Relatively recently, xenon lamps appeared on sale, and with them a lot of debate 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 to know: xenon allowed or not?
What makes motorists install xenon?
Xenon light with its characteristics is very similar to daylight, which helps to see the outlines of objects much more clearly and better. The visibility created by him in any weather does not strain his eyesight, as the rays pass through drops of fog and rain, fully illuminating the roadbed. The beam of xenon light is much wider, which improves the visibility of objects along the edge of the road and the curb. He, unlike a halogen lamp, emits 100% more light, while spending less energy. The maximum xenon life is 3000 hours, and the halogen lamp is 500 hours.
Recently, the fashion for him has increased, and with it the problem of the steadfast attention of the traffic police to the owners of cars equipped with "xenon light" has appeared, which created a certain barrier when installing lamps. The question "Xenon allowed or not?" Worries many fans of tuning cars.
But in Russia?
The question “Is xenon allowed in Russia or is it officially banned?” Is very relevant. To the owners, so to speak, there is no legal coverage of 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, responsibility for its use in the Code of Administrative Offenses is not indicated. It is worth noting that the Administrative Code of the Russian Federation provides for the responsibility of car owners who put headlights intended for incandescent and halogen lamps, but at the same time they install gas-discharge lamps, that is, xenon ones. As you can see, the law does not in all cases prohibit the use of such a light, but problems may arise during its installation. “Xenon allowed or not?” - it is worth asking also those who have been using it for a long time.
Reason for the ban
To the question of why xenon is prohibited, there is a very simple answer: ordinary headlights are not designed and are not certified for this type of light source. Their light is scattered in such a way that blinds the rest of the road users, and this can lead to a deplorable result.
According to GOST and certification, if incandescent, halogen lamps are initially provided in the headlights of a car owner, then installation of xenon in them is prohibited.
The question “Is xenon permitted?” Is a priority before purchasing lamps with this type of light. After all, many believe that the beam is very bright and leads to a blindness of the driver moving in the oncoming lane. This opinion is not entirely correct and, mainly, due to the fact that car owners install on their own, without possession of certain knowledge, which leads to incorrect 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 nearby, 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 visible, which is also a mistake. So is xenon permitted? Yes, only if it is installed by a professional in a certain type of headlights.
Fog and Xenon
The question of whether xenon is allowed in foglights is of interest to many motorists. First, before understanding the legitimacy of use, it is necessary to consider the term “fog” itself. This is additional lighting, which is also a headlight. From which it follows that it must be appropriately marked, for example: H - a headlight with halogen lamps, D - a headlight in which a gas discharge lamp (xenon) can be used.
To determine the legitimacy of the use of xenon, traffic police usually compare markings. If the headlight glass is marked D, then this installation of xenon lamps is legal. Do not forget 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 necessary level. Also for xenon, the car must be equipped with headlight washers.
Xenon and halogen
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 a ban on the use of the car is added to this until all the shortcomings 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 foglights marked D.
And if you really want to ...
And, of course, any car enthusiast can think about whether it is possible to put xenon officially at will. The answer is yes. The process is rather complicated, but, having collected the necessary documentation, having spent up to 30,000 rubles on conclusions, optics and commission, you can install xenon not only on a foreign car, but even on a VAZ.
What do you need to install xenon?
First, the car owner who wants to update his car will need to contact the traffic police. There you need to write a statement about changes to the design of the vehicle. Then you need to contact the technical supervision department 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 they will need 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 need to send scanned copies of documents: application for conversion, certificates for the material, a copy of the passport, copies of all parties to the TCP and a copy of the registration certificate of your vehicle. Then, as soon as the conclusion is made, it can be picked up, having paid for the services rendered in advance.
The documentation collected and provided is followed by the conversion and adjustment of the headlights, as well as inspection. According to the current Technical Regulation, 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 contributing to a change in the design of the vehicle.
And feel free to the traffic police!
To complete this difficult procedure, you will need to contact the traffic police to get a certificate of compliance of the design of your vehicle with safety requirements, attaching the necessary documents to this. The car owner who received such a certificate must carry it with him, as well as other documents for the car.
To the question: "Have Xenon been allowed or not?" - there is no definite answer. You can answer “yes” if it is provided by the manufacturer of the car or, at the request of the car owner, changes have been made to the design of the vehicle in accordance with all the requirements and the issuance of an appropriate certificate. You can answer “no,” since it is prohibited to install xenon lamps in the headlights that are not intended for it, since in this case it is impossible to properly and correctly adjust the light beam. Also, in addition to xenon headlights, it is necessary to have a tilt auto-corrector and washers.