Xenon designation. Factory headlight markings
New additions to the rules traffic demanded that motorists study the issue of marking headlights for xenon lamps. This applies to both beginners and experienced drivers if they want to avoid problems when meeting with the traffic police.
Determining the matching of headlights and xenon optics
The owner of a foreign car can check the quality of his headlight bulbs. For new cars they have:
- special dirt remover, since xenon does not tolerate contamination;
- automatic corrector, which independently adjusts the height of the light, taking into account the load on the car (its presence can be checked by rocking the car);
- headlights designed specifically for xenon, this can be identified by markings on the glass or headlight housing in the form of the letter D.
Attention! If your car's headlights are marked H, then they are for halogen lamps and you will be fined if you install xenon lamps in them.
According to many car enthusiasts, xenon lamps are of better quality than halogen lamps, and they do not tire the eyes as much as other types of optics.
Headlights come in single-lamp and double-lamp types. Accordingly, their markings are different. Xenon is characterized by the letters DC, which means low beam, DR - high beam, and DC/R, respectively, both low and low beam. high beam.
The presence of an arrow indicates that this is xenon for left-hand traffic, its absence indicates that it is for right-hand traffic. If a xenon headlight has two arrows on it, it is suitable for both types of driving.
To check the headlight markings, you need to look under the hood at their outer surface, at the inside of the glass, or even remove it to see it inside. According to their characteristics they are divided into:
- A – these are side lights;
- B – anti-fog optics;
- C – means low beam;
- R – gives high beam;
- CR – equipped with both near and high beam;
- C/R - either near or far, at the discretion of the owner.
To decide on the manufacturer, you should know which numbers on the headlight correspond to which country. The presence of the letter E indicates that the product belongs to a European manufacturer, and DOT is an American marking. Each European country is assigned a constant number - marking:
- Germany.
- France.
- Italy.
- Netherlands.
- Sweden.
In total, 23 countries are represented, while the domestic manufacturer has number 22, corresponding to the CIS.
Xenon selection
The presence of a huge assortment of xenon optics on the automotive market often leads to confusion when purchasing. The ban on homemade xenon headlights since 2014 adds even more misunderstanding on this issue. To decide to purchase xenon headlights, you must:
- Know what you have xenon lamp the ignition level is 2400V. In order not to damage the car's electrics, you need a special converter called a ballast, which converts the 12V battery voltage into the required 2400 Volts. It can be installed both in the hood and in any place convenient for you in the car.
- Know that the tint of xenon depends on color temperature and can have a range from 3500 to 8000K. You can choose a color scheme to suit your taste from warm yellow to cool white.
- Know that the most popular and meeting quality standards are bi-xenon lamps.
Their distinctive feature is the ability to work both at short and long distances.
Attention! The markets sell pseudo-xenon lamps that have nothing to do with xenon at all. To distinguish a fake, check its connection. A converter is not required for such a device.
Today, xenon optics are considered the most optimal in terms of price and efficiency. It best solves the problem of lack of light on the road at night. They also have no equal in bad weather, be it rain, fog or storm.
The absence of an incandescent filament in xenon makes it more attractive in terms of wear resistance compared to incandescent and halogen lamps.
Many motorists prefer the simultaneous use of halogen and xenon headlights. This is the best option for city streets, where you can turn on the halogen because of its soft light, while on the highway, the strong xenon light is quite appropriate.
Attention! When installing xenon optics for city driving, keep in mind that they shine five times stronger than other car optics.
When purchasing and installing xenon headlights in your car, remember that according to the new traffic rules, they must comply with each other. IN otherwise the violator will face severe punishment in the form of deprivation of rights for a period of 6 to 12 months with the removal of lighting optics from the car.
The marking of xenon headlights engraved on the reflector is done by the car manufacturer. Therefore, it will no longer be possible to change it in the future. In order to make sure whether the use of such optics is allowed on your car, you should pay attention to the coded English letters located in the lower left corner of the reflector.
When installation is allowed
The marking of xenon headlights on the outer or inner side of the reflector can tell you whether it is allowed to install gas-discharge lamps on specific vehicles or not. There are many types of headlight kits for modern cars, and each of them has its own markings that determine the type of lamps for which they are intended. If we talk about cases when the use of gas-discharge lamps is allowed, then we can name only 4 options. They may be as follows:
- DC/DR - there is a special place on the headlight for installing the low and high beams, so it is possible to install xenon on them;
- DCR - on a headlight that has one dual-mode bulb for high and low beam, it is allowed to install xenon;
- DC/HR – gas-discharge lamps can only be installed in such a headlight for low beam, not for high beam;
- HC/HR (for cars manufactured in Japan) - if the headlight is installed on a Japanese car, the use of xenon is permitted. If it is on a car made in Europe, xenon cannot be installed on it.
Ban on the use of xenon
If we talk about fines for xenon, then this moment They are not here. But since the beginning of 2017, there is a much more serious punishment for some in the form of deprivation of rights. To avoid this, before installing gas-discharge lamps, it is recommended to check the markings on the headlight and determine whether or not it is allowed to install xenon or not. If you see the following order of English numbers on your machine, it is better to refrain from replacing:
- HC/HR (for cars assembled in Europe) – there is a separate low beam lamp in the headlight, and a second one for high beam, xenon is prohibited;
- HC/R - such headlights operate on one arm, switching between low and high beam, but they are not suitable for xenon;
- CR - headlight is used only with incandescent lamps. Halogen and gas discharge are not suitable for it.
Xenon in foglights
The fog lamp has several distinctive features from the main one, so using them for xenon is almost always not recommended and is illegal. From this we can conclude that when comparing the risk of losing your license and lighting of dubious quality, which will dazzle oncoming cars to a greater extent rather than illuminate the road, it is better to abandon this idea.
Opinion of traffic police officers
According to the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation and the list of malfunctions and conditions with which to operate a vehicle, it is not allowed: “there is no reflector on the light device or a diffuser and lamp are installed that do not correspond to the types of this light device.” Based on this, as of 2017, such offenses are punishable by deprivation of a driver’s license for a period of 6 months to 1 year. Devices and accessories are confiscated.
However, there are many examples where the punishment was reclassified as part 1 of Art. 12.5 of the Code of Administrative Offenses and was punishable by a fine of 500 rubles. But to do this you will need to have a good command of automotive law and challenge it in court. If you do not have such experience, deprivation of rights is guaranteed.
It should be noted that the court usually sides with the traffic police officers, so you need to be prepared for this. In addition, it is necessary to take into account that if a traffic cop stops you and asks you to open the hood, then you need to know the following: only an inspector from the technical supervision is allowed to perform compliance checks on the optics and only at an equipped stationary traffic police post. If this incident occurred, a protocol should be drawn up regarding this fact, recorded by two witnesses. Without their signatures, the document can be declared invalid, but this will still have to be proven in court.
Important! Even if you are never stopped by traffic police officers, and you enjoy driving with lamps installed illegally, you will not be able to pass the state technical inspection of your car in a legal way.
On some cars there is no information on the reflector. In order to determine which xenon headlight marking corresponds to such a vehicle, it may be necessary to remove back cover or lenses. It all depends on the specific vehicle model.
Quite often on the roads of the country you can see cars with xenon installed. This is a fairly justified decision, since the light of such headlights is brighter, but at the same time they consume less energy. This applies only to original and high-quality optics, correctly selected for a specific car. Xenon marking is an extremely important parameter that you need to pay attention to when purchasing headlights. Otherwise, this may lead to poor-quality lighting and receiving fines from traffic police officers. Today we will tell you what marking is and what its features are for xenon. Marking is a numerical or letter designation of headlight features. As for xenon (they are also gas-discharge lamps), the following markings can be distinguished:
Such markings make it easy to figure out whether xenon can be installed on your car. You should not neglect these designations, since you may not only not receive high-quality lighting, but also blind oncoming drivers, which is very dangerous. In addition, there is a marking that strictly prohibits the installation of xenon. The abbreviation CR indicates that only incandescent lamps can be installed in the headlights, and other options are not allowed. The designation HCR indicates that such a headlight has one lamp, which serves as low and high beam. You cannot install xenon in it.
Where do manufacturers put the markings?
Typically, the markings are located on the outer glass part of the headlights, on the top of the housing or on the back. In order to look at it, you need to open the hood and find the desired abbreviation. However, on some options everything is a little more complicated and in order to check the features of the headlight, it is necessary to remove and disassemble it.
Let's take a closer look at the remaining marking elements on specific example. The first designation indicates the type of headlights: side (A), fog (B), low beam (C) or high beam, dual-mode optics (CR, C/R). Designation number 2 is the type of lamps used in optics. We will not dwell on this parameter in detail, since we talked about this at the beginning of the article.
The third number is a sign of compliance with international standards. If the letter E is indicated on the headlight, this marking applies to Japanese and European cars, and for American cars the SAE or DOT codes are used. Next to the designation is a number that corresponds to the code of the country of origin.
Finally, there is an arrow number 4. It helps determine the direction of movement in specific country. If it is directed to the right, then the headlight is intended for use on roads with right-hand traffic and vice versa. There are also combined options suitable for different directions of movement.
The markings will allow you to accurately determine whether your headlights have xenon. If yes, then you are lucky and you can proceed to choosing a specific model, which we will say a few words about next.
Selection of xenon lamps
Installing xenon is an excellent solution to the problem of ineffective light on a car. However, you need to know the features of its operation before going to the store to make a purchase. Moreover, there are a large number of counterfeit products on the market, which in most cases work very poorly. Therefore, you need to buy xenon only in those stores that offer a guarantee and have a good reputation.
A xenon lamp is characterized by an ignition level of 2400 V, and therefore a converter will have to be installed on the car, which will allow the use of 12 V voltage from the battery. This unit can be placed either under the hood of the car or in any other place. The shade of light can be different depending on the color temperature, which can range from 3500 to 8000 K. Taking into account your wishes and operating conditions, you need to choose a specific option. The best option is bi-xenon lamps, which are capable of performing the function of low and high beam simultaneously.
According to the requirements of UNECE Regulation No. 19 and GOST R 41.19-99 “Uniform provisions concerning the approval of fog lamps for motor vehicles”, headlights must be certified and marked. The marking is a clear and indelible sign of international approval with information about the country that issued the approval, its number, headlamp category, etc. The marking is affixed to the lens and to the headlamp housing, if the lens can be separated from it, or to the protective glass of the headlamp. Car headlight markings contain a large volume useful information, you just need to learn how to decipher it correctly.
International approval mark with country code
The approval mark includes:
- a circle with the letter “E” in it (indicated by number 1 in the figure below) and indicating the distinctive catalog number of the European country (in the USA the abbreviation “DOT” is used) in which this automotive optics was approved;
- approval number, the first two digits of which provide information about the series of amendments incorporating the most recent significant technical changes;
- additional designations. For example, the letter “A” is placed on the side lights (number 2 in the figure), on the front fog lights- the letter “B”, and on headlights with a plastic lens - the letters “PL”.
Below is country catalog who have ratified the “Agreement on the Adoption of Uniform Technical Specifications for Wheeled Vehicles”:
Headlight categories
Currently, only one of three types of headlights can be installed on cars: with traditional incandescent lamps, with halogen lamps and with gas-discharge light sources, for example, xenon. The following designations for headlight categories are accepted internationally:
- Incandescent lamps: C - low beam, R - high beam, CR - two-mode (low and high beam), C/R - low or high beam.
- Halogen incandescent lamps (number 3 in the figure): HC - low beam, HR - high beam, HCR - dual-mode light, HC/R - low or high beam.
- Gas discharge lamps (they are shown in the figure as number 4): DC - low beam, DR - high beam, DCR - dual-mode light, DC/R - low or high beam.
Technical regulations: before and after
It is necessary to strictly follow the factory markings and not combine incompatible items. For example, installing xenon in conventional car headlights without the appropriate “DC”, “DR” and “DCR” markings may threaten road safety. Before the entry into force of the new technical regulations adopted on September 23, 2010, this was qualified as an administrative offense and provided for punishment in the form of deprivation of rights for a period of 6 months to one year with confiscation of lighting devices. According to the changes made, the installation of xenon in headlights not intended for this purpose is possible provided that they are equipped with a headlight cleaning device (washer) and an automatic headlight angle correction.
Illumination
The latest generation of car headlights has a numerical mark on the glass (in the figure it is listed as number 5), indicating the brightness of the headlight in lux: 7.5; 10; 12.5; 17.5; 20; 25; 27.5; thirty; 37.5; 40; 45; 50.
Direction of movement
The presence of an arrow on the headlight (designation 6 in the figure) indicates that the headlight is intended for left-hand traffic; if there is no arrow, then for right-hand traffic. A headlamp with a two-way arrow is designed for both left-hand and right-hand traffic.
Initial headlight angle
In addition, the manufacturer is required to mark the initial low beam angle on the headlight housing or on a special plate under the hood. Typically, the starting angle is 1.0 - 1.5%.
Manufacturing companies
Here is a list of leading manufacturers of automotive optics: AL, Aspock, Bosch, Britax, Carello, CEV, Cobo, Gmak, Hella, Ermax, Europoint, Koito, Ichikoh, Icjpoint, Imasen, Jokon, Lescoa, OEW, Olsa, Osvar, Rinder, Reiluxia , Rubbolite, TRW, THK, Schefenacker, Seima, Sylvania, Sidler, Socop, Stanley, SWF, Superpoint, Valeo, Vignal, Yorka, ZKW, ULO and others.