Tri-Xenons on a Superb

[FinPatch]

...or at least duplicate Xenons on a high beam..

I got inspired by a visit on Ebay and ordered myself a set of H3 HID Xenons 6000K.
Attached are pictures of installation slots and comparison of light power. I also replaced the parking light with a LED one which can be seen on one of the pictures.

Amazing difference in light output after this mod, I must say! Gotta wear sunglasses when driving at night..



edit: The picture of HID kit is actually H1 kit which I ordered to my bro's Mazda 626 but mine was similar except for the bulbs being just H3

[FinPatch]

..and replaced also the original D2S Xenons to a new ones since old has been dimming a bit by now so this was very handy to do at the same time.

[Baker21]

Illegal.............

[cheezemonkhai]

If you have replaced your high beam with a Xenon you will find that the flashing action of high beam, with the regular on off cycling will probably kill it quite quickly

Bi Xenons where they move the bulb or deflector to achieve high beam is what would be needed.

Still as long as you're happy and realise the legal position this puts you in.

[FinPatch]

Originally Posted by cheezemonkhai

If you have replaced your high beam with a Xenon you will find that the flashing action of high beam, with the regular on off cycling will probably kill it quite quickly

Bi Xenons where they move the bulb or deflector to achieve high beam is what would be needed.

Still as long as you're happy and realise the legal position this puts you in.

Yes I'm aware the legal things regarding these lights.. But what comes to our MOT these are sometimes accepted and sometimes not, depending on the mood of the officer. Well, anyway it's not such a big deal to deactivate these during the MOT.

Also noticed that these may not be such a long-lasting experiment due to that rapid cycling on and off but being a cheapo kit it really doesn't bother me much. A lot of light is needed up here north during winter time.

What I was fearing also was the LED parking light and its cabability of handle the heat emitted from Xenon-bulb but so far no melting has happened.

[vos]

You got PM.

[limlien]

Mind showing where did you hide the ballast. Coz its rather clam there and also if the ballast is outside of the head unit how did you make a hole for the wire to go in? Also wat about when raining?

[FinPatch]

Originally Posted by limlien

Mind showing where did you hide the ballast. Coz its rather clam there and also if the ballast is outside of the head unit how did you make a hole for the wire to go in? Also wat about when raining?

I don't have all the pix at the moment but you are right about there is a little room for those ballasts. The right one (on a LHD car) I installed just above the Webasto which is located to right corner between bumber and front tyre (picture below). The left ballast is mounted quite near the power steering reservoir (on the square looking metal thingy)

These units are waterproof design and so are the connectors but better to avoid placing these in very hot or wet conditions.

For the hole I used a 25mm cone-shaped drill as adviced in kit instructions and just wired these through the service lid used to change the bulbs. Very neat looking installation!
I'll try to get more photos of it.

[limlien]

Ic So the hole is drill at the bottom of the headlight unit right??

[Baker21]

Originally Posted by limlien

Ic So the hole is drill at the bottom of the headlight unit right??

I am guessing that it is drilled through the back of one of the hard caps used for bulb access...............

[FinPatch]

Baker's right about this one.

The hole is drilled on the center of the plastic cap behind the bulbs and sealed with a tight silicone grommet provided with the HID-kit so no water enters the headlights.

[limlien]

Hmm.. then for MOT test they will be able to tell immediately that the bulb are not orginal? ops..

[Baker21]

Originally Posted by limlien

Hmm.. then for MOT test they will be able to tell immediately that the bulb are not orginal? ops..

If they know what they are looking for then yes.............

[Gizmo68]

With projector headlights providing they are adjusted correctly they wont even think to look IMO, if they are not adjusted correctly then you deserve it to fail the MOT - for blinding every other fekker on the road

On the ones i fitted, i drilled the hole in the covers near the outside edge, so when installed in the car they take some spotting as the wires are right next to the inner wing.

As with anything providing you dont go silly (ie higher than 6000k) you should be fine.
I chose the 4300K ones as without doubt they give out the best light available, why would you want to see a blue tint anyway? just to say "look at me, i have xenons??"

[Baker21]

Originally Posted by Gizmo68

I chose the 4300K ones as without doubt they give out the best light available, why would you want to see a blue tint anyway? just to say "look at me, i have xenons??"

Why you would want additional Xenon light output on a lamp that already has a Xenon light output on Main Beam seems a little OTT for my liking........

[Gizmo68]

Sorry, please explain, I'm not sure what you mean.

The xenons are H7 dip beam with normal Halogen main beam.

[Baker21]

Originally Posted by Gizmo68

Sorry, please explain, I'm not sure what you mean.

The xenons are H7 dip beam with normal Halogen main beam.

If you have Bi-Xenon Headlamps then this means you have Xenon on Main and Dipped Beam.........then you have an additional Halogen Main Beam pocket provided by the H3 bulb.......so you already have Xenon on the Main Beam? Why retro fit it on the other Main Beam function?

[Gizmo68]

Ah i see what you mean now.

I thought (& stand to be corrected) that a car fitted with bi-xenon as std had just the single bulb for dip/main beam? using the system that cheezemonkhai described earlier, with no halogen H3 bulb/lens there?

I chose to keep the halogens & not fit xenon's in the main beam due to the reduced life of the bulb when the main beam is flashed, the dip beam has the normal type of xenon bulbs.

The washers argument i don't agree with, as a responsible motorist it is your job to keep your lights and No. plates clean anyway. They also only work every few uses of the washers anyway so still get dirty.

I stand by my comment that providing the xenon bulb k colour, pattern and adjustment is correct you shouldn't have any problems getting pulled over or passing a MOT.

[Baker21]

Originally Posted by Gizmo68

Ah i see what you mean now.

I thought (& stand to be corrected) that a car fitted with bi-xenon as std had just the single bulb for dip/main beam? using the system that cheezemonkhai described earlier, with no halogen H3 bulb/lens there?

I chose to keep the halogens & not fit xenon's in the main beam due to the reduced life of the bulb when the main beam is flashed, the dip beam has the normal type of xenon bulbs.

The washers argument i don't agree with, as a responsible motorist it is your job to keep your lights and No. plates clean anyway. They also only work every few uses of the washers anyway so still get dirty.

I stand by my comment that providing the xenon bulb k colour, pattern and adjustment is correct you shouldn't have any problems getting pulled over or passing a MOT.

The Bi-Xenon Headlamps on the Superb use a D2S system giving Xenon Main Beam and Dipped Beam, activated by a shutter, so your first comment is correct.

I understood that you had fitted Xenon to the Main Beam pocket where the H3 Halogen Bulb were? Have you now taken this out?

Legally Xenon requires Headlamp Wash and Automatic Headlamp Levelling and that's a fact..............understand your comments on colour and passing the MOT but just stating the facts that it's illegal............

[Gizmo68]

Originally Posted by Baker21

I understood that you had fitted Xenon to the Main Beam pocket where the H3 Halogen Bulb were? Have you now taken this out?

No i never changed the main beam halogens, just dip beam.

Originally Posted by Baker21

Legally Xenon requires Headlamp Wash and Automatic Headlamp Levelling and that's a fact..............understand your comments on colour and passing the MOT but just stating the facts that it's illegal............

I fully understand the legality's on it, just saying properly adjusted retro fit (in a projector headlight) are no worse for blinding people than factory fit. If they were at any point too high (lots of stuff in the boot etc) i would simply drop them down with the manual adjustment in the car, just like i would have to with halogens.

The problem with the law is it has to cover all the idiots as well as the sensible people. like those putting 6000k - 10,000k bulbs in, why? when the brightest whitest light is around the 4100k - 4300k range, (which is what OEM xenons are) do people insist on going higher than this, is it to look cool , or simply ignorance thinking higher is always better??