So in this instance
Holser is perfectly within his rights to fit some LED bulbs to his car in place of the foglight bulbs.
Well I'm not going to argue (argue is the wrong term as discuss is the more appropriate term) but there are a whole load of potentially conflicting issues/facts that go well beyond the "will this LED bulb work in my car".
Legally / technically *ANY* change to your vehicle specification / fitments / etc need to be approved by your insurance company for their full insurance cover to be valid.
Yes you can upgrade your entertainment system but unless notified and approved if it is stolen then they not pay out. No real big deal.
The "crunch" comes when other vehicle modifications are made. TRUST ME you do NOT want to get into that loop with insurance. Insurance companies will do/take every get out clause they can to avoid paying out and especially if injuries or large damage payouts are required.
But I stress again there are two/three matters with any vehicle upgrade/change:
1) is the change technically compatible or can be made to be so
2) is it legal (might well be see 3)
3) are you insured for that change as notified by you to you insurer
I guess 90%+ of the time some people get away with uninsured/required to be notified changes to their vehicles till **** happens. Then they could find themselves paying damages/care cost for the rest of their working lives.
If you think I'm being a bit of a paranoid **** head then lets face facts.
I/you run over a person:
My/your insurance company says our insurance is void because of x y z (examples being undisclosed modifications or modifications that do not comply with required vehicle legislation requirements)
It goes to Court and Court rules the insurance company is correct and we are uninsured and thus me/you have top pay/compensate (read life long disabled person and all their care costs for the rest of their lives - including after you are dead so your estate and what you thought you to left to you family is all but gone)
Sorry but f*ing with potential legal loop holes or ambiguity in regulations is a fools game unless your insurance company approves such a change and even then they could be deemed to be wrong.
Personally I went into great research and detail about replacing my 500X's reversing light with an LED replacement. Regarding outside running lights it was the only light that was not tied down wrt homolagation/other legislation. I still informed and got permission from the underwriters that this change was covered by them.
Now to totally screw the picture (as I play devil's advocate with myself) in theory I think I could fit a 1 million lumen LED cabin light in may 500X. This would comply with all vehicle regulations (I think but have not fully checked) but my blinding "sun 500X" that caused or could cause an accident might find itself in difficulty in a court of law. Possibly nothing to do with vehicle lighting regulations but possibly some obscure "blinding" law.
And for some fun:
o It is illegal to carry a plank along a pavement. Yes This is an offence under s 54 of the Metropolitan Police Act 1839. Other offences covered by s 54 include flying kites, playing annoying games, and sliding on ice or snow in the street.
o It is illegal to beat or shake any carpet or rug in any street. However, beating or shaking a doormat is allowed before 8am. Yes This is an offence under s 60 of the Metropolitan Police Act 1839. In other districts, it is an offence under s 28 of the Town Police Clauses Act 1847. Other offences covered by s 28 include: - keeping a pigsty in front of your house; - slaughtering cattle in the street;
o It is illegal to drive cows down the roadway without the permission of the Commissioner of Police. Yes The Metropolitan Streets Act 1867 made it an offence to drive cattle through the streets between 10am and 7pm, except with the permission of the Commissioner of Police.
o It is illegal to handle salmon in suspicious circumstances. Yes This is an offence under the Salmon Act 1986.
These are just a few common examples of "law" to which you have no defence even if the law is an ass. I hate to think about what else could be brought as a prosecution case with respect to vehicles, insurance, modifications, .....
The game is not worth playing IMHO.