Failed MOT on HIDs - oops!

[bascule]

Went in for an early MOT on Saturday, half expecting my LED main beams to be an issue.

Nope, they were completely fine - but the HIDs that the previous owner had installed into the normal dipped lights were a failure, "Headlamp aim beam image obviously incorrect (both)"  along with a couple of other items (a wheel bearing and a CV gaiter)

Anyone else fallen foul of this one?  It makes sense, the HIDs were in the original headlamp housings for halogens so they're clearly an issue.

I was wondering if putting LEDs in to replace the HIDs would be any different, they've been great in the Main beams.

I'm not too unhappy with with that fail though for a 14year old truck, but I was a bit worried about removing the HIDs.

looked up what the bulbs should be for the car, everything said H7.  bought some H7. Nope. not H7.

Mercifully, the previous owner, who did a nice neat job of installing the HIDs, had left the original connectors in line - turned out to be 9005 bulbs needed.  New bulbs fitted and HIDs currently disconnected.

she's going in tomorrow for the wheel bearing and CV to be fitted and a retest.

[X5Sport]

What often happens with HIDS is that the D2S lamp is used and it should be a D2R.  The ‘S’ series lamps are only for projector type headlights (golf ball lens on the front) so if you don’t have that type of headlight unit then you use the ‘R’ series which are designed for reflector (uses a parabolic mirror only) style light units.

The S type will give significant glare, and cheap Chinese HID lamps will often have poor focus as well due to inconsistencies in the position of the arc.

Might not have been your issue, but both are common.

A pain whichever way!

[Alan Gunn]

I remember seeing something on another forum about the HID problem in normal headlights and there is an alternative bulb H7r that will give a pattern instead of just a glare.