Hi there...New purchaser of a 65 plate Diesel 4x4 version, which I am delighted with. I am however looking to potentially upgrade to later light sets, with LED drls at the front (the Bi Xenon headlight units I think) and LED tail lights. I'm sure this is a question that has come up before, but is it possible? I'm guessing it's not cheap, but are there any technical problems?

I’m guessing that the Xenon upgrade itself would be fairly significant and involve swapping out a number of parts to give you the self-levelling function which I believe is required by law for lights of this type. As for making the lights adaptive so that they turn with the steering at certain speeds … no idea where you’d start with that. Might be easier to fit some decent filament lamps instead.

Why do you want to do this? Are you having problems seeing or being seen on the road?

 

If it were a MK2 Octavia with the hopeless halogen projector lamps I would understand completely, I used a HID conversion with mixed results, by comparison the standard halogen lamps on the Yeti are superb and I am someone visually handicapped that needs very good lighting.

2 hours ago, Stanners said:

I am however looking to potentially upgrade to later light sets, with LED drls at the front (the Bi Xenon headlight units I think) and LED tail lights.

You do realise the Bi-Xenon light units are over £500 each then the ballasts and self levelling system etc are needed etc going to cost an arm and a leg.
I have LED rear Lights,  when the build of the car was ordered for not too much, they are nice but I would not pay to have them as a retrofit.
Just replace the bulbs with something better like Osram Laser Night Breakers.

I do a lot of driving on gravel tracks, quiet a bit at night time. The "Mk 1" Yeti has superb lighting as standard. I find full beam and fogs give 180* lighting immediately in front of the car (to avoid hidden ditches, rocks etc) and a good long range view of the track ahead.

Why do you think you need an "upgrade"? I know many think leds are trendy and more efficient, but sometime more is less. As an example, led number plate lights glare so much you can't really see the script on the plate - the (old fashioned yellow) filament bulbs give a sympathetic light which makes them easier to read. 

DRLs on some cars now are almost offensive in their brightness and dazzle factor, they are for daylight use initially in Nordic countries - but the EU said -----

Having said all that, leds are really useful for interior lights, brake/indicator lighting for example. Dazzle from moving/self levelling led headlights is a problem not only for older drivers. It should be a balance between night time road illumination, other road users, and the acceptance that perhaps you can't drive as fast at night as you can in daylight on urban roads. The number of cars with one light in motorway lane three at stratospheric speeds is frightening.

@Stanners

 

Hi, just noticed you have a 1995 model Yeti. No wonder your lights are dim 😉

 

Seasons greetings 😏

4 hours ago, Yety said:

I do a lot of driving on gravel tracks, quiet a bit at night time. The "Mk 1" Yeti has superb lighting as standard. I find full beam and fogs give 180* lighting immediately in front of the car (to avoid hidden ditches, rocks etc) and a good long range view of the track ahead.

Why do you think you need an "upgrade"? I know many think leds are trendy and more efficient, but sometime more is less. As an example, led number plate lights glare so much you can't really see the script on the plate - the (old fashioned yellow) filament bulbs give a sympathetic light which makes them easier to read. 

DRLs on some cars now are almost offensive in their brightness and dazzle factor, they are for daylight use initially in Nordic countries - but the EU said -----

Having said all that, leds are really useful for interior lights, brake/indicator lighting for example. Dazzle from moving/self levelling led headlights is a problem not only for older drivers. It should be a balance between night time road illumination, other road users, and the acceptance that perhaps you can't drive as fast at night as you can in daylight on urban roads. The number of cars with one light in motorway lane three at stratospheric speeds is frightening.

Hear-Hear! 👍

Thanks for the advice gents...might well leave it as it is!!!

Its definitely worth upgrading the luggage compartment lights to LEDs, they really are pathetic, I don't find the reversing lights too good either but they are enough for the rear camera so I tend to use that more than the mirrors at night, increasing the brightness of them could dazzle people.

 

One day I may uprate the map reading lamps, they are not too bright but get the light where its needed and dont dazzle.