[youknowluke]

I've ordered a HID off ebay the seller has sent me loads of proof of it been fitted and working on F10s and has said that if it doesn't work I can send it back for a full refund. With that in mind I would like to get somebody to fit the kit and mount the ballasts correctly.. I'm looking for someone in Gloucestershire/West Midlands area. I will pay for the work carried out I just can't do it as it would be fiddly as hell to do it through the wheel arch with out a ramp and the wheel off any garages or suggestions of people who fit these?

[493263]

DO NOT! I repeat, DO NOT! install this kit into your car if you are equipped with Halogen headlights. All you will do is blind other drivers. You will need to change the headlight housing to projector headlights. The projector needs to concentrate and cut the light at a certain level or it will blind other drivers and just spread the light everywhere like a high beam.

If you do this, it will literally look like you're driving with High Beam on to other drivers. Except your high beam will is 3x brighter than halogen high beams.

There's only a few cars with Halogen lights and can take HID retrofit kits. 2 of them are Mitsubishi 3000GT and Infiniti M35/37. The BMW does not have the same housing for halogen as HIDs.

[youknowluke]

Originally Posted by 493263

DO NOT! I repeat, DO NOT! install this kit into your car if you are equipped with Halogen headlights. All you will do is blind other drivers. You will need to change the headlight housing to projector headlights. The projector needs to concentrate and cut the light at a certain level or it will blind other drivers and just spread the light everywhere like a high beam.

If you do this, it will literally look like you're driving with High Beam on to other drivers. Except your high beam will is 3x brighter than halogen high beams.

There's only a few cars with Halogen lights and can take HID retrofit kits. 2 of them are Mitsubishi 3000GT and Infiniti M35/37. The BMW does not have the same housing for halogen as HIDs.

woooooooaaaah I would never do that. For starters it looks sh** and chavvy then there is the fact of road safety like you say, then legality.
Its to me as annoying as people who drive around with there fogs on thinking they look cool when actually they look like stupid idiots who don't know the meaning of 'FOG' in the word fog lights. When I see fog lights or HIDs in relflectors. I think CHAV incoming

My car has halogen projectors, with the clear cut off the same as HID systems. Only difference is mine has crappy dull yellow halogen light. I've tried upgrading to white vision bulbs and theres slight improvements but I'm just going HID 5000k.

[493263]

Are there no Audio shops near you? Those guys should be able to do it easily as it's basically the same type of wiring and retrofit. IMO, it's much easier than doing audio mods.

BTW most of the problems with retrofit HID kits are the ballasts being low quality. Make sure you find some info on your hardware first before you end up with unreliable headlights.

[The X Men]

Originally Posted by youknowluke

woooooooaaaah I would never do that. For starters it looks sh** and chavvy then there is the fact of road safety like you say, then legality.
Its to me as annoying as people who drive around with there fogs on thinking they look cool when actually they look like stupid idiots who don't know the meaning of 'FOG' in the word fog lights. When I see fog lights or HIDs in relflectors. I think CHAV incoming

My car has halogen projectors, with the clear cut off the same as HID systems. Only difference is mine has crappy dull yellow halogen light. I've tried upgrading to white vision bulbs and theres slight improvements but I'm just going HID 5000k.

Halogen projectors has a different projection cone angle than the HID, but its pretty close. BTW, fog lights are not really for fogs, other wise they would be yellow. They should really be called driving light these days.

[493263]

Originally Posted by The X Men

Halogen projectors has a different projection cone angle than the HID, but its pretty close. BTW, fog lights are not really for fogs, other wise they would be yellow. They should really be called driving light these days.

Fog lights are still supposed to be for fogs but people don't like old school functional fog lights because it's ugly. They want bling lights instead. Now automakers are making fog lights a "cool" selling feature, rather than a functional feature.

Seriously, all the automakers are coming up with new designs for LED DRLs on an annual basis instead of fixing the functional problems with the vehicle.

Sales > safety.

[The X Men]

Originally Posted by 493263

Fog lights are still supposed to be for fogs but people don't like old school functional fog lights because it's ugly. They want bling lights instead. Now automakers are making fog lights a "cool" selling feature, rather than a functional feature.

Seriously, all the automakers are coming up with new designs for LED DRLs on an annual basis instead of fixing the functional problems with the vehicle.

Sales > safety.

On modern vehicles, are there really any difference between fog lights and driving lights? Manufacturers still call it fog lights for old time sake but LED lights are probably the worst color for cutting thru fog, most of the light will reflect back. Instead, people use the fog lights as driving lights or supplemental lighting.

[youknowluke]

Originally Posted by The X Men

Halogen projectors has a different projection cone angle than the HID, but its pretty close. BTW, fog lights are not really for fogs, other wise they would be yellow. They should really be called driving light these days.

Most fog lights are yellow. When theres LEDs involved I know they're just DRL, and I don't mind you can see them easier etc.

But when people use there fog lights at night along with there dipped beam when its not foggy its blinding.. the fog lights are not angled like headlights are, there spherical nature means that the light pattern just goes in all directions so that people can be made more visible in the fog.

During the day theres not real difference, but if people want to drive around with them on and look like idiots I couldn't care less.

But I drive loads at nights and in the dark (hence the HID fitting) and when I get idiots driving with their fog lights and low beams on I flash them. Its too much 4 x 50w halogen bulbs staring you in the face on a clear night.

In England we are becoming so tolerate to all these idiots at night, its actually illegal to drive around with your fogs on. And its illegal for a reason. I could go on forever about people stupidity when driving at night, like not turning there full beams off until they've already dazzled you.

But doesn't anybody know any HID fitters in my area? I've currently got one coming to me, and the garage I nominated to fit it is saying they can only do it in the week and no courtesy car. Thats no good for me I use the car for work everyday. HELP??

[493263]

If you have really bright fog lights and use it as supplemental lighting, then you can blind other drivers because it is aimed across rather than down. It is not supposed to be used that way.

When fog lights were halogen, it wasn't a problem. Now some people have really bright fog lights and it blinds me all the time on the highway when there's no median blocking the light.

[The X Men]

Originally Posted by youknowluke

Most fog lights are yellow. When theres LEDs involved I know they're just DRL, and I don't mind you can see them easier etc.

But when people use there fog lights at night along with there dipped beam when its not foggy its blinding.. the fog lights are not angled like headlights are, there spherical nature means that the light pattern just goes in all directions so that people can be made more visible in the fog.

During the day theres not real difference, but if people want to drive around with them on and look like idiots I couldn't care less.

But I drive loads at nights and in the dark (hence the HID fitting) and when I get idiots driving with their fog lights and low beams on I flash them. Its too much 4 x 50w halogen bulbs staring you in the face on a clear night.

In England we are becoming so tolerate to all these idiots at night, its actually illegal to drive around with your fogs on. And its illegal for a reason. I could go on forever about people stupidity when driving at night, like not turning there full beams off until they've already dazzled you.

But doesn't anybody know any HID fitters in my area? I've currently got one coming to me, and the garage I nominated to fit it is saying they can only do it in the week and no courtesy car. Thats no good for me I use the car for work everyday. HELP??

Have you ever took a close look at BMW's LED fog lights? They have a reflector across the middle of lens, the light source is on the bottom half of the lens and the reflector reflects down what ever stray light that might blind the oncoming drivers.
If you really are that concern about blinding other drivers, you should stay with halogen bulbs. Even though you have projector, they are halogen projector and have a wider cone, you will still blind other drivers somewhat. Halogen projectors also do not have a squirrel cage. Along with that, you do not have self leveling headlight which means that you will blind other drivers if you are on a hill or have passengers in the back. I also assume you do not have headlight washers which mean that if your headlight are dirty, the stray light will cause problems with oncoming traffic. All these are much more serious problem than driving with fog lights on. That is why it is illegal in the US to retrofit HID kits in cars that do not come with it from the factory.

[youknowluke]

Originally Posted by The X Men

Have you ever took a close look at BMW's LED fog lights? They have a reflector across the middle of lens, the light source is on the bottom half of the lens and the reflector reflects down what ever stray light that might blind the oncoming drivers.
If you really are that concern about blinding other drivers, you should stay with halogen bulbs. Even though you have projector, they are halogen projector and have a wider cone, you will still blind other drivers somewhat. Halogen projectors also do not have a squirrel cage. Along with that, you do not have self leveling headlight which means that you will blind other drivers if you are on a hill or have passengers in the back. I also assume you do not have headlight washers which mean that if your headlight are dirty, the stray light will cause problems with oncoming traffic. All these are much more serious problem than driving with fog lights on. That is why it is illegal in the US to retrofit HID kits in cars that do not come with it from the factory.

That's not true about Halogen projectors... I admit they're designed for Halogen bulbs so the cone is smaller and not as wide as HID projectors, but in reality all that actually means is the beam outlay in front of the car is narrower than HID, simply because halogens aren't as powerful as HID and use a filament not an ark like HID, If you take a look at the link below the cut off is exactly the same as a HID projector so as long as the lights are aligned correctly drivers going the other way will not suffer.

As for washers I have them weirdly my car has them and halogen lights dumb I know and agreed if you don't have washers and don't clean your headlights then you'll blind people. But then again washers don't do a brilliant job so I end up cleaning my headlights anyway for optimum light output.

Self levelling headlights its a funny one as most systems in the cars of today are really laggy and I get blinded all the time by halogen and HID cars going over hills this is simply because the system is actually more rag and bow than you think, If you had a front infared camera beaming out on the road in front anticipating hills then yes it would work but thats to expensive in costs for car companies. Granted with self levelling is better than without but its not a necessity.

The HID law I can understand but thats purely because 90% of the morons buying these kits stick them in reflector housings and it is blinding to oncoming vehicles. In the UK or in the part I live in anyway, we have massive problems with people driving around with headlights which are poorly adjusted blinding people, people driving with fogs and dipped beam on blinding people, people with HID kits in reflectors blinding people, HIDs (with self levelling) going over hills and blinding people, people dazzling people buy not turning off there high beam until the very last millisecond on which it is to late. On a night 50% of the cars I pass on the hilly windy roads where I live dazzle me. My mates say the same also.

Just like the law in England which makes it illegal to drive with your fog lights on unless there is fog. But trust me in England I'm not gonna worry about oncoming vehicles being effected by my lights, just as nobody worries about blinding me.

I've been PM'd and I've got somebody to fit them now so rant over and problem solved

Link : http://goo.gl/Gd8KkF

[The X Men]

youknowluke, basically, any poorly aim light will blind other drivers, rather if it is fog lights or xenon lights in a halogen projector. Properly design factory xenon lights and fog lights are the way to go, it is design to minimize blinding on coming traffic.

[youknowluke]

Originally Posted by The X Men

youknowluke, basically, any poorly aim light will blind other drivers, rather if it is fog lights or xenon lights in a halogen projector. Properly design factory xenon lights and fog lights are the way to go, it is design to minimize blinding on coming traffic.

I live in a really hilly area of England and today as usual I got blinded by a brand new merc with standard xenons on a hill. So much for auto levelling right.... I actually counted the time it took to adjust...it took 2 seconds for the headlights to actually level out so 2 seconds of being dazzled by Xenons. The system is so old as said previously for auto levelling. Until technology advances we will just continue to get blinded. No matter if it's halogen projectors with xenon bulbs, original xenons from the factory, idiots who don't dip there headlights quick enough, people who drive around with fogs and dipped beam on, HID kits in reflectors. Nobody can win

[lsturbointeg]

Any reason why the factory fogs are more of a dull white? I don't drive with them but when they are on they just don't match the headlights.

[493263]

Originally Posted by lsturbointeg

Any reason why the factory fogs are more of a dull white? I don't drive with them but when they are on they just don't match the headlights.

You have a 2011. Fogs are halogen and your headlights are HIDs. They are also different color temperature.

[The X Men]

Originally Posted by youknowluke

I live in a really hilly area of England and today as usual I got blinded by a brand new merc with standard xenons on a hill. So much for auto levelling right.... I actually counted the time it took to adjust...it took 2 seconds for the headlights to actually level out so 2 seconds of being dazzled by Xenons. The system is so old as said previously for auto levelling. Until technology advances we will just continue to get blinded. No matter if it's halogen projectors with xenon bulbs, original xenons from the factory, idiots who don't dip there headlights quick enough, people who drive around with fogs and dipped beam on, HID kits in reflectors. Nobody can win

Auto leveling are meant for vehicle that have a load in the rear, not so much for hills. As far as auto leveling reacting slow, better late than never as they say. I still don't understand how you can get blinded by fog lights, they are aim so low, unless you guys over in England have a habit of aiming the fog light high up and use it for high beam.

[youknowluke]

Originally Posted by The X Men

Auto leveling are meant for vehicle that have a load in the rear, not so much for hills. As far as auto leveling reacting slow, better late than never as they say. I still don't understand how you can get blinded by fog lights, they are aim so low, unless you guys over in England have a habit of aiming the fog light high up and use it for high beam.

I suppose, the levelling would be electronic on mine with the old switch I can aim the beam. I'm not sure your lights seem to be completely different in the USA, I personally like the amber parking lights on cars I think it looks good. I've actually realised though that it helps when people drive with fogs on, because I know who the idiots are likely to be on the road. Just fogs is ok! fogs and sidelights is ok! that I can live with. But I can't bear the fogs and headlights on a clear night its just to much hence why its illegal here in the UK. Not to mention peoples poorly adjusted headlight problem which usually is teamed with the foglights.

[youknowluke]

See this :

http://goo.gl/BeUBSc

[493263]

Originally Posted by The X Men

... I still don't understand how you can get blinded by fog lights, they are aim so low...

Fog lights are not aimed low, they are aimed higher than your low beam. Their PLACEMENT is low because it's supposed to be under the fog. Hence why fog lights, especially w/ HID or LED fogs, used improperly will blind other drivers.

[The X Men]

Originally Posted by 493263

Fog lights are not aimed low, they are aimed higher than your low beam. Their PLACEMENT is low because it's supposed to be under the fog. Hence why fog lights, especially w/ HID or LED fogs, used improperly will blind other drivers.

If your fog lights are aim higher than your low beam, you need to adjust them. If you look at the link below, BMW make sure that the LED fog light do not blind other driver by installing a reflector / divider across the middle of the lens assembly.

http://www.ecstuning.com/ES2711818/?...FXJp7Aodyx0AjQ

Originally Posted by youknowluke

I suppose, the levelling would be electronic on mine with the old switch I can aim the beam. I'm not sure your lights seem to be completely different in the USA, I personally like the amber parking lights on cars I think it looks good. I've actually realised though that it helps when people drive with fogs on, because I know who the idiots are likely to be on the road. Just fogs is ok! fogs and sidelights is ok! that I can live with. But I can't bear the fogs and headlights on a clear night its just to much hence why its illegal here in the UK. Not to mention peoples poorly adjusted headlight problem which usually is teamed with the foglights.

My guess is that these laws are meant for idiots who install their aftermarket off road lighting that are meant for off road use only. Just like the no aftermarket HID law in the US, these laws are meant for the aftermarket installs that are way too powerful for street use or aim incorrectly. If fogs and HID are design at factory, there is very minimal blinding of oncoming traffic.

[493263]

Originally Posted by The X Men

If your fog lights are aim higher than your low beam, you need to adjust them. If you look at the link below, BMW make sure that the LED fog light do not blind other driver by installing a reflector / divider across the middle of the lens assembly.

Aiming is about angles. If fogs were aimed lower than low beam, the beam would be less than 10 feet which would make it completely useless. It it aimed at a higher angle than low beam so yes it would blind other drivers and it happens all the time with these bright LED fog lights.

The reflector concentrate the beam because LED produces lights in all directions and lots of it. The divider helps cut some of the light off from directly going out at too high of angle. But some of those lights will reflect on the lower part of the housing and bounce out at an angle above the divider anyways. Since fogs are aimed at a higher angle due to their lower placement, it will blind some oncoming drivers.

I don't think you understand how all this work that well. There's a reason why BMW and many other cars leave th fogs off by default. There's a reason why different lights have different angles, reflectors, housing, dividers, etc... Things are not as concrete as you see it.

[The X Men]

Originally Posted by 493263

Aiming is about angles. If fogs were aimed lower than low beam, the beam would be less than 10 feet which would make it completely useless. It it aimed at a higher angle than low beam so yes it would blind other drivers and it happens all the time with these bright LED fog lights.

The reflector concentrate the beam because LED produces lights in all directions and lots of it. The divider helps cut some of the light off from directly going out at too high of angle. But some of those lights will reflect on the lower part of the housing and bounce out at an angle above the divider anyways. Since fogs are aimed at a higher angle due to their lower placement, it will blind some oncoming drivers.

I don't think you understand how all this work that well. There's a reason why BMW and many other cars leave th fogs off by default. There's a reason why different lights have different angles, reflectors, housing, dividers, etc... Things are not as concrete as you see it.

My BMW fog light cast a beam about 10 to 15 feet and not much further than that and it is far from useless. If your fog light cast a beam that is 20 feet or further, it is aim too high. If a oncoming car has its HID or fog lights on at the same time, the HID light is by far more distracting than the fog light. BMW turns off the fog light by default because its the law in some European countries, those law should be modify to ban the use of aftermarket fogs and HID and not the factory OEMs. You need to aim your fog lights lower so you don't blind oncoming traffic and cause an accident.