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I have a 2010 B9 and am thinking I would like LED headlights. I have fitted LED bulbs to my motorcycle and they are great.
What bulb does my car use and would LED's work without issues?
2010 Berlingo Multispace 1.6HDi - Chipped
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May be right or wrong but from what I,ve heard /read about LED h/lights are that they are a waste of money. They may improve in the future, seemingly it is the beam that they throw or rather don't throw that is the problem.
LED Side lights are good and cheap and interior LED light bulbs are nice and bright.
Depends if you have CANBUS , if so they can generate a bulb out warning.
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Thanks. The replacement H4 LED's I have just fitted to my motorbike are at least twice as good as standard halogens, they use less power and are likely to last until I throw the car away.
How is the bulb out warning shown or will it show the next time the car is plugged in?
2010 Berlingo Multispace 1.6HDi - Chipped
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Hi Oldson,
Any chance you could post a link to the led bulbs please.
Mark
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Very pleased with these (non-LED) Upgrade Replacement bulbs I got from Amazon.
OSRAM NIGHT BREAKER UNLIMITED H4, halogen-headlamp bulb, 64193NBU-HCB, 12V, duo box (Pack of 2)
£13.20 for the pack of two.
Matt
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08-01-2017, 11:47 PM
(This post was last modified: 08-01-2017, 11:57 PM by ntm1275.)
This is an interesting question, which this post has prompted me to investigate further. Not because I want them, but from a legal and social point of view.
1. Are aftermarket LED headlights actually legal to use on the road when they are installed in a lamp enclosure designed for halogen lamps.
2. Do I care if I almost blind an oncoming driver with my 'super cool' ultra bright LED's even on dip beam
Answers
1. There are plenty of articles about aftermarket HID bulbs being illegal unless they are a full kit with special lamp enclosure etc etc, but there is very little information about LED's.
So I thought, well do the major bulb manufacturers sell aftermarket LED headlight bulbs for vehicles and the answer is no. Osram no, Phillips no, Ring no, I wonder why that is?
They do sell replacement LED fog lights, but state "LEDs are not E marked and are for off road use only"
So if the major manufacturers don't sell them, the reason must be that they either don't work as good and/or are illegal.
2. Is is socially responsible to fit 'brighter' bulbs to your car with a "balls to everyone else on the road" attitude just because you want to look 'cool'.
The Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations 1989 states "A beam of light emitted by a lamp which illuminates the road ahead of the vehicle without causing undue dazzle or discomfort to oncoming drivers or other road users."
You used to be able to get 120/90 beam/dip bulbs which we all new were illegal, so there must be a reason why standard halogen bulbs are always 60/55's.
The main figure here is the 55 watt dip beam as this is the one that oncoming drivers will see. Standard 55 watt halogen dip beam bulbs are just about acceptable for other drivers and anything above that makes it very dangerous. You all know what it's like when an oncoming car doesn't turn off their full beam, someone could walk out in front of you in the road and you wouldn't know they were there because your retina is being fried.
So both legally and socially the use of aftermarket LED high power bulbs seems to be a no go area for any automotive vehicle in the UK and that includes cars and motorcycles.
One last thing I did find out about tests that people have done with LED headlights is that they appear to brighten up the area close to the car, but the overall length of beam is much less than a halogen.
Is this the real reason the major bulb manufacturers don't sell them, they are are not as good as halogen.
On a personal note, I hate the 'white light' headlamps that are fitted to modern cars. They just seem to burn in to you retina and distract you from seeing ahead. If one of those car is behind me, I have to turn my rear view mirror to stop the dazzle from behind
I have tried Nighbreakers from Osram before and found that the overall length of beam was longer, but the brightness close to the car was less and I kept on getting flashed by other drivers because they thought I hadn't dipped. They also didn't last very long either, so I haven't replaced them and have gone back to standard bulbs.
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• Andre, ron
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Hello personally i have fitted led lights on my berlingo and they are great powerfull beam and clear white light for the minuses i can't say i have something that bugs me about them will put some pics tonight
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So the manufacturers invest in designing our vehicles - yes they can make mistakes but that is usually because of rushed production - well that investment is also used in the design of the headlights, with a reflector and headlamp cover designed to be used with a specific bulb.
It is not as simple as fitting a LED and they are better but if anyone thinks so then carry on - that is why i have night driving glasses now because of inconsiderate people fitting higher output lights.
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• jj9
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Please send link for LED you fitted.
Thank you in advance.
Best regards,
brajomobil
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