Recommendations for LED Bulbs

[BigJakk]

Heyup Guys,

I'm looking to try and tart up a few little bits and bobs on the car (new boot and bonnet badges etc) - have been considering replacing the interior lights and rear number plate lights for LED bulbs for some time.

I am aware however that LED bulbs can end up throwing up electrical problems, or end up blowing within about 5 minutes. As such, was looking for recommendations for which bulbs i should go for on a MkI vRS that wont cause me any grief?

Cheers!

[rk696]

The MK1 vRS doesn't have proper can-bus and bulb failure etc., so it will be fine to use LED bulbs in it. IIrc, some elegance and l&k models have the bulb failure warning, so they can get a bit fussy, but the vRS is fine.

Some LED sidelight bulbs don't last long as they're an inch away from a white hot headlight bulb, so overheat and die pretty quickly.

[PaulMIG]

I'm also a big fan of led number plates lights and i first bought some w5w leds with 9 smd and they died after 2 months. After more searching i found Philips leds.

I have them for 8 months now with no problems. I used them for the number plates lights and in front as well. Here are 2 pictures at night, but with the telephone, so, not the best quality.

There is also a C5W Philips led and i will buy it for the interior + another set of W5W's

There are 2 temperature colors, 6500K and 4000K. I recomend 4000K which is whiter and brighter.

[BigJakk]

Cheers chaps!

I take it that it's:

- W5W bulbs for the exterior lights (number plate light and side lights)

- C5W bulbs for interior lights

Thanks

[PaulMIG]

almost correct.

-w5w for exterior lights

-interior lights you have one c5w in the middle and 2 w5w

[Eccentric Toast]

I used these to do all my lights apart from the interior boot light which I will be ordering soon.

The LED look isn't for everyone some of my friends don't like it say it looks tacky, but I like it definitely brightens things up.

[Skinner33]

Try this guy https://www.crazyleds.co.uk/ Have bought loads from him and all his stuff is spot on never a problem with him.

[Lew247]

What about the brake and reversing lights?

Any recommendations?

and do any of the led's listed above cause problems with it throwing a blown bulb fault?

or do you need to use the resistor across the bulb contacts?

Or are there special led bulbs to use that doesn't give that problem?

I had a Vectra before the Ocatvia and when I put LED's in it I got annoying blown bulb faults showing on the dash, the only way to cure it was using the resistors

[demonufo]

Most of the cheaper ones blow, not because of the heat, but because they are designed to work on 12V, and NO MORE. The chinese factories that are churning out most of these fail to take charging current into account.

My motorbike kept repeatly blowing aftermarket stick-on underseat number plate lights which were nowhere near any heat sources because the regulator often kicks out well over 14V, and my Volvo had a bad time with blowing most cheap LED bulbs I fitted too.

In order to stop this though, it's fairly easy to calculate what resistor you'd need to install in series to get the correct voltage drop, once you've measured the current draw of the LED's, but I suspect most people will be unwilling to alter their wiring looms in this way (me included. Not so bad on the bike, since they are not bulbs, as such, so I didn't hesitate to mod that. Plus, I will NEVER sell her. Never. Not ever.)

[PaulMIG]

No, the mk1 doesn't throw up electrical problems if you use led's

[demonufo]

Well, I just went and bought 3 bleeding Philips LED C5W on the strength of this thread (two for the boot, and one for the interior middle bulb), and they're too bl00dy short by a long way.

£40 down the toilet...

I dunno, perhaps the Estates are different...

Edit:

Bu99er. My c0ckup. Apparently C5W covers ALL festoons, regardless of length. DOH!