Xenon: allowed or not? Is it possible to put xenon in fog lights?

2024 Author: Erin Ralphs | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-19 11:42

Relatively recently, xenon lamps appeared on sale, and with them a lot of controversy about whether xenon is allowed in Russia and in other countries. Indeed, ten years ago, these headlights were available only to owners of expensive cars, and over time, xenon lamps began to be used for beauty. How do you know if xenon is allowed or not?

What makes motorists install xenon?

Xenon light is very similar in its characteristics to daylight, which helps to see the outlines of objects much clearer and better. The visibility created by it in any weather does not strain your eyesight, as the rays pass through drops of fog and rain, completely illuminating the roadbed. The beam of xenon light is much wider, which helps to improve the visibility of objects along the edge of the road and the roadside. It, unlike a halogen lamp, emits 100% more light, while consuming less energy. The maximum life of xenon lamp is 3000 hours and halogen lamp is 500 hours.

Recently, the fashion for it has increased, and togetherwith it, the problem of close attention of the traffic police officers to the owners of cars equipped with "xenon light" appeared, which created a certain barrier when installing lamps. The question "Xenon allowed or not?" excites many car tuning enthusiasts.

And in Russia?

The question "Is xenon allowed in Russia or has it been officially banned?" very relevant. To the owners, so to speak, there are no legal claims from the traffic police if the headlights of the car are certified and designed to use a gas-discharge light source. Xenon itself is not prohibited in Russia, the responsibility for its use is not specified in the Code of Administrative Offenses. It is worth noting that the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation provides for the responsibility of car owners who install headlights designed for incandescent lamps, as well as halogen ones, but at the same time they install gas-discharge lamps, that is, xenon ones. As you can see, the law does not prohibit the use of such light in all cases, but problems may arise when installing it. "Xenon allowed or not?" - you should also ask those who have been using it for a long time.

Reason for ban

To the question of why xenon is prohibited, there is a very simple answer: ordinary headlights are not designed and certified for this type of light source. Their light is scattered in such a way that it blinds other road users, and this can lead to disastrous results.

According to GOST andcertification, if the headlights of the car owner are initially provided with incandescent, halogen lamps, then the installation of xenon in them is prohibited.

The question "Is xenon allowed?" is a priority before purchasing lamps with this type of light. Indeed, many believe that the beam is very bright and leads to blinding of the driver moving in the oncoming lane. This opinion is not entirely correct and is mainly due to the fact that car owners install it on their own, without having certain knowledge, which leads to improper functioning of the headlights. This is fraught with the fact that halogen reflectors using xenon lamps can shine anywhere, but not on the road, for example, on neighboring, oncoming cars, which creates discomfort for drivers. There is also an opinion that xenon itself improves the visibility of the road: the more light, the more and better it is visible, which is also erroneous. So is xenon allowed? Yes, only if it is installed by a professional in a certain type of headlights.

Fog lights and xenon

The question of whether xenon is allowed in foglights is of interest to many motorists. First, before understanding the legality of use, it is necessary to consider the term "foglight" itself. This is additional lighting, which is also a headlight. From which it follows that it should be marked accordingly, for example: H - a headlight with halogen lamps, D - a headlight in which a gas discharge lamp (xenon) can be used.

To determine the legality of the use of xenon, employeesTraffic police usually compare markings. If the headlight glass is marked D, then this installation of xenon lamps is legal. It should not be forgotten that the certified product has an automatic corrector, that is, when the headlight is turned on, the light is initially directed to the ground, and later rises to a certain required level. Also, for xenon, the car must be equipped with headlight washers.

Xenon and halogens

To date, the installation of xenon in halogen headlights is prohibited. In accordance with the law, the car owner can lose his rights for a period of 6 months to 1 year, and also a ban on using the car is added to this until all defects are eliminated.

If the car owner has fog lights designed specifically for xenon, then he should not worry, and this also applies to owners of foreign cars where xenon was originally installed. Basically, most foreign manufacturers install fog lights marked D.

And if you really want to…

And, of course, any motorist may wonder if xenon can be installed officially at will? The answer will be yes. The process is quite difficult, but by collecting the necessary documentation, spending up to 30,000 rubles on conclusions, optics and a commission, you can install xenon not only on a foreign car, but even on a VAZ.

What do you need to install xenon?

First, a car owner who wants to upgrade his car will need to contact the traffic police. There you need to write an application for entrychanges to the design of the vehicle. Then you need to contact the department of technical supervision in the traffic police to inspect the car. After the owner receives the resolution of the head of the traffic police, they begin to re-equip the headlights, at the same time it will be necessary to search for an organization that issues a conclusion on the possibility and procedure for making changes to the design of the car. To do this, you will need to send scanned copies of documents: an application for conversion, certificates for the material, a copy of the passport, copies of all parties to the TCP and a copy of the certificate of registration of your vehicle. Then, as soon as the conclusion is made, it can be picked up, paying in advance for the services rendered.

The collected and provided documentation is followed by the conversion and adjustment of headlights, as well as technical inspection. According to the current Technical Regulations, the installation of xenon requires a working headlight washer and auto-corrector.

Next, you need to fill out a declaration, which will contain information on the volume and quality of work that contributes to changing the design of the vehicle.

And boldly in the traffic police

To complete this difficult procedure, you will need to contact the traffic police to obtain a certificate of conformity of the design of your vehicle with safety requirements, attaching the necessary documents to this. A car owner who has received such a certificate must carry it with him without fail, as well as other documents for the car.

To the question: "Xenon allowed or not?" - Nounequivocal answer. You can answer “yes” if it is provided by the car manufacturer or, at the request of the car owner, changes were made to the design of the vehicle in accordance with all requirements and the issuance of an appropriate certificate. You can answer “no”, since the self-installation of xenon lamps in headlights that are not intended for it falls under the ban, since in this case it is impossible to properly and correctly adjust the beam of light. Also, in addition to xenon headlights, it is necessary to have an auto-angle adjustment and washers.