240 General: H4 LEDs

[timetrip]

Hi guys Hope you all had a good xmas and A good new year to come,,!!!
I invested in some LEDs for my headlamps and they look pretty good so far they have a slight flicker on the daytime driving ,but look better when dipped beam is on. Was wondering if any members have had them fitted and what you think of them...or any downside to them.... Regards Adrian....!!!!

[classicswede]

The downside is blinding on coming traffic

[Clan]

Originally Posted by timetrip

Hi guys Hope you all had a good xmas and A good new year to come,,!!!
I invested in some LEDs for my headlamps and they look pretty good so far they have a slight flicker on the daytime driving ,but look better when dipped beam is on. Was wondering if any members have had them fitted and what you think of them...or any downside to them.... Regards Adrian....!!!!

https://www.driving.co.uk/car-clinic...or-cars-legal/




And this from the MOT Testers Manual

4.1.4. Compliance with requirements
You must inspect all ‘mandatory’ headlamps fitted.

Mandatory headlamps consist of a matched pair of main beam headlamps and a matched pair of dipped-beam headlamps. These can be separate or a single pair of headlamps.

Lamps are matched if they:

emit light of substantially the same colour and intensity
are the same size and shape that they are symmetrical to each other
Vehicles first used before 1 January 1931 do not need headlamps.

Buses first used before 1 October 1969 only need one headlamp. If 2 are fitted, neither the main beam or dipped beams need to form matched pair.

The colour of the light headlamps emit must be one of the following:

white
predominantly white with blue tinge
yellow
In a four-headlamp system the outer headlamps do not need to emit the same colour light as the inner pair.

The precise position of lamps is not part of the inspection, but you should check visually that they are at about the same height and the same distance from each side of the vehicle.

Existing halogen headlamp units on vehicles first used on or after 1 April 1986 must 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 for light source and lamp not compatible.

This does not refer to complete replacement headlamp units which may be constructed with HID or LED light sources.

If a complete headlamp unit has been replaced with a unit that was manufactured with HID or LED light sources, it must not be failed for ‘Light source and lamp not compatible’ but it must meet all other requirements detailed in section 4 of this manual specific to the type fitted at the time of test.

It is a grey area on cars before 1986 you could still be blinding people though...

[classicswede]

Originally Posted by Clan

And this from the MOT Testers Manual



The colour of the light headlamps emit must be one of the following:

white
predominantly white with blue tinge
yellow

The blue tinge is new. That has been added to cover the HID / LED rubbish that should never have been allowed

[Othen]

I fitted some H4 LED bulbs to my previous 240 (the Barge - a 1982 model) and they worked very well:



... very bright and white light - however they did require quite a lot of adjustment on the beam setter to ensure they would not dazzle oncoming motorcars. Once properly adjusted they were very good indeed, almost up to modern standards.

If your car is post 1986 it will probably fail the MoT if they are fitted, see this and a few posts either side for a discussion:

https://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showp...postcount=3683

If the H4 bulbs you have fitted came in a box with an 'E number' like the one in this post (whether it denotes testing by the Netherlands or is coincidentally similar to something in China) then it might be an idea to keep it in the boot to show they are 'legal' in the UK:

https://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showp...postcount=3673

Good fortine.

[timetrip]

Thanks Othen,

Mine look exactly the same on my 1990 gl and yes i need to adjust them to suit.....not been out in the dark yet .!!! Just updating lights to modern standards... I do drive very responsibly but many drivers today do not dip there lights until they see your headlights...but surely if you see a glow coming towards you from a corner etc,,common sence says dip them.. Thats my last moan this year,,LOL.. will be getting another set for my 89 gl next week...!!!!

[Othen]

Originally Posted by timetrip

Thanks Othen,

Mine look exactly the same on my 1990 gl and yes i need to adjust them to suit.....not been out in the dark yet .!!! Just updating lights to modern standards... I do drive very responsibly but many drivers today do not dip there lights until they see your headlights...but surely if you see a glow coming towards you from a corner etc,,common sence says dip them.. Thats my last moan this year,,LOL.. will be getting another set for my 89 gl next week...!!!!

... just be aware of the MoT failure issue for 1989 and 1990 motor cars. The MoT tester may not notice, but if he/she does then you won't have a defence and the failure will attract attention in subsequent tests.

[Tonto77]

I was looking at this route myself but after some digging and advice it’s the reflectors that needed replaced. I have H4 Philips racing vision in mine. 200% brighter.

[timetrip]

Originally Posted by Othen

... just be aware of the MoT failure issue for 1989 and 1990 motor cars. The MoT tester may not notice, but if he/she does then you won't have a defence and the failure will attract attention in subsequent tests.

I live on a farm and the mot guy in the village does not bother to test the headlight beams on any car...just the dip/mainbeam...!!!! but i do keep the old bulbs in car just in case...!!!

[Othen]

Originally Posted by timetrip

I live on a farm and the mot guy in the village does not bother to test the headlight beams on any car...just the dip/mainbeam...!!!! but i do keep the old bulbs in car just in case...!!!

... that would be a good MoT place to stick with