HID/LED , illegal?

BrotherHood · Postby **BrotherHood** » September 30th, 2015, 10:08 am

Being reasonable with yourself and the police/licensing officers, a temperature of up to 8000K can be considered legal. Over 8000K and you are definitely looking for trouble. I have sold quite alot of 8000K HID kits and I have never had any complaints about harassment, tickets, fines etc from the relative authorities.

DannyBoi20 wrote:Brotherhood you should also advise them to install hid in projector housing and not the original reflector housing

I agree with you here. However, some users simply just want to upgrade their current halogen setup for something brighter for various reasons. Not everyone will do a retrofit or buy aftermarket projector headlamps.

What I do advise my customers is to position the beams from the lamp to the lowest point on the road. It does not completely take away the glare produced by HID lights in a reflector headlamp setup, but it reduces somewhat, to a reasonably practicable means.

Even in projector housings with proper cutoff lines, there is still some bit of glare.

Sundar · Postby **Sundar** » October 1st, 2015, 9:56 pm

Is it possible to get a petition to force them to revise some of them dinosaur law

BrotherHood · Postby **BrotherHood** » October 6th, 2015, 9:59 am

Sundar wrote:Is it possible to get a petition to force them to revise some of them dinosaur law

This is a good idea. It would require going public via the media so that we can have an enormous national following.

INHUMAN · Postby **INHUMAN** » October 6th, 2015, 2:31 pm

Every raj n gunta puttin 8k in headlight and fogs and rolling around with stock headlights (no projector) and even driving with park light and fogs. Some even have green and pink fogs n still driving with that only. Swear i go buss one of them idiots coming to come eventually...

Not all temp colors r the same with each brand...and the local rubbish sold here...smh.

rottedv · Postby **rottedv** » October 7th, 2015, 4:26 am

I was issued a ticket last night for HID lights and mine is white. Wondering if I should contest it. But IMO if I do contest it I must be sure. What you guys think?

Soochi boi · Postby **Soochi boi** » October 7th, 2015, 8:59 am

Person who got ticketed. How "white" your lights were for the ticket? .

Personal i dont have the projector.
But do have white park lights 8000k low beam and 10000k fogs. But my fogs not working.
Also in my case my fogs are extremely low and light is dispersed towards thd ground. Same thing with my headlights they angled about 15/30 degrees towards thw ground so i havent got a ticket but thats in my scenario

Pirate · Postby **Pirate** » October 7th, 2015, 9:17 am

They all appear to be focused to the ground when in fact light is dispersed even 10ft above when tested 25ft from a wall. Due to variations in the bulb types, no amount of tweaking can fix the beam with out some projector retrofit!

Sundar · Postby **Sundar** » October 7th, 2015, 12:45 pm

where does retrofits?

Pirate · Postby **Pirate** » October 7th, 2015, 12:52 pm

Off the top of my head, Trini Retrofits.
St Augustine.

BrotherHood · Postby **BrotherHood** » October 7th, 2015, 3:28 pm

rottedv wrote:I was issued a ticket last night for HID lights and mine is white. Wondering if I should contest it. But IMO if I do contest it I must be sure. What you guys think?

What temperature HID kit do you have installed?

rottedv · Postby **rottedv** » October 7th, 2015, 9:57 pm

I have to check on that ^^^^. But I know that my lights show white light to me...Not blue....And I not color blind.....But I haven't got a definitive answer on whether or not I should challenge the ticket...And what is there to prevent it from happening again??? Something needs to be done....

BrotherHood · Postby **BrotherHood** » October 8th, 2015, 11:35 am

Well as I indicated on page 1 of this thread, nowhere in our laws states anything about a prohibition of HID lights. Infact, the law did not at all mention HID lights. However, it did speak to having a "a white light visible from a reasonable distance". With that said, if your HID lights were infact white (4300K HID to 6000K HID light), then I do not see why at all you were ticketed. If you don't mind, please share the particulars of the ticket.

To check/know what temperature HID you have, an easy way to tell is by looking at the electrode on the bulb.
If it is 4300K & 5000K, the electrode (stick like structure attached on the side of the bulb) will be grey in colour.
If it is 6000K, it will be white. 8000K it will be blue. 10,000K it will be a light pink.

rottedv · Postby **rottedv** » October 8th, 2015, 1:12 pm

Spoke to a licensing officer at the office this morning. His exact words were and I quote " all HID lights are illegal except those that come from the factory in the vehicle. Doesn't matter heat range or colour of the HID. It is illegal once it was installed outside of the vehicle factory. For those that come from the factory with the HID installed the licensing authority will issue a letter authorizing the use of the HID lighting and must be kept in the vehicle". So thats enough for me to take out the HIDs and put something that gives me almost the same brightness. HIDs for sale anyone?

INHUMAN · Postby **INHUMAN** » October 8th, 2015, 1:41 pm

rip hid sellers

BrotherHood · Postby **BrotherHood** » October 8th, 2015, 1:56 pm

Good insight from someone within the governing body. They would or should know better and what is law or not. However, why is it not written in the Motor Vehicle & Road Traffic Act, Chapter 48:50? Can someone be fined or charged for something that is not written in the law books? Amendments would then need to be made. When will it be amended? Will it ever be amended? HID lights have been coming in vehicles as OEM over 15 years now. I think that by now some amendments should be made.

The Licensing Officer saying that is one thing, but what law exactly would one be in breach of, if the breach that one is being fined or charged for, in this case unauthorized lights, is not statute law written and passed by government? How can I be in breach of having HID lights if it is not stated by law? Is it that Licensing Officesr or their superiors (Transport Commissioner) can exercise certain powers within their discretion or as they see fit, issue a fixed penalty notice/ticket/fine?

DannyBoi20 · Postby **DannyBoi20** » October 8th, 2015, 2:47 pm

Trini retrofit is the way to go if you wearily want the hid in my opinion

rottedv · Postby **rottedv** » October 8th, 2015, 3:21 pm

I guess it boils down to interpretation of the law when it goes to court. Licensing authority is like the police in the enforcing of the law but the government officials are the ones who are devloping these laws and they will need to review these laws but how can we as motorists enforce them...?

rottedv · Postby **rottedv** » October 8th, 2015, 3:26 pm

I will post a pic of the ticket later. Well d particulars....

Postby **2NR Smurf** » October 8th, 2015, 3:35 pm

rottedv wrote:Spoke to a licensing officer at the office this morning. His exact words were and I quote " all HID lights are illegal except those that come from the factory in the vehicle. Doesn't matter heat range or colour of the HID. It is illegal once it was installed outside of the vehicle factory. For those that come from the factory with the HID installed the licensing authority will issue a letter authorizing the use of the HID lighting and must be kept in the vehicle". So thats enough for me to take out the HIDs and put something that gives me almost the same brightness. HIDs for sale anyone?

Based on this plus the way that law is written, some officers can even tell you that after-market halogen bulbs are also illegal, since they may consider that a "modification".
The law seems to suggest that you can only use oem spec replacement bulbs. An officer would have to be moving real dread to pull u up on that tho...

rottedv · Postby **rottedv** » October 9th, 2015, 5:46 am

BrotherHood · Postby **BrotherHood** » October 9th, 2015, 3:19 pm

Thanks there rottedv.
So basically, aftermarket HID modifications fall under the category of Unauthorized Lights. How is an officer able to distinguish HID light from non-HID light, without actually inspecting the contents within the headlamp/foglamp? There are temperature ranges of HID that look just like traditional halogen bulb. 4300K and even 5000K if in 55w. What about aftermarket 'super white' halogen bulbs, or even the 100w halogen bulbs? How will those fare with the Licensing Authority/Police?

The law states:
"When a motor vehicle is in motion
on a road at night, the
lamps at the front of the vehicle shall be
lighted, and the rays from the lamps shall
be of a type approved by the Licensing
Authority and, if the vehicle is capable of
proceeding at a speed greater than thirty
kilometres per hour, of such intensity as to
illuminate the road ahead for a distance of
at least ninety-five metres or such greater
distance as is sufficient to ensure the safety
of the vehicle and the persons carried on
the vehicle, and to indicate clearly the
presence of the vehicle to approaching
traffic."

Based on that law, the ticket issued to rottedv and his conversation with a Licensing Officer, we can conclude that aftermarket HID conversion lights is a type of light that is unapproved by the Licensing Authority. However, the law is not descriptive to point which type of light must be used or which must not be used. Seems here that the powers of a Licensing Officer takes prevalence over the Motor Vehicle & Road Traffic Act, so that they, regardless of what deficiencies the law has in itself, can disapprove of a certain type of light.

slick21ryan · Postby **slick21ryan** » October 9th, 2015, 6:44 pm

Bro u should call in beyond d tape n talk to inspector Alexander about dat ticket especially as it is a direct contradiction to what he himself said was legal not too long ago! Still trying to figure out how d officer mention HID n quoting ACTS yet nowhere in said ACTS mentions same... Only in trinidad d law of d land is opinionated smh

rottedv · Postby **rottedv** » October 9th, 2015, 7:19 pm

I understand what is being said. I have probs seeing in the night and this super white halogen bulb looks like something I will have to get.. That being said if the law is not clear as with many other laws in this country what can we do collectively to stop this? Not every officer will have the same view and some will be wasting your time and the court time when you challenge the ticket....We can't be wasting this time every time an officer sees your HIDs....So what should be done?

Havoc · Postby **Havoc** » October 9th, 2015, 9:05 pm

Don't make the mistake and install those super white halogens bro
They're easily drowned out by the yellow colour of street lights, worst yet if it's raining

THE SYNDICATE · Postby **THE SYNDICATE** » October 10th, 2015, 4:26 am

Havoc wrote:Don't make the mistake and install those super white halogens bro
They're easily drowned out by the yellow colour of street lights, worst yet if it's raining

100% accurate. Those bulbs are a nightmare to drive with when rain is falling. Talking from experience here as well.

Ted_v2 · Postby **Ted_v2** » October 10th, 2015, 6:47 am

All this talk about bulbs. The best thing is regular yellow bulbs or night breakers or something. 100w with ceramic plugs and relays direct to the battery. Super improvement and no worries about tickets and wingwang ballast blowing

hindian · Postby **hindian** » October 10th, 2015, 7:58 am

100w low 120 high halogens FTW!

supercharged turbo · Postby **supercharged turbo** » October 10th, 2015, 8:21 am

What about LED headlight bulbs?

Ted_v2 · Postby **Ted_v2** » October 10th, 2015, 9:55 am

Heat is going to be more but shouldn't be a issue. Ur stock lights get power thru the light stalk on the steering column.

Imagine that. Now if you use that same signals for turning on a relay with a direct link to the battery. Better current flow And amps. Together with a 100w bulb vs a 55w stock bulb. You good to go