[mouse1277]

Hello,
I have ordered a new kuga with standard headlights but I am planning to build in an after market xenon set.
Can someone tell me what the standard bulbs of the Kuga headlights are? is this H7?

 

[hessisgod]

after market xenons? Sounds interesting Are they easy to fit or need lots of soldering etc? What are costs?


Wife has xenons on her mini and they are amazing, but couldn't justify cost

 

[citizenx]

Costs is from about 50$ on ebay. Bought one kit for my Focus that i never got to install. Fitting is easy, but it might need some modification in the backside of the lamp, bigger holes and such..

 

[mouse1277]

Good kits are a little more expensive (around 250 dollar).
No modification needed (just choose the right bulb).
Make sure to choose a good colour (between 4200 and 6000k) otherwise it just looks fake and very cheap.
I already found out that Kuga uses H7.

 

[JMGKUGA]

When i got xenons put in one of my previous cars i paid about £350 because i had to get power packs, the packs heat the gas alot hotter then in normal halogens, hence why they are so much brighter. Well worth the money car looks alot better with them. Anyone got any info on whether they have changed since 2005???. cause the last ones i got were H7's Thanks...Just be careful when fiiting them DO NOT touch the bulb,cause the oils in yourfingers will ruin them.

 

[mondeoman]

I didn't opt for xenons when i bought my Kuga, but have been exploring options since.


As I understand it, for Xenons to be legal the car has to have auto levelling headlamps, and so it becomes difficult and expensive to convert.



However you can buy replacement bulbs such as

http://www.care4car.com/productdisplay/productid/210/Philips_Xtreme_Power_+80percent_xenon_bulbs.html

which are totally legal to use, whilst looking and performing very much like xenons. They are also much cheaper!! You can also buy matching side light bulbs. It might be worth looking at

http://www.lighting.philips.com/in_en/consumer/carlighting/1_car_lighting/products_for_car/9_xtremepower.php?main=gb_en&parent=89083467512&id=in_en_car_lighting&lang=en



I haven't done a price comparison so you may be able to buy cheaper than the top link above.

 

[mouse1277]

You cannot compare after market xenon kits with replacement (look alike xenon) bulbs.
I know that officially you need automatic leveling nowadays but I have been using them for years now and have never had any problems with local law.
maybe it is legal but i will take the chance because when you do an official xenon upgrade it will cost you about 1000 dollar.

 

[mouse1277]

1 other question I have:
when you look at the headlight can you see the H7 bulb or is it behind a lens?

 

[applematt]

guys there's big differences between what you are talking about.... and i think confusion has set in!


xenon bulbs (philips H7's) are simply normal headlamp bulbs with xenon gas inside them... they burn cooler in the colour spectrum therefore get closer to daylight rather than the yellow of halogen lamps.



The other xenon lampspeoplehave been talking about is the High Intensity Discharge (HID) lamps... these are a complete different kettle or lamp altogether!



Thes HID bulbs require a choke likea Fluorescent strip light to start them to create the arc within the bulb... these bad boys are the best to have but are not street legal if fitted after factory (as mentioned above self leveling & washer jets).



AllHID units look like they are behind a lense, its the only way to focus the light from the arc unit... while H7's can be behind a lense like the old ford puma et.al - but normally they are clearly visible via the headlamp.



HID conversion kits will be upwards of £300 for a good kit - be warnedyou will get stopped by plod if they are bored as these kits tend to dassle on coming traffic!



For simplicity i would opt for the philips 80% xenon bulbs...

 

[mondeoman]

A good explanation - thanks!

 

[jdluz]

Something i really like about the factory xenon is its looks,how do HID conversion kits looks like?

 

[mouse1277]

AllHID units look like they are behind a lense, its the only way to focus the light from the arc unit... while H7's can be behind a lense like the old ford puma et.al - but normally they are clearly visible via the headlamp.

clear story and all known by me but this still does not answer my question.
can you see the standard H7 bulb through the headlight glass or is it behind a lens?

 

[Essex_boy]

Sounds like you should have just got the factory fitted Xenon lights as there are cheep versions available but you get what you pay as they look real cheep and the more expensive retro fits that do look ok, well after the cost and all the hassle of fitting them you would not have saved much money.

 

[applematt]

if the original headlamp has a lense to hide the H7 then the replacement bulb will be behinda lense also - so you wont see it!


hid replacements are designed to mimic the original fitting - if you get the right kit.



So the answer is yes... if you have a standard headlamp unit like whats fitted to the kuga (zetec) with H7 bulbs you will see the hid conversion bulb or the normal H7 as they are not behind a lense so to speak...

 

[mouse1277]

Sounds like you should have just got the factory fitted Xenon lights as there are cheep versions available but you get what you pay as they look real cheep and the more expensive retro fits that do look ok, well after the cost and all the hassle of fitting them you would not have saved much money.

to be honest: i was just looking for some (technical) answers, not to start a discussion about xenon modifications.
I have had HID kits in many cars and if the original halogen headlight has a "lens" design it looks just like the original for just a part of the original price.
just make sure you don't buy the blueish (8000-12000k) chinese kits that look very, very cheap and fake.

 

[mouse1277]

if the original headlamp has a lense to hide the H7 then the replacement bulb will be behinda lense also - so you wont see it!


hid replacements are designed to mimic the original fitting - if you get the right kit.



So the answer is yes

Matt, this is not the answer to my question.
I know that they mimic the original fitting and I know about the lens, but my question was if the Kuga has got a "lens design" that hides the H7 (original halogen) bulb.
So if someone could confirm that, we can close this topic.

 

[hessisgod]

so, if you opt for the Philips bulbs at £30, they don't do the job of a proper HID kit (not surprisingly for the money), but do offer better, cleaner light than a standard Ford bulb?


Are the standard lights on the Kuga sealed units and how easy to fit would the replacement bulb be. On previous cars its ranged from very simple to an hour or two of swearing!

 

[quatroxquatro]

Well, I took a couple of photos, as best as I could, but there is clearly not much to see. The lens makes the actual lamps impossible to spot. I hope that clears this up for you!

 

[mouse1277]

thanx, this was all I needed.
topic can be closed!

 

[Wildyce]

I've justordered the philips extreme +80% H7 replacements. Remember if you do this you need four as the Kuga uses separate H7s for high and low beam. I don't know what the config is for Xenonequipped Kuga's though.


In terms of fitting, there's a screw on top, and a plasticcoverto prise off under the lamp fitting using "a suitable tool" (whatever that means), and then two clips to disengage and then the headlamp unit slides out. It's also recommended to adjust the headlamps afterwards as different bulbs can aim the light a little higher than before, dazzling non-Kuga owners (as I have yet to see any!).



I paid £30 for each set of2 bulbs including free delivery and a free set of OSRAM blue w5w's which will replace the yellow looking sidelight bulbs at the same time for an all round new look! - or you can use them for the footwell dodge in another thread.



I'll let you know how I get on......