[Chiu]

Hi guys,

I've been looking at the Ultra Projector Headlights on your website after spotting them in Modern MINI magazine

I take it that the non-xenon ones use normal type bulbs. Are they perfectly road legal? I have a 54 plate MCS with standard headlights. Will these Ultra headlights provide better lighting or would I have to combine them with something like the "Ultra Brighter Headlight Bulbs" to see a significant improvement?

Going by previous posts on retrofitting xenons, I guess that the xenon versions of these Ultra headlights are non road legal without auto-leveling and such?

If so, do you offer any services to make them road legal?

Cheers!

Chiu

[Lohen]

Hi Chiu,

The Ultra Headlights do use the normal H7 bulb as found in non-xenon headlights as standard. They are road legal. If your after an improvement in lighting from you hedlights you can either go two routes. One is to change to a set of Ultra Brighter Headlight bulbs, the other is upgrade to the Ultra HID kit either at the same time as fitting the headlights or in the future. The latter upgrade is an additional £170 inc.vat and vastly improves the performance of your headlights. I've spoken to Ultra regarding this and they tell me the upgrade is road legal.

Hope this helps!

Nick
Lohen

[scraggles]

Theres an illuminating (sic) article on the DfT website that explains how fitting HID conversions into Halogen headlamp units is generally illegal:
Department for Transport - Aftermarket HID (Xenon) headlamps

However it does go on to discuss replacement light units and suggests these can be permitted *if* they have 'ECE type approval' of lens reflector and bulb.

The decisive factor is the proviso that any fitment is self cleansing and self leveling:

Quote: Originally Posted by Department for Transport website

2. Once fitted to the vehicle it must have headlamp cleaning and self-levelling (which can be for the headlamp or can be in the vehicle suspension - some expensive estate cars have "self-levelling suspension" and that is adequate). Also the dipped beam must stay on with the main beam.

So whilst this particular unit can be fitted with the Mini's headlamp cleaning system, they don't contain any provision for a self levelling facility and therefore cannot be legal in the UK when equipped with HID bulbs.

I'd recommend not wasting your money on these, you could well fail your MOT and the police are cracking down on them.

[chiusingwong]

Thanks guys, appreciate the input.

The responses regarding the legality of retrofitting xenons (not just this post but other ones in the "Gen 1 Exterior" forum) put me off going down the retrofit xenon path for now.

I'll probably go for the standard H7 type + brighter bulbs to keep them undoubtedly road legal and have the benefit of better lighting. Arguably I could just change the bulbs my my current headlights but I like the look of these Ultra ones (that is assuming the H7 type ones look like the ones shown in the pics).

Cheers!

Chiu

[scraggles]

Sounds like a sensible idea to me.

There's another thread discussing these with lots of pictures too, in case you haven't seen it:
http://www.mini2.com/forum/exterior/...dlights-5.html

The bulbs in mine are H1 for both dip and beam. I've put Osram Night Breakers in and they look just like Xenons anyway. I'm well chuffed with mine. Post some pics in the other thread when you get some!