LED headlamps

Soldato
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Rear DRLs can be coded in on a lot of cars now, so if you decide to pop in somewhere to enable things like start-stop memory etc, you could bung that in.
 
Soldato
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I don't think its helped by a lot of newer cars having fully-lit instrument panels all the time either. My Leon actually dims the instrument lighting as it gets darker as a pointer to turn the headlights on (although it has auto lights anyway) but I imagine most cars don't.

I still lay the blame entirely with the driver though, they should know what the lights do and when to use them.

The failure for faulty DRLs would be more useful if it was extended back a few years to cover vehicles using halogen bulbs, I see quite a lot of cars (especially Ford Kugas and Vauxhall Astras for some reason) with one DRL out. They really should have mandated that DRLs also be LED in the first place.
TBH i thought all DRL's were LEDs.
 
Soldato
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You'd think so because it seems obvious they should be, but lots of manufacturers were using halogen bulbs until recently. Even the likes of Audi and BMW etc had halogen DRLs if you didn't opt for upgraded headlight options.

Generally you only got LED DRLs if you had Xenon or LED lights. Probably not only a marketing thing but also LED DRLs would look a bit odd with basic halogen lights.
 
Soldato
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Its seems car manufacturers are in no great rush to change over to leds, otherwise they would have used them from the start. Slightly off topic, but i wish all cars with DRL's turned them off on the side thats indicating.
 
Soldato
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Its seems car manufacturers are in no great rush to change over to leds, otherwise they would have used them from the start. Slightly off topic, but i wish all cars with DRL's turned them off on the side thats indicating.

From the start of what? LED technology has only relatively recently advanced to the point where it's viable for use as car headlights. It's been used for other car applications for longer.

As for indicators, I thought it was a requirement that they be dimmed or turned off when indicating. What cars don't do this? Mine uses part of the DRL as the indicator with the remainder dimming.

The fully adaptive lights on the C63 were amazing... I really miss that dynamic lighting system

Presumably their version of matrix lights.

I often wonder what the effect is like for the guy in front when you're following down a dark road. The system will illuminate past the car ahead, lighting up the sides of the roads ahead of them yet not dazzling them. If they in turn are following someone else and thus don't have their main beams on, my lights will often illuminate further ahead than their own do.

Was following an X5 with a rear dashcam last night, wonder if he'll watch the footage back to work out what on earth was going on :D
 
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Soldato
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Its seems car manufacturers are in no great rush to change over to leds, otherwise they would have used them from the start.

Nah, perfect way to make more money from options.

Halogen lights as standard
Standard LED £
Adaptive LED ££
Super ultra hyper matrix LED £££
 
Soldato
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Presumably their version of matrix lights.

I often wonder what the effect is like for the guy in front when you're following down a dark road. The system will illuminate past the car ahead, lighting up the sides of the roads ahead of them yet not dazzling them. If they in turn are following someone else and thus don't have their main beams on, my lights will often illuminate further ahead than their own do.

In the insight I’ve often had that situation where I’m driving towards my own shadow :eek::D

Found out today I’m going to have to move insurance provider if I have LED headlights because Direct Line won’t insure me if I have them on a car. Admiral didn’t care and quoted the same price.

You mean non EU compliant headlight bulbs don’t you. Not LED headlamps.
 
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Soldato
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You mean non EU compliant headlight bulbs don’t you. Not LED headlamps.
No, he presumably means the LED Headlight option that he wants to select on his new Fiesta that he's probably getting some benchmark insurance quotes for.

Whether he's confused the person on the other end of the phone though who think he means putting LED bulbs in a normal headlight...
 
Soldato
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From the start of what? LED technology has only relatively recently advanced to the point where it's viable for use as car headlights. It's been used for other car applications for longer.

As for indicators, I thought it was a requirement that they be dimmed or turned off when indicating. What cars don't do this? Mine uses part of the DRL as the indicator with the remainder dimming.



Presumably their version of matrix lights.

I often wonder what the effect is like for the guy in front when you're following down a dark road. The system will illuminate past the car ahead, lighting up the sides of the roads ahead of them yet not dazzling them. If they in turn are following someone else and thus don't have their main beams on, my lights will often illuminate further ahead than their own do.

Was following an X5 with a rear dashcam last night, wonder if he'll watch the footage back to work out what on earth was going on :D

It’s actually a really good experience, I’ve had it a couple of times on an unlit, dark forested road with a bmw or Audi or Mercedes behind at a sensible distance but their lights don’t dazzle and it lights up everything to the sides and forward.
 
Soldato
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Found out today I’m going to have to move insurance provider if I have LED headlights because Direct Line won’t insure me if I have them on a car. Admiral didn’t care and quoted the same price.

What, why? How would they even know? I've never been asked what type of headlights my car has. :confused:
 
Soldato
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I always answered as anything added after the factory. I'm not sure everybody will know 100% what's been added to there car if they didn't own it from new.
 
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