On Mon, 08 Apr 2013 10:08:57 +0100, David Billington
wrote:

On 08/04/13 03:03, Martin Eastburn wrote:


snip


I have not heard about bulbs designed to mimic HIDs. I guess I am not
surprised if the goal is to make a cheap headlight look like an
expensive
one. Certainly the true HIDs are very annoying.

What I find particularily annoyong are the blue lights that police cars
usually have--they're incredibly distracting as it is, and also cause
significant tempory visual impairment lasting for a few seconds after
one
passes by.


And to have one come at you in a heavy fog - fog blind easily.

They were popular in Germany -

They were banned on passenger cars as a retrofit in California and then
when the German Imports - they folded.

Martin
I've read that the OE HID installations have to be self levelling
probably to reduce dazzling other road users. I think many of the after
market HID installations don't have self levelling and so are illegal
for road use in many places.
"aftermarket HID conversions" are virtually all illegal anywhere in
North America - and likely many other places as well. As are "most"
blue coloured "hid wannbee" replacement lamps. No DOT approval - not
legal. Period. Many are sold with a disclamer on the package "for
off-road use only" - RIGHT!!!!