So I have taken it upon myself to have a little experiment with replacing my bulbs with LED units.

 

H1 https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07HHNMJKW/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

H7 https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07HHPMQ1V/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

H7 slightly different bulb https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07PWW2Y65/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

Yet to go out and test but will report back.

 

I dont get any error codes but I get the flashing just after turning the ignition key. Is there a resistor that I can purchase that will work for the complete headlamp / cluster rather than per bulb?

Ok So I have been driving around for about 30 mins with traditional bulbs in the near side and LED in the off side.

 

H7 bulbs I have only tried the cheaper option and they look great nice bright white bulb however I dont think they are any better than my philips H7 halogen (Philips 12972XV+S2 X-tremeVision Car Headlight Bulb). But they do look white!!

 

H1 well not only do they look white they also make a big difference on the light produced I find it goes further and wider and its much clearer. This is a big improvement on the standard philips bulb ( Philips 12258XV+S2 X-treme Vision)

Don't think you can do anything about the flashing, it's part of the bulb checking. A resistor is unlikely to change anything either. Coding the car for xenon's might help?

 

LED's don't tend to do well in halogen reflector or projector headlights. The LED normally isn't able to closely replicate the characteristics of a halogen filament bulb as the technology is so different. This will mean the headlight is out of focus which normally causes too much foreground lighting but less light in the distance where it's more useful. This side effect is your iris to contact and also reduce your night vision but giving more confidence as close things seem brighter

 

Assuming your car is a facelift model with a BCM, there is also a good chance the LED kit might damage the BCM. It certainly has happened with aftermarket HID kits and some have claimed the same for LED kits.

 

I assume you already know that fitting LED headlights should cause your car to fail a MOT too

@langers2k You make some valid points most of which I was aware of.

 

I guess my only option is to change the headlights out to HID I wonder what the hell that will cost?

 

It has been a very interesting experiment I have to say these LED bulbs do pack a punch but if the headlight cant handle the light then there is no point.

It'll mostly depend how much you can pick up the original xenon headlights for as they seem quite rare on eBay for good condition RHD versions at a reasonable price. A breakers might be a better option if they don't realise they have xenon units...

 

I did a full xenon retrofit on mine for ~£650 although my elegance already had headlight washers which helped: https://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/391916-fl-xenon-retrofit/

 

You can replace the projectors for ones designed for HID or LED light sources but you'll need to cut open the headlight to get access. While this should give much better light output it should still fail an MOT 😕

 

8 hours ago, MRB007 said:

@langers2k You make some valid points most of which I was aware of.

 

I guess my only option is to change the headlights out to HID I wonder what the hell that will cost?

 

It has been a very interesting experiment I have to say these LED bulbs do pack a punch but if the headlight cant handle the light then there is no point.

 

You also have to watch whether it is legal to use those bulbs  as well - and a possible MOT fail with the latest test.

 

Edited 29 September, 20196 yr by bigjohn

@bigjohn You are probably correct Iam going to do some more testing over the next week so should be interesting.

 

OK so the update so fare.

 

I cant see a difference (except price) between the 2 H7 bulb sets so the more expensive has gone back!!!

 

And like I have said above I cant see any difference in the Halogen and LED H7 bulb except the light is white!

 

But when it comes to the H1 bulb there is a big difference I think the light is brighter closer up and it does have a difference in the distance but not much. And of course the light is white so it looks great!!

 

Iam still going to keep testing for a couple of more weeks. However I do like this option allot and I would go back to the halogen bulbs