The Ford Capri Laser Page

Anyone here know much about High Intensity Discharge headlights?
I'm seriously considering getting a set because my headlights are dangerously dim at times. I'm pretty certain they are working properly, they have good bulbs and are adjusted correctly, they just seem dull. I've upgraded them from the original Ford lights and they are BMW E30 projector lenses (perfect for HID's) but they still just seem too dull to me, and everything is getting the right amount of juice as far as i can tell, so i just think thats how they're gonna be unless i upgrade the type of light they are entirely.
I've been looking into HID's but ive not got a clue what im looking at, other than they come in various different intensities of light, and that they are a bit of a legal grey area, though i'd rather run that risk than not be able to see at night and risk crashing.
I see a lot of cheap kits on ebay but i bet they are about as reliable and safe as a BBQ in a fireworks factory, so i was wondering if anyone knew of a site or vendor that sells good quality kits?
Failing that, any tips for making my current lights brighter? They seem good sometimes, but everyone elses lights seem to drown mine out and mine seem to disappear altogether the second the road gets wet, like the wet road just absorbes my lights, and the less said about when it gets a bit foggy the better.
Thanks!

Copied & pasted from a Jeep website I am a senior mod on.

New 2018 MOT inspection manual available for viewing here... https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/s ... -draft.pdf
Bin those aftermarket HiDs, chaps, they're now a no-no

Lord Flasheart wrote:Bin those aftermarket HiDs, chaps, they're now a no-no

That answers the question whether to convert to an aftermarket HiD kit. Perhaps the OP should try Osram Night Breaker bulbs instead.

Andrew.

Andrew 2.8i wrote:

Lord Flasheart wrote:Bin those aftermarket HiDs, chaps, they're now a no-no

That answers the question whether to convert to an aftermarket HiD kit. Perhaps the OP should try Osram Night Breaker bulbs instead.

Andrew.

I have those, still like having candles at times. High beam is like daylight, dipped beam is dangerous.

Guess I'll have an electrician have a look at my set up and try and figure out why they're so dull then, as I don't think this is right and I don't know enough about electrics to look myself.

Maybe they're wired in series rather than parallel? Half power to each? I think that's probably unlikely, but you never know!! (I'm assuming parallel would be hoe they're wired from the factory?)

-JC- wrote:Maybe they're wired in series rather than parallel? Half power to each? I think that's probably unlikely, but you never know!! (I'm assuming parallel would be hoe they're wired from the factory?)

Perhaps, would explain the dimnes. I'm going to have a leccy take a look.
Any ideas how many amps or current or whatever it is they're supposed to be taking from the battery?

Arya2.0S wrote:Any ideas how many amps or current or whatever it is they're supposed to be taking from the battery?

From what I remember of basic school maths, the current in amps = power / voltage.
Therefore the current that a 55W bulb should draw in a 12V system is somewhere around 4.5A.

Of course, I may be totally wrong, but if I am, I'm sure somebody will correct me!

Andrew.

The headlamps bulbs will always be wired in parallel. The reasons no one would wire them in series are;
1. Each bulb would be running on half the voltage so would not be adequately bright (unless you used 6 volt bulbs)
2, if one bulb blew then both headlamps would fail (not ideal for road safety).

To check the possibility of there being a wiring fault connect one of the bulbs directly to the battery positive using a direct length of wire. If the bulb is appreciably brighter than when it is just connected normally then the wiring, switch contacts, relay and fuse need to be checked for wear / poor connectivity.

Not_Anumber wrote: 1. Each bulb would be running on half the voltage so would not be adequately bright (unless you used 6 volt bulbs)

....which is exactly what he's saying, on at least two sets of lamps and bulbs. Granted it *is* unlikely that that is what is happening here, but it's certainly not impossible.

It is improbable anyone would intentionally go to the trouble of rewiring their headlights to put the bulbs in series. Aside from deliberately causing a new single point of failure it could only be achieved by splitting the existing wiring, separating the connection on one light from it's chassis earth and separating the other headlight from its + live feed and then running a new wire between the 2 headlamps.

Easy enough to prove though; Unplug one headlamp, if the other one goes out then they were wired in series.

Have had HIDs in mine for the last 6 years never been a problem with my MOT tester just make sure you have projection headlights like the BMW e34 ones.

MOT rules are changing this year.
HID bulbs that are fitted to light units without auto height correctors and headlamp washers will be a fail.

Not_Anumber wrote:MOT rules are changing this year.
HID bulbs that are fitted to light units without auto height correctors and headlamp washers will be a fail.

Good to know, as it's been such a wishy-washy grey area for some time now, glad there's finally going to be some conclusive answer.
I hope all the idiots running HID's in their cars that don't even have projector lenses and constantly blinding me are forced to change them back once and for all.

Not_Anumber wrote:HID bulbs that are fitted to light units without auto height correctors and headlamp washers will be a fail.

Obviously I see the why the height correctors are necessary, but what's the reason for headlamp washers?

Andrew.

I had a galaxy with them and when I washed the windscreen it also washed the lights but did the job and waited a few seconds then a wash again , which would go over the screen again .
But never knew why the screen wash . I refuse to google for a answer I will wait for a answer on here .

Jasonmarie wrote: I refuse to google for a answer I will wait for a answer on here .

I was curious so I did Google it...
Apparently, the main reason that washers are required is that dirt can impair the optical features of the headlamp and cause glare. Incidentally, headlamps which are only slightly soiled cause a stronger glare, and of course the brighter the headlamp, the stronger the glare. (Explanation pinched from a website!)

Andrew.

I was going to google but thought I would stop myself but it was the only answer really , I still don’t get the reason about dirt but I guess if your front screen needed washing so did the headlamps .
Thanks for that Andrew .

Jasonmarie wrote:I was going to google but thought I would stop myself but it was the only answer really , I still don’t get the reason about dirt but I guess if your front screen needed washing so did the headlamps

That's supposed to be the reason for needing washers, although I would have thought that grime on the headlamps would make the lights appear dimmer and therefore less likely to dazzle oncoming traffic.

I used to think that headlamp washes were a waste of time if they didn't have wipers, but apparently the wipers would quickly make a mess of the plastic lensed units fitted to modern cars. High pressure washers are used instead.

Andrew.

My Octavia VRS is fitted with HID lights and headlight washers and I can't honestly say I'm a great fan of them. The HID part is only on dip beam and the light is quite good but nothing really to get excited about and frankly is much brighter on main beam which are conventional bulbs.

The height correctors are a PITA. When the car is on even slightly rough or pot holed roads the lights dance up and down a bit which annoys me and the system is operated by sensors connected to the front and rear wishbones by a plastic rod. The rear rod snapped last year and to replace it you have to buy the whole assembly - rod, mounting bracket and sensor which cost me £120. Ouch.

Having to have the headlamp washers spraying every time you spray the screen (only if lights are on) also gets through the contents of the large washer bottle rather quickly too.

These HID lights were an optional extra that the first owner of my car paid hansomely for but if I was buying a brand new car this is one option that I would not bother with.