Are led headlamps worth it?

euser1984

thanks a mill!

Tails142

If a fault develops does the whole head light unit glass and alll have to be replaced at high cost or can just the LED unit be changed? Lots of cars going around with faulty led lights on the clusters on the rear that require the whole lamp to be switched out

CIP4

Depends what the car comes with standard if it comes with Xenons standard and it’s a big cost to go to LED then mightened be worth it as Xenon in general are quite good. Either Xenon or LED are a huge improvement over cars that come with standard halogens which just aren’t great even on new cars. Also need to think about how often you drive the car around in the dark as in will you get use out of them to make it worth the extra cost.

Blazer

every poster on who had gotten the upgrade all says they're worth it.
Halogen lights especially on BMW were truly awful so a big upgrade on them.
All very well saying you're not doing much driving at night but during winter months its dark at 4.30.

kirving

I have LED headlights, but the car hasn't got headlight washers. Big problems when it begins to ice up and there is little to no heat from the bulb to melt it.

I'd recommend them, on the condition that you have headlight washers installed.

btkm8unsl0w5r4

Kevin Irving wrote: »

I have LED headlights, but the car hasn't got headlight washers. Big problems when it begins to ice up and there is little to no heat from the bulb to melt it.

I'd recommend them, on the condition that you have headlight washers installed.

I think its the law to have washers with Xenons and LED lights?

Depends on your driving OP. I would say that I turn on my full beams 10 times a year. Other people will use them every day. I had them on a car once and couldnt notice much difference.

If you mostly drive around a city the extra illumination is not worth it, if you drive a lot in unilluminated roads at night they are very good. But honestly...they are generally a super expensive options...

JoeA3

If it’s an alternative to halogens, then absolutely - I would say LED’s (or xenons) are one of the first options or things I’d look for on a used car. I’d walk away from a car without them.

The headlamp washers actually aren’t a requirement for LED’s like they are for xenons. I can’t remember why tbh but that’s the way it is. That said, many cars with LEDs would have the washers anyway fitted separately as part of a winter pack or similar.

I’ve been in cars with xenons and leds and in terms of light output I would struggle to tell much difference between those 2. LED’s look a bit whiter / crisper head on maybe but behind the wheel I think they perform similar to xenons.

Good point on LED’s not generating any heat - on frosty mornings the lamps might be much slower to clear up.

eagerv

My last car, a Skoda, had Xenons. My present Honda has LED lights. (I think 8 per side)

In my opinion the LEDs are better on dry roads, but not as good on wet roads as the Xenons. Seems strange, but my wife agrees.

However both are vastly superior to normal halogens and to me worth every penny as a lot of my driving is on country roads.

JoeA3

The perceived quality of light output - whether xenon or LED - can vary a fair bit from one car / marque to another too.

But by an large, halogens have no place in a modern car.

Tropheus

Maddison Alive Mucus wrote: »

I think its the law to have washers with Xenons and LED lights?

There appears to be a lumen threshold where washers are required. I'm not sure about auto levelling. For example, the standard Alfa Giulia has 25W xenons and no washers. There is an option to upgrade to 35w xenons that have washers.

I've seen LEDs without washers also so the same appears to apply.

eagerv

I have washers on the Honda Civic LEDs, but apparently the latest Type R with same lights doesn't have them.

They all appear to be self leveling though.

5500

Have the leds on my type r and don't have the washers, last type r had xenons and no washers either, and I think I found the xenons slightly brighter too. Driving a car with halogens after driving either of the above is a pain though

bazz26

A washer system is only manidory on headlights that emit a certain illuminum (brightness) level.

vectra

On my second car now with LED lamps, As a Poster said, I couldn't go back to halogens
Last car was a 152 Passat B8 with static LED
Current is a 172 Mondeo with the Ford Dynamic LED Lights. I do find these "better" than the static ones, but wouldnt pay extra to have the Dynamic over Static.

No washers on either car.

Is it a new car OP ??

Duff

I recently switched from halogens to LEDs in my e60 and I can't believe the difference. It's like coming from stone age candles to the year 4000 where it never gets dark.

Voodoomelon

The general consensus is that there's not much, if any difference between xenon and LED. So not really worth the premium if LED is offered as a step up, but my understanding is LED is being offered instead of xenon altogether.

Laserlight is a different ballgame altogether, I haven't experienced it first hand but looks mighty impressive online.

PetroleumJello

LED's are very impressive when coming from Halogens for sure. Currently have dynamic LED's which are nice but you only really notice on a bendy country road at night, if they were a premium on top of the LED's I wouldn't spend any extra cash.

ION08

Duff wrote: »

I recently switched from halogens to LEDs in my e60 and I can't believe the difference. It's like coming from stone age candles to the year 4000 where it never gets dark.

Which LEDs did you go for?

Duff

ION08 wrote: »

Which LEDs did you go for?

Went with Philips X-tremeUltinon LEDs. Pricey compared to generic led headlight kits but I wanted the peace of mind from a brand name.