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Was buying a new car headlight last year and the sales associate pointed me to replace my halogen bulbs with new (more expensive) LED "fog lights", but they wer

Was buying a new car headlight last year and the sales associate pointed me to replace my halogen bulbs with new (more expensive) LED "fog lights", but they were clearly labelled "not legal for use on public roads". I wonder how many people get upsold on headlights which are actually illegally bright and never notice.

jeffbee 2y ago
It's not only that they are bright, but also that halogen optics aren't appropriate for the emission pattern of LEDs.
- k4rli 2y ago
  That's not correct. Projector headlights can still be used with LEDs and pattern will be correct. Reflector units aren't compatible. Halogen->LED like Halogen->Xenon isn't allowed in Europe if a car doesn't have automatic levelling and headlight washers.
- gambiting 2y ago
  OSRAM has now made an LED retrofit kit for halogen reflectors that is approved and road legal everywhere in the EU - it's just very expensive for the time being, I'd have a hard time justifying it. https://www.osram.com/ecat/NIGHT%20BREAKER%20H4-LED-LED%20high%20and%20low%20beam%20lamps%20(street%20legal)-Car%20lighting-Automotive/com/en/GPS01_3695161/ZMP_4063288/ https://www.osram.com/ecat/NIGHT%20BREAKER%20H4-LED-LED%20hi...
  - yourusername 2y ago
    For me the big advantage of LED over Halogen is the service life. Back when i had Halogens i had to switch bulbs at least once a year, depending on your car you may have to go to a garage to have it done. 130 euro for a set of LED retrofit bulbs would be worth it just to avoid that hassle.
  - jq-r 2y ago
    Well not everywhere in Europe. I have Philips version of LED bulbs which replaced my halogen lights. They are great, and they have the same beam form so they don't blind anyone. At the same time, they wanted to fail me on the annual inspection because "a car which came with halogen lights cannot have LED lights". Next time I'll put halogens just for the inspection. Completely moronic laws.
    - gambiting 2y ago
      >>they wanted to fail me on the annual inspection because "a car which came with halogen lights cannot have LED lights". Sounds like the tester was trying to be clever - afaik in most places the test is checking if your beam pattern is correct using a machine that measures it in front of the headlamp. What is inside the headlamp shouldn't matter to them in the slightest - either the beam is correct or it isn't. But I don't know where you live so I can't comment on the law in your specific country.
      - jeffbee 2y ago
        In a TÜV inspection in Germany, for example, they know what kind of lamps came with your car, or what retrofit lamps are type-approved for your car, and will fail you if you have another kind. How does TÜV SÜD know what lamps are approved for your car? They are also the organization that does the type approvals. They also will fail you for having polished or otherwise refurbished the lenses instead of replacing them. Basically they are gigantic hardasses about headlights.

jeffbee 2y ago

It's not only that they are bright, but also that halogen optics aren't appropriate for the emission pattern of LEDs.

k4rli 2y ago
That's not correct. Projector headlights can still be used with LEDs and pattern will be correct. Reflector units aren't compatible. Halogen->LED like Halogen->Xenon isn't allowed in Europe if a car doesn't have automatic levelling and headlight washers.
gambiting 2y ago
OSRAM has now made an LED retrofit kit for halogen reflectors that is approved and road legal everywhere in the EU - it's just very expensive for the time being, I'd have a hard time justifying it. https://www.osram.com/ecat/NIGHT%20BREAKER%20H4-LED-LED%20high%20and%20low%20beam%20lamps%20(street%20legal)-Car%20lighting-Automotive/com/en/GPS01_3695161/ZMP_4063288/ https://www.osram.com/ecat/NIGHT%20BREAKER%20H4-LED-LED%20hi...
- yourusername 2y ago
  For me the big advantage of LED over Halogen is the service life. Back when i had Halogens i had to switch bulbs at least once a year, depending on your car you may have to go to a garage to have it done. 130 euro for a set of LED retrofit bulbs would be worth it just to avoid that hassle.
- jq-r 2y ago
  Well not everywhere in Europe. I have Philips version of LED bulbs which replaced my halogen lights. They are great, and they have the same beam form so they don't blind anyone. At the same time, they wanted to fail me on the annual inspection because "a car which came with halogen lights cannot have LED lights". Next time I'll put halogens just for the inspection. Completely moronic laws.
  - gambiting 2y ago
    >>they wanted to fail me on the annual inspection because "a car which came with halogen lights cannot have LED lights". Sounds like the tester was trying to be clever - afaik in most places the test is checking if your beam pattern is correct using a machine that measures it in front of the headlamp. What is inside the headlamp shouldn't matter to them in the slightest - either the beam is correct or it isn't. But I don't know where you live so I can't comment on the law in your specific country.
    - jeffbee 2y ago
      In a TÜV inspection in Germany, for example, they know what kind of lamps came with your car, or what retrofit lamps are type-approved for your car, and will fail you if you have another kind. How does TÜV SÜD know what lamps are approved for your car? They are also the organization that does the type approvals. They also will fail you for having polished or otherwise refurbished the lenses instead of replacing them. Basically they are gigantic hardasses about headlights.