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djwishart

NZTA have made the following amendment to the above section of their VIRM (Vehicle Inspection Requirements Manual).........
General Vehicles / Lighting / Headlamps
16. A headlamp is fitted with a type of light source other than that specified by the vehicle manufacturer or the headlamp manufacturer (eg a headlamp designed for a halogen bulb is fitted with any other type of light source such as an HID or LED bulb, or any other light source such as LED strips or non-OEM angel eyes) (Note 8).

Note 8
A high-intensity discharge (HID or Xenon HID) conversion kit consists of an HID bulb with a high voltage power output or ‘ballast’ which fits into the original headlamp unit in place of the original bulb with no change to the headlamp lens, reflector or housing.

First Question:
The Service Provider that I took my vehicle to for a WoF says I must replace my headlights. Can I be forced to make changes to my vehicle when it was previously accepted as being legal?
Second Question:
I would like to disconnect, (or remove) the "halos". The bulbs are the same as the original vehicle ones. My Service Provider is reluctant to give a WoF siting that he thinks NZTA would still not approve. How can I get acceptance that they operate within the rules?
NZTA seem to be over zealous with their rejection criteria, I can't see the difference between driving lights and halo lights.

Anon

Hi there,
Yes, if your vehicle no longer complies with a rule, you must change it in order to pass.
This rule is to prevent "extras" being added to a headlamp that it was not designed for.
If the car or headlamp manufacturer designed the headlamp to operate as a complete unit then it would fail a wof if a certain lighting requirement was no longer met by removing a component.