Thread: "blue" headlights-illegal?

only emergency vehicles are supposed to have any blue lights on them i always thought.

there are some (blue rooftop rotating lights) used on mine sites,,

Could be a couple of things - firstly it could be an HID conversion of the cars factory headlights - these are technically illegal. Only vehicles designed and built with HID headlights are allowed. If you look on a lot of light globe packaging - not just HID, there is a disclaimer about not being suitable for on road use. The other thing could be those blue LED globes some people put in thier parking lights, or are built into some aftermarket washer jets - these are both illegal too. There are plenty of people getting around with both these things, I guess it is up to individual Policeman/woman if one person gets booked, and the next one doesn't...

And, as Inc said, blue is a prohibited coloured light on any non emergency vehicle.

The Boy racers with their Blantantly Blue Blubs, could bring someone else unstuck that have fitted HID lights with a blue tint.

But what about the Euro cars with HID lights fitted as standard?

Cheers Arthur

White light is defined in terms of colour temperature. Warm (yellow) and cool (bluish).

AFAIK you are permitted to have lights into the cool/blue spectrum (i.e. as some new cars with factory HID bulbs have). This is specified by ADRs.

As pointed out, blue lights are completey illegal on anything other than emergency vehicles.

I am sure some aftermarket HID conversions, bulbs and light covers would be over the limit (i.e. colour temperature). I think the limit is something like 6000K, however there are bulbs for sale on the internet which are up to 12000K.

EDIT. The actual specification in ADR 45/01s is:

White [light is defined as]:

limit towards blue: x > 0.310

limit towards yellow: x < 0.500

Which using this:

I make that to mean ~7000K as the upper limit.

However other sources quote 6500K as the upper limit (to be on the safe side I assume).

Whether the police are equipped to measure colour temperature is another matter.

Originally Posted by wrinklearthur

The Boy racers with their Blantantly Blue Blubs, could bring someone else unstuck that have fitted HID lights with a blue tint.

But what about the Euro cars with HID lights fitted as standard?

Cheers Arthur

Arthur Euro cars have correctly designed HID, meaning the lens and reflector shape is designed for HID.
Those that are fitting aftermarket HID kits do not comply, and although the retro fitters claim they have better light out put, this might be the case, but they are not benefiting the full potential of correct light output. They also cause a nuisance factor to oncoming road traffic.
They are not ADR approved.
It's the same with the tossers that drive around with their bumper FOG LIGHTS on in conjunction with their main headlights.
Again a draconian road law states that they must not be used when no FOG is present.
Forget speeding motorists with speed cameras, I reckon any night the state coffers could be overflowing if the police actualy policed this as nearly every second or third car has them glowing proudly.

I recently fitted some Phillips Xtreme Power H4s , and they do throw a further beam over the standard light, they light up the road ahead considerably, and they are ROAD LEGAL. For $60 a great improvement. They don't blind oncoming traffic. They Don't throw a blue light. I can confirm the 25 mters longer beam, before with standard Disco lights things were invisible a short distance ahead , now there is light

• 80% more light*
• 25 meters longer beam*
• Impressive chromium top and base premium design
  
  • Chromium cap on the bulbs shields off the black top of traditional lamps, making the bulb invisible inside a reflector when the lamp is unlit
• Excellent beam performance
• Street legal (E1) as replacement for conventional lamps
• All bulbs are of original equipment quality
• All bulbs are of original equipment quality
• Headlamp reflector protected by UV block glass

*compare to standard lamp

Wasn't there something around about vehicles being retrofitted were required to have some form of self levelling? Not sure where I read that, might have been on here or maybe in a Royalauto magazine. There's bounf to be someone here who can shed some light on this (excuse the pun)

Originally Posted by wardy1

Wasn't there something around about vehicles being retrofitted were required to have some form of self levelling? Not sure where I read that, might have been on here or maybe in a Royalauto magazine. There's bounf to be someone here who can shed some light on this (excuse the pun)

Yes. If you wish to retrofit HIDs to a vehicle that did not originally have them, the headlights must be self levelling and be fitted with headlight washers.

Self levelling so as not to dazzle road users, and headlight washers as dirt on the lenses can cause dangerous light patterns apparently.