Hi guys,  

One of my dipped headlights stopped working on my focus mk3.5 st line so I though I'd upgrade them to something better. I'm looking for a colour temperature of  4000k - 5000k +. Currently looking at Osram night breaker 200 but they're at

3550k. Do you guys have any recommendations? 

It's H7 55W for reference. 

The night breakers are OK, but don't last, or the Phillips ones, in the end I used Halfords own 200% ones, they were quite good.

LEDs don't work, I tried loads

2 hours ago, DaveT70 said:

The night breakers are OK, but don't last, or the Phillips ones, in the end I used Halfords own 200% ones, they were quite good.

LEDs don't work, I tried loads

I'll check those out, thanks. 

Night Breakers are the most recommended upgrade bulbs maybe not here in the Ford forum but in the Lexus one they are.

The night breakers are the only ones I've used where my car had halogen headlights. 

As for how long they last. Well the longest time I had them in a car was just over 3 years and they shon the same as the day I installed them. I changed cars after that so I can't comment how long after 3 years they lasted.

I have been testing These  and they have a great cut off you need to make sure they are turned in the right position though and you also need H7 holders.

 

3 hours ago, DaveT70 said:

LEDs don't work, I tried loads

Sad to disagree, but I fitted LEDs, and would never return to old fashioned bulbs, they are simply brilliant - they even passed my MOT!

 

1 hour ago, F0CUE said:

I have been testing These  and they have a great cut off you need to make sure they are turned in the right position though and you also need H7 holders.

And be sure to use the manual leveller every time you put anything the boot or carry a heavy rear passenger.

I've been under the impression that replacing halogen bulbs with LED bulbs was illegal here in the UK. 

One of the reasons was because of the pattern in the headlight glass. The dispersion of the light pattern was staggered and out of line etc.

What you have stated Stephen really surprises me. Personally I'd get a second opinion and MOT just to be on the safe side.

Being a truck driver I see and get blinded by these LED headlights on cars that are not fitted with them as standard. 

19 hours ago, TomsFocus said:

 

I always replace all my bulbs with standard for the MOT. @tazzman600

8 hours ago, tazzman600 said:

What you have stated Stephen really surprises me. Personally I'd get a second opinion and MOT just to be on the safe side.

You serious?? LOL Exactly what 'safe side' would I be looking for when the beam dispersion is absolutely within the law, and I am blinding no one. Oh, and in Northern Ireland, the government run our 20 odd MOT stations so there is no option for a second opinion, the 1st opinion stands 🤣

That's why I said I was surprised Stephen. Things maybe different in NI but here in England things must be different. 

I've read many posts where someone has replaced halogen headlight bulb with LED and got rolloxed for it and had to go back to halogen. 

As for the 2nd opinion I didn't know about the MOT operation in NI.

Oh and as for 'you serious lol' I'm always serious except in threads where they are the funny ones.

1 hour ago, tazzman600 said:

I've read many posts where someone has replaced halogen headlight bulb with LED and got rolloxed for it and had to go back to halogen.

In previous cars, I carried out HID conversions, but always swapped back to standard for MOT, as HID were a give away as they took a second or two to light up. You are correct, LED aren't a 'legal' conversion because the law as in many things, hasn't kept pace with technology.

I was going to swap my LED bulbs back to standard for MOT, but thought what the hell, whats the worse that can happen. I 100% knew the beam pattern was legal, and obviously the guy doing the MOT used some common sense in that I had 2 x working headlights in which the beam pattern passed his machine.

Sometimes you just catch a break...