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Headlights upgrade (retrofit)

Posted: Sat Mar 20, 2021 5:14 pm
by exprezzyourself
My Grandland X Elite Nav comes with standard halogen headlights (bought it used and cannot justify how somebody could configure the car with all these gadgets like memory heated/ventilated seats, all driving assistants etc and did not go for LED headlights?!). Wondering if it would be possible to replace standard headlights with LED genuine ones with some coding?! Has anybody attempted this retrofit? Any info will be appreciated :D 8-)

Re: Headlights upgrade (retrofit)

Posted: Sat Mar 20, 2021 6:05 pm
by Vayerr
I'm not sure. I've seen LED lights for sale online but I believe the connector on them is different so it'd be a slightly bigger job. Also I think that LED headlights have automatic levelling where as halogen ones you adjust the level with the little wheel next to your steering wheel by the knee. I mean everything is possible in theory but I'm not sure.

I had LED headlights on my previous car and they were absolutely freaking amazing. I really miss them. Best I could do is fit LED bulbs to my Grandland. Work very well without errors. Had to get the level adjusted (they were shining too high on 0 setting) but a local garage that does MOTs and has a machine to check the level adjusted it for free. Took 20 seconds (theres a small bolt / nut thing by the headlight in the engine compartment).

I don't get flashed and I get nice white light in front of the car. I got flashed twice when using my LED front fog lights though. Both times by a bus driver. Hmm. Stopped using them now cause LED headlights are doing the job and give out more light than previous halogen bulbs + halogen fogs together.

Wasn't expensive either, £22 for bulbs + £4 I think for little plastic clips that hold them in place.

As for why people add everything to the car like a useless panoramic roof which looks nice but realistically will never be used, but they don't opt for what I'd consider almost a safety feature, no idea.

Re: Headlights upgrade (retrofit)

Posted: Thu Apr 15, 2021 10:46 am
by ianwat23
Which bulbs did you buy for the headlights and the fogs?
Cheers

Re: Headlights upgrade (retrofit)

Posted: Fri Apr 16, 2021 2:03 am
by Vayerr
ianwat23 wrote: Thu Apr 15, 2021 10:46 am Which bulbs did you buy for the headlights and the fogs?
Cheers
I bought all my LED bulbs from Amazon. The clips for the headlights and full beam came from eBay.

Headlights:
- 1x set of Katur H7 LED bulbs
- 1x set of H7 LED bulb headlight clip/adapter

Full beam:
- 1x set of Katur H7 LED bulbs
- 1x set of H7 LED bulb headlight clip/adapter

Front Fogs:
- 1x set of Katur H11 LED bulbs

Screenshot_20210416-025158_Amazon Shopping.jpg

Screenshot_20210416-025927_Amazon Shopping.jpg

Screenshot_20210416-030142_eBay.jpg


Re: Headlights upgrade (retrofit)

Posted: Fri Apr 16, 2021 10:34 pm
by ianwat23
Thanks for the info. I’ll have a look later on and decide what to do next. Does the auto main beam still work with these bulbs? Cheers again
Ian

Re: Headlights upgrade (retrofit)

Posted: Fri Apr 16, 2021 11:19 pm
by Vayerr
ianwat23 wrote: Fri Apr 16, 2021 10:34 pm Thanks for the info. I’ll have a look later on and decide what to do next. Does the auto main beam still work with these bulbs? Cheers again
Ian
I don't know to be honest. I don't use the auto full beam. Switched it off and never really thought about it.

It should work. It's just a different bulb that happens to be LED. Doesn't affect any sensors etc that control when the full beam would come on, just as if you've replaced your bulbs with a new halogen ones.

I'll switch the auto beam on tonight and I'll double check but no reason why it wouldn't work.

Re: Headlights upgrade (retrofit)

Posted: Sat Apr 17, 2021 8:54 am
by Coatgallou
The high beam assist will continue to work as it works by utilising the camera in the windscreen, this detects the lights of oncoming or preceding vehicles to trigger the high beam assist, irrespective of the lamp installed.

Re: Headlights upgrade (retrofit)

Posted: Sat Apr 17, 2021 8:57 am
by Coatgallou
A word of caution regarding the retrofit of headlights, these are classed as not road legal, unless the car using them was first registered before 1st April 1986.
The following is an extract directly from the government Web site.

Re: Headlights upgrade (retrofit)

Posted: Sat Apr 17, 2021 10:27 pm
by Vayerr
ianwat23 wrote: Fri Apr 16, 2021 10:34 pm Thanks for the info. I’ll have a look later on and decide what to do next. Does the auto main beam still work with these bulbs? Cheers again
Ian
Checked and like I said - auto full beam works absolutely fine. No issues at all. Just as if you replaced the bulbs with a different normal ones. You don't do anything with the light sensors etc so yeah. All good. 👍
Coatgallou wrote: Sat Apr 17, 2021 8:57 am A word of caution regarding the retrofit of headlights, these are classed as not road legal, unless the car using them was first registered before 1st April 1986.
The following is an extract directly from the government Web site.
Yup. Illegal for MOT but on the road, if the lights are installed correctly they won't blind anyone so police won't care.

There's plenty of new cars with factory fitted LED headlights that not only look blue in rear view mirror, like emergency lights when driving over bumps, but also that blind oncoming vehicles and they are legal. The whole you can't fit LEDs in a headlamp which originally had halogen bulbs is crap in my opinion.

Much better and safer bulbs. Better visibility, less power consumption and much better aesthetically.

Re: Headlights upgrade (retrofit)

Posted: Sun Apr 18, 2021 9:30 am
by Coatgallou
The MOT special notice was posted, as additional information, regarding the legal position of retrofitting led lamps into halogen headlights, anyone then deciding to carry out the modification will be fully informed as to the risk associated with such a modification.

It can be somewhat presumptuous to suggest the police are not interested, they may not automatically recognise if the light pattern is not to specification but if a vehicle is inspected, by police or insurance company engineer, for example after an accident, a modification which would be an automatic MOT failure could lead to prosecution and or insurance being made void.

Surely, we all want to have fully compliant vehicles on our roads and this is why we undergo the MOT checks and put faith in the experts who set the parameters of those tests? Those experts have at their disposal, test equipment, laboratory conditions, road testing etc to help them determine the correct rules.