Quote:
Originally Posted by sworks
Having a quick look at the manual and section 4.1.4 it may come under defect b
(b) Product on the lens or light source which obviously reduces light intensity or changes emitted colour to other than white or yellow
I don’t want to be negative or cause upset but some MOT testers could have the opinion that you must prove that light intensity hasn’t been reduced by the etching? You can gauge this to some extent via the headlamp tester but looking and making a judgement I think will be different from one tester to another. There won’t be the luxury of comparing with another car. I think this modification looks absolutely fab but in my opinion there’s some potential doubt to how the manual is interpreted. It’s difficult to make an accurate mot decision via a photo or video so it may not be an issue but mot testers can be difficult to please if there’s some ambiguity
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mickyboy
That’s exactly what our MOT tester said and why he said “curious” because he couldn’t say if he would pass or fail it based on the video, he did however tell me he has failed some headlight tints before due to reduced light,
From memory I thought you was also a approved tester mark?
On a personal note I actually think they look fantastic
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Key word there is being "Obviously". If the lights are emitting a satisfactory bright enough light with no issue with the beam pattern then there's no reason to fail it. It's common sense. If the MOT tester believes the light output is reduced due to the etching then it would be up to the tester to prove that point. The tester can't just fail it on a hunch, just because he/she "thinks" it affects the brightness. Same principle applies to decatting/gutting cat converts. The MOT tester can only fail it if he/she is 100% sure the car has been decatted. If the factory cat has been gutted i.e. internals knocked out but there's no obvious signs to prove it (i.e. can't see that the cat has been cut open and then welded back shut) then the MOT tester can't fail it.
If the light output matches the brightness you'd expect to see from that type of headlight ( i.e. halogen/xenon/LED) then there's no reason to fail it on brightness.
Applying a tint film over the lenses reduces the light output and can reduce it quite significantly depending on the tint % and yet so many vehicles I know of with tinted headlight lenses pass the MOT every time no issues. Etching the lenses doesn't affect the brightness of the lights.
In fact I can now confirm lens etching doesn't reduce the light output from the projectors what so ever or alter the beam pattern after completing the first running set now fitted to our Kuga. Have taken it out for some night runs over the last 2 nights including on unlit roads and there is zero change in light output, which is what I expected anyway from the research I'd done into this before hand.
This isn't something new, custom lens etching has been around for years now, it's just something I've only just got round to trying out myself. There's custom headlight building companies in the UK that have been offering this for a good few years now, and UK members on custom headlighting groups and forums I'm on who have had etched lenses on their cars for a few years with no MOT issues what so ever.
Here's some pics of the set I've done on the Kuga
and here's the beam pattern and brightness they emit, no change from before the lens etching.
