Omega Owners Forum

Chat Area => General Discussion Area => Topic started by: philayl on 25 January 2008, 20:36:14

Title: Are these bulbs legal?
Post by: philayl on 25 January 2008, 20:36:14
Hi All, spotted these headlight bulbs on Ebay, are they road legal?
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/10-Plasma-Blue-Super-White-H1-H7-H3-Xenon-Car-Bulbs_W0QQitemZ110187232981QQihZ001QQcategoryZ23009QQtcZphotoQQcmdZViewItem
Title: Re: Are these bulbs legal?
Post by: Taxi_Driver on 25 January 2008, 20:53:00
A miss guiding add imo.......how can you quote input power and give higher output power........you dont get more output power than you put in.

I guess the 55w input power ones would be, but certainly the 100w ones wouldnt be........they would be off road use only imo
Title: Re: Are these bulbs legal?
Post by: hotel21 on 25 January 2008, 20:57:56
Apart from the electrical claims of the add which are hopefull, to say the least, the lamps require to be legal.

Lighting regs can be fun......  Amongst other things, all lamps should carry a type approval mark as per the following excerpt from the Road vehicles Lighting Regs 1989..

Filament lamps
    14.—(1)  Where a motor vehicle first used on or after 1st April 1986 or any trailer manufactured on or after 1st October 1985 is equipped with any lamp of a type that is required by any Schedule to these Regulations to be marked with an approval mark, no filament lamp other than a filament lamp referred to in the Designation of Approval Marks Regulations in (a)  regulation 4 and Schedule 2, items 2 or 2A, 8, 20, 37 or 37A; or (b)  regulation 5 and Schedule 4, item 18, shall be fitted to any such lamp.

Thats the 'E' or type approval mark.  

HtH
Title: Re: Are these bulbs legal?
Post by: philayl on 25 January 2008, 20:57:57
Quote
A miss guiding add imo.......how can you quote input power and give higher output power........you dont get more output power than you put in.

I guess the 55w input power ones would be, but certainly the 100w ones wouldnt be........they would be off road use only imo
Very true TD, that one slipped by me  :-[
Title: Re: Are these bulbs legal?
Post by: philayl on 25 January 2008, 21:01:31
Quote
Apart from the electrical claims of the add which are hopefull, to say the least, the lamps require to be legal.

Lighting regs can be fun......  Amongst other things, all lamps should carry a type approval mark as per the following excerpt from the Road vehicles Lighting Regs 1989..

Filament lamps
    14.—(1)  Where a motor vehicle first used on or after 1st April 1986 or any trailer manufactured on or after 1st October 1985 is equipped with any lamp of a type that is required by any Schedule to these Regulations to be marked with an approval mark, no filament lamp other than a filament lamp referred to in the Designation of Approval Marks Regulations in (a)  regulation 4 and Schedule 2, items 2 or 2A, 8, 20, 37 or 37A; or (b)  regulation 5 and Schedule 4, item 18, shall be fitted to any such lamp.

Thats the 'E' or type approval mark.  

HtH
I did notice that any E mark reference was noticeably missing from the description.
Title: Re: Are these bulbs legal?
Post by: waspy on 25 January 2008, 21:02:31
I think you'll find that unless their E marked, they'll be illegal.
100 Watts are cetainly not road legal, although i have a mate that runs a car spares shop & he's sold some to the local police.
You can allways tell which are the 100 Watters, because their the ones dazzling you from behind BIG time :( :(
Title: Re: Are these bulbs legal?
Post by: Elite Pete on 25 January 2008, 21:15:14
The other problem would be the display on your MID might show you have a bulb out with the 100 watters
Title: Re: Are these bulbs legal?
Post by: Bandit127 on 25 January 2008, 22:07:30
Not to mention the extra (nearly) 100% current carried by the wiring loom above what it was designed for. May not be a problem for Vx cars but 80W bulbs can melt motorbike wires.

Jim
Title: Re: Are these bulbs legal?
Post by: Jay w on 25 January 2008, 22:34:43
Quote
Not to mention the extra (nearly) 100% current carried by the wiring loom above what it was designed for. May not be a problem for Vx cars but 80W bulbs can melt motorbike wires.

Jim

they can cause similar damage to car looms as well
Title: Re: Are these bulbs legal?
Post by: Martin_1962 on 26 January 2008, 11:36:14
I used to run 100/80s and 130w driving lights on the Sunbeam