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Old 4th May 2021, 15:44   #6
Rick-sta
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Hi Ali, see responses in red below

Quote:
Originally Posted by Alikris View Post
Searching for threads about headlight bulbs, I found this and wow, my prayers have been answered!

Currently have halogen headlights, twin reflectors and twin projectors (Mk2 75). Eyesight diminishes with age and living where I do (rural Northumberland), no street lights, narrow twisty country roads etc. Past couple of years I've been avoiding driving at night. I think your Quad Xenons (with white DRL's) are the answer!

A few questions if I may.
  • I presume that I buy, you send me headlights, I fit then send you my existing ones? How long do I have to send you mine? Depending on the weather etc I might not be able to swap them out for a few days or a week.

    If you'd like to send your old headlights back in exchange towards the new ones, the exchange value is paid back to you once your old headlights have been received. Headlights can only be done on exchange basis if your headlights are in good condition with relatively clean lenses and are complete with all brackets and adjusters
  • Are yours a straight swap, unbolt and unplug my old ones, bolt and plug in yours?

    The quad projector set up works plug and play however if you'd like daytime running lights such as halo rings or LED strips then some additional wiring is required to take the power from an ignition live fuse slot on the fuse box. If you'd like the halos/LED strips to be set up as sidelights then they work plug and play

  • Related to that, do the ballast units fit within the headlight units or do I have to mount them somewhere outside (as you know, there's very little free space directly behind the headlamp units)

    The factory ballasts for the factory outer xenon projectors are mounted at the back of the headlight casing as standard. The ballasts for the inner projectors are mounted inside the headlights
  • Once swapped do the new headlights need to be aligned?

    Ideally I recommend having the alignment checked as the headlight levelling will just be set to whatever height the headlights were adjusted to on the previous car they were fitted to. There's no way to pre-align the headlights prior to them being fitted to the car so they don't come ready aligned.
  • My headlights are not self leveling nor do I have headlamp washers. Does this matter? (I read that Xenons need to be self leveling?). Would this affect the MOT?

    Headlight self levelling and headlamp washers are not required for MOTs in England, Scotland and Wales. The MOT test manual section 4.1 simply states that headlamp washers and self-levelling must be working IF fitted. There's no requirement in the MOT test manual to have headlamp washers and self-levelling with xenon headlights, it just simply states that if your vehicle has headlamp washers and self-levelling then they must work. Also headlamp washers are only testable on vehicles first registered in 2009 so our cars are too old to ever fail on headlamp washers not working.
  • Longevity. I've not had Xenons before, how long do the bulbs last compared to Halogen bulbs? If the bulbs need replacing are they easy to source and fit?

    Xenon burners last far longer than halogen bulbs. If replacements are needed they are easily available. The factory xenon projectors use D2S burners and the inner projectors on the quad xenon projector set ups use H1 burners.
  • I presently have DRL's turned off via T4, would that setting need to be turned on for your DRL's to work?

    No, the DRLs fitted to the headlights I make don't use the T4 DRL option, they are powered directly from the fuse box using an ignition live fuse slot.
  • Apart from the colour of the light, is there any practical difference between 4300K and 6000K?

Not really any practical difference. Both bulb temps give out a very similar amount of useable light. 6000k gives out a pure white light which matches the LED DRLs better, whereas 4300k gives off a more mily white light in colour

Ideally I'd come to you to fit, but it's a long way for me to drive, would have to stay somewhere overnight etc. So fitting them myself come the autumn would make sense (I'm well capable).

The headlights come with wiring instructions if you opt to have halo rings/LED strips set up as daytime running lights if you're installing the lights yourself. On diesel models the power is taken from the under bonnet fuse box, on petrol models the power is taken from the interior fuse box (the one behind the glove box), using a fuse tap I supply.

Thanks,
Ali.
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