Dipped beam upgrade

[AndrewOl]

my 2006 x164 gl has pretty poor dipped beam. Tried new lamps without significant improvement. Probably due to deposits on inside of projector housing. Changing projector is possible if a little involved. New headlight would be easiest but too expensive. Don’t want to go down hid route so was thinking about trying h7 led lamps. Lots available though has anyone tried them?

Andy

 

[Chrishazle]

If your headlights were not designed for LEDs you have 2 problems - 1, they will be worse than what you've got as the light output direction from an LED is different, so the reflector/projector won't work properly and 2. they're illegal.

Try replacing your existing bulbs with Osram Nightbreaker Ultimate/Unlimited (I can never remember which name is correct, but don't bother with the Lasers).

 

[DSM10000]

Have the lens clouded?, you can polish these back to clear if they are polycarbonate.

Also check the headlamp earth connections, corrosion here can lead to voltage drop.

 

[E63AMG]

QUOTE="E63AMG, post: 2563329, member: 127153"]

Polishing made a noticeable difference on mine.[/QUOTE]

 

[exvolvoman]

When I bought my car the headlights were not that bright, changed main and dipped to Osram cool blue, much better, been in use for a year now.
The headlights can get cloudy due to uv rays. Tried polishing them? There shouldn't be deposits on the inside.

 

[AndrewOl]

Thanks guys. The polycarbonate outer shell is clear. The projector housing, behind the inner lens is prone to heat damage which reduces output. Didn’t realise led lamps were illegal. Is this due to the beam pattern?

 

[Larkone]

LED headlamps are not illegal, putting LED bulbs in headlamps not designed for LEDs is illegal because of the likelihood of blinding the rest of us.

 

[AndrewOl]

So if the beam is correctly aligned and the light output is equivalent to 55w then there isn’t a problem?

 

[markjay]

So if the beam is correctly aligned and the light output is equivalent to 55w then there isn’t a problem?

It is illegal to retrofit LED bulbs because the LED bulbs are not E-Mark approved for your car.

It is not illegal to buy a car with factory-fitted LED headlamps because the manufacturer would have had it E-Mark approved.

See also:

Why-is-e-mark-approval-important-

There E-Mark is the difference between having the lamp 'tested by an approved photometric laboratory' and simply assuming/hoping that 'there isn’t a problem'.

And you will find that resellers of aftermarket conversion kits always warn that the product is 'for off-road use only' or 'illegal to use on public roads" (albeit sometimes in very small print).

 

[cheddar]

On the other hand if the LED bulbs fit OK, beam pattern and alignment is good, and all the working gubbins fit inside the headlamp where they cannot be seen, who is going to know they aren't original?
That was my MOT tester's stance.
I appreciate there is legal issues, and for the majority this should be discouraged, but if they don't pose a problem to anyone on the road it should not be a problem.

 

[190]

Philips have been trying to get ECE approval for an LED replacement lamp and as far as I know haven't achieved it yet. If there are any approved lamps out there they will be seriously expensive. Look at how much Philips want for lamps that aren't approved and it will perhaps indicate that cheap ones aren't going to be any good.

Philips X-tremeUltinon LED Car Headlight Bulbs H4 (Twin) | PowerBulbs

 

[markjay]

On the other hand if the LED bulbs fit OK, beam pattern and alignment is good, and all the working gubbins fit inside the headlamp where they cannot be seen, who is going to know they aren't original?
That was my MOT tester's stance.
I appreciate there is legal issues, and for the majority this should be discouraged, but if they don't pose a problem to anyone on the road it should not be a problem.

People do all sorts of things and I wasn't chastising anyone.

The facts are that:

(a) It's illegal. Yes you are unlikely to get caught, and yes even if you did get caught, it's not exactly the crime of the century. But anyone doing this should be aware that they are knowingly breaking the law. It's a bit like speeding - you break the law because you assess that in the circumstances you are unlikely to get caught, and that in your judgment it's safe to do so. Ultimately it's your call.

(b) Whether it's 'OK' or not no one really knows. It has not been tested. Does your car dazzle oncoming traffic? Is the light pattern efficient enough or are there black spots that can cause you to not see a pedestrian? Anyone fitting untested bulbs just go with their gut instinct. OK, it's not exactly 'on a wing and a prayer', and yes you can get a feel for it by driving the car at night, but on the other hand the fact remains that the driver does not really know what effect the lights will have - and there is no basis for the subjective assumption that 'there's no problem'. Again, do this if you wish, but please acknowledge that you are fitting an unknown.

(c) There's always the insurance issue. OK, realistically, in the vast majority of cases the insurer will be none the wiser, and if you have a minor prank no one will check your car's bulbs. If you have a serious crash at night and a signification pay-out is involved, then the insurer (and Police) might check your car thoroughly, but I agree that these are extreme circumstances. My point remains, however - fit these bulbs is you want, but please accept that there's a risk - albeit a small one - that your insurance might be invalidated.

Bottom line? To each his own. Anyone wishing to retrofit no-E Mark untested LED bulbs can do as they like, but please be aware of the facts above. Good luck.

 

[markjay]

Interestingly, there are quite a few LED bulbs that are advertised as having E-Mark.... in the US, for some reason:

72W/2PCS car led headlight H7 DOT CE E mark approvals Factory Direct Price auto led head light lamp bulb kit replace hid xenon-in Headlight Bulbs from Automobiles & Motorcycles on Aliexpress.com | Alibaba Group

New E Mark Headlight Products | Latest & Trending Products

E-mark Headlight Bulb Super Bright Auto Light LED Lights For Car

As long as you manage to find one with (confirmed) E-Mark... you should be fine.

 

[cheddar]

I've had some great quality kit for allsorts of vehicles from theretrofitsource.com , they are xenon specialists but have branched out to LED's now.
The main issues I have come across fitting LED's and Xenon's into mercedes halogen lamps is usually the twist-in bulb holders, if you don't get these right the bulb will not sit correct and the beam pattern is poor. However when done right, the light is fantastic.
The cheap tat found on ebay etc is usually just a waste of time.
If you do go ahead with a conversion like this, do one side at a time and compare the beams on a level wall at night so you can clearly see if there are any issues.

 

[190]

I know the E mark is supposed to be an international standard but I'd still be suspicious. If a company like Philips with all it's resources can't do it at £169 a pair I have a hard time believing cheap Chinese imports have cracked the problem. Something to note is that Philips have limited their lamps to 1000/1350 lumens presumably because they were trying to comply and match the output of standard halogen lamps. How then is a lamp boasting over 4000 lumens going to be genuinely E mark approved.

 

[markjay]

Also, bulbs emitting more than 3,000 Lumens require headlamp washers by law.

 

[Mike2018]

Interestingly, there are quite a few LED bulbs that are advertised as having E-Mark....

Advertised, yes.

Genuinely being approved? Not a chance. These are products sold direct from China, and false claims of standards compliance is in their DNA.

 

[AndrewOl]

Thanks for the input guys. As always not as straightforward as one would think. I will investigate the suspect heat damage to the inside of the projector first. Might be able to repair this rather than replace. Standard lamps should then give sufficient illumination.