Xenon Skoda Octavia: Pilot xenon Pro Line

Fitting Pilot xenon: review and guide

The car getting the kit is a 2004 Skoda Octavia 2.

Xenon Skoda Octavia: fitting it yourself with the ballast in the headlight

Two weeks before this review I was forced to fit 2 new H7 halogen bulbs. Because I fitted those bulbs myself, I could tell straight away whether I could fit the xenon bulbs myself too. An ad by user TooTall on Skodaforum.nl showed that fitting this kit is very easy. In this ad he says the ballast is built into the headlight. That seems to me the perfect way to do it too!

Experiences with Pilot xenon

About 6 or 7 years ago I came across Pilot xenon bulbs for the first time, at the Dutch importer. In the meantime the bulbs have, to my mind, got better, and there is a wider choice of "colours". Users who own a Pilot kit are generally happy with it and I have read or heard of few problems. Going by popularity, I think this is one of the best-known aftermarket xenon brands here in the Netherlands. On various forums I see people having xenon lighting shipped from China for around €50 that, to the eye, looks the same as the Pilot kit. How good or bad those Chinese bulbs are, I would not dare say. Is Pilot actually a lot more reliable than those Chinese bulbs or other big brands? That is a question I cannot and will not answer, because I do not have other brands to hand and because there are few xenon benchmarks on the internet. That makes it hard to work out which brand is best.

Price and source of this review

The price of the Pilot Pro Line duo kit including CAN-bus connection was €199 including VAT and shipping in October 2013. If you want to read more, head to Herman's Tweakers blog, the source of this review.

How to fit an H7 xenon kit: the steps

If you have already replaced an H7 halogen bulb yourself, like the reviewer, you know the way to the back of the headlight. Fitting a xenon kit goes roughly like this:

1. Switch off the ignition and the lights, then open the dust cover at the back of the headlight.
2. Release the retaining clip and take out the H7 halogen bulb.
3. Put the xenon bulb into the headlight. Hold it by the base and do not touch the glass.
4. Connect the car's bulb connector to the ballast, and the ballast to the xenon bulb.
5. Test the kit before you tuck the cables away for good.
6. Mount the ballast in a fixed, dry spot and route the wiring neatly.
7. Seal the dust cover properly again so no moisture gets into the headlight.

After fitting, have the beam aligned and check that your car still meets the APK requirements (the Dutch roadworthiness test); if in doubt, ask the RDW (the Dutch vehicle authority) or your inspector. You will find more on fitting and choosing in xenon in your car: how to go about it.

Where do you put the ballast?

The reviewer chose to build the ballast into the headlight. Whether that works depends on the space in your car's headlight unit. Wherever you put the ballast, watch these points:

• Dry: the ballast belongs somewhere water cannot pool or splash.
• Not too hot: keep it away from hot engine parts.
• Firmly fixed: a ballast that dangles or rests against moving parts wears out faster. Use cable ties or a bracket.
• Accessible: handy if you want to replace or check a bulb or ballast later.
• Cables free of tension: they should not be stretched tight or run along sharp edges.

For the current Hilox Evolution II Black ballast a separate bracket is also available to mount the ballast neatly.

Cheap xenon or a branded kit: what to look out for?

The reviewer rightly said that it is hard to compare brands without good benchmarks. You can, however, check a few concrete points yourself:

• The bulb base: a metal base and a ceramic core shed heat better than a plastic base.
• The wiring: silicone or shielded cables rather than ordinary plastic cables.
• Specifications: a serious supplier states the wattage, light output and lifespan.
• CAN-bus: if your car monitors its lighting, choose a kit made for it.
• Warranty: how long, and on which parts.

Want to read more about the differences? See not all xenon bulbs are equal.

For comparison: according to the product data, the current H7 xenon kit Hilox Evolution II Black, Duo has two 35W H7 xenon bulbs at 4,200 lumens per bulb, two ballasts with an IC chip and a CAN-bus II module, and a 2-year warranty on bulbs and ballasts. According to the product information, this kit has no ECE approval or E-mark and is not intended for public roads, but for the track and private land.