35 replies to this topic

[mykweb]

So after 13 years of being mini-less I am now the owner of a 2000 sports pack

So that means one thing…..upgrades

I have become very accustomed to my Mercedes C class estate and its amazing headlights and looking to upgrade the 7” units on the mini.

I see you can now get wipac led units. They are pretty steep but if they are as good as the reviews are they are worth it.

Question is i seen a few Land Rover units on eBay for way cheaper. Are they direct swap as they are 7 inch as well.

Anyone fitted the wipac units or the Land Rover equivalent


Cheers.

Mike.

[PoolGuy]

My neighbour had the Wipac lights on his Defender and they're very good. The Ebay copies are awful, beware. I have some pictures of the beam pattern of the Ebay lights on an MOT beam test machine, it's hilarious.

[DeadSquare]

UPGRADES.

 

Originality is worth money, these days.

 

I won some 'super-duper' bulbs in a Motor Club Christmas Raffle a couple of years back.  I could never pick anything definite, but somehow they just weren't as nice to drive behind as Iodine Quartz, so I donated them as a prize the following year.

 

Get a "Monte Carlo" badge bar and fill it with spot lamps.

[PoolGuy]

How about these https://www.banginhe...h-led-headlight

[nicklouse]

Before doing anything check the voltage being supplied to the light units. Etc. if poor it will need replacing.

[mykweb]

I understand originality is where its at and anything I do to it I will keep the old parts. 

I currently have  the wipac crystal units on the car. They are great but I did notice when driving in the dark lanes they were bad. I am planning to swap the bulbs for some better H4 units, but I wanted to explore the option of the newer style lights. 

I am planning a light bar as well. Not quite sure what one yet. I like the 2 up 2 down units. But then the standard 4 across the front is a classic. 

[roblightbody]

If someone says to me " I am now the owner of a 2000 sports pack So that means one thing…"   I'll reply with " rust proofing? "

 

 

Compared to an older Mini, your mpi mini has a decent alternator, and all the lights run through proper modern relays.  If you fit quality halogen bulbs, they should be perfectly adequate and as bright as any other modern car with halogens.

 

Its a personal thing, but any Mini i've seen with legal LED headlights looks just awful.  It ruins the look of the car for me.  The alternative is fitting LED bulbs but thats not legal.

[roblightbody]

How about these https://www.banginhe...h-led-headlight

 

Those look cool, but if they don't have the right markings, they should fail an MOT.

[imack]

How about these https://www.banginhe...h-led-headlight

Those look cool, but if they don't have the right markings, they should fail an MOT.

What markings do they need for the mot?

[nicklouse]

They need to be E marked.

[imack]

They need to be E marked.

Are you certain?
Where in the testing manual does it say this?
I've not been able to find it, maybe I'm blind.

[DeadSquare]

 

They need to be E marked.

Are you certain?
Where in the testing manual does it say this?
I've not been able to find it, maybe I'm blind.

 

I had this problem with the original Cibie headlamps on my Unipower, when the stroppy MOT examiner failed the car because, unbeknown to me, there was no "E" on the headlamp glass.

 

It cost me £36-00 for two sealed beam units, which were only on the car for an hour, while it was retested.

[IronmanG]

If someone says to me " I am now the owner of a 2000 sports pack So that means one thing…" I'll reply with " rust proofing? "


Compared to an older Mini, your mpi mini has a decent alternator, and all the lights run through proper modern relays. If you fit quality halogen bulbs, they should be perfectly adequate and as bright as any other modern car with halogens.

Its a personal thing, but any Mini i've seen with legal LED headlights looks just awful. It ruins the look of the car for me. The alternative is fitting LED bulbs but thats not legal.

They are legal on a pre 1986 car I believe. So ye no good for an mpi. I'll be getting some this year as someone couldn't see me at all and nearly drove me off the motorway

[Landie]

I have Phillips NightGuide Platinum H4 in my headlights, I also have 2 spot lights that come on with Main beam that have Phillips H3 crystalVision Platinum in them. last year I drove from here to Mission a 3.5 hour journey in the dark. The route is a mixture of long straight stretches and twisty mountain roads, I was very impressed with the way the lights lit up the road even Dipped beam work well.

 

The LED lights I have seen are pretty weird looking and just don't look right on a Mini, that's just my opinion though. Fitting LED bulbs into a Halogen headlight is illegal here too, the light is bright but it is scattered and not focused and you just end up blinding drivers coming the other way.

 

The Phillips bulbs have a blue coating on them which makes the light whiter than the standard dull yellow halogens. I am sure Sylvania, GE and other bulb manufacturers make similar bulbs. they are also a lot cheaper than LED.

[Quinlan minor]

They need to be E marked.

They are E marked in the photograph.

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