Loneshark

mhurlbutjr

I only had my truck inspected when I first moved to AZ but haven't had any other inspections on any of my other vehicles other than being smog checked on the rollers or an obd2 scan but that's it.

SR Tech

I pass vehicles every day with HID's installed. Factory or Aftermarket



As long as they are projectors, look factory and are in the temp range of 5000k-8000k ill let it slide.



I have failed several people that have the obnoxious purple ones and to make it worse in reflector housings

Loneshark

seems like here in VA they want to be strict on mods... the first time i failed the inspection, the guy told me that due to me modifying the housing of the headlights to intall the angel eyes, not matter the color, this was an instant fail, so i looked up the criteria yesterday and found THIS... it says nothing about modifying the headlights... i think this guy was just being a dick cause he held some authority.

Stocker

The enabling legislation in Texas doesn't say anything about some things, but there are guidelines that have the weight of law at the inspection station that cover them quite clearly. The one that was a personal bummer for me was power steering. The law is ambiguous but the inspectors' guidelines are clear - and against what I wanted to do. There is probably a number you can call and ask for specific guidance from the State. TX and I think CA call them "Challenge Stations."

Zekkal

5. - INSPECT HEADLIGHTS FOR:



Approved type, aim, and output.

Condition of lamp, wiring and switch.

Beam indicator.



Maybe the "Approved type" is what he was talking about, either give em a call or next time u go have that paper printed off. politely ask him where it says u cannot add Angel Eyes, cant hurt to ask right?

Tomte

A relative in the army told me he got away by using low temperature HIDs ie 4500 to 5000 K. But he was not going for looks.



some extra info:

I do not know whether all or any of these apply in the US, but I did a fair amount of reading on the subject regarding European legislation since I do most my driving at night.

Low beam:

*HIDs have to adjust the inclination of the beam automatically. I know that most modern American cars with factory HIDs have that as well. It is usually a sensor at a front and back axle providing info on the inclination of the car. Basically an automation of the switch we have in the centre console. You can get these aftermarket (eg valeo), but they are quite expensive € 200.

*The light temperature ie color has to be around 5000K. Basically 4000-6000K is white with no to little blue tint which yields the most improvement in visibility. Above 6000 is not allowed.

*The housing needs to have a nozzle for cleaning like you windscreen (some have wipers as well - older models usually)

*The housing needs to be approved for HIDs. That is definitely not the case with our cars (worldwide), but sometimes they ignore that on inspection.

High beam:

There are no Xenon high beams that I know of as a factory option on cars. Like DTN said it is due to the warm up and the fact that the dispersion pattern depends on light temperature. So most cars have "hybrid" lighting.

When I looked into this I found that I already had a big improvement (same Xenon in a Porsche and a dutch Tiburon) when using Philips X-treme Power or Osram night breaker plus(I do not know whether that is the same as the Sylvania silverstar ultra). Blue tinted halogens are not that good for long night driving, but enough for around town (Philips blue vision, Sylvania cool blue) and do not look like HIDs.

Anyways the big improvement numbers in lumens for most HID-kits come from older comparisons with bad standard halogens (a friend at university actually did one for Philips) and measurements on a focal point directly in front of the HID which does put halogens at a disadvantage due to the greater dispersion (which may be housing related as well).

Sorry for the excursion, but I just wanted to point out that you do not really need them (regarding light output in our headlights) and it may be pointless to adjust them if you just end up having problems at inspection.

majik

I'm in Tennessee. They just make sure you have a cat (visual inspection), they do a sniff test, OBD-II test for CEL, and a gas cap test. That's all. Takes $10 (or $5?) and ~3-4 minutes. No care for lights, no popping of hood.



- HIDs for hi-beams = fail.

- Aim your headlights now. It takes a few minutes, no reason to wait for HIDs. Do it now.

Loneshark

damn 10 bucks thats it? they charged me 17 bucks.... to fail me, but they give 15 days to return with the corrections made. and they dont do a sniff test either... damn nazis !

SR Tech

new cars, i believe up to a year old, and vehicles over 8,600lbs only get safety checks and emissions "look over."



You do not plug the obd reader into the car. Thus why its cheaper



Not sure if these are just New York State laws or universal.



$21 in NY, $11 for the 2nd time if you fail the first.