General Headlight Upgrade options
- Thread starter ukracer
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General Headlight Upgrade options
Updated headlight bulbs such as Ring Xenon Max and Osram Nightbreakers 
umanemo
Member
Look up on Amazon, there are many new LED options, much brighter and cheaper than Xenon kits. I am headed in that direction also. LEDs use 1/10 the amperage to produce 100% better quality illumination. I can't see were this could go wrong. Please let us know your choice and if LED then how they worked out for you.
Replacing bulbs in headlamps designed for halogen bulbs with LEDs is now an MOT failure in the UK since 11th January 2021:
4.1.4 Headlamps - Compliance with requirements - Changed sentence from 'Existing halogen headlamp units should not be converted to be used with HID bulbs. If such a conversion has been done, you must fail the headlamp.' to 'Existing halogen headlamp units should not be converted to be used with high intensity discharge (HID) or light emitting diode (LED) bulbs. If such a conversion has been done, you must fail the headlamp.'
LED headlamp units must also be fitted with automatic levelling systems, which if not present or defective, are also a reason for failure.
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And there in lies the problem :bang:
You’ll see soon enough, when it’s too late and you’ve dazzled the oncoming HGV so badly that they can’t see where they’re going and hit you head on.
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LED lamps may look cool, and be better if you're BEHIND them, but is it only me who has problems with them dazzling me when they're oncoming, be the road level, or not, and that includes brand new correctly designed (allegedly) cars fitted with them? There is one roundabout where I live where the LED streetlights and their poor light output and spread, along with the approaching cars with LEd lamps conspire to blind me and there are 2 ped. crossings there too, and all this conspires to make spotting anyone crossing after dark almost impossible to see, even more so when the unwiped areas of the screen are wet, as the approach to these crossings are on the edges of peripheral vision, behind the wet screen areas. Ordinary halogen equipped cars don't cause as much grief in the same circumstances.
Its not just you..
The modern lights seem to have no cut.off of beam either..
Had a JLR 4x4 overtake on a foggy dual carriageway
Dazzled me from behind.. when and alongside
As it pulled in front the Beam was HORIZONTAL..!!
The modern lights seem to have no cut.off of beam either..
Had a JLR 4x4 overtake on a foggy dual carriageway
Dazzled me from behind.. when and alongside
As it pulled in front the Beam was HORIZONTAL..!!
theoneandonly
Established member
Eu regulation non directional dim dip. No more black bits of tape on headlamps when changing countries. LHD or RHD doesn't matter. Not that its right.
As RS3100 says a self levelling device (or suspension) must be fitted AND a cleaning device (spray or wipers) as per EU Law.
In the UK at least both of them are only required when hid bulbs are above a certain threshold of briteness don't know the figures off top of my head
Did you ever upgrade your headlights? I've put new halogen bulbs in my 2001 and it didn't help much. I am constantly lowering/raising the beam to see the road in rural areas while not blinding oncoming cars. I was really hoping I could swap in some brighter/whiter bulbs, but this thread makes it sound like that's a no-no.
Any advice for how to get a bit more illumination from my headlights? When I'm next to a newer RV in the RV park, it seems like my headlights aren't even on compared to the brilliant white coming from the other RVs.
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Because LED (and xenon) in lights not specifically made for them, and type approved or E marked, are illegal in the UK. They will also result in an MOT fail. Maybe even a tug from Old Bill if they are clued up enough too. And AFAIL both typed need to also have an automated height compensation adjustment too to be legal. (Not that you'd notice with some of the LED lights on new cars!!)
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Which lights are fitted? standard Fiat cab units or Hella 90mm round ones?
I believe mine would fall in the old, standard category. I looked at pics of Hella 90mm round lights and I definitely don't have those! I just bought some Tesla H4 replacement bulbs to see if I can get some more oomph.
But now I'm wondering - is there a path to upgrade my older headlight unit to the Hella 90mm style? It looks like it still uses halogen bulbs (not LED or Xenon), but I have to believe it puts out more lumens than my 2000-era lights.
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Mine has the 90mm Hellas. I put Osram nightbreakers in, absolutely no difference, 40 quid later!
