Author Topic: Led headlights  (Read 2162 times)

embee

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Re: Led headlights
« Reply #15 on: February 08, 2021, 12:41:31 PM »
For a long time the UK lighting regs referred to "filament lamps" requiring E marks, and this is what caused the ambiguity. If a lamp wasn't a filament, did it have to comply with the regs as stated? (rhetorical question). I don't think the regs stated categorically that LED lamps MUST NOT be used because they didn't really exist to any extent at the time the regs were written. It was a philosophical debate, "A" must comply with rules, but "B" isn't specifically prohibited. I haven't looked at the latest lighting regs (can't be bothered to be honest), but at least the MOT rules have clarified the situation for that purpose.

Some of the big lighting manufacturers (Philips etc as stated by culzean) are now marketing LED replacement headlamp "bulbs", and by all accounts they are both efficient and effective, but of course would not pass a UK MOT. As with many things regarding retrospective-regulation, I'm not entirely sure the MOT revisions quite hit the target with any real precision, a bit of a shotgun solution, but at least it's pretty clear now. You're not allowed to do this because we say so, not because it is sensible.

A similar case is my Suzuki Cappuccino, a very small "kei-car" engineered for the Japanese domestic market. It had a third stop light mounted on the top of the boot ("high level stop light"), but when they did a limited homologation for the UK (1100 cars were officially imported) it was found the HLSL was not high enough to meet the UK regs so they fitted a dummy light with no LEDs fitted. They couldn't simply unplug a real one because any light fitted must work, so an empty dummy was fitted (exactly the same casing, just no LEDs fitted), which thus wasn't a light so didn't need to work. This caused MOT failures because they were rare cars and the MOT testers weren't familiar with the homologation intricacies. 2 things then, one was that it had to be explained for the MOT, but more significantly it was mush safer to have a working HLSL even if it was a couple of inches too low than to not have one working. All owners I know of fitted an LED array inside the dummy and have a working HLSL, safer and simpler (though technically not compliant). Rules and regs, rules and regs.

Westy36

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Re: Led headlights
« Reply #16 on: February 08, 2021, 01:04:40 PM »
A similar case is my Suzuki Cappuccino, a very small "kei-car" engineered for the Japanese domestic market.
8) They are awesome cars with 600cc turbo engines, lovely. Feel free to post a photo. Honda did the Beat.

kei cars are fascinating. I've never owned one, but they do interest me, especialy the commercial versions.

culzean

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Re: Led headlights
« Reply #17 on: February 08, 2021, 02:00:10 PM »
Here is another good video from Headlight Revolution showing the importance of getting the LED light source in the correct place in reflector designed for filament bulb.

Some people will only consider you an expert if they agree with your point of view or advice,  when you give them advice they don't like they consider you an idiot

Happyarry

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Re: Led headlights
« Reply #18 on: February 08, 2021, 06:38:02 PM »
So is it just the higher end facelift models that have LED lights fitted as standard?

Harry

Redstart

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Re: Led headlights
« Reply #19 on: February 08, 2021, 06:53:37 PM »
Thanks for all of the info.
Very interesting. I suppose I might have to sell a Rembrandt and buy two LED headlight units !!
The correct positioning of the bulb took me back to my biker days, when I put a H4 into my bikes tungsten headlight.  It only worked correctly one way. The other way used to light up the undersides of bridges !!

TnTkr

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Re: Led headlights
« Reply #20 on: February 08, 2021, 07:03:15 PM »
So is it just the higher end facelift models that have LED lights fitted as standard?
That's right. Elegance and Dynamic are equipped with LED headlights, Trend and Comfort with halogens.

culzean

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Re: Led headlights
« Reply #21 on: February 08, 2021, 07:18:51 PM »
Thanks for all of the info.
Very interesting. I suppose I might have to sell a Rembrandt and buy two LED headlight units !!
The correct positioning of the bulb took me back to my biker days, when I put a H4 into my bikes tungsten headlight.  It only worked correctly one way. The other way used to light up the undersides of bridges !!

It helps if you remember when fitting an H4 bulb that the widest of the three location 'tongues' on the bulb flange ( at 120 degrees to each other ) points vertically upwards and it will only fit into holder and be aligned / located properly when inserted that way.
Some people will only consider you an expert if they agree with your point of view or advice,  when you give them advice they don't like they consider you an idiot

Happyarry

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Re: Led headlights
« Reply #22 on: February 08, 2021, 07:28:03 PM »
So is it just the higher end facelift models that have LED lights fitted as standard?
That's right. Elegance and Dynamic are equipped with LED headlights, Trend and Comfort with halogens.

Thought so, not sure the exact UK equivalents to Elegance and Dynamic. Mine is the EX-Navi and has them fitted.

Harry

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