LED Headlights
 

There are H4 and H7 LED headlamp bulbs on the market. An easy swap out option for bright white low power consumption lighting.
For Hi Power discharge lights there is supposed to be "self leveling" suspension or light control units and headlamp cleaning. I'm not sure MOT stations take too much notice in the UK but they do here in Spain.
Has anyone changed to LED headlamp bulbs and does anyone know if these are NOT treated as Hi Power discharge lamps and not requiring the other issues in the UK?

As far as I know, there aren't any aftermarket direct replacement led units that take the place of halogen units that are kitemarked for road use, so technically these would have to be marketed as for off road and show use only, sure you could probably use them on the road but they wouldn't be legal I don't think.

For what it's worth, I switched to LED head lights last year and am quite happy with the results. They are a very easy install so you could easily just take them out for MOT/inspection and put the halogens back in temporarily if that was your only issue.

clarkey1984: I've been running 100w H7's but no one has picked that up. I did get a failure once on a Citroen with HID's and NO wash/clean mechanism because someone had replaced the correct bumper with a standard one without the cut outs. The tester spotted the HID's in operation.

pierremacalpine: thanks for that. I can run a higher equivalent wattage for less power consumption and risk to the CCU. Like you say, who is to prove whether they are homologated or not as the tester cannot dismantle anything to prove otherwise? True, I can swap them out before test. Do yours have large heat sinks that require the protector cover being left off? I live in a dusty environment that would prohibit this.

Nope, I was able to tuck all the stuff back in behind each cover. Here's what I purchased fyi:

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B01MDTXF90

I had previously purchased a set that had woven cloth cooling mechanism but these failed after about 6 months. I would not recommend those. Get the ones with a fan instead.

He was wrong to fail it , The testers manual states that IF FITTED they must work ...

I think that hid lights have to have a working wash wipe mechanism as well as self levelling to pass, so in this case the if fitted bone of contention wouldn't apply, if any part of the system is missing it'd fail, as with the different bumper on itd be the same as fitting just the lights to a non hid car, which would still fail, I think this was brought in to stop every tom Dick and Harry whacking hid kits on anything and dazzling the rest of the world.

No they don't if you read the MOT Tester's manual .. They do require these parts to comply with construction and use regulations but not for the MOT test ...


"Vehicles equipped with High Intensity Discharge (HID) or LED dipped beam headlamps may be fitted with headlamp washers and a suspension or headlamp self levelling system.
Where such systems are fitted, they must work; however, it is accepted that it may not be possible to readily determine the functioning of self levelling systems. In such cases, the benefit of the doubt must be given."

Clan: Sorry i didn't mention it was a Spanish vehicle I was referring to. ITV (MOT) items are the same as C&U in the UK. If it's manufactured like that, that's how it stays! With reference to the Citroen, it had an accident and the only bumper replacement was a STD bumper for H4 equipped vehicles. The Wash mechanism was still there and working (water out underneath) but no jet of water onto the glass. I just made 2 cut outs in the bumper for the jet arms to come out. Car passed test. Didn't look pretty but the owner desperately needed the car...to go to the UK...the same day. I've then come across other cars with self leveling units mounted on the back of the light unit.

pirremacalpine: I'll take your hint and replace with the type you linked. My car is up for test in a week so I'll get them after and run them for a year.

There hasn't been any comment as to whether they are counted as the same as HID's! But then if what Clan is saying about the MOT, it don't matter in the UK! Vagaries of C&U versus MOT!

The regulations do not focus on the technology in use, but on the brightness of the headlamp

Thus bright LED headlamps fall into the same category as HID lamps, and the regulations in many coutnries demand self levelling and headlamp washers.

Eg in the UK the brightness threshold is 3000 lumens, and LEDs headlamps can easily be over this mark