LED headlights

Diagro

Diagro

Diagro

Soldato
Joined
3 Jun 2012
Posts
10,834
Hi all.

I picked up the new family car yesterday.

I've found the halogen headlights lacking, and find it very poor for a 2018 titanium spec Ford to not have xenon or LED headlights.

So... I actually fitted some cheap Chinese LED headlights into the 2008 Megane, and would very much like to replicate that with this car.

Is it OK to do this? Especially as this car doesn't have those beam orb type glass lenses. It just has standard reflectors.

Would it pass an MOT with them? And more importantly would it be hurting other drivers eyes?
 

Nasher

Nasher

Nasher

Soldato
Joined
22 Nov 2006
Posts
23,371
It will likely pass the MOT if the beam pattern is ok (you will need the really expensive bulbs to get it right, not Chinese tat), if they can't see the bulbs directly they can't confirm they are LED and just fail it. They aren't allowed to take them out and look either.

It isn't worth the hassle of swapping to LED headlight bulbs tbh. Do the sidelights and rears etc but just get some good halogens for the main headlights. In a lot of cars you can't keep them cool enough inside the halogen housing either so they don't last.
 
Last edited:

Kenai

Kenai

Kenai

Soldato
Joined
5 Apr 2009
Posts
24,855
Will it pass an MOT? Probably, if the beam pattern isn't total garbage, will depend somewhat on the exact bulb and how it interacts with the reflector.

Should it pass an MOT? No, not really.

Would it be irritating to other motorists? Entirely possibly, again it's going to be bulb design dependent and how that interacts with the reflector.

Personally, i'd just buy better halogen bulbs.
 

AWPC

AWPC

AWPC

Soldato
Joined
8 Dec 2005
Posts
10,542
Be aware if you do this you have no insurance as unless type approved replacements they are illegal apparently! (1989 law never got updated it must be type approved or they can throw the book at you if you get caught or they ever have reason to stop you & notice!). Its really pathetic as brighter should be way safer some older cars have really dim lights but that is the current law regarding this! For a quiet life & peace of mind just stick with the OEM bulbs!
How to fit LED lighting to your car legally - Motoring Advice and News (motoringassist.com)
Are Aftermarket LED Bulbs Road Legal? | Will They Pass An MOT? : Automotive News by ABD.co.uk (autobulbsdirect.co.uk)

Another thing to consider is that these cheap Chinese LED bulbs also damage the reflector by burning it & the lense unless they have the heat draw shielding (those types are not cheap at all expect to pay a lot more for decent LED bulbs).
 

Greebo

Greebo

Greebo

Caporegime
Joined
20 Jan 2005
Posts
45,681
Location
Co Durham
If you get decent leds bulbs with a proper beam pattern you will be fine but for every decent bulb out there, there are 99 **** and dangerous bulbs.
 

Gilbert89

Gilbert89

Gilbert89

Soldato
Joined
24 Jun 2011
Posts
3,690
Location
Sheffield
Have you looked into upgrading the Halogen Bulbs?

Phillips
Osram

Most of the popular one’s claim to be “Up to 200%” brighter, longer distance etc.

In my first car which had Halogens I got some Osram Nightbreakers and they seemed noticeably better than OEM bulbs SL although one did go pop around 6 month in but I relaxed it and had no problems after that (Cheap enough)
 

MrRockliffe

MrRockliffe

MrRockliffe

Soldato
Joined
14 Apr 2014
Posts
6,644
Location
Sunny Sussex
I would, instead, retrofit proper LED headlights from a scrapped car.


It’ll cost more, but perform better.


From experience with putting LEDs in both projector and reflector housings, they can meet the beam pattern requirements, but in the real world, the pattern on the left side of the vehicle is quite high and blinds people you’re going past on dual carriageways, for example.

In addition, they just make the area in front of your car brighter - the beam distance isn’t any better, unlike cars with properly designed xenon/LED systems.



I’ve never been flashed by people on the other side of the road, but I have by people on my side as I’ve gone past them.



Which Ford model do you have?
 

squerble

squerble

squerble

Soldato
Joined
13 Apr 2009
Posts
6,183
Location
UK
As above, don't bother. Get some Osram Nightbreaker or Phillips equivalent bright halogens. They'll make a noticeable difference.
 

Tom_ed1987

Tom_ed1987

Tom_ed1987

Associate
Joined
1 Mar 2004
Posts
1,987
Location
Warwickshire
I'd give it a go and judge the result TBH - it might work out well, might be awful.
All the fancy halogen bulbs from Osram etc that I've tried over the years I've never been that impressed by - they are not noticeably brighter than standard bulbs & didn't last long.
Higher wattage halogen bulbs are better, but choice is limited & they introduce a whole host of other problems - wiring/connectors may not be man enough, melted reflectors, technically not road legal etc.
 

UnworthyBean

UnworthyBean

UnworthyBean

Associate
Joined
15 Jun 2009
Posts
2,494
Think the problem with the Mondeo lights is the housing rather than the actual light output - it's rubbish. Putting stronger bulbs / LEDs is probably just going to brighten up the area right in front of the car if done properly or blind everyone and get you pulled over.

You could retrofit the OEM LED units but it's not really worth it considering the cost. Aside from the actual headlights you've got to consider the auto leveling and everything to keep those legal (of which seem to be a bit more stringent at MOT time) and all that which is usually tied in to the suspension so it's not just a simple swap.

Edit - Realise it's not a Mondeo but the info still applies
 
Last edited:

Howard

Howard

Howard

Soldato
Joined
12 Jul 2007
Posts
16,316
Location
South East
Before I had cars with Xenons, I used to get good results with Osram Nightbreakers. It's that, or you retrofit the OEM Xenons I think, which is probably more trouble than it's worth.
 

Diagro

Diagro

Diagro

Soldato
OP
Joined
3 Jun 2012
Posts
10,834
It's a 2018 Grand Cmax Titanium.

I'll look to see if I can source a set of genuine lights that meet the criteria.

I'll also try some better halogens
 

ShiWarrior

ShiWarrior

ShiWarrior

Underboss
Joined
20 Oct 2002
Posts
32,328
Location
Oxfordshire / Bucks
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom