I'm in the process of buying a 4 year-old Octavia estate and it's got daytime running lights but rather than being LED they seem to be standard glass bulbs that look at first glance like those found in headlights - but they're not particularly bright. I'll make a better judgement once I've collected the car but if I decide they're not bright enough can they be replaced with LED bulbs?

 

I've read somewhere that LED bulbs would cause problems as the car would think the bulb had gone and give a false message that it needed replacing?

 

I guess an alternative would be brighter bulbs of the type it's already got, but I do like LEDs!

 

Thanks

If you want to have LED bulbs, you can but you will need to code the car to accept them. Otherwise the bulb warning will be constantly on.

1 minute ago, SashaGrace said:

If you want to have LED bulbs, you can but you will need to code the car to accept them. Otherwise the bulb warning will be constantly on.

Thanks for that

I'm new to all this so does coding refer to hacking into the car's electronics and changing a setting so that it accepts the LED bulb? Is this done via some special cable and software and is it a job that a dealer would do at a cost!?

If it has halogen headlamps then the DRL is integrated into the same bulb as the main beam, an H15 bulb.

As above, you'll struggle to get an LED replacement as the bulb is dual function, DRL and high / main beam.

 

Find one with the factory fitted xenons and LED DRL's.

 

You can try these, not LED, but they are the same colour as xenon / LED...

 

https://www.ledperf.co.uk/pack-xenon-effects-daytime-drl-and-hibeam-h15-bulbs-for-skoda-octavia-3-5e-p-5320.html

 

 

18 minutes ago, silver1011 said:

Find one with the factory fitted xenons and LED DRL's.

 

It's not such a big concern to me that I'll abandon the purchase of an otherwise entirely suitable car over it but thanks for everyone's input

22 minutes ago, silver1011 said:

You can try these, not LED, but they are the same colour as xenon / LED...

 

https://www.ledperf.co.uk/pack-xenon-effects-daytime-drl-and-hibeam-h15-bulbs-for-skoda-octavia-3-5e-p-5320.html

Thanks for the interesting link - the fact that it says "for off road use only" suggests they're trying to cover themselves in some way and makes me wonder if this is the kind of thing my insurance company means when they ask if the car has been modified in any way?

13 hours ago, Murmansk said:

Thanks for the interesting link - the fact that it says "for off road use only" suggests they're trying to cover themselves in some way and makes me wonder if this is the kind of thing my insurance company means when they ask if the car has been modified in any way?

Fitting LED bulbs into headlamps only certified for halogen bulbs is illegal and SHOULD be an MOT fail (but not may testers actually compare the bulb type with the certification marks on the headlamp).

 

Since the bulbs are marked 'for off road use only' then telling your insurance company, which necessary, would likely make them decline to provide cover.