In June 2016 I purchased my Insignia (2.0 CDTi SE Nav [160] 5dr). I previously had an MG ZR 105 Trophy SE that the previous owner installed HIDs into the front lights, which made them wonderfully bright. I then came to the Insignia which came with its standard lights and they're... well, underwhelming to say the least. A couple of weeks ago my driver's side dipped beam stopped working, and every time I start the car I'm getting the corresponding error. I thought that this would be as good a time as ever to spend a bit of money and upgrade the lights from the standard bulbs to HID's similar to what I used to have. However I will admit I'm not massively knowledgable when it comes to cars, so I've been getting a bit confused reading around here and other sites I've found on Google. Hopefully someone here can help me?
In my research, I've found people talking about installing LEDs instead of HIDs, and some of the benefits and drawbacks of each, but I really don't know which to go with?
I found this thread on here where people were praising this LED kit which I think would be the best solution?
But that thread says that it's for "facelight Insignias". Now I've tried to Google it, but I've got no idea what that means or whether my car has had a facelight? I'm presuming it hasn't, as afaik it's all standard. I did like that people said that particular model fit in the housing, they've got a sale on at the moment knocking the price down by 30%, free shipping and claims to be next day delivery.
But then I've also seen this HID conversion kit recommended, which is half the price but I'm confused because it says "Availability: In Stock" but then "Current Stock: Out of stock".
Then I have also seen this conversion kit recommended which is dramatically cheaper than the other two, but then I am abit more weary because of it's low price and purchasing from eBay can be a shot in the dark especailly when I'm as inexperienced as I am with all of this.
However I've then found this post which the guy says that he uses those Nighteye bulbs in his main beams, and uses a different set in his dipped beams, which quite honestly just completely threw me. I presumed that you would have to use different bulbs in your main beams and dipped lights, but they both say they're H7, so why is he using what others use in his dipped beam in his main beam? And why are others using what he's using in his main beam as his dipped beam? Can they be used in both, and if so, why not use the same type of bulbs in both? Does this mean I could potentially upgrade both sets of my lights?
Furthermore this brings me to a load of other questions I have:
I should also state that I work nights, and do a lot of travelling in my car (also predominantly at night), so I desperately want to improve my vision and increase the light ahead of me whilst I'm driving.
I'm sorry for the million questions and being a bit all over the place, but as you might be able to tell, I've just been getting so confused with all of this! I really hope some of you guys can help make sense of all this for me.
In my research, I've found people talking about installing LEDs instead of HIDs, and some of the benefits and drawbacks of each, but I really don't know which to go with?
I found this thread on here where people were praising this LED kit which I think would be the best solution?
But that thread says that it's for "facelight Insignias". Now I've tried to Google it, but I've got no idea what that means or whether my car has had a facelight? I'm presuming it hasn't, as afaik it's all standard. I did like that people said that particular model fit in the housing, they've got a sale on at the moment knocking the price down by 30%, free shipping and claims to be next day delivery.
But then I've also seen this HID conversion kit recommended, which is half the price but I'm confused because it says "Availability: In Stock" but then "Current Stock: Out of stock".
Then I have also seen this conversion kit recommended which is dramatically cheaper than the other two, but then I am abit more weary because of it's low price and purchasing from eBay can be a shot in the dark especailly when I'm as inexperienced as I am with all of this.
However I've then found this post which the guy says that he uses those Nighteye bulbs in his main beams, and uses a different set in his dipped beams, which quite honestly just completely threw me. I presumed that you would have to use different bulbs in your main beams and dipped lights, but they both say they're H7, so why is he using what others use in his dipped beam in his main beam? And why are others using what he's using in his main beam as his dipped beam? Can they be used in both, and if so, why not use the same type of bulbs in both? Does this mean I could potentially upgrade both sets of my lights?
Furthermore this brings me to a load of other questions I have:
- Do I need to change anything to fit them in, or to not affect other people on the road? Or is it as simple as it looks, and just unscrewing the old unit, replacing with the new one, and screwing it back in?
- Will I need to remove them for my MOT in a couple of months time? I understand that they're not technically legal, but have any of you guys had issues with them when it's come time to have an MOT?
- Will I still be able to use the adjustment dial I have inside of the car that changes how far the light goes?
- I sometimes drive in Europe. What would I do when it comes to driving over there? Do I still continue to use headlamp adapters as I normally would have done? Would they be placed in the same spot or would I use them differently?
- And ultimately, which are best, HIDs or LEDs? And which bulbs / kit should I get? I understand that LEDs come on instantly, and HIDs take a few seconds to warm up. I mean, I don't think I'm bothered about a couple of seconds, but which are brighter? Which produce the best light? Which are likely to cause less issues? etc etc
- Or have I got all of this completely wrong, as my car is not "facelifted" and so none of these kits or bulbs will work? And if that is the case, what on earth can I do then?
I should also state that I work nights, and do a lot of travelling in my car (also predominantly at night), so I desperately want to improve my vision and increase the light ahead of me whilst I'm driving.
I'm sorry for the million questions and being a bit all over the place, but as you might be able to tell, I've just been getting so confused with all of this! I really hope some of you guys can help make sense of all this for me.
Comment