I never asked that as I would hope that any tester would see the difference between HID's and ordinary halogen headlights .

It shouldn't matter to the NT whether your using HID's before or after the test as long as your ordinary bulbs are fitted at the time of test then it should be ok (although your still at risk of being pulled by the police for using HID's without the appropriate washers/adjusters as mentioned above,but that's a risk we're all taking just now anyway ).

Baz

What is it about HIDS that mean you have to have washers?

I think the reasoning is that because HIDS are that much brighter and refraction of the light, due to dirt or badly adjusted leveling, could dazzle oncomming drivers.

Well maybe they should consider requiring 4x4s to have their lights mounted as low as cars do... I get dazzled far more by 4x4s at night than I do by cars with bright lights.

Agreed spookly.......and by them darn Audi daylights

How easy is it to swap back to Halogens for MOT time?

Didn't fit my HIDs myself so not sure whats involved - although all the old fittings and the bulbs were retained.

10-15 minutes to change back. Would take longer if you had to remove ballasts, but it's quite easy.

And the police could start stopping all the w***kers driving around with their fog lights on aaaarrrrggghhhh drives me mental

As earlier posts have said;

- potential stealth tax pushing MOT cost and frequency up
- liberals and tree huggers eroding the fun of modding so we all end up in a Prius
etc etc

Many of the cars owned on this forum are probably amongst the safest on the road with the care and attention they get!

When the capri goes up for a mot in a few years its going to be fun! might have to buy another standard car and put the Id on it just to pass the mot every year

I'm not so sure that this is such a big deal.

If we have to swap our ECU's, Decats and HIDS back to standard for a day once a year, it's not too hard?

Yep - drives me nuts, makes me want to get out and smash their headlights in traffic.

Ever had a Jeep Cheroke sitting behind you, where it has had aftermarket HIDs fitted..genuinely dangerous as the lens housing cannot focus the HID and its like a stadium floodlight.

Lets not forget beemers and all manner of chavs with 6000k or 8000k purple lights focussed incorrecly to hit the immediate distance..lol

So we need a group buy on headlamp washer kits then?

The lamps already have height adjustment so we just need to make them receive a signal from a vehicle height sensor rather than the manual switch. This has to be really easy, a simple three position switch sensing the difference between axle and body?

That's not the problem though. A de-cat/ecu change is going to be a lot harder to spot than HIDs by your local force. So realistically, they can stand by the side of the road pulling in every car with HIDs, they're pretty obvious. Then it'll be prohibition notices and points and what-not.

You may find we ALL have to go back to halogen because some lights are incorrectly adjusted. I know I find 4x4 lights the brightest whatever - they're at head height!

Clearly very handy when you work in an MOT Garage lol


As far as i have been made aware... HiD's are only illegal if no headlight washers are fitted.

Just had an Mot test, passed with no advisory.
Aftermarket HIDs' are fitted.
I asking the tester before the test regarding non oe hids' and washers, he has not received any notice from VOSA.
So carry on lads' and lasses'

Except that it doesn't take effect until September: try it again next year and see what happens.......

Yeah! You just try it Mr ....

Now he says, I thought it was from Jan 1st

I thought it was Jan 2012 too!

My MOT runs out at the end of Jan so my plan is to MOT the car with the HIDs on at the end of December.

Doubt anyone is going to get pulled for HIDs in coops unless they are way out of alignment, although given the attitude of some of the police you never know.

Just to bring this one back up to the top.....

I had a visit from a group of my colleagues on Saturday and the MOT changes were part of our discussions, boring and sad I know, but there you go!

Anyway, for clarity, these changes take effect from 1st January 2012. However, I have been reliably informed that for the first three months they will be advisories only, but from April cars fitted with aftermarket HiD kits will fail the MOT, simple as that!

However.....do not panic, I *may* have found a possible argument for us to use but my colleagues were split 40/60% as to whether this would work...

Have a look at this document detailing the changes: from the horse's mouth!

Now look at this quote:



What we cannot figure out is whether this refers to aftermarket kits or manufacturers. The guys also had a look at the coupé and reckoned we'd be hard-pressed to argue we have "barely any luggage space" and they pointed out that we'd still need headlamp washing systems.

I suspect the only things we can do is see what happens to the poor souls who present their coupés for MOT during the first three months of 2012 and hope they report their results on here. I think I'll either be hiding the ballasts and praying, or swapping back to halogens for the test....

Oh, and what worries me more is that there are changes coming to the brake efficiency tests in 2013 but I haven't got the full details yet. I sincerely hope they aren't hoping to increase the rear values

Also, meant to mention that for a new item: the airbag warning light illuminated *will* be an MOT failure, as will obviously missing/damaged/inoperative airbags.

That is going to affect many coupés that I've seen, where the airbag light is illuminated/missing/taped over and also where people have fitted aftermarket steering wheels.....

There is also a new section of the test on the electrical socket of any towbar fitted to a Class IV vehicle (our cars), and the electrical socket must be secure and working properly! I only mention this because I know a few owners have fitted a towbar to the coupé.

The hid issue is going to be a problem. I can't go back to candles.

If necessary I shall temporarily refit my spare candle powered headlight units, but the MOT is due on 31st March so it should just scrape in under the wire next time.

My mot due in April, so I'll probably use the 1 month early to try and avoid issue this year.

Ross

Surely they can't fail you for just having a ballast unconnected under your bonnet so it's just the 15 minute inconvenience of putting halogens back in before the MOT. The only risk would be if you're pulled by the police with the HIDs fitted.

I'm sure if it went to court you could successfully argue that the original headlights aren't fit for purpose without HID bulbs. All you need to do is take the judge for a spin at night.

On the "Bloody Stupid Scale" these new rules are right up there with a bald spare tyre being a fail despite the fact that you can pass if you just remove said tyre before the test!

My MOT runs out on 1/1/2012 so I get it done around Christmas.

<smug grin>

That is ofcourse hoping that it passes. If it fails there is normally a few panic days fixing something before everyone goes on holiday.

It seems unfair to apply a "law" retrospectively. I could understand it, if they said any vehicles presented for an MOT first registered after 01/01/2012 will be subject to the new regs. They don't insist that vehicles registered before 1997(? can't recall exact year), are fitted with a rear brake light do they? So why is this so different?

To be honest people driving with their rear fog lights on, with only one headlight working, or no rear brake lights other than a few bulbs on the centre one, all of which I have witnessed recently present far more of a danger.

The law is an ass!

I read in the Honest John column in Saturday's Telegraph that the MOT is becoming more stringent next year including a test on airbag proficiancy. Well that's me buggered then. I've had the ongoing airbag light-on scenario for years. Its been "fixed" a million times and always comes back on again after a few weeks. No MOT - No Coupe!!

growlingbear - sounds like a dodgy connection or maybe the airbag ECU