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Home > Maintenance & Modifications > Headlights (again) - Not LED but how about HID Xenon?
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Retroanaconda



Member Since: 04 Jan 2012
Location: Scotland
Posts: 2706
Scotland 
Bluest wrote:
In my view the best value totally legal option is the Landreiziger loom, Osram Nightbreaker H4 bulbs in Wipac Crystal headlights. Lots of people have done this, including me, and there is concensus that it works well. You could easily do the whole lot for less than £100. The only tricky bit is skinning your knuckles trying to get the loom connected to the alternator positive. The rest of the wiring is plug and play.

One other thing, when you’ve changed the headlights for whatever you end up getting, get the beam set by a garage as that can make a big difference. My local place only charged a tenner to do it.


100% agree with the above. It's the setup I have and the lights are fantastic. I do a lot of miles on very dark and fast roads in the Highlands and have never found myself thinking that the lights were inadequate. The poor performance of the factory setup is in my opinion 80% down the wiring, so the Landreiziger loom makes a big difference even on its own. A decent set of bulbs installed in good condition standard units, kept clean, does the rest.

Frankly LEDs or HIDs are expensive, unnecessary, look ridiculous and are prone to dazzling oncoming drivers. But opinions vary, of course, and the bling factor holds a great value these days.

No need to get a garage to align your headlights though, just park against a flat wall and do it the way described in the workshop manual with a tape measure Thumbs Up
Post #730154 20th Sep 2018 2:22pm
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dorsetsmith



Member Since: 30 Oct 2011
Location: South West
Posts: 4554

Click image to enlarge

STC1209

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Genuine-Land-Ro....l4275.c10
Post #730158 20th Sep 2018 3:06pm
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custom90



Member Since: 21 Jan 2010
Location: South West, England.
Posts: 20626
United Kingdom 
Or stick it in Halfords and they'll save you the hassle for about £10 or so.
They done mine well, where the main dealer couldn't!

HID's are now old school really, high current consumers very hot and illegal.

LED or Halogen upgraded with upgrade loom is the best.
Both have similar output, only one is more efficient (LED.)

Individual choice really, I'm happy with my black Noldens. TheThunder Rolls🇬🇧🇺🇸
⛽️🛢️⚙️🧰💪
Post #730161 20th Sep 2018 3:24pm
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Martin
Site Admin


Member Since: 02 Apr 2007
Location: Hook Norton
Posts: 6641
United Kingdom 2015 Defender 90 Puma 2.2 XS CSW Montalcino Red
What are the measurements for "A" and "B" in the diagram above?  1988 90 Td5 NAS soft top
2015 D90 XS SW
Post #730163 20th Sep 2018 3:26pm
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dorsetsmith



Member Since: 30 Oct 2011
Location: South West
Posts: 4554
the beam centres `A` are measured horizontally on vehicle and dimension ` B ` vertically from the ground


work too went through MOT no adjustment needed Whistle
Post #730167 20th Sep 2018 3:51pm
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geobloke



Member Since: 06 Nov 2012
Location: Nottinghamshire
Posts: 4410
United Kingdom 
Assume A= distance between centre of headlights and B= height from ground to centre of headlights.
Post #730169 20th Sep 2018 3:54pm
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apt100



Member Since: 05 Mar 2015
Location: Derbyshire
Posts: 1547
United Kingdom 2016 Defender 90 Puma 2.2 XS CSW Aintree Green
Martin wrote:
HID need some sort of automatic levelling system to be legal as well. Which is why you couldn't get Xenons on a coil-sprung Discovery 3 - the air suspension is used to level them.


I could be wrong (this is a question not a statement) but don't Xenons and/or HID also need a headlamp wash system?
Post #730186 20th Sep 2018 5:53pm
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Retroanaconda



Member Since: 04 Jan 2012
Location: Scotland
Posts: 2706
Scotland 
Halfords! Good one - I wouldn’t trust the ‘mechanics’ there to sit the right way round on a lavatory Laughing
Post #730253 20th Sep 2018 9:23pm
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blackwolf



Member Since: 03 Nov 2009
Location: South West England
Posts: 17610
United Kingdom 2007 Defender 110 Puma 2.4 DCPU Stornoway Grey
apt100 wrote:
Martin wrote:
HID need some sort of automatic levelling system to be legal as well. Which is why you couldn't get Xenons on a coil-sprung Discovery 3 - the air suspension is used to level them.


I could be wrong (this is a question not a statement) but don't Xenons and/or HID also need a headlamp wash system?


Yes, they do. Automatic levelling and a washer system are legal requirements.
Post #730257 20th Sep 2018 9:42pm
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Matt_H



Member Since: 19 Sep 2018
Location: Cornwall
Posts: 42
United Kingdom 2009 Defender 90 Puma 2.4 XS CSW Zambezi Silver
Thank you all for your further inputs. I am very happy to be guided by your suggestions on the loom and "nightbreaker" set-up and will give that a go.

@Brendan, Further thanks, and yes I'm aware that the product I linked to was US spec / not great As I said earlier, I was just exploring the principle that if you could get an enclosure that was designed for HID (not necessarily this particular one, it was just the first one I found), then could you fit HID bulbs - that would seem to be compliant with the regulation you quoted before? No idea on the self levelling requirement etc.. the Deefnder has levellers, but they are manual from a switch.

Cheers,
Matt.
Post #730275 21st Sep 2018 6:54am
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apt100



Member Since: 05 Mar 2015
Location: Derbyshire
Posts: 1547
United Kingdom 2016 Defender 90 Puma 2.2 XS CSW Aintree Green
blackwolf wrote:
apt100 wrote:
Martin wrote:
HID need some sort of automatic levelling system to be legal as well. Which is why you couldn't get Xenons on a coil-sprung Discovery 3 - the air suspension is used to level them.


I could be wrong (this is a question not a statement) but don't Xenons and/or HID also need a headlamp wash system?


Yes, they do. Automatic levelling and a washer system are legal requirements.


Thanks for confirming.
Post #730338 21st Sep 2018 3:11pm
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LandRoverAnorak



Member Since: 17 Jul 2011
Location: Surrey
Posts: 11324
United Kingdom 
dorsetsmith wrote:
the beam centres `A` are measured horizontally on vehicle and dimension ` B ` vertically from the ground


work too went through MOT no adjustment needed Whistle

Thanks for posting this! It prompted me to remember to set my headlights up, having taken them out for something earlier in the year. Works a treat. Darren

110 USW BUILD THREAD - EXPEDITION TRAILER - 200tdi 90 BUILD THREAD - SANKEY TRAILER - IG@landroveranorak

"You came in that thing? You're braver than I thought!" - Princess Leia
Post #730401 21st Sep 2018 7:26pm
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Matt_H



Member Since: 19 Sep 2018
Location: Cornwall
Posts: 42
United Kingdom 2009 Defender 90 Puma 2.4 XS CSW Zambezi Silver
Hi again all,

So I've got all the bits:

landreiziger lighting loom
clear wipac lenses
nightbreaker bulbs.

..and its a nice day so thought I'd get on with this.

Immediate problem thoughh! How on earth do you make the loom connection to the alternator on the 2.4 puma - I cant even see the connector let alone get close to it !? Big Cry
Post #734007 10th Oct 2018 12:04pm
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Matt_H



Member Since: 19 Sep 2018
Location: Cornwall
Posts: 42
United Kingdom 2009 Defender 90 Puma 2.4 XS CSW Zambezi Silver
Ok so I've managed to get to it.

Have to say I'm really not that happy with the Landreiziger loom. I see that the quality looks good, but the lengths are all wrong.

There is barely enough length in the cross-car cable to be able to tuck it tidily across the top of the rad, and in doing so it means that the relays end up floating loose behind the airbox. This in turn gives you barely enough to get to the alternator.

I assume it was desgined for a TD5 - needs tweaking to be a good tidy fit in a Puma 2.4 : (
Post #734017 10th Oct 2018 12:54pm
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Matt_H



Member Since: 19 Sep 2018
Location: Cornwall
Posts: 42
United Kingdom 2009 Defender 90 Puma 2.4 XS CSW Zambezi Silver
...its all because of the airbox - its exactly in the space where the relays are fitted in to in the landreiziger video. I'm going to end up with a crappy maintenance solution where I need to remove the headlight assembly the get at the relays, which are going to have to just flap about in front of the airbox (or I'll manage to cable tie them in there somewhere)

Wasn't expecting this : /
Post #734022 10th Oct 2018 1:03pm
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