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Styling Blue glass DLR bulbs

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Styling Blue glass DLR bulbs

Hi.
I have the LED equivalent. Had them over a year with no issues and they have passed two MOT's and the tester told me there wont be an issue next year with the stiffer regulations.
Got them online and for the life of me can't remember where??
 
g8rpi said:
Regardless of MOT test results all LED replacements for exterior filament lamps are illegal for road use and may invalidate insurance.
Only (E) marked bulbs are legal.
If you want to fit illegal lamps that's up to you.

Robert G8RPI
Click to expand...



It’s because I didn’t want to fit illegal bulbs and risk having no insurance in case of an accident, that I was looking at the “white” blue-glass bulbs.... to match whiter headlight bulbs (also with a blue tint to the glass).
 
There was an article on the BBC website about LED lights last week and how they dazzle. The article was mainly about new vehicles with them as standard and not aftermarket replacements.
I was also doing a search for more info and from what I read they are going to change the way bulbs are tested from the outmoded wattage rating to lumens and colour (K). This would make sense as new vehicles don't have proper legislation, there are big differences in light output between cars, with no proper hard and fast rules. As far as I know even the self levelling of Zenons isn't mandatory for LED headlamps. I've been literally blinded by new busses with these very small Headlamps due to no self levelling.
 
Hi.
Just had an interesting chat with a senior manager with Direct Line. I initially asked about changing DRL's to LED. He said that no insurance company could implement a policy of no cover with a change of bulb with no "E" marking. He said what about an accident at times when DRL's are off or if headlamps that have been changed are off. He also pointed out that many car components are "E" marked or have other markings so any vehicle would need to be fully dismantled to see if very item conformed to the regulations and the vehicle manufacturers spec and that includes aftermarket spares like wishbones, springs and exhaust. Common sense applies was his words.
I'd not consider LED aftermarket headlights but there are positions I consider LED to be a better safety option, especially DRL if they are not overly bright.
 
murphyv310 said:
Hi.
Just had an interesting chat with a senior manager with Direct Line. I initially asked about changing DRL's to LED. He said that no insurance company could implement a policy of no cover with a change of bulb with no "E" marking. He said what about an accident at times when DRL's are off or if headlamps that have been changed are off. He also pointed out that many car components are "E" marked or have other markings so any vehicle would need to be fully dismantled to see if very item conformed to the regulations and the vehicle manufacturers spec and that includes aftermarket spares like wishbones, springs and exhaust. Common sense applies was his words.
I'd not consider LED aftermarket headlights but there are positions I consider LED to be a better safety option, especially DRL if they are not overly bright.
Click to expand...


Hi,
It doesn't really matter what a "senior manager" says, at the end of the day only the courts can decide what is legal. It is also an established fact that insurance companies will refuse to pay out because of technicalities like undeclared modifications. Unfortunately the bigger the claim the closer they are likely to look. I happen to be insured with Direct Line and their standard conditions are "No modifications"
You can see this here;
https://www.directline.com/select-premier/assumptions
(Although it also says "The annual mileage of any car to be covered does not exceed £50,000"
confused.gif
)
Additionally this:
https://www.theguardian.com/money/2015/feb/16/check-insurers-dont-mind-modifications-car
Has a DL spokesperson saying stickers would be considered a modification!


Robert G8RPI.
 
Hi Robert.
Thanks for the links, I do well under £50, 000 miles a year :eek:
The reason I phoned was to ask about aftermarket LED DRL bulbs, after the call was answered and I asked the relevant question it was passed to a senior manager (the operatives words) I was told in the conversation it would be noted on the policy and there would be no further charges or any change in cover, remember calls are monitored and I've a name and time of the call. Its good enough for me and I've evidence in case of a failed claim.
 
g8rpi said:
Has a DL spokesperson saying stickers would be considered a modification!
Click to expand...

Any insurance company trying to get out of paying because of a sticker would have to be VERY bold to fight that in Court - no sensible Magistrate or Juror would consider that to be anything other than unreasonable. And even if they did decide not to cover, it would only be their liabilities in relation to any Fully Comp payouts to the policy owner, not payment to 3rd Parties as the result of any accident. If that were the case, nobody would ever get paid anything for any collision, so easy would it be for insurers to claim that the box of tissues mounted on the parcel shelf constituted an undeclared modification.....

And in terms of 'Factory Specification', I can probably quite confidently state that no 2 Morgans have ever left the factory the same - and even if you asked them what the standard specification actually was, they'd not be able to confirm what was in place at the time manufacture.

Overall I completely agree that as owners we need to be upfront with the insurance company, but they cannot simply choose to swerve claims on thoroughly unreasonable and unrelated grounds.

/RANT=OFF :)
 
R1NGA said:
Any insurance company trying to get out of paying because of a sticker would have to be VERY bold to fight that in Court - no sensible Magistrate or Juror would consider that to be anything other than unreasonable. And even if they did decide not to cover, it would only be their liabilities in relation to any Fully Comp payouts to the policy owner, not payment to 3rd Parties as the result of any accident. If that were the case, nobody would ever get paid anything for any collision, so easy would it be for insurers to claim that the box of tissues mounted on the parcel shelf constituted an undeclared modification.....

And in terms of 'Factory Specification', I can probably quite confidently state that no 2 Morgans have ever left the factory the same - and even if you asked them what the standard specification actually was, they'd not be able to confirm what was in place at the time manufacture.

Overall I completely agree that as owners we need to be upfront with the insurance company, but they cannot simply choose to swerve claims on thoroughly unreasonable and unrelated grounds.

/RANT=OFF :)
Click to expand...

I think you are mis-understanding a couple of things.
1/ They would not be cancelling cover because of the stickers but because they were not declared. If you look at the documents it is clear that you need to declare anything.
2/ They will cancel your 3rd party cover. They have to pay the 3rd party, but can and will come after you to get the money back. There are well documented cases out there of people paying large monthly payments for years.
3/ If your car is different from examples they can find it's up to you to prove it's NOT modified, not them to prove it is. I've personally had this on an extended warranty were they claimed the part (air horn compressor) was not standard. It was pre internet and was actually quite hard to do.

One protection with older cars is to state "not as far as I'm aware" to the any modification question. Just make sure there are no receipts in the documents or that you haven't talked about it on social media
devil.gif
.
Unfortunatly it's too late once you need to claim.

Robert G8RPI.
 
Last edited:
Hi.
Well i don't and wont use social media, I am on a couple of forums but don't have the need to be glued to a PC or smartphone, life is too short.

I also don't accept insurance companies should rule your life on stickers etc! If I'm in an accident and they don't pay out because "Parks" the selling dealers put a sticker in the back window then I'll be suing both Parks and Direct Line, no question about it. Do dealers ask permission of either the purchaser or insurance.
No indeed they don't so please can we have some perspective and common sense in this world. Perhaps if more actually complained to the ombudsman about the sharp practices by insurance companies we wouldn't be stuck with all this nonsense. of course the UK is well known for it's citizens being complacent and never complaining!!!! So no wonder we are inundated with stupid and ridiculous rules.

Perhaps then the Forum should not sell "Fiat Forum" stickers as well as it could jeopardise its members insurance cover!

Rant over.
 
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Strange, I ask a simple question (or two) about blue light bulbs and not a single person replying to the thread has even mentioned them. Instead, everyone goes off at a tangent about LED bulbs, for which, I am sure, there are many other threads....

No one has used these blue bulbs then?
 
MuddyPaws said:
Strange, I ask a simple question (or two) about blue light bulbs and not a single person replying to the thread has even mentioned them. Instead, everyone goes off at a tangent about LED bulbs, for which, I am sure, there are many other threads....

No one has used these blue bulbs then?
Click to expand...

I've not tried tinted bulbs and while the tint will reduce the total light output it could, depending on the exact optical properties, make it look whiter / brighter by reducing the yellow output. Practical considerationsmay limit the effectiveness of this approach.

Robert G8RPI.
 
murphyv310 said:
Hi.
Well i don't and wont use social media, I am on a couple of forums but don't have the need to be glued to a PC or smartphone, life is too short.

<SNIP>
Perhaps then the Forum should not sell "Fiat Forum" stickers as well as it could jeopardise its members insurance cover!

Rant over.
Click to expand...

While it's a debatable point I consider FF to be social media because you can follow members, play games etc. Regardless of what you call it, messages are public so an insurance company can find posts here just as they can on pure social media.
No problem selling FF stickers, just make sure you tell your insurer. I've done some pretty radical modifications to vehicles but never had trouble getting cover for them. Never even been charged extra, but they were not "performance" modifications.

Apologies to the OP for going off topic.

Robert G8RPI.
 
g8rpi said:
I've not tried tinted bulbs and while the tint will reduce the total light output it could, depending on the exact optical properties, make it look whiter / brighter by reducing the yellow output. Practical considerationsmay limit the effectiveness of this approach.

Robert G8RPI.
Click to expand...
Some Philips whitevision headlight bulb packs have 2 x W5W sidelight bulbs included. They look a very dark blue, but seem to work just fine, produce a whiter light to match the headlight bulbs and seem to be legal (from the lack of information saying that they are not)
Don't know if that helps OP or not though.
 
i will tell my insurers tomorrow about my ff stickers. thanks for the sound advice. I remember being hit by a motorbike in 1985. the first thing the insurnace engineer did when inspecting the car was ruthless measuring of tyre tread depth. I trust them less far than i could throw them now. fortunately i thow tyres away at 3.5mm depth so they were sadly disappointed by their efforts!
 
g8rpi said:
I've not tried tinted bulbs and while the tint will reduce the total light output it could, depending on the exact optical properties, make it look whiter / brighter by reducing the yellow output. Practical considerationsmay limit the effectiveness of this approach.

Robert G8RPI.
Click to expand...



I’ll let you know when they arrive and I’ve fitted them
 
g8rpi said:
I've done some pretty radical modifications to vehicles but never had trouble getting cover for them. Never even been charged extra, but they were not "performance" modifications.

Robert G8RPI.
Click to expand...


I wonder how many people even bother to tell their insurers that they have fitted tow-bars to their cars. I put my hand up and admit it was several years before it dawned on me that it was a modification and I told my insurers.
 
Apologies here for going off topic.
Being fair these days I do ask and haven't had any issues. Im not a sticker fiend especially as I have done ROSPA and other driving courses, windows littered with stickers do nothing for visibility. Long gone are the days when I tuned my Skoda's and didn't inform insurance, far too risky and plain stupid.
Sorry again no more going OT.
 
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