LED Headlights: Legality, fitting and rated! Everything you need to know about upgrading!
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- čas přidán 30. 07. 2024
- The halogen headlights on my Land Rover Defender 110 are really disappointing. As an experiment, I've ordered the cheapest 7" round LED Headlights on eBay and filmed this headlight fitting guide!
In this video, you'll learn whether it is legal to fit LED headlights to your classic car and whether Defender LED headlights are a good upgrade or not.
LED Headlights: Are they legal? Are they easy to fit? Are they any good? Tune in to find out!
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▬ Contents of this video ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
0:00 - Intro
00:19 - Defender LED Headlight Upgrade
01:20 - 7" Round Headlights Explained
02:47 - LED Lights & The Law
04:40 - Cheapest LED lights on eBay
05:51 - Unboxing
07:41 - Removing old Headlights
08:51 - Wiring Modifications
12:12 - Refitting Headlights
13:27 - Do they work?
14:06 - The Verdict
17:17 - Outro
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An update on these LED headlights, a few months on...
Positives -
Our 1985 Honda Jazz, fitted with identical headlight units, just passed an MOT test with no advisories.
I've completed a week's off-roading in Wales where they've been dunked under water and still work fine.
Negatives -
With the headlights on they cause radio interference; I suspect some sort of RF filtering is necessary to filter out noise from the switched-mode power supply.
Beam pattern can be affected if the headlights aren't super clean.
Overall, for the price, I'd still recommend them.
I got news for you, LED's are not legal on vehicle headlights, they never have been and here is why. (You cannot get around this with any type of argument)
Whether they're aftermarket, or manufacture installed, LED's ARE NOT legal to be on any type of vehicle/automotive headlight in any of the 50 states in the USA.
The only place that determines what is legal on a vehicle headlight comes from the NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) They produce the FMVSS (Federal motor Vehicle Safety Standards) section 108 of the FMVSS has not bee updated to include LED's and until it does, then LED's are illegal on vehicles headlights in all 50 states. There is no policy, statute, guideline, suggestion, argument in any county, city, state, town..lawyer, judge, cop, manufacture, mechanic..etc that can over ride the NHTSA FMVSS as they have final say.
Until the NHTSA says LED's are legal on vehicle headlights, then LED's are not legal on vehicle headlights.
You People need to start paying attention to what Governs the laws instead of arbitrary arguments.
@@360Investigationsthis guys clearly not in America is he.
@@jamiemarks8910 No it isn't clear it absolutely looks like he's in the USA and the exact reason why he should be saying he isn't.
@@360Investigationsso the English accent, car plate, the fact he mentioned mot ect not clue you?
@@jamiemarks8910 accents mean nothing and things can be imported.
How about instead of listing really idiotic statements to create arguments to defend stupidity, how about you put the blame where it belongs.
Awsome video man, love your delivery style to man, very clear and confident on the camera 👍🏻💪🏻
This is a great video, like you said it is such a common question. Nice job on the video!
Thank you so much! I got tired of seeing the question asked so often on internet groups, so we decided to do a video to satisfy our own curiosity!
Good video mister, love the humour.
Good video very helpful as still running 1989 sealed beams
Bravo....thanks again for sharing buddy!
Thanks again!
Informative as ever, the fact you take the time to explaine all the bits and bobs your doing makes a big difference to the mechanically un educated.
I have thought of something I'd like to suggest for future videos, would it be possible to have a section / series of videos on things that drivers should know but probably don't, like a beginner's guide to what's under the bonnet, what the various bits do how to spot potential problems etc etc
Just a thought for us that don't have the knowledge !!!
Hey Dan! That's a great idea! If there's anything you'd like to know, just drop us a line!
I loved you man 👍🏻
Great video. Unfortunately I'm finding its not so easy with modern headlight pods. Fitted projectors to fix my Mk5 Golf GTI's piss poor stock headlights, but even the super bright xenon halogens are not that amazing in them. I am toying with getting H7 compatible LEDs and just swapping back the standard bulbs at MOT time. However there is still the fun and games of finding ones that are properly CANBUS safe and don't have shoddy external resistors.
Oh yeah and don't get me started on needing to remove the entire front bumper to get the lights out..... urgh, I miss old cars.
I also ask myself will the MOT tester actually bother taking the lights apart to see what bulbs are in them if they work and the beam alignment is all good.
Hey ya buddy. Did you find the full beam seemed to point very high, not really at the road?
Fitting led or hid bulbs in existing lamps will now be an mot fail for post 86 cars (light source not compatible), Pre 86 cars although they will not be an instant fail must still produce an acceptable pattern.
As you stated, fitting complete led lamp assemblies not just bulbs IS not an instant fail on post 86 cars but must still do correctly and produce a correct beam pattern.
Projector beam headlights will often pass MOT with led replacement builds because they do not rely on reflector or lense for diffusion and cannot be easily inspected visibly.
would they be plug and play if you weren't bothered about the DLR and indicators, and the headlamp bowls are in good condition?
Hey Samuel! If you did't want the DRL/Halo/Indictor functions, then these are plug and play.
Hi, did you have these LED's adjusted at an MOT centre for the MOT? Cheers, Paul
The headlights weren’t adjusted from being fitted to being presented for an MOT. The tester didn’t even comment on the headlights.
Spotted the RAY 6C registration my mate has RAY 4G on his recovery truck.
Are they still working?
Fitted the exact same pair today to my 110 county, No soldering needed just spliced into side light and indicator, Pretty simple
Admittedly, we went "belt and braces" with this install, as we find splices and crimps end up failing after a few years. Typically you may also find the factory wiring has been hacked by previous owners, too.
Great video, what wire did you use for the DRLs? I'm guessing they only come on with the side marker
Hey Garth! Tapped into the sidelight feed for the DRLs
@@Motorhaus so do the DRLS only come on with the side lights?
@@garthbawden5550 - The DRL Halos are permanently lit once side light power has been applied.
@@Motorhaus thanks so even woth side lights off the DRLs are on. Any chance you have a photo of which wire you used?
@@garthbawden5550 - In my install I wired the DRL feed to the sidelights. That meant the DRLs go on and off with the sidelights.
You could, of course, wire a separate switched 12V feed to have the DRLs on with switched ignition, if you wanted!
Awesome Rover.🙂
Am I correct that for the indicator only split the red wire, and for the side light you only split the green wire? (Ie you dont split the black wire on either?)
I can’t remember the colour coding off the top of my head! However, for the orange halo I tapped into the indicator positive feed and did the same with the sidelight for the outer halo ring.
The black wire is simply a ground wire; these headlights take their ground from the H4 bulb socket.
@@Motorhaus thank you! If I wanted the drl lights to come on with the ignition without switching on the lights I presume I would need to tap that into an ign feed. Any ideas where from where I could tap one easily? (Sorry I am a complete newbie)
Managed to get mine installed this morning without a problem, big help from your video, thank you for that.
If you want a classic look and good output Holley makes led classic headlights but they not cheap
Have you been for mot yet? I've just fitted these myself and I've gotta say the pattern they project dosent seem normal to me
Mine failed its MOT, and will have to change them back.
yep thats what i was worried about, some of them have a hurrendous beam pattern unless you buy the extortionate £300+ ones !
@@martinparker9249 two sets of mine have now failed mot, I've had to return them both and return to standard ones 🙄
@A. Melbs both of the sets I had supplied were bad.
One set pointed wayyyyy to high on full beam (like at the sky) and the other set did not project a correct dipped pattern haha.
I fitted the same lights but it won’t pass the mot. Light pattern isn’t possible to replicate eventough its on the lowest setting.
I’m surprised to hear that, as since fitting them I’ve passed an MOT no problems. We also have another set in another of our cars which also passed (at a completely separate MOT station).
@@Motorhaus Well the local car garage wouldn’t touch these lights as he said because they were too bright. I’ll guess going to another garage and let them aim the lights properly will fix it. I think it depends at country what the rules are. I read that another guy had to turn off the drl and blinker ring because MOT. I let you know how it goes!
The dipped beam on those looks very scattered and unclean. There are emarked versions that have a very clean and crisp cutoff. They are only £10 more. I would not recommend the cheaper ones, I ended up being flashed everywhere.
Where the heck is the E mark
If I still had Putana I'd be throwing that £20 at eBay like shuriken!
An important downside of LED's is that they dazzle oncoming traffic. They are dangerous, they are blinding.
In our opinion, if the LED light units are legal and properly aligned, then that really shouldn't be the case. Of course, that's not to say that there aren't illegal and poorly aligned headlights out there!
I'm sure this would be a serious problem in a country like England, but across the pond no one seems to care. In fact the gigantic trucks are pretty much bought because of their ability to blind others with their much higher positioned headlights. This, of course, only instigates an arms race of even larger vehicles and even brighter lights. America is a country of misanthropes who deny they are misanthropes.
This statement is true when is comes to retrofitting the bulbs only to LED within a reflector style housing. These combination generates a huge and mount glare and is very dangerous. The video setup is sound but I really do not think they're e-marked for that price. I notice on the video that there is no crisp cut-off line generated by the lens, which also begs the question on quality...
The alternating amber white for the indicator halo is illegal in the UK, the white must extinguish until the amber has stopped flashing.
They consider the white to also be flashing which could confuse people.
worst lights i had. drl ring is stronger than high beam...:D
as the headlights on those older cars are not relayed ,all the current goes through the switch ,all this means lower current at the bulb .
i had a 1990 Corrado and did a relay mod for £13 IIRC , search on here for "VW t4 headlight relay mod" .
i bought one and fitted it to my Corrado and i was WAAAAAAY better !
you can buy the loom with relays on eBay , piss easy to fit
You must be talking about headlights where the high and low beam are housed in one unit with dim dil
@@patwhiting7579 yes older glass units with H4 bulbs
For the price. Bargain.
The other lights on the ranger
They cause dreadful interference with the vehicles radio and CB if you have one. They are cheap for a reason..
Why do all you people keep trying to argue that Led's are legal on headlights when they're not? All these so called experts, lawyers, automotive people, car manufactures, and even cops all say LED's are legal when they're not.
Whether they're aftermarket, or manufactured installed, LED's ARE NOT legal to be on any automotive headlight in any of the 50 states in the USA.
What I have written below, is the only thing that matters and the only thing to argue.
The only place in the law that determines what is legal on a headlight comes from the NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) They produce the FMVSS (Federal motor Vehicle Safety Standards) section 108 of the FMVSS has not bee updated to include LED's and until it does, then LED's are illegal on vehicles headlights in all 50 states. There is no policy and or statute in any county, city, state, town..lawyer, judge, cop, manufacture, mechanic..etc that can over ride the NHTSA FMVSS.
Until the NHTSA says LED's are legal on vehicles, then LED's are not legal on vehicles.
People need to start paying attention to what Governs the laws instead of this I'm a lawyer or automotive manufacture line of bullshit.
This video is from the UK so the lights comply to UK laws, other countries have different laws, your long sentence is for the USA which have their own laws.
@@olivertaylor4779 That may be true but the clown in the video never said that. As such people in the USA think it is.
Next time say this takes place in the UK and anyone in the USA watching it should not be applying anything in this video to the USA.
Another one that thinks the world evolves around the US
@360Investigations Jesus christ, so your saying that everyone in any country outside the US must cater to their stupidity with a disclaimer warning Americans of their own stupidity before proceeding with a video....that is epic!
If I still had Putana I'd be throwing that £20 at eBay like shuriken!