Xenon Headlamp Warning Issued by Hella

Hella, Inc., issued a warning against some competitors’ Xenon retrofitting headlamp conversion kits which are not certified for street use in the U.S.
Every headlamp is granted its type approval together with the light source (halogen or xenon) with which it is intended to be operated. The retrofitting of Xenon headlamps such as the ones available from Hella as complete sets (type-approved twin headlamps including headlamp levelling device and cleaning system) is completely legal; and comes with the well-known advantages.
Unfortunately, there are products Xenon retrofit products in particular available on the market that are prohibited by the U.S. (look for the product to be SAE-certified) or approved by the appropriate Canadian regulatory agencies. While these lamps often look cosmetically like legal kits, they usually omit the safety features that make retrofiting legal, such as leveling devices and cleaning systems.
Unauthorized, illegal “conversions” of halogen headlamps to Xenon are both dangerous and prohibited because the incorrect distribution of Xenon light increases glare up to 100 times putting other drivers in extreme danger.