H4 headlamps with LED bulbs

zombie_T6 said:
This is my planned set up at some point.... unless I decide to go all in on the VW LED headlamps :unsure:
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I was very tempted by the full LED solution, as i had a Touareg previously and the LED lights on that were far superior, and i have a Tiguan with them too. But at 3k+ to have them fitted, it was a bit much for me.. The THQ lights were £450, these bulbs were £99. that's enough of a spend.
 
update on Night eye Lamps,
Took out the lamps leaving holder in place turned them 180 degrees and they are now fine, simple error but lamps not marked and they will fit into holder wrong way.
Tried them last night and they are a marked improvement on standard. £20 fix . Thanks Zombie for the heads up.
 
Sam Lawson said:
I fitted a set of Philips Ultinon this morning into my THQ lights, the difference is beyond amazing. I don't have any before photos, but those of you will know in that second picture i'd have been lucky to see the wall. I also bought the LED fogs with the canbus, but annoyingly my T6 won't accept them without a coding, so that's the next thing to be done.

I spoke to THQ and i know they are releasing their own LED H7 and H1 bulbs towards christmas, so i'll be getting some of their H1's when they're released.


View attachment 28806 View attachment 28807
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Do you have any issues with the DAB signal using the THQ lights and replacement bulbs ??

Thanks
 
My understanding is that replacing a filament bulb with an aftermarket non-filament type such as HID or LED is illegal and is something that they are now checking for in the MOT. This is probably the case even for the excellent (though expensive at £140 a pair) Philips Ultinon. While you probably won't get picked up for it by plod (unless they stop you for another reason first), it is usually easy to spot with todays clear lenses and hence obvious to an MOT tester.
This obviously doesn't apply if the complete lamp unit is changed for one designed to use HID/LED bulbs.
 
You’re right, it states on the Ultinon box ‘Not for use on public roads’. The 100w bulbs that come with the THQ aftermarket lamps are also not road legal, as I believe the limit is 65w?

Quite frankly, driving on country lines was lethal at night with the old bulbs, and now my wife & I can see. So it’s safe, it’s dipped correctly so doesn’t blind oncoming traffic.

My MOT isn’t due for 2 years, when that time comes around I’ll approach it. I suspect my tester will overlook them, but until then, I’m glad I can see when driving at night without having to spend £3k on the full VW LED solution.
 
I can't argue with that.
So long as people are aware of the potential issues.
I had aftermarket HID bulbs on my car for a while, until the dealer warned us following a service that they would not pass the next MOT. Of course, there are always testers willing to overlook such things, but our MOT was included in the service plan.
 
Apart from the MOT issue, could there be an issue with insurance if the lights were examined by a loss adjuster following an accident and found not to comply with regs?
 
Yeah but knowing how insurance companies are I bet even with declaired mods on our vans they would still find a loop hole if they wanted to.
Anything less than standard and your gonna be up against it for a big claim.
 
andys said:
Apart from the MOT issue, could there be an issue with insurance if the lights were examined by a loss adjuster following an accident and found not to comply with regs?
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Given that insurance companies have a reputation for always trying to wriggle out of paying claims, what do you think? Even if the lights were not a factor in any accident I wouldn't trust a claim to be upheld.
 
Has anybody in the past or indeed presently is running an LED lamp in the single reflector H$ enclosure?

It just seems that a lot of people go for the TransporterHQ or Vanstyle LED DRL lights as they look like the factory LED option from VW, with the sequential indicator these "replicas" are actually a bit more on point but if you're a sad optimist like myself... ok, tight git, could the boggo H4 actually deliver the goods regarding lighting up the road surface with a decent spec LED lamp shoved in?

Ignore MOT implications and blinding some poor sod coming the other way, it's just that after extensively trawling the internet and finding what promises to be the latest ultimate H4 LED lamp I can't help thinking that if the H7 headlight doesn't perform any better until you jam dip and main on at the same time then why not set the H4 lamp up to do the same?

If heat is an issue and has been addressed as this particular lamp manufacturer claims... I really want that bit to be true ( it's bollocks isn't is it?)... then apart from driving around with the headlight flasher stalk pulled back to the wheel when there's nobody ahead would the same VCDS recode but for the H4 lamp make the dipped beam stay on as well as the high when required?

Loads of questions but as David Soul would have warbled Don't Give up on us Baby, those H4s need a bit of love.
 
Stay Frosty said:
Has anybody in the past or indeed presently is running an LED lamp in the single reflector H$ enclosure?

It just seems that a lot of people go for the TransporterHQ or Vanstyle LED DRL lights as they look like the factory LED option from VW, with the sequential indicator these "replicas" are actually a bit more on point but if you're a sad optimist like myself... ok, tight git, could the boggo H4 actually deliver the goods regarding lighting up the road surface with a decent spec LED lamp shoved in?

Ignore MOT implications and blinding some poor sod coming the other way, it's just that after extensively trawling the internet and finding what promises to be the latest ultimate H4 LED lamp I can't help thinking that if the H7 headlight doesn't perform any better until you jam dip and main on at the same time then why not set the H4 lamp up to do the same?

If heat is an issue and has been addressed as this particular lamp manufacturer claims... I really want that bit to be true ( it's bother isn't is it?)... then apart from driving around with the headlight flasher stalk pulled back to the wheel when there's nobody ahead would the same VCDS recode but for the H4 lamp make the dipped beam stay on as well as the high when required?

Loads of questions but as David Soul would have warbled Don't Give up on us Baby, those H4s need a bit of love.
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The VCDS coding would very defitely work, I've tried it while experimenting a while back, though I didn't drive like that. The main issue is the dip beam anyway though and I do have a pair of LED lamps that came out top for H4 reflectors on Headlight Revolution channel (can't remember what they're called though), but they've been sat on a shelf since before xmas and I've never got around to trying them. Don't know if it'll ever get to the top of the list now the dark nights are over either, but I'm sure there are a few people on here running around with them in.
 
Don't get me wrong Andys I'll probably eventually end up rolling over and selling my remaining right arm for a set of those sequential indicating LED lookalike bad boys but just can't help thinking anything less than the factory full LED headlights are just not quite the real thing, the "real thing" mainly being the crisp white 4000k - 6000k light emitted by LED rather than the sickly 2700k yellow of tungsten filaments in halogen gas... mind you could be I haven't got full HD eyeballs these days.:oops:
 
I bought some of these latest and greatest bulb replacement kits, couldn’t get the in to the slot, battery and stuff in the way :(
 
Stay Frosty said:
Don't get me wrong Andys I'll probably eventually end up rolling over and selling my remaining right arm for a set of those sequential indicating LED lookalike bad boys but just can't help thinking anything less than the factory full LED headlights are just not quite the real thing, the "real thing" mainly being the crisp white 4000k - 6000k light emitted by LED rather than the sickly 2700k yellow of tungsten filaments in halogen gas... mind you could be I haven't got full HD eyeballs these days.:oops:
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You're right there's nothing like proper LED headlights. In my car I can drive like it was daylight due to the LEDs, in my van I find myself reaching for the headlight switch to check they're on as I can't see light on the road when a car is coming the other way
 
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I guess it the projector which does the business with the 55W
 
@Stay Frosty I like you have tried various h4 led bulbs, mini h4 projectors with both hid and led bulbs and none have been successful. The problem I think is the h4 reflector just doesn’t focus the light to where it needs to go. I have eventually given up with the h4’s having spent £200+ on various bulbs and gone for TransporterHQ Gen2 headlights, fitted today and fitted led H1 & H7 bulbs and they are streets ahead of the H4 headlights with a perfect crisp white beam see pictures below.
My opinion in summary is don’t waste any time and money on H4’s just save up and change the headlights, I can’t comment on H7 twin headlights but I don’t think they are a much better than the H4
 
I have a set of Nighteye led bulbs from ebay that cost £18 and have made a massive improvement in my H4 housings. They did give off a bit of glare but after adjusting the lights lower than normal I don't get any glare and don't have oncoming cars flashing me. The difference they have made is literally night and day! Mine are the black 3 sided bulbs.
I will say however that main beam does throw up a bulb out error on the dash and the light output on main beam isn't as good as expected, but dip beam is so good I don't use main beam

They fit into the housing headlights fine and have a built in decoder and fan so no external boxes. Worth the £18 for sure.
 
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