LED headlight bulbs

[roymck]

As of today replacing a conventional headlight bulb with a LED bulb is now a MOT fail . This brings it in line with fitting HID replacement bulbs . However you can still fit a replacement LED aftermarket headlight.

[wantafaster1]

Hadn't heard of this
I nearly bought some HID bulbs for the wife's Skoda as the lights are pathetic

[andy1071]

I've found that while the LED lamps give lots of light, it's not 'focused'. -Maybe due to the LED elements not being in the same position as the filament..?

For halogen headlamps, I've found Osram Nightbreakers to be the 'best of the bunch'...
(And I upgrade the wiring with heavier wire and relays. -Which of course can easily be returned to original..)

[Herbert]

Just rang Classic LED and they assured me that they are legal ...attached is my invoice.

I fitted them, with a bit of difficulty as most of the gubbins had to be placed OUTSIDE the plastic headlamp bowl.

They are absolutely icredible and a damn site better than the standard ones and H4's

classic_car_led.JPG

[nick@dunsdale]

Hadn't heard of this
I nearly bought some HID bulbs for the wife's Skoda as the lights are pathetic

This seems to be the case with most modern cars
I put it down to plastic headlights and low wattage bulbs

Couldnt beat the old 100/80 bulbs

[imack]

Just rang Classic LED and they assured me that they are legal ...attached is my invoice.

I fitted them, with a bit of difficulty as most of the gubbins had to be placed OUTSIDE the plastic headlamp bowl.

They are absolutely icredible and a damn site better than the standard ones and H4's


classic_car_led.JPG

They were legal but they're not anymore. Extract from the latest mot manual.

[snoopy64]

As of today replacing a conventional headlight bulb with a LED bulb is now a MOT fail . This brings it in line with fitting HID replacement bulbs . However you can still fit a replacement LED aftermarket headlight.

'conventional' or halogen.... ?

[Herbert]

Good job that I dont need an MOT any longer

[1071 S]

Curious wording for a regulation.....

If I'm not "converting my existing halogen headlamp unit" ...because I'm fitting LED units in place of my ordinary tungsten units then I'm legal??

In law, words matter...

LED bulbs have always been problematic because of their brightness. At one time (and may still be true) it was illegal to use LED bulbs under our rego rules. If you wanted LEDs you had to fit complete light units which may have had to include self levelling to prevent dangerous levels of glare for oncoming drivers.

I remember once driving down a country road in Scotland (about a hundred years ago when this weirdo jumped out of the bushes and waved me down. When I stopped (and reversed back) he delivered a dressing down for my dangerous driving ... His beef?? I was driving with my headlights on during the day... I don't know if it was a rule or just custom but, when I lived there, a lot of people drove around cities and towns ...at night.. without headlights . just side lights..

How do HID "bulbs" work ? I thought these were also known as projector lamps and have special housings and lenses to work?

Even here in the Land of giant grasshoppers I find 400 watts of halogen lighting quite adequate.

Cheers, Ian

[MiNiKiN]

I second Ian's thoughts on the "halogen" regulation, as the MOT instructions clearly state that "halogen headlight" shall not be HID or LED converted - so stick to rules and fit your P45 headlights (called "BiLux" over here) with well engineered LEDs.

[hugbilly]

Hadn't heard of this
I nearly bought some HID bulbs for the wife's Skoda as the lights are pathetic

What is it with Skodas, the headlamps on my wife wife's '61 Octavia leave a lot to be desired in terms of brightness too . . .

[wantafaster1]

Our MK1 fabia was much better, this one has projector headlights, I kid you not they are worse than sealed beams.

Actually the GT I sold last summer had the best lights of any mini I've owned, Lucas h4 light units but unfortunately I don't know which bulbs were used, fitted by previous owner.

[PoolGuy]

Curious wording for a regulation.....

If I'm not "converting my existing halogen headlamp unit" ...because I'm fitting LED units in place of my ordinary tungsten units then I'm legal??

Maybe they’re legal because you haven’t converted anything, just changed a bulb? Surely no conversion is needed to fit any type of H4 bulb?

[Ronnie]

New LED units of good manufacture will I think have a specially designed reflector to go with the bulb being used.

[IslandBlue]

Curious wording for a regulation.....

If I'm not "converting my existing halogen headlamp unit" ...because I'm fitting LED units in place of my ordinary tungsten units then I'm legal??

Maybe they’re legal because you haven’t converted anything, just changed a bulb? Surely no conversion is needed to fit any type of H4 bulb?

Suspect the MOT Manual may have fallen into the trap of treating Halogen as synonymous with conventional, how long since a production car was fitted with anything other than halogen, projector, HID or LED headlamps?

[PoolGuy]

Interestingly there’s no mention of the E markings on headlamp lenses. They dictate what light source is and can be fitted and what the lamp is intended to be used for. If you look on a Cibie 7” lamp, it’ll be marked HCR which tells us that it’s a halogen dip and main beam lamp, a genuine bi-xenon lamp would be marked DC/R. I’m sure there’s a marking for led but I don’t know what it is, and I’m not sure if MOT testers are required to use that info to judge what light source is fitted.

[roymck]

I would say there is a big market for 7 inch LED headlights that look retro style .

[snoopy64]

I would say there is a big market for 7 inch LED headlights that look retro style .

Me too... I certainly wouldn't use my dynamo powered sealed beams on a day to day basis!

Discovered an upside to LED bulbs at the weekend, left the interior light on for 2 days and the car still started afterwards!!

[roymck]

I would say there is a big market for 7 inch LED headlights that look retro style .

Discovered an upside to LED bulbs at the weekend, left the interior light on for 2 days and the car still started afterwards!!

Another upside is it wont melt the plastic interior light lense .

[abs]

I have been driving a people carrier 60 miles a night for the last ten days and i`m getting blinded by the bastards with retro fitted bulbs including when they are following as all I can see is a silhouette of my own car so i`m pleased to think some of them will be removed but they'll probably put back in the next day !