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XC70 Dipped Beam Performance - Downright Dangerous

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View Poll Results: XC70 Dipped Beam Performance
Great - no problem 25 22.32%
Not bad - ok for me 17 15.18%
Could be better 51 45.54%
Downright Dangerous 19 16.96%
Voters: 112. You may not vote on this poll

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Old Oct 27th, 2017, 20:47   #81
Puffster
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tatsfield View Post
But do all LED bulbs fitt in this location or are some designs too large? I'll buy whatever anyone else has bought and given the OK. Anyone advise what they bought for the main beam augmentation function?
Mate, just buy the correct bulb type - H9, H7 whatever is the fitment for your car - and it will work. If you go on eBay, there are some that are purple & 110W (55W each) - go for them in your fitment.

When is all said and done, they are only about £20 delivered. If you're worried about it after all the advice on here, then I can't help you any more. If they don't work, then return them and get your money back.
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Old Oct 28th, 2017, 15:29   #82
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Sorry to irritate you Puffster, but on some bulb sites they issue a warning that not all LED bulbs will fit into the lamp housing space and that you should be sure that their dimensions are suitable for your installation. I was just asking which LED bulbs were known to fit into the housing to obviate buying ones that didn't fir and having to return them.
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Old Mar 28th, 2021, 13:48   #83
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Not sure if this was covered earlier in the thread, however, since 11th January 2021 it is an instant MOT failure to fit LED replacement bulbs to an existing halogen headlamp. This was updated slightly on 22nd March 2021 - though only to cars built before 1st April 1986...

Here's what the DVSA website says:

1. About headlamp conversions
Section 4.1.4 of the current MOT inspection manuals for both motorcycles and cars and passenger vehicles states ‘Existing halogen headlamp units should not be converted to be used with high intensity discharge (HID) or light emitting diode (LED) bulbs. If such a conversion has been done, you must fail the headlamp.’

2. Changes to current rules
From 22 March 2021, we’re changing these rules so that not all motorcycles and vehicles will fail the MOT test if their halogen headlamp units have been converted to be used with HID or LED bulbs.

Class 1 and 2 motorcycles
Class 1 and 2 motorcycles must not be failed for the defect ‘Light source and lamp not compatible’.

Headlamps must comply with all other requirements of the test and headlamp aim.

The motorcycle inspection manual will be updated shortly, and the ability to select the defect within the MOT testing service will be removed.

Class 3,4,5 and 7 vehicles
For class 3,4,5 and 7 vehicles, the defect ‘Light source and lamp not compatible’ only applies to vehicles first used on or after 1 April 1986.

Should a vehicle be presented for an MOT test with conversions before 1 April 1986 they must not be failed with immediate effect.

Vehicles presented with converted halogen headlamp units first used on or after 1 April 1986 will continue to be failed.

Headlamps must comply with all other requirements of the test and headlamp aim.
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Old Apr 22nd, 2021, 21:11   #84
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Adjust them up, it takes minutes.

I do it on all cars, including brand new. I have 2 discreet marks on my garage door and every time I get a new car i adjust the high-point of the projected light to the marked level.

The difference is huge.....id go as far as saying the Xenon headlamps on mine (2013 V70) are as good as any car I've had.

It's also worth noting that none of my cars have failed any MOT due to headlamp alignment.

If you are unsure of the height, its doesn't take much adjustment to make a huge difference. Rule of thumb - adjust them up so that when following a car in the dark your beam is just below the bootlid on the cat in front. Hope that makes sense.
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Old Apr 22nd, 2021, 22:33   #85
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Ditto to GMC above.
My 940 has the normal halogen bulb headlamps but my daughter has an XC70 fitted with bi-xenon self levelling headlamps.
I still don’t understand why the outer dip/main beam bulb is bi-xenon and the inner “long range” or “extra main beam”.lamp bulb is a simple H7 55w halogen the beam of which is just lost against the bi-xenon.
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Old Apr 23rd, 2021, 18:34   #86
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Xenon bulbs take a moment or two to reach full light emission and that might be dangerous if the lights were need in a hurry, so when Xenon was the3 latest bright light output source, design had to make sure that the "flashable" lights worked immediately and the fall back was halogen bulbs.

Today with LEDs, which produce instant light, the designers can use the technology to provide all light sources but the Dept of Transport does not allow the replacement of the halogen bulbs with LED because the lens design for the two systems is different and the wrong bulb in the wrong housing with the wrong lens could cause too much light scatter which might dazzle oncoming drivers. Personally I think that this is overkill if the replacement LED is in the full beam housing as any full beam light can blind oncoming drivers and needs to be dipped so in practice are only used when there is no one there to be blinded. However the law in this matter is sadly clear even if it is not really achieving very much of practical use!
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Old Apr 25th, 2021, 12:49   #87
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Absolutely, Tatsfield - it is ridiculous to outlaw the upgrade process, but that is what VOSA have done. It's clearly hard to tell at a glance if you have upgraded to "off-road only" high power halogens, but easy to look in the headlamp from the front and see if they are LED bulbs - particularly now they are clear lenses. Just beware MOT time, everyone. Does anyone know of anyone who has had a fail on this? I, bizarrely, had an "advisory" for having my Tomtom sat nav attached to my windscreen last month - "blocking vision", apparently, even though it's only blocking my view of an area of bonnet...
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Old Apr 25th, 2021, 21:21   #88
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is your mot tester a short house?
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Old Apr 29th, 2021, 00:42   #89
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Quote:
Originally Posted by simboc2004 View Post
Absolutely, Tatsfield - it is ridiculous to outlaw the upgrade process, but that is what VOSA have done. It's clearly hard to tell at a glance if you have upgraded to "off-road only" high power halogens, but easy to look in the headlamp from the front and see if they are LED bulbs - particularly now they are clear lenses. Just beware MOT time, everyone. Does anyone know of anyone who has had a fail on this? I, bizarrely, had an "advisory" for having my Tomtom sat nav attached to my windscreen last month - "blocking vision", apparently, even though it's only blocking my view of an area of bonnet...
If it blocks the view of an area of the bonnet, then its classed as an item that affects vision. Some MOT testers are more keen than others though, so you could go to another place to get it MOT'd & the tester might not take a bit of notice.

In future, remove the sat nav from the windscreen before the car goes in for its MOT & then you definitely won't get an advisory for it.
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Old May 1st, 2023, 09:27   #90
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For some reason this has popped up again, maybe because of the poll? I think there needs to be one more choice? That of “ were terrible/ dangerous , but ok after adjustment. “

Mine were ….terrible , ie dark unlit road, 40 mph …maybe, but with oncoming traffic 30 mph was max. But, at MOT time , with the light box present, I wound each one up 6 half turns, and still within limits …just. Now 50 -60 mph with oncoming traffic no problem. Std non fancy, non twisty , lights.
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