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Trying LED Headlights - need some answers first.


StevieIRL
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So I don't want to go down the HID route as I have reflector headlights (which I just bought a brand new set, so can't afford to go projector route) and I also have just recently learnt of LED headlights, I've researched these for a good hour or two and have seen that when aligned properly just like normal halogen they can be a great upgrade without the sporadic beam / dazzle. 

Anyways after talking with the company, they informed some cars need some extra parts to have these bulbs working fully(but not all cars will need these) and I was wondering will my 2009 Ford Focus Mk2.5 need any of these so called  "extras"

This is the reply from the company on my query

1.If there is headlight retainer ring in your original headlight bulb, then to replace to led headlight, it will need the additional modified led headlight retainer ring too. You can search “H7 holder”on amazon.
 
2.For European Vehicles 2005 and up, the vehicle system is sensitive to the aftermarket parts. So if to replace to led headlight, it' s better to add led headlight decoders in addition to the bulbs to avoid flickering issue. You can also search “headlight decoders”on amazon.


Does anyone know if I will need these extras or has anybody ever used these bulbs? I honestly had no Idea they existed until a few days ago. 

Sorry for long post and Thank You

(:

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As far as I'm aware, it's illegal to out aftermarket led kits in headlights, or soon will be.

As far as the actual physical limitations, i think a lot of the LEDs have larger bases to house some of the circuitry, and struggle to fit in the original bulb holders. I also think what you'd need are huge resistors to dissipate the energy not given off as light by the LED, and to prevent canbus errors

I've read that the excess heat given off (as a halogen uses up more energy as light than an LED, that left over energy has to go somewhere) can melt or scorch your headlights, which were not designed for it.

Its totally up to you of course, but I think most peeps on here will recommend just as white a set of halogens as you can get. Ive converted all my lights to led apart from the headlights and I'm afraid that's the way they'll stay.

Let us know how you get on if you do decide to do it as I'm sure the info will be helpful to someone else in the future!

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Some LED Bulbs have built in fans to reduce heat/flickering etc. For example, these from autobeam; https://autobeam.co.uk/collections/focus-mk2-5-2007-2010/products/led-h7-performance-dipped-beam-unit-1

Looking to switch to these myself, along with a few other goodies from their site, on my mk3 in the near future. Have heard good things on various forums about autobeam, so willing to give them a go.

Sent from my HTC U11 using Tapatalk

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1 hour ago, alonimous said:

Some led bulbs have built in fans to reduce heat/flickering etc. For example, these from autobeam; https://autobeam.co.uk/collections/focus-mk2-5-2007-2010/products/led-h7-performance-dipped-beam-unit-1

Looking to switch to these myself, along with a few other goodies from their site, on my mk3 in the near future. Have heard good things on various forums about autobeam, so willing to give them a go.

Sent from my HTC U11 using Tapatalk
 

Never came across those that you linked, they seem just as reliable as the ones I found. 

I may just bite the bullet and see how it goes. Most of the video reviews I've seen they didn't need to add the extras I mentioned in original post. 

If I go ahead I'll update with how they are. 

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6 hours ago, alonimous said:

Some led bulbs have built in fans to reduce heat/flickering etc. For example, these from autobeam; https://autobeam.co.uk/collections/focus-mk2-5-2007-2010/products/led-h7-performance-dipped-beam-unit-1

Looking to switch to these myself, along with a few other goodies from their site, on my mk3 in the near future. Have heard good things on various forums about autobeam, so willing to give them a go.

Sent from my HTC U11 using Tapatalk
 

The back of these bulbs look huge, I know it’s the fan/heatsink, but would they fit in a normal mk3 headlight housing or is that what the rubber caps are for? I’m after something like these but wary of they’d work or even fit in my 3.5. 

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The back of these bulbs look huge, I know it’s the fan/heatsink, but would they fit in a normal mk3 headlight housing or is that what the rubber caps are for? I’m after something like these but wary of they’d work or even fit in my 3.5. 
[emoji106]Yeah that's what the caps are for

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19 minutes ago, alonimous said:

emoji106.pngYeah that's what the caps are for

Sent from my HTC U11 using Tapatalk
 

Hmmmm interesting. Has anyone tried these bulbs and can say what they’re like? I want looking at these aftermarket projector lights last night but I’m dubious about them. 

6F695F03-B01C-430B-8F6B-4A32D1D2052F.jpeg

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Hmmmm interesting. Has anyone tried these bulbs and can say what they’re like? I want looking at these aftermarket projector lights last night but I’m dubious about them. 

6F695F03-B01C-430B-8F6B-4A32D1D2052F.thumb.jpeg.ce4b92d77494a9f68dd9bf220ce94291.jpeg

Those headlamps are mk3 preface lift. If you've got the 3.5 then they won't fit.

 

There's a couple of people using the bulbs on the FFOC and various focus facebook groups using either these or ones from 'ceuk' although I've heard mixed reviews on the ceuk ones regarding beam direction although they do seem popular. I've been told that the autobeam ones are spot on though for mk2.5, 3 & 3.5. Along with their other products, illuminated door sill, drl's etc.

 

Sent from my HTC U11 using Tapatalk

 

 

 

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Why bother?  Ostam Ballbreaker Lasers are astonishing and legal bulbs.  Not worth fannying about with stuff like this.

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3 minutes ago, Jethro_Tull said:

Why bother?  Ostam Ballbreaker Lasers are astonishing and legal bulbs.  Not worth fannying about with stuff like this.

I’ve had Osram nightbreakers and they lasted about 5 months. Philip X-Treme Vision are the bees. 

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7 minutes ago, alonimous said:

Those headlamps are mk3 preface lift. If you've got the 3.5 then they won't fit.

 

There's a couple of people using the bulbs on the FFOC and various focus facebook groups using either these or ones from 'ceuk' although I've heard mixed reviews on the ceuk ones regarding beam direction although they do seem popular. I've been told that the autobeam ones are spot on though for mk2.5, 3 & 3.5. Along with their other products, illuminated door sill, drl's etc.

 

Sent from my HTC U11 using Tapatalk

 

 

 

I’m sure I can get those projectors for my mk3.5 but I’m wary of them. May look into these Autobeams though. 

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I'd recommend the Philips X-Treme vision bulbs. They are halogen bulbs but gives out a long throw of light and are whiter. Philips also do a white vision which gives a more whiter light buts the throw of light is less compared to the xtreme vision. The Ballbreaker is also good like Jethro said :laugh:. I've heard that LEDs don't give out a good throw of light and that can be a little dangerous when driving in the dark and it's raining. Autobeam are a great company and I don't think anyone can beat their performance range. I'm still wondering whether to get their premium H11 fogs or their switchback fogs. 

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1 hour ago, Rumblestrip said:

I’ve had Osram nightbreakers and they lasted about 5 months. Philip X-Treme Vision are the bees. 

Get your voltage stability checked.  I'm on a 3 year old set, as awesome as the day they went on.

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9 hours ago, alonimous said:

Some led bulbs have built in fans to reduce heat/flickering etc. For example, these from autobeam; https://autobeam.co.uk/collections/focus-mk2-5-2007-2010/products/led-h7-performance-dipped-beam-unit-1

Looking to switch to these myself, along with a few other goodies from their site, on my mk3 in the near future. Have heard good things on various forums about autobeam, so willing to give them a go.

Sent from my HTC U11 using Tapatalk
 

I don't see how this would work with the power supply having to connect the the bulb? 

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As mentioned above, it has always been illegal to fit HID or LED upgraded bulbs into units that are not designed for them. With the proposed new MOT regs then it could get a lot easier to enforce this law bit it’s doubtful. The MOT tester is not allowed to remove anything to check what bulbs you have so unless there is a ballast visible or your alignment/pattern is well out then it’s likely they will go unnoticed, but you have a reflector lens so it will be obvious and most likely a fail. 

Reflector housings are designed for halogen bulbs, not LED or HID so the beam pattern will never be perfect and more likely to be poor. LEDs in general, even OEM ones can be particularly poor in rain and do not have a particularly good reach. Fords dynamic LEDs however are amazing. The housings are not designed to withstand the heat generated by LED Bulbs, on Chinese built bulbs and even some of the more expensive ones the fans can and do easily fail and there is no warning. The first you know is when something starts to smoke or worse.... also if the heat sinks touch the units they can also melt them. 

You may have to get modified caps to go back onto the back of the units so that there is more clearance for the fans and heat sink. Most aftermarket bulbs do have the decoders built in to avoid flicker and the CANbus monitoring but some systems are more sensitive then others. 

 

As mentioned by a couple of people already you may be better to just stick to upgraded Halogen ones. Osram and Phillips seem to have the best offerings. Nightbreakers had a pretty poor reputation for longevity but the bulbs were awesome, I believe the issue has been addressed with the introduction of Nightbreakers Lasers (mentioned earlier) and they seem to have much better lifespan now. They are relatively new to the market so there are not a great deal of ‘real life’ reviews after a couple of years of ownership. Personally I use the Phillips Xtreme Vision +130%, they were in my last car for over 2 years without an issue. I had them on whenever I was driving and covered 25K miles with them in and they were still working when I sold the car. The light is clean and crisp, and although I can’t vouch for the claimed 130% upgrade I certainly had no reason to question it.

coming on and asking the question is good, gather the info and then make an informed decision. Whichever way you decide to go, good luck and keep us updated. When you do change either way, remember to take some before and after pics, and also for comparison take a pic with one side using the new and one side with the old. It will help you decide if there is a real difference. If you go with non standard bulbs then look at light temps between 5000-6000K. Any lower and you go yellow, any higher and it’s purple/blue.

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I think highest Kelvin rating allowed in UK is 4200-4300k...

 

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Sorry for no replies.  I am currently using Phillips X-treme bulbs after having two sets of Nightbreakers fail on me within just a few months. (I used to be a big Nightbreaker fanboy)
I do alot of evening driving but with the summer evenings coming in I wont be using as much of my headlights as usually do. 

I've looked into the regulations here in Ireland and there is nothing about LED headlights being illegal (yet).
Few people have had their car test passed with them in, once they're aligned properly it seems to be all good.

I will more than likely give these a chance in the future and will definitely give an update. I think they would look great with my led sidelights and would give a bit of a modern look without the dazzle like on HID kits. 

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9 hours ago, StevieIRL said:


I've looked into the regulations here in Ireland

Ahh a key piece of information not visible on the mobile site lol!

Good luck and let us know how you get on. Lots of pictures!!!

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I had these after market headlights on my last Focus. They were Superior to the reflector light s that the car originally came with! They have led sidelights and projectors. Will put them up for sale whenever I get the time.

748.JPG

IMG-20170102-WA0002.jpg

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  • 4 weeks later...

I have some experience and can maybe offer some advice.

I fitted HIDs to my Honda Blackbird (2x H7) as I ride in all weathers, all year round, and do shift-work. I bought the HID Kit from eBay and didn't pay a massive amount for them but they were quite bright, but were slow to warm up so no good for main beam so used a 100w bulb in that instead. After a year or two and in the middle of the night, on a motorway just outside Paris, the ballast went and left me without a headlight. Not ideal!

So, I fitted the 'spare' bulb and ballast that I'd taken out of the main beam and a year or two later whilst touring in Northern Spain t5he ballast went again and this time took out my main fuse leaving me stranded for some time at the side of the road. Luckily our ferry was delayed but this meant riding home from Plymouth to Cardiff some time after mid-night with just a side light. We followed other bikes and cars to use their headlights.

By now I'd had enough so decided to try LEDs. I did my research, didn't even consider the cheap eBay stuff and ended up buying the Philips ones linked below. With the site discount I paid about £125 for the pair. ***** expensive, but a big improvement over HIDs and now I get instant main beam too as there's no warm up time like with the HIDs.

The important thing for you guys though I think would be the pattern spread. These Philips ones have a perfect cut-off at the top of the beam so hopefully should be good for mot time. (someone mentioned new mot rules so best check first, or find a friendly mot tester like I did)

Anyway, I don't regret buying them, and they're worth every penny. Don't be fooled by the 'Genuine Philips' ones on eBay. Real Genuine Philips ones have a code on the box that you check on their web-site to see if they're the real deal.

https://www.powerbulbs.com/product/philips-x-treme-ultinon-led-headlamp-h7

 

 

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On 11/04/2018 at 10:39 AM, Mogs said:

I have some experience and can maybe offer some advice.

I fitted HIDs to my Honda Blackbird (2x H7) as I ride in all weathers, all year round, and do shift-work. I bought the HID kit from eBay and didn't pay a massive amount for them but they were quite bright, but were slow to warm up so no good for main beam so used a 100w bulb in that instead. After a year or two and in the middle of the night, on a motorway just outside Paris, the ballast went and left me without a headlight. Not ideal!

So, I fitted the 'spare' bulb and ballast that I'd taken out of the main beam and a year or two later whilst touring in Northern Spain t5he ballast went again and this time took out my main fuse leaving me stranded for some time at the side of the road. Luckily our ferry was delayed but this meant riding home from Plymouth to Cardiff some time after mid-night with just a side light. We followed other bikes and cars to use their headlights.

By now I'd had enough so decided to try LEDs. I did my research, didn't even consider the cheap eBay stuff and ended up buying the Philips ones linked below. With the site discount I paid about £125 for the pair. ***** expensive, but a big improvement over HIDs and now I get instant main beam too as there's no warm up time like with the HIDs.

The important thing for you guys though I think would be the pattern spread. These Philips ones have a perfect cut-off at the top of the beam so hopefully should be good for mot time. (someone mentioned new mot rules so best check first, or find a friendly mot tester like I did)

Anyway, I don't regret buying them, and they're worth every penny. Don't be fooled by the 'Genuine Philips' ones on eBay. Real Genuine Philips ones have a code on the box that you check on their web-site to see if they're the real deal.


https://www.powerbulbs.com/product/philips-x-treme-ultinon-led-headlamp-h7

 

 

 

Untitled.png

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On 18-3-2018 at 5:10 PM, James said:

I had these after market headlights on my last Focus. They were Superior to the reflector light s that the car originally came with! They have led sidelights and projectors. Will put them up for sale whenever I get the time.

748.JPG

IMG-20170102-WA0002.jpg

are these still for sale and what's your price?

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