Change headlight units halogen for xenon, p&p, problems & testing?
 

Good morning from Holland,


Can I replace the entire halogen headlight units of both my MK1 and my MK2 R75 for OEM Xenon units (mk1 & mk2) ? Is this plug & play ? In both cars there are LSM units with manual height adjustment of the bulbs, does this cause any problems as the xenon has auto-levelling ? I did read that fire can start from the LSM units, is this true and could this be related?


Is there any way to test the operation of individual units when you buy them, e.g. using a 12 V battery?


Thanks in advance.

Cheers,


Emiel

Both units are plug and play. self levelling system is actually fitted to the car not the headlights. The manual adjustment wheel will work with the new units.
Fires have been known to start in LSM's but this is no way related to Xenon headlights, more a result of water ingress and corrosion

Thank you very much for your quick and clear response Dave, that is appreciated. This helps me a lot in making the decision to have a go for them. Learned something again today :). One more question, is there a possibility to check the units in situ if they work with a battery? Or do I need to get the bumper off and replace them in situ to check proper working?

the xenons will work plug and play, but check with your local statutory test requirements to see if they require xenon headlights to have self levelling and headlamp washers, as I have heard your vehicle tests are a lot more strict than here in the UK from other owners in the Netherlands.

If you want to test the xenons, if you sit the xenons on your slam panel the headlight plugs on your car should be able to reach them, the wiring is usually just about long enough.

Hi Rick, thanks for the tips! I will have a proper look if these are demands at our MOT requirements, that is indeed something I absolutely should check (did not think about it...).
Great that I should be able to test them the way you mentioned, will post the result when I have bought and placed them.

Great forum again :).

also just ensure you buy LHD xenons which will have the correct beam pattern for a LHD vehicle, our UK RHD xenons will be no good as the beam pattern will be wrong. :}

Thanks, yep, they are LHD. I have halogen RHD in the car now with the EU light pattern switch switched on, so in total this is not giving sufficient light imo. The change with Xenon LHD units should make a big difference. I have checked the NL-Mot regulations, seems that cars made before 2006 do not need to have a washing system, but the manual adjustment wheel has to work.

Hello enthousiasts.

Bought them and changed the units today. Tonight I will have a test drive to see the difference.

Thanks and cheers from a sunny but windy Holland.
Emiel