HID and Halogen Housings...

[Snowcatxx87]

Cliffs at bottom.

I was just leaving work a little late than normally, and I see this burgundy Cavalier idling in the parking lot. A man is waiting. I instantly recognized him, older fellow (50's). He's here to pick up his wife (same age). Normally he is in a chev truck, but I have never seen the car.

I see it has a 6000K HID kit in the halogen housings - everyone knows how retarded this is regarding a) it doesn't help you see farther, it just intensifies what you currently see b) scattered light and blinding etc. etc. (no need to really go on)...

Turns out the car is the wifes and she's had it forever, but recently had a local shop install an HID kit because she "has a hard time seeing at night".

I question her about it and she says it's done legally, and cost her 800 dollars. She's going to get the shop name for me because I asked, but damn, that is outrageous. What ever happened to education and honest shops not raping people that do not understand about this topic? The kit is probably a chinese crap 100 dollar ebay style kit.

As the car has DRL's, the HID are on 24/7 and apparently they flicker when turning on, so they're going to **** the bed anyway. (not installed properly, or more because the car isn't designed for it).

It's not the bulb causing the issue, it's the shitty reflector. I mean, for 500 dollars you could have done a proper TSX projector retro! I guess I wrote this thread to say that it's not always ignorant people doing this car sin - it's people being told an outright lie (aka "it's legal", which it's not) to have upgraded lights. Discuss.

Cliffs: Coworker has HID in a cavalier, shop charged her 800 dollars and said it's "legal."

[longsock]

Re: HID and Halogen Housings...

i'm speechless

[popp]

Re: HID and Halogen Housings...

Outrageous price no doubt................BUT.......... It is Legal as long as it is a 4500-6000k kit. 8000k is pushing it and 10-1200k is illegal.

It's right in the alberta traffic act.

Front can be:
white (includes 4500-6000k HID's) (stock BMW, AUDI, MERC etc HID's are 4500-6000k)
yellow (bellow bumper)
orange (amber)

Rear can be:
Orange (amber)
Red
White (reverse only)

[J-hop]

Re: HID and Halogen Housings...

Outrageous price no doubt................BUT.......... It is Legal as long as it is a 4500-6000k kit. 8000k is pushing it and 10-1200k is illegal.

It's right in the alberta traffic act.

Front can be:
white (includes 4500-6000k HID's) (stock BMW, AUDI, MERC etc HID's are 4500-6000k)
yellow (bellow bumper)
orange (amber)

Rear can be:
Orange (amber)
Red
White (reverse only)

I'm going to guess that law has to do with color, 5000k or so is white light (I believe, some sources show different numbers), 6000-6500K is on the edge and starting to get into the blue region, above that is into dark blue, purple region. Below 4500K you start to go to the yellow end of the spectrum (ie: JDM style 3000k fogs haha)

You probably know this already but the kelvin rating has to do with the color temperature not output (well it does sort of because anything higher than white light gets progressively lower on the output scale as does anything lower in kelvin rating than white light).


So the color temperatures of 4500K-6000K may be legal color wise for headlights but no HID in a halogen reflector would ever have a legal beam pattern.

[Errol.]

Re: HID and Halogen Housings...

Wow $800! thats insane!
Cant trust anyone in this city

[bitskyline]

Re: HID and Halogen Housings...

... well... i... umm...

nah i don't need to say anything :P

[popp]

Re: HID and Halogen Housings...

but no HID in a halogen reflector would ever have a legal beam pattern.

no where in the traffic act states beam pattern, just color. I have personally asked umteenth police officers, sheriffs and judges, and they all concur.....
HID's in halogen reflectors are NOT illegal. You may very well get pulled over for them and you may very well get a ticket for it from an officer who wants you to waste your time in court.......but it will get thrown out.

[RONDAL]

Re: HID and Halogen Housings...

do i need to go dig this back out of the TSA. its in there as they are retrofits.

[J-hop]

Re: HID and Halogen Housings...

no where in the traffic act states beam pattern, just color. I have personally asked umteenth police officers, sheriffs and judges, and they all concur.....
HID's in halogen reflectors are NOT illegal. You may very well get pulled over for them and you may very well get a ticket for it from an officer who wants you to waste your time in court.......but it will get thrown out.

huh, you could be right, im going to check into that though, because if you can get a ticket for driving with your highbeams on in the city and you can get tickets for improperly aimed headlights blinding drivers I'm pretty sure you can get a ticket for HIDs considering how terrible their glare is.

[RONDAL]

Re: HID and Halogen Housings...

you can also get tickets for running lights that are not made for "highway" use.

when i use the term highway i am using the traffic safety act definition.
most aftermarket HID kits are clearly labelled, "for offroad use only"

[Duby T]

Re: HID and Halogen Housings...

The Traffic Safety Act does not specify actual HID Kelvin colour range.

Here are a few things I came across that seem to be relevant to this matter.

Part 1 vehicle Lamps

Division 1
Headlamps

Sec6 (4) The light from a headlamp must be white, and the lens and bulb of the headlamp must be made of clear, untinted glazing.

*White light is a very vague term and can probably be argued. The TSA does not specify what HID kelvin range is acceptable and what is not. Yes 4500-6000k HID's do fall in the "white" range, however, some aftermarket 6000k HID's kits do have a much more blue colour compared to those that are found in OEM HID headlights.

Sec6 (5) A person shall not attach or apply anything that colours the light from a headlamp to the headlamp, part of the headlamp or a bulb in the headlamps.

High and Low Beams

Sec7 (3) (b) A headlamp must have a high beam that does not shine in the eyes of an approaching driver.


Cops deffinately have a few options in regards to pulling people over for coloured bulbs and HID's in reflector housings. Whether or not it will stand in court is hit or miss.


On a side note, here are a few more regulations that some of you may find of interest.

Daytime running lamps
Sec12 The daytime running lamps on a motor vehicle may only emit amber or white light

Tail lamps
Sec13 (4) A tail lamp must be capable of emitting a red light that is visible from at least 150 meters to the rear.

*Those with night shades or tinted black tails apply.

Sec17 (1) A lamp on the rear of a vehicle must emit red or amber light unless this regualtion permits another colour (*emergency vehicles)

Signal lamp standards
Sec23 (2) (c) When lit, they must emit white or amber light that is plainly visible from at least 250 meters ahead.

Mufflers
Sec61 (1) A motor vehicle propelled by an internal combustion engine must have an exhaust muffler that is cooling and expelling the exhaust gases from the engine without excessive noise and without producing flames or sparks

Sec61 (2) A person shall not drive or operate a motor vehicle propelled by an internal combustion engine if the exhaust outlet of the muffler has been widened.

Mudguards
Sec64 The body of a motor vehicle or trailer or a fender, mudguard or similar structure must cover the width of the tire and extend to the mid-point of the axle when viewed from behind the vehicle.

*This applies to poke and stretch

License plates
Sec70 (2) (a) The owner of a vehicle that has a license plate shall not display on the vehicle any other vehicle plate or device bearing numbers or letters or both that are identical to or have the general appearance of a license plate

*You can get a ticket for running a europlate

[RONDAL]

Re: HID and Halogen Housings...

europlates are LEGAL because they do not have the general appearance of a north american license plate. if i was given a ticket i'd fight that one no issue.

running a vanity plate however might wind you in some trouble.

[Stonewall]

Re: HID and Halogen Housings...

I thought I read at one time that the lights had to be made for the car. Therefor the HID's had to be factory installed. I know that makes almost all of us with projectors and aftermarket HID's illegal.

[Duby T]

Re: HID and Halogen Housings...

europlates are LEGAL because they do not have the general appearance of a north american license plate. if i was given a ticket i'd fight that one no issue.

running a vanity plate however might wind you in some trouble.

Yes, europlates are technically illegal. Could you argue it in court? Hell yeah. Will you win? who knows?

The section clearly states "shall not display on the vehicle any other vehicle plate or device bearing numbers or letters or both that are identical to or have the general appearance of a license plate"

Pay close attention to the underlined part. It does not say "a north american plate". It simply states "a license plate".

It applies to anything that resembles a license plate.

[RONDAL]

Re: HID and Halogen Housings...

thats my point though. if they want to throw up an ambiguous term like "license plate" then whos to say in the safari a sticker on your bumper isn't a license plate.

for the record, when travelling through kenya parks they dont use plates, its stickers.

my point is, anything then from around the world could be "considered" a license plate. but for all intents and purposes the regular north american plate is all that really counts. if some cop wants to take it to court i'll be more than happy to go.