 | Home > Maintenance & Modifications > Has anyone used these led headlights? |
 
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| custom90 Member Since: 21 Jan 2010 Location: South West, England. Posts: 20347  
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They probably aren’t ‘E’ marked and not legal. That’s the issue.
Have you had a look at the RDX ones? They are marked I believe and probably are best for what you might be looking for. The value is mainly decided by waterproofing specs and lumen output, that will be the main difference between higher value and lower value units. That being said over time, the specs may cross over as things improve. (Newer generations, specs improve, in time lumen output overtaking original designs at a cheaper price). $W33T $0U7H3RN $UG4R 🇬🇧🏴🏴🏴🇮🇪🇺🇸⛽️🛢️⚙️🧰💪 |
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24th Sep 2024 12:33pm |
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| Chicken Drumstick Member Since: 17 Aug 2020 Location: Near MK Posts: 718
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In the UK the MoT should fail on LED headlights without headlight washers and self levelling suspension. The lamp should also be E marked, but that would be construction & use, not MoT. Well all of this is Construction & Use, i.e. the thing that makes your vehicle road legal and road worthy.... A good halogen setup should be more than fine and offer good light tbh. Even without a loom upgrade. Not saying you shouldn't go LED, but most are horrid blue light which causes eye strain and makes all the greens & browns appear grey. If the lamps are cheap they are almost certainly left hand drive too. |
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24th Sep 2024 12:51pm |
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| custom90 Member Since: 21 Jan 2010 Location: South West, England. Posts: 20347
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“ In the UK the MoT should fail on LED headlights without headlight washers and self levelling suspension.”.
This is not true, as by design they are no different to Halogen as long as they are approved beam pattern like Halogen. E marking, means they are approved beam pattern for either. Bearing in mind there is counterfeit models out there for both, like there can be of many different items. So long as the alignment is completed successfully to MOT spec and the unit is approved, for either LED or Halogen, both will pass MOT legally. It pays to adjust them yourself as best you can and then take it in to be aligned properly, then it will go through MOT clear. The issue with LED headlights is more due to the fact they aren’t aligned, or people have fitted LED clusters in halogen units which aren’t legal or halogen that is also not aligned properly. Halogen will dazzle just the same if not aligned, some are pointing skyward as some people accidentally mess up the alignment changing a bulb DIY. They don’t realise the alignment is an issue too. You can align at home but you’d have to get the distance and height just right to spec and park level and against a vertical surface. To have it done in an MOT bay is only a £10 job ish, some MOT testers even do it on a Defender to pass it if they are feeling like it, but they aren’t obliged to do so. They could mark it as a defect instead of not completed beforehand. If you’ve got headlight levelling that’s good if you can adjust that with towing weight, I’ve not found that to be any real issue, but it might be if you tow heavy. $W33T $0U7H3RN $UG4R 🇬🇧🏴🏴🏴🇮🇪🇺🇸⛽️🛢️⚙️🧰💪 |
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24th Sep 2024 1:09pm |
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| julian Member Since: 17 Feb 2017 Location: Devon Posts: 106 
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To follow up -
The lights in the photo are e marked and rhd. I suspect they're the same as the rdx ones but I've not looked. I spoke to an mot tester about this yesterday. He told me that - Led bulbs in legacy reflectors were not applicable, but he also said that if the beam pattern was all correct etc then many testers would not pay attention to the colour of the light (ie would not "know" there was led fitted...) He said that sealed, dedicated led units with the markings were fine. No mention of washers and self leveling. But... If you think otherwise, that's absolutely fine. Id rather the discussion did not go off on some massive tangent with everyone trying to prove that they know the regs better than the last person who posted. What's relevant to me (the OP of the thread) is what I've been told is acceptable by the chap testing my car. Which I've stated above. So, back to the original question, please - Has anyone use these headlights? (Again, the question is not who knows the mot rules the best!) |
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24th Sep 2024 1:35pm |
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| custom90 Member Since: 21 Jan 2010 Location: South West, England. Posts: 20347
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Who makes them and is there a link to a for sale page as there isn’t any in your original post?
My guess is by the page photo logo, that members haven’t seen or heard of them or they would recognise them. Someone might yet though. $W33T $0U7H3RN $UG4R 🇬🇧🏴🏴🏴🇮🇪🇺🇸⛽️🛢️⚙️🧰💪 |
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24th Sep 2024 4:13pm |
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| julian Member Since: 17 Feb 2017 Location: Devon Posts: 106
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Loads of sellers selling the same part -
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/395618907906 https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/387057371341 https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/284341411134 https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/133529796262 ..etc I mean, some factory in china has knocked a load out, and now theyre all over ebay etc |
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24th Sep 2024 4:22pm |
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| blackwolf Member Since: 03 Nov 2009 Location: South West England Posts: 17372 
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Are you sure? There is no trace of an approval mark in the photos (and remember it is much more than simply a stylised "E" in a circle which is all some of the cheap ones have). Regarding washers, the following, taken from the DVSA's "Matters of Testing" blog is interesting:
This suggests that although these system are required if the lights have a luminous intensity exceeding 2,000 lumens, the tester cannot fail the vehicle if the systems are not fitted, unless the light is market with its luminous intensity. It still won't be legal, but will pass the MoT. In answer to the OP's original question, no, I haven't fitted these particular lights. |
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24th Sep 2024 4:33pm |
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| blackwolf Member Since: 03 Nov 2009 Location: South West England Posts: 17372
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Of the lights in those links, only the first ones have anything resembling an approval mark and it is not a valid one. The other three (which are all upside down in the photos) don't even pretend to have a mark. I don't think any of those units can be used on the road legally anywhere in the EC and GB. Until someone invents an enforcement camera capable of checking headlamp approval marks you are of course extremely unlikely to be stopped and called to account though. |
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24th Sep 2024 4:38pm |
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| custom90 Member Since: 21 Jan 2010 Location: South West, England. Posts: 20347
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They look quite good for the money, what you can do is take the IP waterproofing rating and the lumen specs output stated and compare those figures to other listings, and other brands and then you should get an idea on brightness and compassion.
From what I can see on those listings the lumen output looks quite good, compared to existing brands around. I’ve found Wow LED light bars to be quite good, but they don’t do headlights, they are good for extra main beam light bars though, there are round ones as well, though depends on owners own taste. $W33T $0U7H3RN $UG4R 🇬🇧🏴🏴🏴🇮🇪🇺🇸⛽️🛢️⚙️🧰💪 |
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24th Sep 2024 4:41pm |
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| blackwolf Member Since: 03 Nov 2009 Location: South West England Posts: 17372
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If he said they'll pass the MoT he is right. If he said your car will be legal and roadworthy with them fitted he is wrong. The choice is yours, and now you are fully informed you can make that choice as you wish!  |
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24th Sep 2024 4:41pm |
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| custom90 Member Since: 21 Jan 2010 Location: South West, England. Posts: 20347
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This is the thing that even when they are present they can be forged, and figures such as waterproof rating or lumen output faked. This is why I suggest Crystals for Halogen or the leading LED Brands as those are certified Genuine tested units. Wipac and RDX I would tend to trust, they have their brand name relying upon it. Like you say, owner choice there is a lot of choices out there. Ebay has got quite bad for knock off items, like Britpart, failures out of the box or after a few months are all too common. Personally, I’d rather not have headlights a critical safety item to be any kind of risk, much like tyres they are vitally important.  $W33T $0U7H3RN $UG4R
🇬🇧🏴🏴🏴🇮🇪🇺🇸⛽️🛢️⚙️🧰💪 Last edited by custom90 on 24th Sep 2024 6:53pm. Edited 2 times in total |
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24th Sep 2024 4:49pm |
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| julian Member Since: 17 Feb 2017 Location: Devon Posts: 106
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I wonder how I can make this statement clearer? Maybe if I just say it again? |
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24th Sep 2024 5:09pm |
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| blackwolf Member Since: 03 Nov 2009 Location: South West England Posts: 17372
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You don't need to, you can have the legal position as a free extra, compliments of the helpful people on this forum. You can ignore the facts if you wish, but at least you can make an informed decision based on them.
It seems that the answer is no, no-one on the forum has fitted (or is prepared to admit that they've fitted) far eastern, cheap illegal headlights of this type. |
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24th Sep 2024 6:20pm |
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| julian Member Since: 17 Feb 2017 Location: Devon Posts: 106
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Indeed, as i prophesied, in my second post -
So, yes, well done - cheers for that. (A classic example of the ironic correlation of those who find it hardest to follow simple written instruction, and those who enjoy reciting their extensive 'knowledge' of regulations.) |
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24th Sep 2024 6:52pm |
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