LED Bulbs
LED Bulbs are a very popular type of upgrade bulb. They are predominantly used to upgrade side lights, indicator lights, brake lights, reverse lights and interior bulbs. However new front fog light LED bulbs are also becoming popular.
One of the main advantages of LED lighting is the long life of between 50,000-100,000 hours. This equate to between 6-12 years of continuous use. In most cases this would mean the LED bulbs would outlive the life of the car. The other advantage is the power draw is significantly less than the filament equivelent. For example, the power draw of the LED replacement for a 21W filament brake bulb will be between 2-5W.
LED stands for Light Emitting Diode which means the bulbs themselves are polorised. With some led car bulb applications, it is possible to install them the wrong way round. This means the power is trying to go through the bulb the wrong way. When this situation occurs, the LED car bulb would not illuminate. Simply turning the bulb 180 degrees will rectify the problem and the LED bulb should then function correctly.
LED bulbs produce a very pure colour of light which adds greatly to the attraction of these as an upgrade. The filament equivelent bulbs have a unstylish yellow tinge to the light. Replacing with LED bulbs will result in the light being a pure white colour, much cleaner and nicer to look at. There is also the option to install other colours to further transform the lighting style of the vehicle. LED bulbs typically are available in White, Red, Green and Blue.
There is just one aspect of LED bulbs that can cause an additional problem. The resistance of an LED bulb is very low, which is why the power draw is also very low. However modern ECU systems can use the resistance of the bulb as an indicator to whether it is still working. If the resistance it detects is not what it is expecting, it can result in a false report of the bulb having failed. The only solution to this is to install an additional resistor in parallel to the LED bulb to present the correct resistance value back to the ECU.
Overall LED bulbs are a great way to upgrade your standard incandescent bulbs. Longer life, less power and better looking.
I know there are questions about the legality of headlamps and that yours are ‘E’ marked and legal, but what about the tail/stoplights, are they legal?
Should have been specific LED stop/tail lights
LED replacement bulbs are not technically road legal. The reason being is that to achieve an E mark, the bulb has to be of the same type that it is replacing. E.G. incandescent for incandescent, LED for LED etc. In this case you are replacing incandescent for LED so therefore cannot be E marked. However the light output is fantastic so will pass an MOT as the intensity and colour if by far sufficient.
Is there a bulb I can fit to my VW Golf Mk V reversing light to achieve a better light output than with the fitted 12v 21w tungsten bulb?
The light output is virtually useless, although I realise it may be the design of the light at fault!
The Extreme Power LED bulbs we have will be ideal for that. They can be found on our website here:
http://www.autobulbsdirect.co.uk/382-360-degree-led-extreme-power-5w-new-c-885-p-1-pr-17112.html
At time of writing this comment, this bulb in white is out of stock however they are expected back in stock shortly.
Hello there,
I have 2 questions…
1. Can I buy a clear light/LED for my REAR Fog light? The reason being, is that I have a clear lense at the rear and I don’t really want to have to keep the red bulb! – Loots very ugly.
2. I have buitl a kit car, using 8 LED indicators in total (4 per side, one front, one back, one side repeater and one in the wing mirrors – So 8 in total). What is the easiest way to get them to flash at the correct rate? – I have bought an LED flasher relay, but this does not work(!).
Thanks and regards,
Roy
Answers as follows:
1) yes you can, the rear LED fog light is usually a 382 bulb and as you have clear lenses you will need a red LED bulb. We recommend the following:
http://www.autobulbsdirect.co.uk/382-360-degree-led-extreme-power-5w-new-c-613-p-1-pr-17112.html
2) The LED flasher units should work in this instance. However if it doesn’t then you will need to fit a resistor in parallel to each LED. We have these available here:
http://www.autobulbsdirect.co.uk/led-resistor-kit-pair-c-656-p-1-pr-16458.html
Please can you explain what an E mark is?
I would like to try these but want to keep my car legal.
An E mark is a certification that the bulb conforms to European regulations to allow it to be used in the application it is designed for. Unfortunately one of the criteria for an emark is that the bulb has to be the same type as the one it is replacing. E.G. filament for filament, led for led etc. As this is not the case here (led for filament) it cannot technically achieve an E mark. However the light output and colour of light is by far sufficient so will pass and MOT. This is really just a technicality.
Looking to replace stop/tail twin filament 380 bulb to a LED version. How will the brake light element appear brighter? Is this just by the way that the tail element will only emit a small number of the LEDs to light up and the rest only when the stop element is activated. Asking to check that, if so, is it road legal and pass an MOT test.
All the individual LEDs illuminate on tail light, then they get brighter when the stop light is activated. Its just s simple case of putting more power through the LEDs to make them brighter.
Technically LED bulbs are not road legal as they cannot be E marked. However the light output is correct and will pass an MOT.
For a world War two vehicle that does not require E marked lamps or bulbs, {The exemption being Via 1989 lighting regulations that exempt pre 1971 vehicle from having approval marks on the lamps}
Is the fitment of these LED lamps legal. The only requirement for a pre 1971 side light, stop light or indicator, is that it is “clearly visible.”
I’m not aware of this specific exemption, but I can see why it would make sense – the specialist bulbs used by some classic cars are unlikely to go through the whole approval process.
If there is not a requirement for E market bulbs for your age of car, then LEDs will be fine, assuming we have an LED bulb available in the correct fitting and voltage. We have found that for all vehicles, both classic and newer, testers and police are generally only checking the bulbs are both bright enough to be visible and the right colour.
1. Where the rear lenses are red, should red or white LED’s be used for tail/brake lights.
2. The extreme power LED quoted for a reversing light, is this also suitable for a rear fog, which is red lensed.
1. You should use a red LED, as this will give the best effect for tail and brake lights. White ones tend to look a bit pink!
2. Yes. They are pretty bright and work well as fog lamp bulbs.
will the 380 led stop&tail work in my 2005 citroen xsara picasso,
ie the one bulb servicing tail & break light.
Thanks
380s are dual filament bulbs. 380 LED bulbs (such as the ones at http://www.autobulbsdirect.co.uk/380-LED-360-Degree-Stop-Tail-Light-PAIR.html) have two connectors (same as the traditional ones), with some LEDs lighting up for ‘tail’ and all of them for ‘brake’.
There are some bigger bulbs with more LEDs as well, but they don’t fit in all cars as they can be too long, so check the sizes. For brake and tail, it’s often best to get the red version. Remember to replace the brake light bulbs in pairs for a consistent look – some of the the 380 bulbs are sold as pairs, some singly, so check the descriptions.
Hi. I am looking to replace the ‘second’ pair of tail/side lights on a Fiat Stilo Estate )the ones in the boot lid) with LEDs. Your site says they are 382 type, but when I click on the link it offers indicator bulbs, super bright SMDs etc. Which ones would look like a normal 5w side light? I don’t want it brighter than it should be, or it might look like a brake or fog light, or pinky-looking.
While I am here, which 380 stop/tail LEDs would you recommend for the same car, and which front white 501 sidelights? I want them all to look as standard as possible, with similar light output, which is why I have not yet ordered any!
Thanks
@Steve
Hi there,
Many thanks for your enquiry. We would recommend going for a pair of red bulbs for your tail light and stop light to prevent it from giving out a pink light. 382 bulbs are also a common indicator bulb as well as a stop or tail light which is why some of them are labelled up indicator bulbs, apologies for any confusion.
I would recommend the 382 360 LED bulbs in red as these are designed to give a 360 degree spread of light but will not be overpowering in their brightness. I have enclosed a link to these below for you. I have also enclosed links to the 380 bulbs that are recommended. These are of a slightly brighter type however they will not be overpowering or appear hugely different to a standard bulb. The link to the 501′s will take you to the bulbs that will give you a white light but are not designed to be brighter than a standard bulb.
http://www.autobulbsdirect.co.uk/382-LED-360-Degree-LED-pair.html
http://www.autobulbsdirect.co.uk/380-Super-Bright-60-LED-Bulb.html
http://www.autobulbsdirect.co.uk/501-6-LED-Bulbs.html
I hope this helps, please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any other questions or comments.
Hi.
You mention a few times that LED bulbs are not strictly legal.
What are the implications of this?
Can i be fined?
Could my insurance company have a problem, or refuse a claim?
Thanks in advance.
Hi Magnus,
Technically to the letter of the law as you have changed the specification of your car your car would of be specified with fillament bulbs, you have changed this to LED if you fit or have fitted them, its the same as fitting an aftermarket suspension kit to lower the car this was not the way it left the factory. The Police can fine you and or give you defect rectification notice if the part you fit is not road legal.
with regards to your insurance company you are required to tell them about any changes to your vehicle that change it from the manufacturers specification, (if you replace like for like then you don’t need to)
I hope this helps?
Kind regards