as modena said apperntly HID in halogen projector is "illegal"

Its less the quality issue, but the different lens.

A halogen projector has lens and its reflector bowl suited for a halogen bulb.

whereas a HID projector has lens/reflector suited for a HID Bulb.

In my opinion both types are .."illegal" like mine...even if you have a legit projector, it is not a part that comes standard for the car, plus there is no washer/leveling mechanism..