LED Headlight upgrade

[Jonesyi]

Hi All

can anyone tell me if LED upgrade kits are any good for a 2012 Rav 4, if so wher to go for bulbs. I have a work mate who lives in Canada and he recommends either Eurovision G5 or Putco ( he has a Ford so he can't advise on the Toyota side )

many thanks in advance

Jonesi

[FROSTYBALLS]

Unless the bulbs are 'E marked', they're not road legal within the EU.

[Helirazor]

On 6/30/2017 at 7:45 PM, Jonesyi said:

Hi All

can anyone tell me if LED upgrade kits are any good for a 2012 Rav 4, if so wher to go for bulbs. I have a work mate who lives in Canada and he recommends either Eurovision G5 or Putco ( he has a Ford so he can't advise on the Toyota side )

many thanks in advance

Jonesi

Hi Jonesi, did you get any further with this? I've been looking at the HB3 main beam bulbs as the ones I had weren't brilliant and the upgraded "E" marked ones I have tried are not much of an improvement. The LED ones look good, but mention a resistor may be needed, has anyone tried them and if so is a resistor needed? I know there is also the issue of finding ones "E" marked for road use.

[Heidfirst]

Apart from the whole E mark thing your car to be road legal with LED headlight bulbs also needs to have auto-levelling & depending upon the output of the lights may also require a headlight wash system.

[skegmacca]

I tried them and the weight of them due to cooling fans snapped the bulb shroud within the head light as too much pressure on bulb spring. Result = new head light, LED bulbs returned to Amazon never to be installed again

[namead]

On ‎27‎/‎01‎/‎2018 at 12:24 PM, Heidfirst said:

Apart from the whole E mark thing your car to be road legal with LED headlight bulbs also needs to have auto-levelling & depending upon the output of the lights may also require a headlight wash system.

That self levelling, headlight wash etc was for OEM, not after market, and was I think to do with HID xenon 

 

I had HID xenon dips and mains for my T180, tried LED dip and they work just fine, and less troublesome in fact than the HID xenon

[Helirazor]

19 minutes ago, namead said:

That self levelling, headlight wash etc was for OEM, not after market, and was I think to do with HID xenon 

 

I had HID Xenon dips and mains for my T180, tried LED dip and they work just fine, and less troublesome in fact than the HID Xenon

Thanks @namead what was the situation at MOT time with the aftermarket HID Xenons / LED dip?

[FROSTYBALLS]

There are changes to the MOT in May 2018 which affect the use of aftermarket HID/LED bulbs, which have already been publicised on these forums.

[namead]

Can't quote on what "will" happen, just know that mine has breezed the MOT with HID xenon and this year, with LED (passed about a week back)

[namead]

4 minutes ago, namead said:

Can't quote on what "will" happen, just know that mine has breezed the MOT with HID Xenon and this year, with LED (passed about a week back)

And having read the pinned posts, this seems to show that HID xenon would have to be changed back to "standard".

However, the "summary" link doesn't say that' only that daytime running lights are included. What I would do is change the (LED) bulbs over to standard for the MOT, change them back after.

The LED is a far easier item to deal with - compact and "one piece", rather than the ballast and igniter of the HID

[Heidfirst]

18 hours ago, namead said:

That self levelling, headlight wash etc was for OEM, not after market, and was I think to do with HID xenon 

they legally are required for most (there is the odd exemption iirc). Of course laws have to be enforced or some people will turn a blind eye. Hopefully the incoming MOT changes will make some at least think twice (although others, incl. apparently you, will just return to stock to get the MOT & thereafter return to a non road legal state).

then of course there is the insurance issue if you fail to tell your insurer of what most will consider a modification - iirc there was at least 1 case several years ago where an insurer refused to pay out a claim because a bulb(s) had been changed to LED without them being notified.

iirc the UN ECE regulations also state headlight wash required for LED headlights over a certain output.

[namead]

1 hour ago, Heidfirst said:

they legally are required for most (there is the odd exemption iirc). Of course laws have to be enforced or some people will turn a blind eye. Hopefully the incoming MOT changes will make some at least think twice (although others, incl. apparently you, will just return to stock to get the MOT & thereafter return to a non road legal state).

then of course there is the insurance issue if you fail to tell your insurer of what most will consider a modification - iirc there was at least 1 case several years ago where an insurer refused to pay out a claim because a bulb(s) had been changed to LED without them being notified.

iirc the UN ECE regulations also state headlight wash required for LED headlights over a certain output.

Son-in-law is an MOT tester, and the two testers who work on my car point out the regs (currently) deal with OEM fit, not after market. And they cannot, dare not turn a blind eye because they can lose their lively hood and even be prosecuted.

A properly adjusted headlight, be it halogen, HID xenon or LED all work fine.

An improperly adjusted headlight, be it halogen, HID xenon or LED will dazzle. The issue is being dazzled.

I have used HID xenon since 1999 and found the improved lighting on "non-suburban, non-city" roads at night to be a life saver, making driving much safer. 

I have 6000k lights, not for "blue" but for lighting, as that's the lowest temperature I can get, which gives the max lighting.

I have an LED high level brake light on my motorcycle, but its "illegal" so at MOT times, I take the top case and panniers off, and refit after. To me, being safe is better than being dead

Your argument is about poorly adjusted headlights. And I agree that they are an absolute nuisance. LED headlights, HID Xenon and even Halogen are not. IMPROPERLY ADJUSTED lights are an issue

By the way, to the absolute letter of the insurance conditions, my car breaks the code because it is not running on Bridgestone Duellers, the only rated tyre for the T180, because it doesn't have BSRs fitted. So is it any less safe?

If you don't like LED lights, HID xenon - your choice. My new car has LED fitted and will cause chaos because some models of the same car don't. Will a tester know?

[Heidfirst]

1 hour ago, namead said:

Son-in-law is an MOT tester, and the two testers who work on my car point out the regs (currently) deal with OEM fit, not after market. And they cannot, dare not turn a blind eye because they can lose their lively hood and even be prosecuted.

The MOT is only a certificate of the items subject to test on the day of the test. It has never actually been proof that the whole vehicle is road legal even on the day of the test.

A properly adjusted headlight, be it halogen, HID Xenon or LED all work fine. 

An improperly adjusted headlight, be it halogen, HID Xenon or LED will dazzle. The issue is being dazzled. They don't work fine if the bulb & light unit are not designed for each other  - this is why HIDs & LEDs retrofitted into reflectors cause issues. & why the incoming MOT changes target this.

<snip>

Your argument is about poorly adjusted headlights. And I agree that they are an absolute nuisance. LED headlights, HID Xenon and even Halogen are not. IMPROPERLY ADJUSTED lights are an issue. Improperly adjusted lights certainly are an issue but so are incompatible units - see above.

By the way, to the absolute letter of the insurance conditions, my car breaks the code because it is not running on Bridgestone Duellers, the only rated tyre for the T180, because it doesn't have BSRs fitted. So is it any less safe? It may be no less safe (assuming the BSRs were removed properly & an equivalent or better tyre fitted) however, unless you informed your insurer your insurance may technically be void & therefore you may be driving illegally. 

If you don't like LED lights, HID xenon - your choice. My new car has LED fitted and will cause chaos because some models of the same car don't. Will a tester know? I have run vehicles with halogen & (legal) bi-xenon. Like you I am in favour of better lighting as long as it doesn't impact others but apparently we differ in legality. & you never know, maybe 1 day they just might ...

 

[namead]

As of today, now, my T180 is legal.

As of sometime in May? Who knows?

You implied MOT testers turn a blind eye then back tracked.

My m/c has HID dip and mains. Is it legal? It had HID spots. Legal?

The LED rear light - having discussed at length with serving Police officers, construction & regs haven't caught up so I don't take the chance. I've had an indicator lens declared showing white, and once a tester has done that, there is no recourse but to resolve, so why give them the chance to try to work out something they don't have to.

May I respectfully suggest you sit in your ivory tower, I'll sit in mine.

[Heidfirst]

16 hours ago, namead said:

You implied MOT testers turn a blind eye then back tracked. No, I did not.

May I respectfully suggest you sit in your ivory tower, I'll sit in mine. Fair enough, I am happy that my car is fully legal & any mods have been declared to (& accepted by) insurance company.

 

[007matt]

On 4/26/2018 at 10:03 PM, namead said:

As of today, now, my T180 is legal.

As of sometime in May? Who knows?

You implied MOT testers turn a blind eye then back tracked.

My m/c has HID dip and mains. Is it legal? It had HID spots. Legal?

The LED rear light - having discussed at length with serving Police officers, construction & regs haven't caught up so I don't take the chance. I've had an indicator lens declared showing white, and once a tester has done that, there is no recourse but to resolve, so why give them the chance to try to work out something they don't have to.

May I respectfully suggest you sit in your ivory tower, I'll sit in mine.

Haha makes me laugh some of these guys on internet forum thinks they know it all, always attacking people who retrofit hid/led. Like you I don't give a monkey about what they think, I fitted hid on my car and declared to insurance.

We know how much better safety for us being able to see well at night on unlit roads. I don't think any road car in the uk has brighter lights that mine! The know it all people can stick to the pathetic halogen on projectors! 

[AisinW]

Sorry if I wake an old tread.  It is indeed no legal LED besides Philips and OSRAM LED  H7 that is not giving any significant brighter bulb than halogen H7.  For the projector light, any LED will not blind anyone but make sure you get the best and brightest without too much blueish color.  So far I found Bevinsee V35, V45, GTR Ultra 2, Auxbeam GX, Apollo X77 are the brightest we can buy.  GTR Ultra 2 gives genuine lifetime warranty with USA style costumer service (best).  If you can buy it from Amazon that is even better because Amazon always give 2 years warranty no matter the previous seller exist or not.