Yaris Headlight/Foglight LED replacements

[CPN]

I've posted elsewhere how happy I have been with the Optiwhite HIR2 replacements from my local dealer. Well, even these bulbs have their limitations in certain light conditions so I have been trying to find reliable full LED upgrade bulbs for my Yaris's headlights and also the front foglights (to match). Boy did I find some really good ones at £35.99/pair and as a bonus, they come with a full 2 yr warranty for each set.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B078YS7D9Q/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B078YSG9W1/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Now someone eagle eyed is going to spot straight away that according to the manual, the fogs should be H16 and that latter link points to a page for H11/H8/H9 bulbs. That's because there seems to be some confusion amongst suppliers as to just what an H16 base actually is. I've come across 3 different variations and they are all completely different! So, not wishing to leave anything to chance, I found the right bulbs by comparing measurements and bayonet orientations. The bulbs in the second link fit perfectly in my own 2017 Yaris Excel Hybrid and the bulb bases I exchanged them with that came out are identical and marked as H16. Go figure!

So what are they like in use? In a word, AWESOME!!! The headlights on their own are a massive improvement over even the Optiwhite bulbs they replaced. The light sources seem to be perfectly positioned as the beam cutoff in dip is perfect but with a wonderful improvement in foreground illumination in front of the vehicle. Switch to main beam and they stretch way further down the road than the Optiwhite's ever did. The foglights? Absolute night and day! Again, the light sources (CREE LEDs) seem to be perfectly positioned as the diffusion from the castellated reflectors stays true to the original and gives an amazing low spread beam across the front of the car. I tried both sets on down a country road at night when there was no other cars around and you may as well be driving during the day! They are that good.

The quality and build of these bulbs seems to be first class to my eyes and each bulb has a built in small fan at the rear to help with air circulation and cooling. I can't recommend these highly enough. I'll try and get some night shots at some point to add to this post but thought I would get this up first in case anyone is looking right now. Oh and lastly, I wonder how many people knew that the foglights are actually manually adjustable? It's fiddly but it works... (toothed side supports at the back of the light)

[CPN]

This is dip beam alone...

Main beam added...

Fog lights alone...

Fog and dip added...

All on!

 

[Yarso]

Are they "E" approved and marked?

[CPN]

There was an "E" Mark on one of the attached tags but whether that denotes full approval is anyone's guess...

On a further check this morning, the marks I'm seeing don't look like proper marks with the normal format. If this is a concern to you, then don't buy them. It is not to me. I just want to see properly at night when I'm driving. Ironically, just after I took those shots (further down the road) I narrowly swerved and missed a pony that had ran out into the road from a field and the only reason I was able to do that was that I just managed to spot him at the last moment at the nearside edge of the dipped beam. I'm pretty certain that if I had had the standard bulbs in, things might have been completely different... I replayed the footage on my dash cam and was very surprised at how close I came to actually hitting him but luckily I had plenty of road on my offside to use... (reported to 999 when I got home but someone else had already reported it...)

Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk
 

Edited December 29, 2019 by CPN

[Yarso]

15 hours ago, CPN said:

If this is a concern to you, then don't buy them.

Trouble is, I don't have any choice but to look at them when I'm driving towards you. I can choose not to buy them, but I still have to look into them.

If they are not E marked and approved then they are not legal for road use in the UK - approval and marking is not optional.

Until recently it was illegal HID kits that were the menace on the roads - and now it's illegal LED kits.

[CPN]

... and the exact difference between legal and illegal (HID or LED) kits is? (When their dip beam cutoffs are as accurate and intensity levels are the same)

They are only a menace if they are misused.


Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk

[Yarso]

Look - you're trying to defend the indefensible here.

Your thread looks exactly the same as similar ones from 5 years ago, except that then it was a HID kit instead of an LED kit.

The answer to your question is really easy. If they are not E marked, or if they are E marked but the headlamp fitting E mark does not show it as being compatible with the type of bulb, then they are illegal. Yours have no E marking, so they are illegal for road use in the UK. If you have any doubts about this then have a read of "Construction and Use" and you will find that this is explicitly stated.

I could go on to explain in optical terms why LED elements in halogen fittings are a really bad combination (which is why no vehicle manufacturer implements their LED headlight option by just bunging an LED bulb in their halogen headlamps), but I don't really need to. Because "THEY ARE NOT LEGAL FOR UK ROAD USE" should be enough to end this conversation.

[martswain]

I believe LED light modules also need to have automatic leveling and integrated washers as do HID lights, but stand to be corrected.

[CPN]

I believe you are 100% correct.

[flash22]

The main reason leds are not E marked is they can cause issues with the beam pattern and alignment, imho get a MOT place to check them, the last few cars i have had Phillips WhiteVision bulbs and have found them excellent, They are E marked and oem in some Audi's

 

Pure white with no hint of blue like some, Osram nightbreaker's are just as good and are E marked

[snowBALLs]

You will get bombed for hid/led conversion on internet forums. Just enjoy it and leave some people to their halogen. 

I have seen posts get modded and people get banned for having a different opinion to the mod or push them into some facts and clarity. 

[mrfixer]

There EU regs don't make provision for an LED 'bulb' in an enclosure designed for halogen bulbs. Therefore you will not find an E-marked LED conversion 'bulb'.

LEDs can cause problems when used in enclosures designed for halogen bulbs because the enclosure optics are designed to work with a point source of light. LED conversion bulbs are not point sources and therefore can give rise to odd beam patterns and scattering.

However, the MoT inspector will likely pass the car IF he finds the alignment and pattern acceptable - its a subjective assessment. According to the letter of the law the light uniy would still be illegal though...

 

[Yarso]

2 hours ago, snowBALLs said:

You will get bombed for hid/led conversion on internet forums.

And that's only right.

If you're going to do it, keep it to yourself, because otherwise people will rightly point out that what you're doing is not legally permitted. Internet forums are not the place to be bragging about how good your non-legal lights are.

And if you're going to post a thread about it, please try to avoid making it look as if it's all about you and nobody else on the road. In this case 5 photos of just me, me, me. No photos from the perspective of the hundreds or even thousands of other people you'll be passing every hour.

As Mrfixer points out, an LED source in a halogen fitting is almost certain to result in unwanted scatter and poor cutoff on dipped beam.

[snowBALLs]

13 minutes ago, Yarso said:

And that's only right.

If you're going to do it, keep it to yourself, because otherwise people will rightly point out that what you're doing is not legally permitted. Forums are not the place to be bragging about how good your non-legal lights are.

And if you're going to post a thread about it, please try to avoid making it look as if it's all about you and nobody else on the road. In this case 5 photos of just me, me, me. No photos from the perspective of the hundreds of other people you'll be passing every hour.

As Mrfixer points out, an LED source in a halogen fitting is almost certain to result in unwanted scatter and poor cutoff on dipped beam.

U know what? In the OP's case he couldnt give a monkeys I don't think 🙂

[FROSTYBALLS]

Being pragmatic, at the end of the day the OP has bought and installed the bulbs and they are happy with them. Whether they fail an MOT at a later date, assuming the car is kept until it is MOT'd, is a risk they may face. So be it.

[Perfection]

Yarso is right. I see lots of the LED headlights dazzling other drivers and putting everyone at risk.

[Yarso]

54 minutes ago, FROSTYBALLS said:

Whether they fail an MOT at a later date, assuming the car is kept until it is MOT'd, is a risk they may face. So be it.

True, but it's not the only risk you face. If for example you were involved in a serious accident in which your headlights might have been a contributory factor, the post-accident investigation would reveal the fact that non-standard, illegal lights were fitted. Your insurance company would then be within its rights to void your insurance on the basis of an undeclared modification.

I admit, though, that it's unlikely. If an accident were to be caused by an oncoming driver being momentarily blinded by your lights, it's far more likely that the accident would happen behind you, and you would not even be identified.

[shaunchipchase]

Why cant Toyota just put good lights on car to start with ,everybody complains about them ,spoils what is basically a good car

Edited January 4, 2020 by FROSTYBALLS
Shouting removed

[wharfhouse]

3 hours ago, shaunchipchase said:

Why cant Toyota just put good lights on car to start with ,everybody complains about them ,spoils what is basically a good car

If halogens we are talking about then the brighter they are the less time they last - oem halogens always last for ages (I've had 8+ years from them in the past) but after market brighter ones in my experience only last a year or two - IMHO that's why oem halogens are not the brightest. 

[Mick F]

To the OP ....... CPN.

A. They are illegal.

B. I trust you have informed your insurance company that you've fitted modified lighting, and the fact that they are not UK road legal.

C. If you are involved in an accident and your car is inspected, you will be prosecuted, and if not done B, you wouldn't be insured either.

Mick.