LED/High output bulbs

[HWolfy]

When driving around town usually I see that most brand new cars have super white LED (I'm guessing), bulbs. That have instant on-off unlike traditional bulbs that have a quick dim if you know what I mean. I am looling to upgrade my bulbs all round the these LEDs or HID xenon bulbs for all round my car. Headlights, sidelights and reversing light I hope can all be white rather than blue or yellow light, 5000k? Thanks in advance

[JWvrs25]

I was looking for the same thing for my rear lights and indicators. If you have halogen headlights then just upgrade to some H7 Osram Nightbreakers or Philips xtreme vision as they will give you the best light output. LEDs or HIDs in those headlights would be illegal and useless for seeing anything.

As for sidelights you can easily get some cree w5w bulbs off ebay for a few quid and they look quite nice in pure white.

Reversing lights you can get py21 leds but I have tried a few even some expensive ones and they were absolutely useless at night couldn't see a thing.

Indicators is where I was hoping to get some decent ones but again they are expensive and often require extra resistors etc to keep the flash rate consistent.

Hope that helps

[FlipFlops]

I've LED reversing lights in my Lupo and they are insanely bright! When you put it in reverse at night i lights up everything behind, well worth the upgrade.

 

The headlights with the instant 'on/off' light your seeing are from Bi Xenon units. It's basically 2 HID bulbs in one, a low beam and a high beam that instantly flicks between the 2 when one or the others selected. I guess you could fit them to the factory HID unit if you have them?? Not sure?

[FlipFlops]

Has anyone fitted LED's to their fog lights? Wondering what they look like? I cant remember the last time i used fogs though :/

[JWvrs25]

Let me know what reverse bulbs they are as I want some

It isnt the bulbs which produce the bi xenon switching effect its the projectors which have an extra flap which opens on high beam. No way of fitting those to standard xenon headlights, if you have halogens then yes you can fit aftermarket projectors and HID bulbs. It requires splitting the headlights first and installing the projectors in the main bulb holder. Not the easiest job to do especially if you haven't done it before.

Ask @hutchysrs50 if you want a set he sells them ready built.

 

[HWolfy]

21 minutes ago, clarendon462 said:

Let me know what reverse bulbs they are as I want some

It isnt the bulbs which produce the bi xenon switching effect its the projectors which have an extra flap which opens on high beam. No way of fitting those to standard xenon headlights, if you have halogens then yes you can fit aftermarket projectors and HID bulbs. It requires splitting the headlights first and installing the projectors in the main bulb holder. Not the easiest job to do especially if you haven't done it before.

Ask @hutchysrs50 if you want a set he sells them ready built.

 

Thanks for the advice mate. I think DRLs are something to think about aswell. I dont like the ones one ebay with the r8 shape, I prefer just a straight line

[JWvrs25]

dont bother imho aftermarket DRLs look terrible unless you can incorporate them into the headlight like make the high beams dimmer like some of the Golfs use

[stevobeavo]

I had LEDs I'm my fogs and I can't say I ever needed then/noticed a difference in light output.

 

As for the cars your seeing with super bright headlights some do use a LED with special reflectors built into the headlight housing. There a sealed unit with circuit boards etc inside so if one does go it's a new headlight. 

[HWolfy]

Think I will just find some bulbs that are 5000k then and ignore the on-off feature I was looking for. It's something I am going to do further down the line anyway but just thought I would get my head around how the lights work. Thanks tk everyone who helped me out, definitely the best forum I have been on for a make of car

[wja96]

On 24/08/2017 at 10:02, clarendon462 said:

LEDs or HIDs in those headlights would be illegal and useless for seeing anything.

 

This is incorrect, I'm assuming that you are alluding to the fact that the car has no headlamp washers or self-levelling?

 

As long as the bulbs do not exceed 2000 lumens it is perfectly legal to fit HID or LED bulbs to any car. BMW and Mini sell HID retrofit kits for Minis and BMWs and they don't have self-levelling or headlamp washers and no Mercedes models currently sold with full LED headlamps are fitted with headlamp washers because the factory fitted LEDs are less than 2000 lumens. 

 

25W HID kits are completely legal. And look for LEDs that gave a total output less than 4000 lumens (they add the two light outputs together for the advertised rating) and you'll be fine. 

 

As for not not being able to see anything, assuming you buy the correct kit for the car ie. a kit for reflector headlamps not for projector headlamps then they work just fine.

[duck]

That interesting wja96 

 

Do you have a reference for where this info comes from as it goes against what everyone believes, not saying you are incorrect just nice to have some concrete proof as HID's always sparks off lots of heated debate when fitted to standard headlights.

 

Thanks

[JWvrs25]

No its not 'perfectly legal to fit HID or LED bulbs to any car'

The bulbs must be E marked to be technically legal however they will pass an MOT if the colour and beam pattern is correct which can be achieved with Reflector compatible HIDs. I was referring to the cheap ebay HID kits which you fit to standard reflector headlights as I would assume thats what most people would be thinking about fitting if they don't know much about the different types available. These will just blind everybody as they arent all designed to work correctly with reflectors.

As for projectors, yes you can fit HID bulbs under 2000 lumens and not require self levelling or washers and typically this would be fine, however the fabia Mk1 either comes with factory xenons, which if by any chance the OP has fitted I doubt they would be asking about fitting aftermarket HID bulbs on here, Or they come with bog standard reflector type headlights to which it would be illegal to have the cheap HID kits fitted to.

 

 

 

[JWvrs25]

http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20120606172805/http://assets.dft.gov.uk/publications/dft-information-sheets/aftermarket-hid-headlamps.pdf

[Gizmo]

For reversing lights I used these (in a Superb and Yeti, but they also fit a Fabia):

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2x80w-1156-BA15S-382-BRIGHTEST-OSRAM-CREE-LED-WHITE-CANBUS-REVERSE-BRAKE-DRL-/162630366357?hash=item25dd867495:g:Ww4AAOSwDk5T94q8

 

 

VERY bright! 

 

 

 

 

[wja96]

3 hours ago, clarendon462 said:

No its not 'perfectly legal to fit HID or LED bulbs to any car'

The bulbs must be E marked to be technically legal however they will pass an MOT if the colour and beam pattern is correct which can be achieved with Reflector compatible HIDs. I was referring to the cheap ebay HID kits which you fit to standard reflector headlights as I would assume thats what most people would be thinking about fitting if they don't know much about the different types available. These will just blind everybody as they arent all designed to work correctly with reflectors.

As for projectors, yes you can fit HID bulbs under 2000 lumens and not require self levelling or washers and typically this would be fine, however the fabia Mk1 either comes with factory xenons, which if by any chance the OP has fitted I doubt they would be asking about fitting aftermarket HID bulbs on here, Or they come with bog standard reflector type headlights to which it would be illegal to have the cheap HID kits fitted to.

 

 

 

 

So it IS perfectly legal to fit HIDs or LEDs to any car providing they are the correct type?

 

The problem with sweeping generalisations (like yours about 'cheap' HID kits) is that a £50 25W 4300K HID kit with H7R bulbs IS just fine and legal in a Fabia MK1 vRS. The problem is one of market supply and demand and education of consumers. If consumers ask suppliers for 25W H7R kits the HID kit retailers will ask their suppliers in China and Taiwan for 25W H7R bulb kits and people will actually get brighter headlamps that don't blind other road users. It's all win, but only if people have access to all the information. By just throwing out a sweeping generalisation that all retrofit HIDs and LEDs are illegal means that people will continue to drive about with either genuinely illegal 35W or 55W 8000K H7 projector bulbs fitted that do indeed blind everyone around you and not get any visual benefit apart from seeing the world in a purple haze that would only have pleased Prince. 

[wja96]

3 hours ago, duck said:

That interesting wja96 

 

Do you have a reference for where this info comes from as it goes against what everyone believes, not saying you are incorrect just nice to have some concrete proof as HID's always sparks off lots of heated debate when fitted to standard headlights.

 

Thanks

ECE Regulation 48 6.2.9

 

6.2.9.   Other requirements

The requirements of paragraph 5.5.2 shall not apply to dipped-beam headlamps.

Dipped-beam headlamps with a light source or LED module(s) producing the principal dipped beam and having a total objective luminous flux which exceeds 2 000 lumen shall only be installed in conjunction with the installation of headlamp cleaning device(s) according to Regulation No 45 (12).

With respect to vertical inclination the provisions of paragraph 6.2.6.2.2 above shall not be applied for dipped-beam headlamps:

(a)	with LED module(s) producing the principal dipped beam; or

(b)	with a light source producing the principal dipped beam and having an objective luminous flux which exceeds 2 000 lumen.

Only dipped-beam headlamps according to Regulation No 98 or 112 may be used to produce bend lighting.

If bend lighting is produced by a horizontal movement of the whole beam or the kink of the elbow of the cut-off, it shall be activated only if the vehicle is in forward motion; this shall not apply if bend lighting is produced for a right turn in right hand traffic (left turn in left hand traffic).

 

[JWvrs25]

No its still not perfectly legal. As no aftermarket HID bulbs are E marked or whatever the approval is called they cannot be classified as legal even if the beam pattern is correct etc.

I would like to see where it states these specialist types of bulbs (H7R for example) are actually legal. Then I will believe what you are saying

[wja96]

5 hours ago, clarendon462 said:

No its still not perfectly legal. As no aftermarket HID bulbs are E marked or whatever the approval is called they cannot be classified as legal even if the beam pattern is correct etc.

I would like to see where it states these specialist types of bulbs (H7R for example) are actually legal. Then I will believe what you are saying

 

In the UK we have an adversarial legal system where the onus is on the prosecution to prove that something is illegal. So I don't have to prove its legal. You have to prove it's illegal. Be my guest. Because you can't. I've posted up the EU regulation that says it is indeed legal. You have posted no legal precedent to say it's not. You keep making these sweeping generalisations that are patently incorrect. 

 

"No aftermarket HID bulbs are E marked". Really? Because OSRAM make an aftermarket kit that is indeed E-market, as do Hella, Bosch and Philips. An aftermarket HID kit is a bulb, a ballast and a cable. I can source an E-marked 25W bulb from an BMW or Mini dealer because they sell an H7R bulb for the 1/2 series and all Mini models and use that with any Ballast and cable kit. 

 

What exactly is illegal?

[JWvrs25]

Well fair enough then Ive never come across that information before so would be interested to see in the event of an insurance claim or similar what they would say about aftermarket HIDs 

[wja96]

10 hours ago, clarendon462 said:

Well fair enough then Ive never come across that information before so would be interested to see in the event of an insurance claim or similar what they would say about aftermarket HIDs 

 

Surely that depends on whether or not you've declared the aftermarket (sub 2000 lumen H7R HIDs)  or not - if not then I would suggest it doesn't matter if they're legal or not, they won't pay out. If you did, and they sold you cover, then you're rock solid and they'll pay out. 

 

 

[JWvrs25]

I doubt an insurer would agree to cover them but maybe some would I don't know.

IMO fitting HIDs regardless of legality to reflectors is a silly idea as if you want the best light output that even upgraded halogen bulbs cant match then you should be looking at fitting projectors to give the sharp aim and allow use of proper HID bulbs which might give a decent output.

I think in this situation the OP is really interested in colour and the sharp on/off of the lights therefore either would be best to fit some bi-xenon projectors or get some 'white' halogen bulbs.

[mr_awol]

On ‎25‎/‎08‎/‎2017 at 15:41, Gizmo said:

For reversing lights I used these (in a Superb and Yeti, but they also fit a Fabia):

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2x80w-1156-BA15S-382-BRIGHTEST-OSRAM-CREE-LED-WHITE-CANBUS-REVERSE-BRAKE-DRL-/162630366357?hash=item25dd867495:g:Ww4AAOSwDk5T94q8

 

 

VERY bright! 

 

 

 

 

Nice!  I'm now considering popping some in the old Octavia, depending on fitment.  Will research later.

 

 

[FlipFlops]

Those are the same that i run. They are insanely bright!! Dont look at them while they aren't in the light unit, they blind you.

 

 

Edited 30 August, 2017 by FlipFlops