How to tell xenon

[stirks]

I have an 05 facelift cooper but how can I tell if I have xenon headlights?

[harvey94]

Hey,

Switch them on, its obvious, you will have pure white light and not yellow, also does your headlights have washer jets?

[stirks]

I don't have xenons Can I fit them aftermarket? Or do I need genuine mini one's? I've fitted canbus LED side lights and now my headlights look pants!!

[harvey94]

Quote: Originally Posted by stirks (original)

I don't have xenons Can I fit them aftermarket? Or do I need genuine mini one's? I've fitted canbus LED side lights and now my headlights look pants!!

Hi,

I wouldn't advise fitting xenons now, as with new regulations if not done proper you will fail your MOT, and to do it correct will be very expensive, you can get good white looking bulbs , there will still be a difference from the white of the LED but looks 60% better than standard lamps that give that bright yellow.

[stirks]

Its a H7 bulb the dipped aren't they? :/

[Railgun]

No, you need a projector housing as a reflector that's used with halogen bulbs doesn't provide any cutoff needed for a xenon bulb. If you simply replace the lamp, you'll just spew light all over the place. While it will be brighter, you'll just tick people off by blinding them.

And since it was mentioned, I'll just keep going...

You have two types, your run of the mill low-beam setup, where a halogen lamp is used for your brights, or bi-xenon, where the same lamp is used for both low and hi. Hi-beam is accomplished by either a flap that flips out of the way, or the whole bulb shifts down. If you retrofit, as mentioned, it's not the cheapest option, but do not, under any circumstances, simply replace the a bulb with a xenon bulb within the same halogen housing.