[quote="knightley"]I have yellows. They are a higher wattage than the standard bulbs. Basically they suit the human eye better.

Here's the technical bit:

http://www.lightmare.org/effect_on_vision.htm




The same story is told by the Germans..... only for white bulbs

Sorry but that lightmare article is mainly techno babble bullshit that is promoted by a bunch of people who get wound up by cars with HID and Led headlights - Ive seen various articles about them complaining about all manner of issues over being "blinded" by modern technology based headlights - I wonder what the statistics are about people having accidents because they saw too well rather than too badly because they had shit old non halogen headlamps!? And as for DRL's being too bright - well if they stop one car pulling in front of me then that's good enough for me - I have a number of cars that go from good old H4 bulbs thru HID and I tell you now, if I'm doing long distances at night, the HID ones win every time......

Good for the driver, but not so good for oncoming traffic.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1771460/

Again, flawed and outdated research from 2003 - all high powered headlamp systems must have self levelling systems by EU law which minimise dazzle - unfortunately, many retro fit systems that chavs put in their cars are not fitted with such systems and so tend to give all us law abiding owners to be vilified by a few old giffers who maybe shouldn't be driving at night as their nocturnal vision has age related deteriation and Is exacerbated by bright headlights......

Careful, you'll be one sooner than you think

Too true but I have done more than enough miles in my life that I hope I will realise when to stop driving at night.

Hi,
for once I can help: Yes, it is totally illegal.
But: I've been driving with yellow headlights for the past 7 years mostly in Berlin but also throughout Germany and got stopped only once, 5 or 6 years ago. I guess the policemen were curious about the Ami8 and maybe bored. So here's about what happened:

"You know why we stopped you?" (That's what they always ask first and where you always have to say no, even if you do)
"No"
"You are driving with yellow headlights and this is not allowed in Germany"
"Ah, ok. I just came back from France where I bought the yellow bulbs and I think they look nicer"
"Well, but you cannot use them here"
"Ok, I still have the white bulbs with me, do you want me to change them now?"
"No, don't do it while it's so busy on the streets, but do it soon"
"Ok, I will"

Which I didn't. Only for TÜV (German MOT) I might have to change them for white ones (depending on the examiner). Admittedly, I knew it was illegal and my story coming back from France was all made up. But with a foreign number plate, I suppose they won't bother too much unless they think there is something generally wrong with your car. Then they will stop you anyway.

Hope that helps
Cheers
Patrick

The officer that stopped you is wrong, through ignorance (unless your car is German registered). EC law says that as long as the vehicle is perfectly legal in its home state, it is also legal temporarily in other member states, even if the item is not technically legal in that state. So it is illegal for a local to have yellow headlamps, but not for a visitor. There is a similar situation with towing a car on an A frame behind a motorhome for example, the French cannot do this as it is illegal in France, but a Brit in France can do this with impunity. Think about it, if it was not for this exemption law, then many things about the specification/legal differences between cars from differing Nations would effectively mean we couldn't travel across other countries.

It was fine